Guides’ £20k hole in budget for hall

A plea has been put out by a group of girlguides who need funding to help renovate their ageing hall.

Dunkeld and Birnam Girlguides want to build an extension on their current guide hall in Dunkeld, as it is too small and not suitable for the 21st century.

Now, despite months of fundraising, the builders’estimates have come back £20,000 over budget, leaving the guides to make up the difference before work can get underway on the hall.

Residents are being asked to dig deep to help meet the ambitious fundraising target.

Helen Taylor, the treasurer of Girlguiding Dunkeld District, said: “We are struggling a bit. We had enough money, but then the quotes came back from the builders higher than expected, so we now need to find another £20,000.

“The hall was built in the 1930s and was sold to the guides by Atholl Estates. It is currently run as a centre for the guides, brownies and rainbows once we get a leader, and most recently the senior section.

“The young women here have developed through the Girlguides for generations in this small hall.

“It is only a hall and a very small toilet and a basic kitchen. There is no storage space, so at the moment they have to store all their camping equipment in a shed outside. We need new toilets as well because it is so small it is not suitable for disabled children. Any young person in a wheelchair would be disadvantaged because the hall is not suitable.

“My children have massively benefitted from the guides, so I really want to help and drag the hall into the 21st century.”

Helen has already worked hard to secure funding for the renovation works, including £70,000 from Griffin and Calliacher Community Fund, £70,000 from Perth and Kinross’Rural LEADER fund, £20,000 from the Gannochy Trust, and £15,000 from the RobertsonTrust.

However, despite this massive haul, a further £20,000 is needed before work can begin on the renovations.

Helen continued:“We were able to say to the architect‘we have all the money’, and we have got planning permission and a building warrant. Sadly the building estimates were way over.

“We need to now look at trimming down our plans such as reducing the overall foot space and not tarmacing all the way around the hall.

“It is disappointing and I am feeling very upset because I thought we had the money. This will now delay us for several months, and we are feeling quite stressed out about it all and very concerned that we once thought we could start this fantastic extension, and now we can’t.”

Helen is now asking any residents or benefactors who want to support their efforts to get an extension to visit their JustGiving page via www.justgiving.com/ girlguiding-dunkelddistrict