Building Company goes in to Administration taking £50,000 of 1st Snodland Scout Activity Centre funds.

When a building company went into administration, we lost £50,000 - help us re-raise funds so Snodlands young people can gain skills for life.

For the past 20 years, 1st Snodland Scout Group - and all its Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and volunteer leaders and Committee members - have taken part in fund raising events to raise money towards a new Scouts building. The old meeting place was in terrible disrepair, and through lots of hard work, we were able to raise over £65,000 - a huge amount of money.

The old building was demolished in 2016 and new plans were put in place. The grounds were cleared, the foundations were dug, concrete pads were laid, and drainage was in place. All that was needed was for the building company to supply the materials and erect the new meeting place. All was looking good until storm Hurricane Gareth blew down the partly erected frame, leaving a twisted and buckled wreck. The owner of the building company accepted liability for the damage on behalf of his company but as the weeks and months passed, 1st Snodland Scout group heard less and less from the contractor. Finally, after numerous calls and emails, the company filed for voluntary administration, leaving us almost £50,000 out of pocket with nothing but old foundations and a ground we cannot use.

1st Snodlands new Chairman David Morgan said "Its a massive blow for all at the Scout Group. It leaves the historic Snodland Group homeless and wastes all the hard work put in by the previous Chairman Steve Cameron, the members of the committee, our young people and our other great supporters. A lot of the hard earned cash is lost and now we need to start fundraising again if we're to keep the Scout movement in Snodland alive".

Peter Byrne, Group Scout Leader added, "We've reached a point where the group can't provide a Scouts hall for the children of Snodland and the surrounding areas - we desperately need help".

To further add to our frustration, we've had to put plans to offer a new section for 4 and 5 years olds on hold. We know how important it is to help young people develop skills as early as possible, and this would have been a great resource for the families in Snodland.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We now find ourselves in an extremely unfortunate position where we need to ask for your help to pay for a new Scouts building, ready for the children to return. When the building is erected all named donations will be featured on our thank you wall.

With gratitude,

1st Snodland Scout Group