Boost for Guide Hut
A young Rainbow has given efforts to fund a new Guide Hut for Blairgowrie and Rattray a boost.
Sophia Dingwall, with help from her older sister Cara, baked cakes and sold them to friends and neighbours in Honeyberry Crescent in Rattray.
Sophia held the sale as part of her efforts to achieve her Helper Interest Badge, and then chose to donate the £70 earned towards the rebuilding of the Guide Hut on Emma Street.
She presented the money to Christian Hill, a Trefoil member and par t of the committee involved in fundraising and planning for the construction project.
The handover took place at the final autumn term meeting of Sophia’s Rainbows group.
The Guide Hut was constructed in the early 1920s and was declared unfit for use in 2016.
Since then, the Rainbow, Brownie and Guide groups in Blairgowrie and Rattray have had to use a variety of locations around the town for their sessions.
Planning permission and a building warrant have now been received for the rebuild and fundraising for the project continues.
A spokesperson for the groups who will use the new building said: “Obviously with the issues of the past few months the opportunities to apply to funders or to hold fundraising events locally have been seriously curtailed.
“There are presently 121 young members, aged between five and 16 years-old, involved in Guiding in the District, with awaiting list for others to join, and finding a permanent home for them has become even more urgent through the pandemic period.
“We have been able to meet in the garden at the rear of the hut this school term, which has been a lifesaver for all the units, however with colder, darker evenings approaching this no longer works.
“Fortunately government rules permit us to meet indoors next term, with strict risk assessments in place, and we have all found other venues around the town.
“When we do start to hold fundraisers we would appreciate help from all those who have fond memories of their young lives spent in the Guide Hut to enable the next generation to enjoy similar experiences.”