Joanne Miller (Good Travel, Hull Office) has received two cheques from the Foundation to support her chosen charity, St John (Newland) Scout Group.
Joanne is secretary to the Scout Group and both her sons have attended for a number of years. The Group are desperately trying to raise funds to buy a new scout hut, their present one was built in the 50s and had a 25 year life span, it’s definitely on it’s last legs!! The Foundation boosted their funds by granting a £1000.00 Project
Championing Cheque. This was in November 2012.
Each November the Scout Group hold their biggest fundraising event of the year, a bonfire night / firework display. Unfortunately in November 2013 this had to be cancelled, due to gale force winds and storm weather, Humberside Fire Department advised it would not be safe to proceed. This was a huge blow to the
Group. Hot Dogs had been bought, raffle prizes had been begged and ‘borrowed’ and our funds would be lower at the end of the night instead of higher.
Joanne decided to take the prizes and hold a Christmas Raffle instead, the sweets and chocolates would not last until the following November, so they might as well try and make some money from the cancelled bonfire night ( the Scouts ate the hot dogs!!!). Everyone rallied round, emotional blackmail was out in force and they all managed to sell plenty of raffle tickets – 677
to be precise and this was match funded by the Foundation.
Fundraising is still underway as the Scout Group are still trying to raise the money for a new Community Hall (notice they’ve upgraded from a Hut). The Group recently took a survey in the area and realised a multi-use building would serve the area and community better. The idea is now to have Scout meetings on an evening and during the day it will be used as a nursery for Autistic children – the first of it’s kind in the country. A bridge club want to use the building every Sunday afternoon and an embroidery club once a month. It will also be available to hire for children’s parties. Hopefully by having a Community Hall instead of just a new Scout Hut the building, once built, will actually generate money for the Group.
