All members from Girlguiding Ystwyth district came together at Borth Community Hall to take part in a fun-filled day getting a taste of life in the circus.

On Sunday, 26 February, members as young as four years old spent a day learning an array of circus skills from trapeze, unicycling, juggling, plate spinning and tightrope-walking. The girls also got to have a go at aerial acrobats, gymnastic tumbling, stilt walking, diablo and flame throwing – without the fire of course!.

Girls attend from all the different sections of Girlguiding: Rainbows (4-7), Brownies (7-10, Guides (10-14), Rangers (14-18) and volunteer leaders (16 +) all mixing together and making new friends.

Project group Circus Wessex visited the area for the day to run their inspiring circus event.

They tour the breadth of the UK offering circus workshops and entertaining communities with their magic of the circus.

Highly trained and talented, the crew put on a showcase of their top stunts and tricks which left all members in awe and fits of laughter alike. Sharing all their top tips, every young member who attended was taught a new skill to take away.

After watching the professionals demonstrate their mind-boggling skills, the girls were then able to try all the different activities out on a rotational basis.

Even the leaders weren’t shy, they all got involved and some Brown Owls were found hanging upside down off the ginormous trapeze!

Girlguiding Ystwyth district encompasses units from Aberystwyth, Penparcau, Llanrhystud, Rhydypennau, Penrhyncoch and Llanilar. Girlguiding is the leading charity for girls and young women in Wales, with nearly 11,000 members in Cymru.

Since 1910, amazing volunteers have delivered life-changing adventures and opportunities for the girls in our local area. Groups in Ystwyth offer girls and young women a space where they can be themselves, have fun, build friendships and gain valuable life skills.

This district circus day was a prime example of teaching girls essential life skills, albeit circus related. Girls were taught fundamental skills like forward rolls and balancing techniques and much more.

If you know a girl aged four to 18 who might be interested in joining Girlguiding, or if you’d be interested in volunteering, visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/joinus