2nd Rawdon Trinity Guides is a small but thriving unit of girls in Leeds, aged between My Little Pony enthusiasts and false eyelashes and padded bras experimenters. Our cold and dimly lit old church hall with its high leaded windows, creaky wooden floorboards and ancient and inefficient electric heaters, was actually the perfect place for girls to ‘be prepared’.

It was 2012 and Queen Elizabeth II was entering her Diamond Jubilee year. If there is one thing that girls love, it’s bright, sparkly diamonds and if there’s one thing to which the Guiding organisation is dedicated, it’s the institution of the Royal family. So, as a Unit, we decided to celebrate.

Our annual Spring half-term camp coincided with the Diamond Jubilee weekend and as we had planned a small camp at the Wike Scout campsite on the fringes of the Harewood Estate, it became clear that a trip to Harewood House (home of the Queen’s cousin) would be very appropriate.

In March, after planning for the Spring camp had begun, I called the Guides into a circle one evening to make an announcement. 'I have very exciting news! It relates to our camp which has just become even more special than they always are! Unbelievably, 1st and 2nd Rawdon Guides have been invited by Harewood House to be a part of their Diamond Jubilee Street Party! But, not only are we going to enjoy the sandwiches and jelly but we have also been asked to enter a 1950s decade float in the Jubilee parade!'

Excitement grew over the next few months as preparations began. Each week, the Guides used mountains of crepe paper, lakes of PVA glue and sack loads of sequins and glitter recreating the Royal throne, crown and sceptre. They designed a 1950s style TV and researched the Guide uniform from the 50s so that we could borrow one from the museum at Guide HQ.

When the day of camp arrived, all the girls’ creations were loaded onto a borrowed trailer and we set off for camp with all the tents and equipment stacked high in the back of the Assistant Leader’s farm trailer pulled by her faithful old, chugging Land Rover. We pitched our tents on the eve of the Jubilee in chilly, damp conditions. The wind whipped the canvases all night long and we could hear the rain battering the fly sheet. When dawn broke and the leaders poked their heads out of the tent, we knew that the party wasn’t going to happen as planned. We sloshed down a very boggy track to the gates of Harewood where we could ring the house for advice. 'Sorry, but the parade is cancelled and likewise the party' the organiser said, 'However, the Guides can come and spend the day at the House and Gardens free of charge.'

As I broke the news to the Guides there was a collective sigh of disappointment. All our hard work remained packed up in the trailer. The dejected Guides donned their wellies and waterproofs and trudged across the muddy lanes to Harewood House. We had an excellent tour of the house and the bird garden and sat on the floor in a huge empty room near the kitchens to eat a picnic provided for us. It was hardly the celebration we had expected but we made the most of it. After all, we are Guides, so naturally we were prepared!