Weaverham Sea Scouts' new Scout hall is officially opened

The group has been fundraising for many years to replace the old wooden Scout hall – which was first erected in 1932.

Group treasurer Brian Williams and the group executive committee have worked tirelessly to secure grants towards the cost of the rebuild.

Cyndy Lloyd from Weaverham Sea Scouts said: "It was quite a challenge and a step into the unknown to start the rebuild during lockdown – work began in February 2021.

"At the time, we were unable to hold section meetings due to the lockdown and were meeting on Zoom, but when we started face-to-face meetings again in April 2021 we had to relocate to The Lighthouse Centre, round the corner from the hall in Church Lane.

"Our builder Conrad and his team did a really good job and were very sympathetic to the original building.

"By the start of our new term in September we were able to move back into our new building

"There were still some additional jobs to complete on the inside – such as getting all our kit out of storage, adding shelving to our new storage areas, and putting notice boards and white boards back in place.

"We still have to complete the work on the garden at the rear and re-seed the grassed areas, but we expect that to be completed by the spring."

On Saturday, Weaverham Sea Scouts was joined by parents, scouting friends and supporters, along with Mike Amesbury, MP for Weaver Vale, councillor Charles Fifield and councillor Paul Williams.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by a current Beaver Scout and Mike Hornby, whose family has been involved with the group since his father Leslie Hornby in the 1930s.

Cyndy added: "We would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way, all our users, all those who donated to our project and our neighbours.

"We hope that our new hall will become a focus for many community organisations and events, as well as a fantastic base for Scouting in the future."