Warwick sea scouts celebrate opening of new £1.1million headquarters

A sea scouts group in Warwick celebrated the opening of its new £1.1million headquarters last week.

Scout adventurer Sal Montgomery officially opened the new site in St Nicholas Park on Saturday (September 18).

The gala opening followed more than six years of fundraising and 18 months of construction to create the new headquarters and community building – which was interrupted by an arson attack on its building site last year and then the Covid-19 pandemic.

Marc Gadsby, group scout leader, welcomed members of the group, former members, funders and representatives from the local community who were all gathered around the flagpole outside the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts' old hut.

Viv Bosworth, group chair, led tributes of thanks to everyone present for all their efforts in coming together to deliver the community project in challenging times.

Cllr Neale Murphy, chair of Warwick District Council, helped by two Cubs, unveiled a funders’ board to recognise all of the financial support the group received.

Viv Bosworth, said: "The support that we have had from so many different sources has been truly incredible, and we want to thank each and every person, community group, and organisation who volunteered their time, offered fundraising opportunities, donated items for the build, or gave generous grants or donations.

"Specific thanks to the Norton Foundation as our biggest funder, and to Warwick District Council, not only for the funding that they provided, but also for working with us so flexibly to allow the build to continue in difficult circumstances.’

Nigel Hailey, Scouts County Commissioner, added his congratulations and then Sal Montgomery, and Capt Neil Downing RN, Captain of Sea Cadets presented some of the scouts with their Chief Scout’s Gold Awards, the highest award a scout can earn.

A procession of members of the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts, led by young leader Rachel Eslick, then took place from the old hut to the new building, with youngsters carrying flags, a ship’s bell, and a lifebuoy to signify the official move; whilst the Royal British Legion Flag bearer led the way for invited guests to follow over to the new headquarters.

Once assembled at the new site, Graham Suggett, chair of the Norton Foundation, unveiled the name ‘TS Norton’ - which stands for training ship - in honour of the £225k grant the Norton Foundation gave to allow the building to be completed.

The Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Richard Edgington, cut the ‘TS Norton’ cake, helped by two Beavers, and Rev. Dr. Anita Morgan blessed the new headquarters.

Sal Montgomery, escorted by Capt Neil Downing RN, Captain of the Sea Cadets, and Tim Cox, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, cut the bunting and declared Training Ship (TS) Norton officially open.

Attendees were invited to stay for a tour and see the new space - including a second meeting room, allowing them to now run a second Beaver Colony and second Cub Pack and start to expand the group.

Guests then celebrated in the open space at the back of TS Norton whilst listening to The Coventry Festival Band and enjoying a barbecue, cakes and stalls by the RNLI and Royal British Legion.

During the afternoon there was an ‘open house’ at TS Norton for the community whilst youngsters in the group enjoyed activities around the park and on the river. Sal Montgomery, also spent the rest of the day in her kayak on the river, spotting the winner of the duck race and spending time with all youngsters.

The opening ceremony formally completed the second phase of the 2 nd Warwick Sea Scouts ‘Building

a Future’ project – following the completion of its new jetties in 2018. The final stage of the project will now commence to renovate the former hut into a new boathouse.

Janette Eslick, lead fundraiser for the 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts, said: "It was an amazing event to mark a major milestone for our group and it was wonderful to see so many members of the local community, former members and local dignitaries join us to celebrate in the sunshine.

"Sal Montgomery was absolutely brilliant throughout the whole day, having also done a talk for us the night before at Warwick School. We think she inspired a few more of our youngsters to go adventuring and get kayaking.

"The day was a wonderful celebration of everything that is best about our group: a real sense of community, formal ceremony alongside informal fun, volunteers working together but with the focus still on the youngsters getting outside and building real skills for life.

"We hope everyone will continue to support us as we take a breath and then embark on the final phase of our project, the renovation of our old hut into a new boathouse."

Anyone interested in joining as a leader or volunteer can get in touch by emailing: seascouts@2wk.org.uk or visiting www.2wk.org.uk