MORE than 450 Girlguiding members from Jodrell District have been celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday with two educational events.

On Monday, May 9, Girl Guides aged 10 to 14 years old came together to take part in a ‘girls night out’ to watch a rare astronomical event called the Transit of Mercury.

The girls and their leaders witnessed the planet passing in front of the sun and they were also encouraged to become more involved with science subject including physics and engineering with hands-on exhibitions.

The evening finished with a live web-talk with NASA scientist Natalie Batalha, who is an expert in her field.

10-year-old Girl Guide, Lauryn Robinson, said: “I had a great time at Jodrell Bank, all the science stuff was really cool. My favourite thing was talking to the NASA scientist.”

Judy Povey, acting division commissioner for Jodrell District, added: “The evening was awesome, a word I rarely use, but it was hard to put the evening into words. It was great to see so many young girls interested and inspired by science.”

Jodrell Bank then hosted a special ‘tea party and tiara’ day on Saturday, May 14, which saw more than 350 Rainbows and Brownies, aged five to 10, enjoy an array of exciting activities.

The girls visited the Space Pavilion, Telescope and different exhibitions within the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre.

“I had a great day, I saw so many cool things and learnt so much,” said Isabella Maloney, who is a member of 1st Mobberley Brownie Unit.

A key aim of Girlguiding is to help raise girl’s aspirations and to inspire them. The Girlguiding Science Investigator badge is one way in which girls can learn new skills through a hands-on approach.

For further information call 0800 1 69 59 01 or visit girlguiding.org.uk.