Everything you need for your next sleepover or event

• "Hold, or be working towards, the relevant modules of the Going Away With scheme". For an overnight event, that means modules 1 to 4 (planning, administration, safety and security, health and first aid).

• Ask yeovilshop@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk to order a copy Going Away With scheme resource for you and claim the cost from your unit.

• Let your commissioner know your plans (iveldistrict@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk, wyndhamdistrict@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk or yeovildivision@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk) and contact the residential adviser to arrange assessment (girlguidingsomerset.org.uk/residentials).

• Residential event notification form (REN) / info - (complete part 1 on Go at least 12 weeks before the event, and part two at least 4 weeks before) 

• Information and consent form / info (parents and carers should complete)

• Health Information form / info (parents, carers, girls 16+ and volunteers should complete)

• Event adjustment plans (where required to help you include all girls and volunteers)

• Home Contact form / info (ask a volunteer who is not attending to be 'home contact', or reach out to other volunteers on our Facebook group)

• Somermead UK residential grant (apply for £5 per person per night once REN part 2 has been approved)

• Risk Assessment (a draft is available below for you to use a starting point). 

• Please read the Guide Hut Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

Hall

A hall with a small side room.

• 10 small folding tables and 2 long folding tables, stored on a movable trolley

• 42 stacking plastic chairs

• 5 cushioned chairs with armrests

• A first aid kit.

There is a cleaning cupboard in the side room, equipped with a Henry vacuum cleaner. 

Equipment

Around the side of the hall there are storage box seats. The following items are available for your use:

• 16 camp beds

• equipment in boxes 5, 6 and 7 on this list including hi-vis jackets, parachute for games, a stationer box (scissors, pencils, pens (Sharpies), pencils, rubbers) etc

Toilets

2 toilets, one of which is accessible (right-hand transfer).  The accessible toilet is marked 🚺♿. The other is marked 🚹 but you can make it available to girls and women if there are no male volunteers. 

Kitchen

We have a well-equipped kitchen. Here's a list of our kitchen equipment. It includes crockery and cutlery for 22-32 people and cleaning materials.

• Book online

• Send any queries to yeovilguidehq@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk

• How much does it cost? £5 per person per night and £3 per person for activity days

• How many does the hall sleep? The fire risk assessment says 16 people, and we've got 16 camp beds

• Collect the keys by arrangement with yeovilguidehq@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk and drop off after the event

• Do you have insurance? We hold property owner's liability insurance and environmental liability insurance. Girlguiding provides public and employers liability insurance.

Cooking / fire equipment

Cooking on a stove

• We have 5 portable (butane) gas stoves (like these) (and gas canisters, like these) in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet in the camp store

• You'll need to replace the gas canisters (please use the old ones first)

• Place the stoves on tables or concrete surfaces

• No matches required.

Mini fires in a metal colander

• We have a (black) box with charcoal, kindling, and 4 x metal colanders for fire-building (back wall, lower shelf in the camp store)

• Place the fires on concrete surfaces

• You'll need tinder and matches.

Open fires in a bowl

• We have 2 fire bowls (like these) on the right hand side of the camp store, next to the filing cabinet

• You'll need logs, tinder and matches

• You could collect dry sticks from the ground in Ninesprings Park (never take branches from the trees)

• Place the fires concrete or gravel surfaces

What's tinder and kindling?

Tinder is starter material, e.g.

• birch bark

• very dry dead leaves or tiny twigs

• fir cones

• sawdust

• tumble dryer fluff

• cotton wool

• paper or newspaper

Kindling is in-between material, e.g.

• dry twigs (it must snap)

• logs which have been chopped into small pieces with an axe

Shelter

Make your own shelter:

• We have several groundsheets (like this) suitable for shelter making in the middle drawer of the filing cabinet in the camp store.

• We have a (black) crate of rope and string

• Use these with natural materials in the park to make a shelter. 

• Do not make any fire in a shelter.

Use an event shelter:

• There's an event shelter (like this) which you can borrow. Please return it clean and dry. 

• You can use the event shelter to provide shelter when cooking on stoves, provided they are kept well away from the shelter canvas. 

• Do not make an open fire in the event shelter. 

Rainbows & Brownies: 

• How to make s'mores (older girls can make these on an open fire)

• Camp Skills Builder 2: Fire Starter

Brownies & Guides:

• Camp Skills Builder 3: Best Fire for the Job

Guides

• Backwoods Cooking interest badge

Guides & Rangers

• Camp Skills Builder 5: Wild Cooking

Rangers

• Light My Fire UMA

• You can do your Cooking interest badge on a stove or fire

Cook your usual favourites (and new recipies) on the gas stoves. The ideas below are for open fires only.

Toasting (on hot embers, not flames)

• Toasted marshmallows (you'll need skewers)

• Make them into s'mores by squeezing your toasted marshmallows between digestive biscuits

• Mix flour, water and a pinch of salt to make a thick dough. Peel and sharpen a 'green' (not dry) stick where the food will be. Twist the dough around. 

• You can also cook sausages on a stick.

Aluminium-foil baking

• Baked chocolate bananas (carefully cut a slit in a banana, fill with chocolate, wrap in foil and bake in the embers of the fire for around 10 minutes)

• Baked apples (core the apple, and fill with dried fruit and sugar, wrap in foil and bake in the embers of the fire for around 20 minutes)

• Fish (butter foil, wrap and bake for 10-20 minutes)

• Meat and veg (dice, season, wrap and bake 20 minutes)

• Garlic bread (french stick, filled with garlic butter)

Cakes

• Cake in an orange (cut the top off an orange, scoop out (and eat) the flesh, pour in cake mix, replace the top and bake in the embers of the fire)

• Tiny pancakes can be cooked over candlelight

There is a very small outdoor area around the Guide Hut with a concrete surface. This can be used for:

• portable gas stoves

• very small (e.g. tea light) fires

There are two BBQ points at Yeovil Country Park (Ninesprings) which can be used for portable gas stoves (What3Words ///lives.sunk.limes). 

Unfortunately there is not space for an open fire at the Guide Hut, and they are not allowed at Ninesprings. You may have space at your unit meeting place.

• Complete page 1 of the Day events and activities - information and consent form and ask parents / carers to complete page 2 (see info)

• Adjustment plans for girls and volunteers

• Home Contact form / info (you could ask your commissioner to be 'home contact', or reach out to other volunteers on our Facebook group)

• Check out Girlguiding's safety guidance for Campfires

• Here's how to build a campfire safely.

• Please read the Guide Hut Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

• You'll need to do a Risk Assessment (a draft is available below for you to use a starting point)

• How do I book equipment? Email yeovilguidehq@girlguidingsomerset.org.uk

• How much does it cost? Activity days at Yeovil Guide Hut are charged at £3 per person per day (correct at September 2024)

Did you know we have a wide variety of games your unit can use at the Guide Hut or borrow for a meeting or event? View the games equipment, check its available when you need it, and book.

Everton Road

Immediately opposite the hall there are a very small number of spaces where you can park for 2 hours. However they are usually occupied by residents.

The residential zone operates from 9am-6pm Mon-Sat.

We have two visitors passes available for volunteers to use in the residential parking zone (pinned to the noticeboard immediately on the right inside the entrance)  Please return after use.

Local car parks

Please ask parents and carers to use the following council car parks. They use the PayByPhone parking app. 

• Fairfield (long stay)

• Petters Way (long stay, max 3 days)

• West Hendford (short stay)

• Goldenstones (short stay and long stay max 12 hours)

Tesco Extra car park is available free of charge for a limited time for customer use.

Volunteers can claim car parking costs as an expense.

Bus service

The number 11 South West Coaches service stops nearby at Hendford Lodge Monday to Saturday.

We're a 15 minute walk from Yeovil Bus Station, and a 9 minute walk from the Borough.