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During the tragic and devastating fire on the 17th July 2010 that completely destroyed the Fylde Scout District Headquarters at Heyhouses Lane in St Annes, the highly skilled Fire Crews miraculously saved the nearby Activity Barn with its adjacent Indoor Climbing Wall.
David Kirkham, Assistant District Commissioner for Scouting Activities, said: “We have two reasons to celebrate. Firstly, we are extremely thankful that the Activity Barn and the Indoor Climbing Wall remained unharmed and were not consumed by those savage flames. Secondly, these fabulous facilities are now exactly 1 year old, so, Happy Birthday!”
“It’s a crazy idea to climb the full height of Mount Everest, but we are going to try!” Mr Kirkham added, “The Climbing Wall is 9m high and we have 8 ropes that can be climbed simultaneously. We need to climb each rope 123 times in order to ‘reach that summit’ at 8,848m / 29,028ft. It’s going to be really tough, but with the help from everyone in the Fylde District, there is a pretty good chance that we can do it in approximately 8 hours.”
This is going to be a sponsored event that will see the Climbers contributing to the target of raising £100,000.
In the same time there will also be a Family Fun Day inside the Activity Barn with various entertainments, a BBQ and drinks stalls. Everyone is invited: young and old, Scouters and the non-Scouting Public. There will be lots of things to do for all the Family!
The Fire Crew in St Annes is also supporting the event by coming and showing their impressive Fire Engines.
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Fylde District Commissioner, Mike Smith, said: “The building we have lost has, for almost 40 years, played such an important part in the development of Scouting in the Fylde. Countless Young People and Leaders from within Fylde District and beyond have had the good fortune to use the HQ and its sleeping accommodation for the variety of events and activities which Scouting offers. There will be hundreds of former members who will have such fond memories of the building and indeed the whole site. Obviously I hope that many of them will respond to our Appeal as it is vital that this excellent Scouting facility is restored as soon as possible.”
Further, in a recent message to the Scout Leaders, Mr Smith said: “Together we can turn this disaster around and with a lot of effort from everyone we can ultimately end up with a HQ and sleeping accommodation fit for the 21st Century and one that we can be proud of for a great many years to come.”
Other reasons why it is so vitally important to rebuild the Fylde Scout Headquarters as soon as possible are:
- It is a focal point for all the Scout Groups within the District.
- Numerous organisations outside Scouting make good use of this facility, including other Uniformed Organisations such as Girlguiding UK, Boys Brigade and Girls Brigade.
- The indoor accommodation that the Headquarters building offers is an integral part of the Camp Site, along with the new Climbing Wall and Activity Barn.
- A large proportion of the revenue generated from the HQ and Sleeping Accommodation is re-invested throughout the year to continually improve the site facilities. In addition this revenue is vital for the successful running of Scouting within the District.
So far Scouts in the Fylde have received £5,200 either directly or via The Lytham St Annes EXPRESS, that kindly offered to act as a post box for donations. Cheques are payable to: Fylde District Scout Council.
The Fylde Scouting Community is in very positive spirits and working hard to increase funds, for example by assisting with the Fleetwood Triathlon on Sunday, 26th September. They also have planned various Bag Packs in local Supermarkets and of course the “Climbing Mount Everest” Project, that without any doubt is a most exhilarating way to fundraise!
The Fire Crew in St Annes and Lytham are also extremely supportive and are planning a joint all-day Car-Wash at Lytham Fire Station on Saturday, 2nd October 2010. Fylde Scouts will be providing tea and coffee and soft drinks for the hard working Firemen and for their customers of course. The generous Fire Crew have offered to share the resulting Donations with Fylde Scouts.