6th Ramsgate Royal Harbour Sea Scouts would like to announce that we have secured funding to replace the Ice House roof, external staircase and access bridge from Jacob’s ladder. This work is possible because of the generosity of Sports England and donations from Cllr Karen Constantine, The Roger De Haan Trust and everyone that donated to our Go Fund Me page. Our leaders have also worked hard to raise money at events like the Ellington Park Summer Fair. Thanks also to Structural Engineer Peter Thomason and Architect Ian Barber, who has worked hard to support us to this stage. The new roof is very exciting because it means we will have a water-tight building with no gaping holes. We have been able to make temporary repairs to stop water ingress, but having a new roof will ensure no further damage occurs to the building. It also means we will soon be able to start using the upper part of the building, although there is still a lot that needs doing before that can happen. Work on the Roof will begin in early October, and AU Roofing he been contracted to undertake this work. As for the staircase and bridge…… Once the staircase and bridge are replaced, we can access the upper floor safely, allowing building materials to be delivered and volunteers to get stuck in and start transforming the space. As you can see from the picture above, our existing staircase isn’t usable, not even for Scouts! S & A Steel Services Ltd will be working hard throughout October and November, making the staircase and bridge, which will be in before December and the festive season begins. We will bring in the New Year celebrating our wins and look forward to decorating the stairs and bridge with fairy lights! So what’s next?  Several small stages will happen alongside each other for the next few months. The floor…… W G Burbridge building suppliers have generously donated 15 sheets of tongue and groove OSB board to help us lay a level floor. This is an excellent start to getting the flooring up to scratch in the upper kitchen and main hall. Our volunteers will be working hard over the Bank Holiday weekend to clear the debris and get this flooring laid; think of them while you are sipping Pimms in your garden Access for all…… At the same time, we are working with several funders to discuss accessibility; to install a lift and toilets. We want to ensure everyone in our community can use the building, so the design work for this stage is already underway. We will update you as soon as we have the funding confirmed. However, so far, we have squirrelled away donations from Tesco Manston Bookcase charity, The East Kent branch of the Submariners Association, Charity Army v Navy Veterans Cricket Match, Tall Buildings Fire Safety Network, Arther’s penny jars, ex-scouts of 6th Ramsgate and donations from parents and grandparents of our current Scouts. Thank you to everyone who has donated; it makes it possible for us to match fund each stage of the project so we can realise our dream. That’s all for now folks, but we’ll be back with more reports on our renovation adventures. We continue to fundraise towards our renovations, and donations can be made via the PayPal button on our website or directly to the Group.