Scouts celebrate brand new headquarters

In April 2007, arsonists set fire to 4,000 wheelie bins on the Beeching Road industrial estate, and the blaze caused 1m worth of damage to several properties.

The 9th Bexhill Scout group's hut in Wainwright Road was razed to the ground, destroying valuable equipment and also 80 years' worth of memories when an archive which was to feature in an exhibition later in 2007 fell victim to the flames.

Undaunted, the troop was temporarily rehomed at the 2nd Bexhill Scout Group in Buckhurst Road and a high-profile fundraising drive to rebuild began in earnest.

Nearly two years later, these efforts have paid off. Bexhill mayor Patrick Douart was the special guest at Saturday's celebration, where he unveiled the plaque commemorating the official reopening of the headquarters.

Special certificates were also presented to those without whose help and expertise the hut might never have been rebuilt.

These people and organisations were: Archway Builders, Brian Reeves, Lionel Banks, John Hawkins and Frank Isted.

The new HQ boasts a main hall with oak laminate flooring, a kitchen, several 'dens' for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorer Scouts, a storage room and thermostatically controlled central heating.

Shirley Gilbertson, leader of the 9th Bexhill Scout Group, said: "We are looking forward as a group to many years of Scouting activities in our new headquarters and we hope that we get the chance to share it with others.

"It is a facility that the residents of Bexhill can be proud of and we thank them all for helping us build it."