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Brownies and Guides celebrated the complete renovation of their World War II Guide Hut following a mammoth fundraising effort to finance the £70,000 refurbishment in Penrith.
A member of the 3rd Penrith Brownies, Abbie Davidson joined County Commissioner for Girlguiding in Cumbria Cheryl Christian to cut the ribbon and officially re-open the Penrith Guide Hut at a special celebration attended by fellow Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, members of the Trefoil Guild and representatives of the organisations who donated money to the project.
The official opening was an opportunity to thank those who have supported the renovation, including: Cumbria waste management fund, Penrith Rotary Club, Inner wheel, Ullswater Masons Lodge, Mr Kenyon, Lonsdales Pub, Cranstons, Hadfield Trust, Cumbrian Newspapers Charity Fund, Penrith Flower Club, Francis Scott CharitableTrust, 100 Club Members, Penrith Neighbourhood Forum, Derek Graham, Penrith Lions, Soroptimists and Wicks.
Brown Owl Christine Nicholson said: “The building was in desperate nee of repair work, with a leaky old tin roof, inadequate toilet and kitchen facilities, and cold, draughty rooms. Today we have a modern facility that is fit for purpose and which we can make available to other organisations in the town.
“It has been a long, hard slog to raise the funds then complete the work, and I am very grateful to my husband John who has put many hours of hard work into project managing the work and getting it completed.
“It has been a real community effort and we are very grateful to everyone who has supported our renovation of the building.”
“County Commissioner Cheryl Christian said: “It is a facility fit for Guiding in the 21st century. This facility is going to enable Guiding in Penrith to flourish – attract more girls and people to Guiding.”
The Guide Hut was originally build to provide a school room for evacuees from the North east during the Second World War. Today it is the base for a Rainbow group, three Brownie packs, a Girlguding pack and a senior section group.
Anyone wishing to get involved in Guiding can contact Christine on chrisnich4@googlemail.com.
