Youth charities Girls’ Brigade England & Wales and Girls’ Brigade Scotland have jointly announced today that they will be merging from 2027 to form the Girls’ Brigade Great Britain charity.
As a result, Girls’ Brigade Scotland will wind down as an independent charity as it merges into the Great Britain-covering organisation.
Girls’ Brigade Scotland will formally cease operations in May 2027, at which point its members will be welcomed across the single organisation serving all of Great Britain from June onwards.
Judith Davey-Cole, chief executive of Girls’ Brigade England & Wales, said: “At a time where many young people spend a significant amount of time online, at Girls’ Brigade we are dedicated to ensuring the future sustainability of the movement in Great Britain.
“Like many membership organisations for children and young people, membership numbers have shifted in the digital age, and our priority is making sure we have a national organisation that is sustainable and ready for the future.
“By working together to plan Girls’ Brigade across Great Britain over the coming year, we can create the best possible environment for girls and young women to join us.
“We are unique as an organisation as we hold proud Christian values, and this is something that we want to protect and develop with our network.”
The merging charities are members of an international Christian youth network for girls and young women aged three to 18 years old.
According to Girls’ Brigade Scotland’s most recently filed accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2025, it reported an expenditure of £311,000 against an income of £226,000.
In the accounts, the charity said that it had incurred an operating deficit of £85,100, which, after adjustment for unrealised investment gains, was a deficit of £58,900.
The charity employed an average of four staff members in 2024-25.
According to Girls’ Brigade England & Wales most recently filed accounts for 2024, the charity reported a total income of £573,900, against a total expenditure of £607,000 and employed nine staff members.
