Girl guiding leaders in the Sid Valley are urgently on the lookout for someone to step in to watch over the area’s groups.

The district commissioner position, which oversees five rainbows, brownies and guides groups in Sidmouth and Newton Poppleford, will be vacant in August when the existing leader steps down.

The voluntary role is essential to the smooth operation of the girl guiding groups, which are enjoyed by scores of youngsters from the area.

Lynda Cole, co-leader at the Sidford Brownies, said it was vital the groups found someone to fill the position as soon as possible.

She said: “It really is a crucial role.

“There is nobody above the district commissioner who has the responsibility to find a replacement, so it has been left to us to do it.

“We can probably stumble on in the short term, but we won’t be able to do that for long.”

The commissioner position includes managing finances, keeping records up to date and acting as the representative for the groups.

Lynda added the successful applicant would not necessarily need to have been involved in girl guiding before, and the role could suit a retired person or someone in work with free time spare.

Anyone interested in finding out more is asked to email sidmouthguidedistrict@gmail.com