Girlguiding UK drop God vow from promise

From September, girls joining the Brownies and Guides in the UK, will no longer have to pledge their devotion to God.

Girlguiding UK found they needed a new vow that includes non-religious members and those who follow other faiths.

It has been replaced with a new promise to "be true to myself and develop my beliefs".

The new oath drops the reference to God for the first time since Guides began in 1910.

Brownies and Guides currently vow to "to love my God, to serve my Queen and my country".

The new promise

I promise that I will do my best

To be true to myself and develop my beliefs

To serve the Queen and my community

To help other people

and

To keep the Guide (Brownie) law

The consultation about the vow was carried out earlier this year and involved nearly 44,000 Girlguiding UK members and non-members.

Chief Guide Gill Slocombe said: "Guiding believes in having one promise that is a clear statement of our core values for all our members to commit to. We hope that our new promise will allow all girls - of all faiths and none - to understand and feel proud of their commitment."