Weymouth West Air Scouts celebrate their brand-new HQ

A secure future

A Youth Investment Fund grant of £873,828.00 has secured their future and transformed their youth space into a modern, inclusive and accessible building. The grant has enabled Weymouth West Air Scouts to develop their dream HQ and means that they will be able to support the needs of substantially more young people across Weymouth. The new building completed in February, and some young people have already had their first sleepover adventure. Young people have expressed their satisfaction with their new home.

The grand opening of Weymouth West Air Scouts new HQ is an exciting time for children and young people along the whole local community. During the twelve months it took to construct the new building , the children and young people have been meeting for their weekly scouting activities in a range of locations across the local area. They will soon be reunited in their brand-new home, ready for new adventures.

Lloyd Hatton MP for South Dorset, Cllr Jon Orrell, Mayor of Weymouth and Councillor John Dean, Mayor of Chickerell will join children, young people, families, funders and partner organisations for the celebration event to mark Weymouth West Air Scouts’ official opening.

An integrated and inclusive space for everyone

The state-of- the-art Scout HQ replaces their old premises, originally funded and managed by parents, supporters and scout leaders back in the early 1970s. The old building had become inefficient, expensive to run, wasn’t accessible to all and was just not big enough to meet the growing demand from the local area. Weymouth West Air Scouts had the ambition to create an integrated and inclusive space for every child and young person in their community.

John Naylor added:

“The old building did not meet the needs of our community and particularly was inaccessible for some. One of our leaders uses a wheelchair and it was impossible for them to engage in the space. It’s brilliant that we now have an inclusive space for everyone; we have reached an important milestone. We could not have done this without the funding, nor without the dedication of Scout volunteers who have gone above and beyond to achieve our fantastic Scout HQ.”

The new HQ far exceeds the Scout Group’s ambition. The design, look and feel were shaped by young people’s ideas. Over the coming months the Scouts will start work on creating a time-capsule to celebrate their new building, to be opened by future generations of Scouts in decades to come.

Some of the exciting new features include:

• Energy saving systems, including solar panels, underfloor heating, modern insulation and an air source heat pump. The new building has an ‘A’ rate for energy efficiency,
• A safe and secure space with CCTV, fire alarm and sprinkler systems,
• Large activity hall,
• Storage for camping equipment,
• Fully equipped and accessible kitchen,
• Accessible toilets and showers,
• Three smaller activity spaces, including a chill out space with a softer colour palette,
• A private office/counselling space that can be used for confidential conversations with parents and carers.
• A newly renovated outside green area, including an all-weather patio for Scouting activities. Plus, memorial benches for some of the Scout Group’s outstanding members, including the Group’s Chair, who oversaw the development of the Group’s original scout hut back in the 1970s.