A BASINGSTOKE woman has been presented with the highest accolade possible in Girlguiding.

Sarah Bourne was presented with her Queen’s Guide Award at the House of Commons by Julie Bell, deputy chief guide, on March 9.

Sarah, 22, achieved the prestigious accolade after taking part in a series of personal challenges in an array of areas such as social action, voluntary work and travel.

Across all of Girlguiding in the UK, less than 150 young women out of the hundreds of thousands of members are presented with Queen’s Guide Award each year.

It took Sarah just over two years to finish her challenges to be in line with a chance of being presented with the prize.

During this period of two years, she took part in a gruelling four day walking expedition, developed activities for Girlguiding South West members to complete as part of Parliament Week, and attended a Parliamentary reception for the launch of Parliament Week.

On being presented with the award Sarah said: “Achieving this award shows a dedication to an incredible charity that inspires and empowers young women across the world, and I am proud to be a member of Girlguiding.

“The Queen’s Guide allowed me to develop as a leader, give back to my community and also contribute to Girlguiding in a way I hadn’t before.”

Girlguiding provides a service for young women to develop the skills and confidence they need going into adult life.

Speaking about the presentations, deputy chief guide for Girlguiding, Julie Bell said: “It’s a privilege to present all these incredible young women with their Queen’s Guide Awards.

“Hearing about the range of challenges each of them took on and the effort they’ve put in is truly inspiring.

“Girlguiding is all about giving girls opportunities to challenge themselves and try new things in a supportive environment.

“They should be very proud of their achievements.”