Published on | General
In 2025 we asked local scouts, cubs, guides, and brownies to put their creative skills to the test.
The challenge – design a new sew-on patch celebrating the Lock-up.
The prize? A free sleepover here at the museum!
We were blown away by the amount of wonderful submissions from across the West Midlands – it made our job of choosing a winner all the more difficult! All the brilliant designs were brought together and we asked our volunteer team to vote on their favourites. After much deliberation the most popular design was Ella’s from 4th Warwick Guides!
Once the winner was decided we got to work bringing Ella’s design to life and the new Lock-up patch is now available in our gift shop and online store! They have been a popular addition to our merchandise with more than 150 already having been snapped up by visiting troops to add to their uniforms and badge blankets.
To celebrate Ella’s achievement we invited Assistant Chief Constable Parnell to join us here at the museum and present Ella with a certificate and her very own Lock-up patch with her design! ACC Parnell congratulated Ella and shared tales from his impressive career in the force, spanning over 25 years. The guides had interesting questions for ACC Parnell, from unsolved cases to how they could join the force and the different roles available to officers and police staff alike.
To work towards their investigation badge, the guides took on our forensic trail challenge analysing evidence left behind at the scene of a crime and cross-comparing samples from suspects to narrow down the culprit. They also took on a code-breaking challenge, exploring the museum and tracking down each piece of the puzzle to find the secret phrase. We had a wonderful evening hosting 4th Warwick Guides and have no doubt there are some budding detectives amongst them!
If you’re looking for a unique experience for your troop why not check out our sleepovers? Explore the museum with exclusive access and spend the night in our historic cells! Find out more here.