28/8/06

A lot's been happening since the last update. The flagheads we found in the ashes of the old HQ have now been cleaned and will fit onto new flagpoles (with new flags of course!). Aside from the sentimental value, to replace these two would have been £90 alone!

Fundraising has started to take off. The ladies of Park Court in Dormanstown (all pensioners) raised over £120 in a Bring and Buy evening, and nearly £60 was raised at the Danby Antique and Collector's Fair from the sale of items donated. We've also had two donations totalling£300. People's generosity still astounds me. We can now obtain Gift Aid on all donations. If you are a tax payer, then your donation can generate an additional 28 pence in the pound, at no cost to you! More details from me or Joyce Charlesworth.

We've had a great offer of equipment from a redundant Group in Solihull. We are now looking for somewhere to store it before going to pick it up. It's great how the Scouting community helps those in need, even outside the immediate county.

If anyone has contact with a fencing company please let me know. Whilst we're still waiting for the insurance company to sort things out, our first task after clearing the site is to fence the boundary with 2 metre high steel pallisade fencing - the same as the rest of the site and Rugby Club field. We need 60 metres (its £40 per metre!), and the insurance doesn't cover it. So we need to raise £2400 to cover that. We are talking to the Rugby Club to see if they will help to fence our mutual boundary.

Don't forget the Ceilidh on December 1st at the Coatham Bowl. Tickets are available now from Joyce on 01642 485753 or Jackie on 01642 478518. They're starting to sell so get yours soon!

The Beaver, Cub and Scout sections will soon be starting again after their summer breaks. A letter to parents with the arrangements for temporary meeting places will be sent out this week. If anyone has a source of pens, paper, pencils, craft materials, etc., to help the Leaders with the weekly activities then let me, Alan or any of the Section leaders know.

Anyone got any photos of activities around the old HQ? Send me them and I'll publish them here. This site should be more than 'I want your money'! Nothing wrong with a good old reminisce!

Lots of interest!

Evening all!

Lots of offers to help. The parent of an-ex member of the Group is organising a Ceilidh in the Redcar Bowl on Friday 1st December. Not sure of ticket prices yet, but it will include dancing to the 'Cleveland Bays', pie and peas and licenced bar till 11pm. We have had offers of great raffle prizes from local businesses. Come along, enjoy yourself and benefit the fundraising without realising it! More info soon, but we need you and your friends there!

Over £200 donated so far, and we still haven't heard from the bank about the account details! Also given an interview to the East Cleveland Advertiser who are keen to help fundraising. We now have a definite need to fundraise, regardless of the insurance company's decision. They will not pay for the completion of the pallisade fence around the property. The fence is essential before we start work on the new Hut. The railway side, part of the rugby field side and the side backing onto the Laburnum Road houses need fencing. No ideas on prices yet, but it won't be cheap! Anyone know a friendly fencer........?

A week on - Update

So what's happened in the last week?

Well there's been plenty of support from both the general public and many, many people in some way related to the 6th. Some have been ex-Cubs, Scout or Venture Scouts, some parents of ex-Scouts, some friends of leaders past and present.

Whilst some of the responses have been from the "birch 'em and hang 'em" brigade (presumably referring to the arsonists!), the overwhelming majority have been referring to the pleasure that being part of 6th Redcar brought to their lives.

It appears that modern banking isn't what it used to be! We've been told that the fundraising account will take about a week to process and open - I promise that as soon as I have details I'll publish them here. I know some of you, particularly those who live away from the area, are wanting to help and have requested the fund details. We are still awaiting quotes to forward to the insurance company and then start the process of tendering and rebuilding. It looks like we'll need to physical support once the main building is up - from ground clearers to plasterers, bricklayers to tea makers.

Co-incidently there have been two gatherings of ex-members in the past week. 17 old ex-members were spotted in the Plimsole Line pub in Redcar on Wednesday night, there mainly to celebrate Andrew McPherson's birthday. A further posse of even older ex-Venture Scouts were to be found at Newlands Valley in the Lake District at the weekend, dragging old bones up hill and dale. At both events fond memories were shared, of people and events that helped shape our lives. Anyone fancy a reminisce? Send a blog! Even photos of bad hair, cars and shorts!

As you can see I found a couple of pictures the other day.



Can't say I remember the top picture, but certainly can picture the pre-1981 interior of the hut looking like this!



The opening ceremony from 1957

3/8/06

Not the old familiar picture of the front door to the Hut!

This, and the following pictures show the sad sight that was the result of an arson attack on the 1st August.

The fire brigade were called by two residents of houses that back onto the Hut at around 2am. By then the Hut was well ablaze. Local residents were evacuated because of the gas risk and trains were halted on the Saltburn-Darlington line for a while.






As you can see the contents were completely destroyed.





Luckily the Group was insured for both buildings and contents BUT perhaps not to the full value. Remember all the tentage, stoves, the maps, compasses, etc? All gone. Do you older ones amongst us remember the tilley lamps at Summer Camp? The Primus stoves in biscuit tins or double burner gas stoves? All gone. Of less sentimental value, but perhaps more important to today's Beavers, Cubs and Scouts are the equipment, books and records that they used every week.

Today, Alan Charlesworth (who for those who have been away from the Group for a while may not know is now both GSL and Scout Leader), is talking to the insurance company about rebuilding. Don't know yet if we can afford to do it.

5/8/06

Well the insurance guy has been round and agreed the Hut is a right off! Looks like we'll be able to replace the Hut, with a similar design to the old Hut (but hopefully more fireproof!). First of course the site has to be cleared and made secure.

6/8/06

Yesterday Alan Charlesworth (or Dad to me!) went down to search for the old brass flag heads. After some digging through the ash we found the Scout flag head and the Cub one. Don't know if anyone remembers the Cub flag was from the old Wolf Cub days and had a brass wolf as the head. They've been cleaned up and will go onto the new flags. I'll post the photos when I get them.

Had loads of support from people. We're opening a bank account tommorow to start saving for the re-equiping of the new Hut as it appears that although we may be able to rebuild the Hut from the buildings insurance, the contents insurance is unlikely to cover the equipment replacement. Already got £70 in donations!! Had a phone call tonight from a parent of a 40 year old ex-Scout offering to buy a new Union Flag!

As soon as I have the details I'll post the bank details here.