Cookham Scout Group are crucially dependant on Longridge Scout Boating Centre in Marlow. It is at the heart of our Summer Term programmes and we are very lucky to have the country’s best Scout water centre on our doorstep. Moreover, the cost of running our water programme there is dramatically less than it would be at any commercial centre. Cubs, Scouts and Explorer scouts get the chance to try canoeing, kayaking, rafting, dragon boating, sailing and many other activities. But the centre needs to raise £1.5million to stay open and a further £3million to upgrade the facilities to keep up with modern expectations and to encourage people to use it more all year round. A fundraising group has been formed to secure the Centre’s future: Cookham Scouts want to help in every way we can to help save Longridge and you may already have seen events such as the sponsored Night Hike that the Scouts and Explorers did in November. Last week the Group Executive Committee decided to make a financial pledge of £5000 to the appeal. This will become payable when the £1.5million total is assured, so that we know for sure the money will go to saving Longridge. This represents a significant amount of money for a charity like Cookham Scout Group, but we have healthy funds at the moment and we believe that it is a small price to pay to ensure the continuing availability of a centre that saves us almost that much money (versus commercial water activity centres) every year. Effectively, we have decided to pay the profit from this year’s Bonfire to the Longridge appeal. If you have any questions about the donation please pass them on via your section leader and we will make sure that they are answered for you.
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