£100,000 APPEAL FOR NEW 1ST NORTHWOOD SCOUTING CENTRE

An enlarged and modern facility for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers

APPEAL LAUNCHED. On the 1st of March at Fairfield Church in Northwood Hills, the 1st Northwood Scout Group launched its £100,000 appeal to replace the existing Scout Hut with an enlarged Scouting Centre. The launch was attended by the Mayor of Hillingdon Cllr John Hensley, and the Deputy Mayor Cllr Carol Melvin; there were also several other important guests present including all three Northwood Hills Councillors, Chief Inspector Rob Bryan and some of his staff, and several members of the REN District senior team. The hall was filled to capacity with guests and many young members and their parents.

At the end of the meeting, Nigel Stone, the Bursar of St John’s School, presented a jumbo cheque to the Group for £1,000, kick starting the fundraising appeal.

We are fortunate to have as our Patrons for the appeal Nick Hurd MP and Councillor Carol Melvin. Nick Hurd was unable to attend, but addressed the meeting via a pre-recorded video.

The current Hut in Northwood Way was built in 1956; after 60 years of hard use it is no longer economical to maintain and repair. Building the new centre is planned to commence in the summer of 2018.

Whilst Scouting is better known for its challenging outdoor activities and adventures, many skills taught by the Scout Leaders take place inside the Hut. These include cooking, IT skills including computers and smartphones, map reading including use of GPS, first aid, bicycle maintenance and DIY. The existing hut is in use five days a week throughout the year.

DOING THE SUMS. The budget for the new building has been set at £170,000. We already have a considerable sum of money set aside in reserves from the last 10 years of Jumble Sales, and we shall be getting a Capital Grant from our Scout District. We have set ourselves the challenging target to raise the remaining £100,000 in the next 12 months, so that we can place orders for the building during the Spring of 2018.

YOU CAN HELP TOO! We are appealing to all current and past scouts and their parents and grandparents to make contributions, either by donating personally or organising their own fund-raising activities with the slogan “Raise £274 per day for a year.” Were YOU a scout? Would you like to give something back in return for the great times you had?

We are also asking local businesses, clubs and organisations to support the Campaign, in the spirit of “Supporting the Young People of Northwood”. Major donations will be recognised on a Donations Wall when the new building is finished.

If you would like to find out more please contact Richard Plume on 01923 827409 or email: fundraising@1stnorthwoodscouts.org.uk

You can make an online donation via our BT My Donate page: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/1stnorthwoodscoutcenterbuildproject
Your donation can be gift aided.

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