Member Article

Scout’s honour for Linden Homes

A North East developer has made a scout’s promise to help a local troop beat the vandals.

A series of break-ins has seen over £5,000 of damage done to the 5th Birtley Scout Group hut, located just off Ruskin Road in the town.

But now, Linden Homes – Galliford Try’s housebuilding division - which is constructing The Aspens development close by, has come to the rescue.

Assembling a team of local specialist contractors and willing volunteers, a two week refurbishment programme is planned to spruce up the building and to make it more secure.

James Heron, Scout Leader, said: “The damage caused has really taken its toll on our scout hut and we are delighted that Linden Homes has come forward to help us.

“I had seen the new homes they are building in the town and thought that it would do no harm to send them an email to see if they could help. I was hoping for some advice or maybe some materials but the response we have received has been so much more than we expected.”

Closer inspection of the damage revealed that a leaking roof had caused the deterioration of a section of timber wall panels which were easily breached by the vandals. As well as repairing the roof and these walls, the Linden team is planning to install steel plates in access doors for added security, replace the internal doors, undertake re-wiring work and decorate the scout hut both inside and out.

Abigail Reid, Marketing Co-ordinator with Linden Homes, said: “When we heard about the problems that the scouts were experiencing we were keen to help and put a call to action out to both our own employees and subcontractors. The response has been fantastic and we’re looking forward to getting started in the next few weeks.

“With a number of happy families moving into the new homes we are building at The Aspens, just off Mount Pleasant Road, supporting a group that offers exciting activities and opportunities for young people in the area is a real pleasure.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .