Brownies celebrated two landmark birthdays this week - their unit’s 60th birthday and the centenary of the movement.

Cambs Times: Charlotte, Rebecca, Olivia, Megan, Charlotte and Hannah made their promise during the evening.Charlotte, Rebecca, Olivia, Megan, Charlotte and Hannah made their promise during the evening. (Image: Archant)

To mark the occasion, members of 4th March Brownies dressed in uniforms from the last 60 years to complete the traditions of guiding badge.

They also sung Brownie songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s and tucked in to a celebration cake made by rainbow leader Tracy Band.

The meeting closed with six new members making the Brownie promise and presentations of traditions of guiding badges to all members of the unit.

Assistant Brownie leader Susan Southwell said: “Although the girls loved the chance to dress up they told me that they want to go back to their modern comfortable uniforms. The biggest challenge to them was tying the tie!”

The Brownie movement was created by Lord Baden-Powell in 1914 to complete the range of age groups for girls in Scouting.

They were originally called Rosebuds, but were renamed by Lord Baden-Powell after the girls complained that they didn’t like their name.

The name Brownies comes from the story The Brownies by Juliana Horatia Ewing, written in 1870. In the story two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful Brownies or lazy boggarts.

For more information about Brownies and how to join Girlguiding, go to www.girlguiding.org.uk