Grant puts wind in Sea Scouts' sails

A £10,000 windfall from the Aviva Community Fund will pay for new camping equipment for 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts.

They are one of 32 projects and organisations to get that amount from the fund - but the only Scout group in the country to be awarded more than £1,000.

Some 3,810 votes from the public ensured their application made it to the judging panel stage.

The money will replace camping equipment that was either too old or damaged due to strong winds on their two-week camp last year.

The new tents will enable the Sea Scouts to take youngsters to different types of events in the coming year.

Janette Eslick, volunteer fundraiser for 2nd Warwick Sea Scouts, said: "We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who got behind our entry.

"It was amazing to see the massive support we got for our project to help us get through to the finals. After that we were keeping everything crossed that the judges would choose us!"

The group is also currently fundraising to collect the £650,000 it needs to build a new headquarters in St Nicholas’ Park.

It is hoped that the ambitious project will be completed by the group’s 60th anniversary in 2019.

Other local recipients of money from the Aviva Community Fund were the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway, which runs pleasure steam train rides along the old Stratford-upon-Avon to Cheltenham railway line.