READERS of the Dawlish Gazette have helped scouts to fund a new roof.

The 1st Dawlish scout group needed to match fund more than £3,000 to replace the roof on their Seabourne Hall home.

Scout leader Anne Barnes explained: ‘I am pleased to be able to say that we have now raised the shortfall.

‘We successfully applied for a large grant from Dawlish town council and this, combined with two donations from readers of the Dawlish Gazette, has solved our problem.

‘We are now in a position to replace the roof to Seabourne Hall and hope that works will commence early in the New Year.’

The scouts were out in force at the weekend, joining in the town’s Remembrance parade.

They will also be running a fund raising stall at the Christmas Market on The Strand.

Anne added: ‘It is pleasing that the fund raising that the children are directly involved in will be spent on equipment for them to enjoy, rather than a roof.’

The group was awarded £31,500 from Viridor Credits towards replacing the roof but they had to match fund £3,150 towards the total cost.

The 1st Dawlish Scouts have been going for 28 years and the group is proving even more popular with growing numbers.

Anne explained: ‘This is the final piece of the jigsaw to the Huthub project that was started several years ago, a wonderful journey that  has enabled us to update the security, access and electrics within the hut and replace the kitchen and toilet facilities.

‘Seaborne Hall is now fit for purpose for the next 30 years of scouting.’

The hut is named after supported John Seabourne who died recently.

Arrangements are being made with the help of John’s family and Dawlish Rotary Club for an annual ‘John Seaborne Community Cup’ to be awarded to a member of the scout group who has shown ‘community spirit’ in the year.’