Muriel Dexter (nee Mousley) Guiding Years
30th November 1926 – 4th December 2019
Muriel’s involvement with Girlguiding Coventry and Warwickshire has spanned her life from
being a Brownie, then Guide, to receiving her 60 years thanks and recognition broach as a
volunteer last December aged 92.
Her adult involvement started in 1945 as Lieutenant, then Captain of 14th, City of Coventry
South Guides (later taking on Captain of the 24th North Coventry Guides) In 1963, after moving
to Binley Woods, she started the 31st City of Coventry South Brownie Pack and was Brown Owl
until she opened and ran the Guide Unit there until 1992.
A parent of two girls who were Brownies and Guides recently said that she “ leaves a wonderful
legacy on so many girls in Binley Woods who had great affection and respect for her”.
Inspired by her first camp as a guide in 1937 at Malvern (where she slept on a paliass filled with
straw) camping became a real passion.
One of Muriel’s earliest Guiding ambitions was to be able to take Guides camping. As a young
adult, she gained her Camper’s Licence in 1947 and with fellow Guiders, formed a Parent’s
Committee to raise funds for camp equipment.
From the late 1940’s they camped every year and enjoyed it enormously. Their first camps were
even more challenging as food such as meat, cheese and butter were still rationed.
Camps were not without their incidents - as guiding friends Margaret Locke, Kath Lewis &
Gladys Cooke can tell - including facing man of war jelly fish on a beach in South Wales, a dog
stealing a big joint of beef, marquees blown down in thunderstorms. When camping in
Somerset the camp happened to be pitched directly between two wasp nests and the MO had
to deal with 76 wasp stings during the week!
Through camping, Guides enjoyed living outdoors, and learnt to be self-reliant and independent
as well as enjoying the fun and friendship Guiding offers.
Muriel became District Commissioner, of Copsewood District, Coventry in 1966 until taking on
the role of Division Commissioner in 1973 a role she held for 11 years. She also acted as
Rugby South’s Division Commissioner for a short time.
Her passion for the work and commitment to young people saw her wear many Guiding hats,
heading Finance Committees, advising and mentoring Guiders across the County and as
Midlands Region Adviser - Community Involvement and Development. She also served as
County Vice President.
Muriel received many awards for her voluntary work with Girlguiding but her love of camping
and the outdoors was paramount. Knowing that camping was often the highlight of girls'
Guiding interests, she along with her great team of fellow Guiders, friends and of course, ever
supportive husband Leslie, set about the task of establishing a camp-site at Castle Mound,
Fillongley.
After much searching, the Division was offered the site by Mr Tooke of Bonds Hospital in 1975.
This proved to be a 5 year long, highly challenging and difficult task with endless grant
applications and planning permission refusals, culminating in an appeal to the Secretary of
State.
Once planning permission was granted, and a public footpath redirected, further organization
and much physical work, followed. Trees were planted, ditches cleared, a car park laid and 3
portacabins acquired and installed with the necessary utilities. Muriel’s gritted determination,
resilience and drive, along with, of course, her amazing team of volunteers made it happen,
despite the many obstacles and the first camp was held in the summer of 1980.
The Castle Mound Camp-site was officially opened in May 1981 by The Hon. Mrs Betty
Gervas Clay (Baden-Powell’s daughter) who also presented Muriel with the Laurel Award,
recognising Exceptional Service to GirlGuiding.
Almost 40 years later, when the portacabins had outlasted any reasonable life expectancy, the
Division was faced with replacing them or closing the site. It was a sign of how committed
Muriel really was, that she did not cling to the past, but embraced the next phase in its history,
giving complete support to demolishing the old cabins and replacing them with a new one.
This must have been difficult knowing what hard work went in at the beginning, but she didn't
flinch in her support and came as guest of honour to open the new building in 2015.
She has left an amazing legacy to young children. Over 18,000 people have used the campsite
since it opened. Even allowing for some people in that number having repeat bookings,
that is still a massive number of people who have benefitted from the great outdoors at our
campsite. Thanks to Muriel's vision and hard work.
The work she set in motion continues. This year, for example there was a Rainbow day at the
campsite attended by 42 girls and a Brownie day for 98 girls. There are also 2 Division wide
camps each year for Guides, one, a challenge camp, and then main Division camp.
Her contribution continued after her retirement as a guider, through Friends of Guiding, the
Trefoil Guild and Friendship Circle. Muriel and Guiding friends regularly helped at events like
the Royal Show, and large County Camps. She also organised a conference of The
International Fellowship of Former Scouts and Guides at Warwick University.
Our thanks go to Muriel for her lifelong work - her tireless dedication and strong role model to
the many girls and young women who have benefitted and continue to benefit from her work.