A BROWNIE took to the airwaves to speak to girls in the Scouting movement on World Thinking Day.

Kathryn Sipple, seven, of the 17th Leigh Brownies, is the great grand-daughter of amateur radio antenna designer Gordon “Dicky” Bird and sent greetings to 15 Guides and Brownies in South Ockendon on Sunday.

As the youngest member of the Essex Ham radio club, she broadcast the messages under the guidance of her parents, both of whom are licensed radio amateurs.

She also completed her first electronics project at the weekend, at Southend’s Raspberry Jam technology event, where the team from Essex Ham was demonstrating how to send and receive radio messages to and from the International Space Station.

Amateur radio is a communication hobby which helps people make friends around the world using radio.

A new course for budding radio amateurs starts on April 17 in Thundersley.

Details of this and other courses in the area can be found at essexham.co.uk