Belmont District Guides hosted a reunion between young and old members to mark the British movement’s 100th anniversary.

District commissioner Arabella Bolton, 43, said 80 women attended and their names would be sewed into a patchwork quilt to commemorate the event.

Mrs Bolton, who joined as a brownie in 1973, said the celebration brought together former leaders from the 1950s up to the present day and former guides and brownies from the 1970s up to the present day.

Mrs Bolton, an administrator at Seaton House School, whose daughter Natalie, 19, is now a leader, said: “A very important lady was at the event – Barbara Cox, a former guide guider in Belmont for many years, and a former district commissioner for Belmont.

“She is 82 years young, still active within the Trefoil Guild and has been a member of guiding since the 25th anniversary, when she joined as a brownie.”

The group in Belmont has been going since 1917, making it one of the earliest groups in Britain.

At the event there were displays of old uniforms, log books, past and present newspaper coverage, photographs, guiding handbooks and copies of newsletters portraying guiding in Belmont in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Mrs Bolton said one of the highlights of the afternoon was the presentation of the Queen’s guide award to Anna Macphie, 22.

Also at the event was MP Paul Burstow MP – Belmont’s ambassador for guiding and Marion Perry, county Queen’s guide adviser.

Mrs Bolton said: “I was pleased we managed to bring together so many people to relive their happy times guiding.

“I felt proud of the strong guiding tradition we have in this area and pleased it continues from strength to strength.”