THE Girls Brigade celebrated its 125th anniversary two years ago and it still continues to be a staple of the south Essex community.

The Christian youth organisation’s roots date back to 1893, when the Girls Brigade of Ireland was formed in Dublin by Margaret Lyttle.

Helping girls to discover personal Christian faith was at the heart of Mrs Lyttle’s innovative mission and, in 1965, the Irish branch amalgamated with two other UK Christian groups – the Girls Guildry of Scotland and the Girls Life Brigade of England.

More than 600 groups now exist across the UK, including on Canvey, in Laindon, Leigh, Billericay, Southend and Rayleigh.

Echo:

Reading out loud - members of the 3rd Rayleigh Girls Brigade take a sneak peek at a Happy Royal Birthday card in 1986

We have dipped into the Echo archive to find snaps of south Essex Girls Brigade groups.

Scroll down to see more eye-catching images of the Girls Brigade through the years.

Echo:

All in line - members of the 1st Southend Girls Brigade in 1973

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Bang the drum - youngsters from the 1st Southend Girls Brigade stand together in 1973

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Echo:

Blow that horn - the Southend and District Girls Brigade in 1983

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Single file - Southend brigadiers perform in October 1988

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Smiling from ear to ear - delighted members of the 1st Southend Girls Brigade in 1991

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Hitting the right note - Karen Isaacs, of the 1st Southend Girls Brigade, in 1973

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Time to reminisce - former brigadiers come together to look back at fond memories from years gone by

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They mean business - Girls Brigade groups can still be found across south Essex today