By Lorraine Welsh

MORE than a century after a Glasgow schoolgirl cycled past a shop window and spotted a book on scouting, the organisation she helped create is holding a year of celebration.

Allison Cargill's interest in the Scouting for Boys book sparked the idea that there should be something similar for girls.

A year later, in 1909, after being successfully adopted into the Cuckoo Patrol of the First Glasgow Scout Group, Allison and some of her friends would meet in the stable loft above her house.

The newly formed little group was beginning to attract interest and the founder of the Boy Scout Movement, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, met the girls, representing hundreds of others, who insisted they wanted to be Scouts too.

Angry critics dubbed this a "mischievous new development" and a "foolish and pernicious movement", but the girls won the battle.

In 1910, history was made when Lord Baden-Powell's sister Agnes took the reigns as president of a new organisation, The Girl Guides Association.

One hundred years later Girlguiding is an international association, boasting up to 10 million members, with 500,000 UK members of which 65,000 are in Scotland, and 3262 of these are in Glasgow. In America, they are known as Girl Scouts.

The name 'guides' was given after a decision to create a separate identity for the girls, allowing them to work for their own development, not in imitation of the boys. Sir Robert recalled a group of guides' in India, who worked on dangerous missions on the North-West Frontier. Even when not on duty, they would train their minds and bodies. With this is mind, the term was given to the young women.

The first Girl Guide company to be registered in Scotland was the 1st Peebles, founded by Lady Erskine, whose daughter, Veronica, was a keen guide, and their first meeting took place on February 26, 1910.

The same year, Allison Cargill left to attend St James' School in Malvern and her patrol lapsed, having never registered. The following December, the first Glasgow Guides were eventually registered.

By 1920, UK membership stood at 17,000 and was firmly established, welcoming the flood of interest from young girls across the country. One year later, it had almost doubled to 30,000.

The guide manual, How Girls Can Help Build Up The Empire published by Agnes Baden-Powell in 1912, helped the girls follow four levels of skill: intelligence, handcrafts, health and service. They were required to pass a number of tests including sewing a skirt and blouse, skinning and cooking a rabbit, lighting a fire with two matches and first aid. As the years went on, the tasks were altered to keep up with changes in society and personal interests.

During both world wars, the girls' endurance was put to the test. They collected books for the soldiers, knitted scarves for them and even raised money to buy an ambulance.

However, by the time of the second world war, there was a noticeable drop in numbers, due to the number of evacuated children and Guide leaders taking up war service. Yet again, the girls helped by collecting blankets, clothing and newspapers, keeping allotments and keeping up with their first aid training.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, camping became hugely popular. Firelighting, mapping, pioneering, cooking, compassing and knotting were all on the agenda as the girls enjoyed the outdoors.

By the end of the 1970s, the guides were going abroad for overseas activities including camping trips.

Allison Cargill, who eventually became the Scottish President for Girl Guides, said: "Looking back, I know that my whole life has been influenced by the inspiration the founder gave to the world and which we now call scouting and guides." She died in 1979.

Membership continued to grow in the 1980s and 1990s, along with the modernisation of skills, badges and uniforms. Today May Madden, County Commissioner, Glasgow Guides, says: "These skills offered challenges and opportunities to girls who had been restricted to Victorian values.

"We offered girls the opportunity to travel abroad - maybe for the first time - to meet people and develop their confidence.

"The guides are often criticised as being a middle-class organisation, but that is very unfair, as we encourage girls from all walks of life to take part." The following is list of the Rainbow units, Brownie packs, Guide companies and Ranger Guide units in Glasgow:

* Northern Division Springburn 2nd Glasgow Brownie pack33rd Glasgow Brownie pack174th Glasgow Guide company174th Glasgow Brownie pack163rd Glasgow Brownie pack Kelvinside 2nd Glasgow Rainbow unit25th Glasgow Brownie pack25th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack25th Glasgow Guide company133rd Glasgow Brownie pack201st Glasgow Brownie pack201st Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack201st Glasgow Guide company1st Glasgow Rainbow unit Botanic Gardens 199th Glasgow Brownie pack199th Glasgow Guide company2nd Glasgow Rainbow unit (Botanic Gardens) Ranger Guide unit 207th Glasgow Guide company207th Glasgow RGU248th Glasgow Brownie pack248th Glasgow Guide company1st Glasgow Rainbow unit (Hyndland) 301st Glasgow Brownie pack Kelvin/ Maryhill 170th Glasgow Brownie pack170th Glasgow Guide company, 1st Glasgow Rainbow unit (Maryhill) 128th Glasgow Rainbow unit128th Glasgow Brownie pack128th Glasgow Guide company * North East Division Dennistoun 60th Glasgow Brownie pack60th Glasgow Guide company96th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack357th Glasgow Guide company Carntyne 278th Glasgow Rainbows278th Glasgow Brownie pack347th Glasgow Brownie pack350th Glasgow Brownie pack278th Glasgow Guide company Barmulloch 90th Glasgow Brownie pack90th Glasgow Rainbow unit282nd Glasgow Guide company * East North East Division Tollcross 146 Glasgow Brownie pack222nd Glasgow Guide company222nd Glasgow Brownie pack222nd Glasgow Rainbow unitRanger Guide unit 286th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack286th Glasgow Rainbow unit355th Glasgow Brownie pack Garrowhill/Ballieston 206th Glasgow Brownie pack351st Glasgow Brownie packRainbow Glasgow Unit352nd Glasgow Brownie pack354th Glasgow Guide company354th Glasgow Brownie pack'A' Rainbow unit'B' Rainbow unit Shettleston 240th Glasgow Guide company240th Glasgow Brownie pack240th Glasgow Rainbows296th Glasgow Brownie pack'A' Rainbow unit356th Glasgow Brownie pack Sandyhills 123rd Glasgow Guide company123rd Glasgow Brownie pack123rd Glasgow Rainbow unit245th Glasgow 'A' Guide company245th Glasgow Brownie pack'B' Rainbow unit *South East District Croftfoot/Castlemilk 88th Glasgow Guide company88th Glasgow Brownie pack295th Glasgow Guide company295th Glasgow Brownie pack295th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack295th Glasgow Rainbow unit Cathcart/Simshill 134th Glasgow Guide company134th Glasgow Brownie pack134th Glasgow Rainbow unit293rd Glasgow 'B' Brownie pack293rd Glasgow Rainbow unit King's Park/Castlemilk 271st Glasgow Guide company271st Glasgow Brownie pack271st Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack284th Glasgow Guide company284th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack Govanhill/Queen's Park 84th Glasgow Guide company84th Glasgow Brownie pack166th Glasgow Guide company166th Glasgow Brownie pack Shawlands/Newlands 53rd Glasgow Guide company53rd Glasgow Brownie pack59th Glasgow Guide company59th Glasgow Brownie pack59th Glasgow Rainbow unit114th Glasgow Guide company114th Glasgow Brownie pack141st Glasgow Guide company141st Glasgow Brownie pack141st Glasgow Rainbow unitRanger Guide unit Merrylee/Thornliebank 144th Glasgow Guide company144th Glasgow Brownie pack144th Glasgow Rainbow unit212th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack232nd Glasgow Brownie pack232nd Glasgow Rainbow unit270th Glasgow Guide company270th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack Cathcart/Langside 46th Glasgow Guide company46th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack97th Glasgow Guide company136th Glasgow Brownie packRainbows * South West District District 1 11th Glasgow Brownie pack56th Glasgow Brownie pack61st Glasgow Guide company192nd Glasgow Brownie pack192nd Glasgow Rainbow unit259th Glasgow Brownie pack259th Glasgow Rainbow unit259th Glasgow Guide company District 2 94th Glasgow Brownie pack131st Glasgow Guide company131st Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack131st Glasgow Rainbow unit249th Glasgow Guide company249th Glasgow Brownie pack292nd Glasgow Guide company292nd Glasgow Brownie pack336th Glasgow Guide company336th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack336th Glasgow Rainbow unit * West District Garscadden/Drumchapel 181st Glasgow Brownie pack181st Glasgow Rainbow unit310th Glasgow Guide company310th Glasgow Brownie pack310th Glasgow Rainbow unitRanger Guide unit311th Glasgow Guide company311th Glasgow Brownie pack313th Glasgow Guide company313th Glasgow 'B' Brownie packPinewood Glasgow 'A' Rainbow unitAlderman10th Glasgow Guide company10th Glasgow Brownie pack10th Glasgow Rainbow unit176th Glasgow Brownie pack176th Glasgow Rainbow unit275th Glasgow 'A' Guide company275th Glasgow Brownie pack Knightswood 224th Glasgow Brownie pack242nd Glasgow Guide company242nd Glasgow Brownie pack242nd Glasgow Rainbow unit * North West District Clydeside 115th Glasgow Guide company115th Glasgow Brownie pack70th Glasgow Brownie pack263rd Glasgow Guide company263rd Glasgow Brownie pack263rd Glasgow Rainbow unit Partick 15th Glasgow Brownie pack79th Glasgow Guide company124th Glasgow Guide company124th Glasgow Brownie pack1st Glasgow Rainbow unitRanger Guide unit Broomhill/Jordanhill 47th Glasgow Brownie pack47th Glasgow 'A' Guide company47th Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack47th Glasgow Rainbow unit48th Glasgow Guide company48th Glasgow Brownie pack55th Glasgow Guide company55th Glasgow Brownie pack55 Glasgow 'A' Brownie pack1st Glasgow Rainbow unit2nd Glasgow Rainbow unit