An ambitious plan to rebuild an Old Basing scout hut has received a hefty chunk of Government cash to investigate installing cutting-edge green technology.
On Tuesday, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Davey announced 155 schemes across the country receiving a share of £5.1m of grants. The Old Basing Baden Powell Centre for Scouts and Guides Renewable Energy Scheme was awarded £29,886.
The grants come from the Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF).
“The big national challenges of keeping the lights on and emissions down can be tackled in small ways in our homes and local communities,” said Mr Davey. “These grants are designed to nurture the ideas and enthusiasm of communities up and down the country.”
The announcement was welcomed by the team behind the Baden Powell scout hut, who last year suffered a setback in their plans to revamp the Old Basing site after narrowly missing out on a £60,000 cash prize from Energy Share.
Project leader Andy Molloy said the cash will help reignite the project.
“It’s great news for us,” said Andy. “Principally what we are aiming to do is to investigate the insulation of the building, they’ve paid us to model some likely candidates for the design.
“We are also looking to do some design work for an inter-seasonal thermal store which would take solar energy of the summer, store it in the ground, and heat the building in the winter, which is a bit cutting edge to be honest.”
Since last year, the grassroots community project has been seeking to revamp the derelict scout hut in Milkingpen Lane into a flagship eco-friendly HQ for local scouts and guides.
In December it narrowly lost out on the Energy Share cash pot after being pipped in a public vote, despite bagging more than £4,500 supporters from across the country.
Andy said that despite the blow, plans to overhaul the current site were still alive, and the latest wave of Government investment would help towards getting the site built.
“This project will continue,” he said. “We will seek to fund it whatever way we can. And the modelling we are now doing is showing that this can be done and save money and is not pie in the sky.”
He added that losing the Energy Share had given the youngsters involved in the project an important lesson.
“The message that we need to show to our young people is that if you don’t succeed at first, keep trying, go back and have another go,” he said.
“What we are doing is showing our young people that they still have our support, we really mean this and help them get what they need, and the only way you get that is hard work and dedication.”
