Scout group raises funds for new home

ONE of Wales’ oldest Scout groups has raised enough money to buy a former church in Cardiff – after being faced with having to leave their home of the past 40 years.

The Second Llandaff Scout Group, which meets in a hut in the grounds of the former Christchurch Methodist/URC Church in Llandaff North, was faced with a challenge after the church closed in 2015 and the whole property had to be put up for sale.

Formed in 1908, the group’s members currently include some 120 children and young people from the Llandaff North, Gabalfa and Whitchurch areas of Cardiff.

It took 18 months of hard work for them to meet the daunting challenge of raising enough money to secure the property and there were inevitable setbacks along the way. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts threw themselves into every conceivable fundraising effort, while Scout leaders made numerous applications for grant support.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but the group were looking to raise more than £200,000 to buy the site.

Trust officer Sue Cole at the United Reformed Church (URC) Synod of Wales, which had the task of disposing of the Christchurch property, said: “The Scouts raised a huge amount of funding themselves and in the community to purchase the site, and we congratulate them on their imaginative and tireless efforts.

“Throughout the 18 months, trustees were supportive and sympathetic to the Scouts, while former church members continued to take care of the premises and maintain insurance cover. They saw this as an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the URC in the local community.

“The congregation at Christchurch served the people of Llandaff faithfully and selflessly for 140 years. It is good to know that the many young people and families involved in the Scouts’ activities will continue to benefit from a home secured at our former church premises.”

Tim Lawley of Cooke & Arkwright, the commercial property agents that managed the sale, said: “This property generated a great deal of interest when it was brought to the market last year, with a number of strong offers received, including that from the Scouts, which reflects the wider demand for unique sites such as this for alternative uses or redevelopment.

“The Scout group has worked tirelessly to raise the funding for this purchase, and I am sure that both they and the wider community will reap the benefits of them remaining at the property.”