The Scout’s hall urgently needs roof repairs
The scout hall roof of the 1st Brackenhurst Scout Troop urgently needs repairs, but the troop is currently facing a shortage of funds to cover the necessary costs.
The 1st Brackenhurst Scout Troop was registered March in 1983 and they are still going strong 40 years later.
But they need assistance as their scout hall, which was completed in 1996, is in dire need of roof repairs.
“We rely on the help of the community because we do not have the money to complete these repairs,” said Adrian van Rensburg.
He said structural engineers who carried out an evaluation found that several trusses have broken due to the excessive stress the current concrete roof tiles have placed on the structure.
“The roof structure is being held up by supports. The hall is unable to be used, due to the safety risk this poses to the children attending Scouts. This has also affected our finances as we have been unable to rent out the hall for extra income as we would have done in the past.”
The desperately needed repairs to the roof include the removal of the current concrete tiles and replacing them with lightweight IBR sheeting (approximately 320m²) as well as repairs to the damaged trusses and connector plates throughout the hall.
“These much-needed repairs will cost around R250 000. For this reason, we are reaching out to the community for donations for our troop to continue to make a meaningful difference within our community as well as to continue to instil values in the children who attend,” said Van Rensburg.
Scout group history
Lord Robert Baden-Powell started the scouting movement in South Africa in 1907. He aimed to make the world a better place. Scouts combine adventure with values like honesty, loyalty, kindness and respect.
What started as one man’s dream is now a worldwide movement with Scout Troops around the world. One of the local troops is the 1st Brackenhurst, situated on Poppy Street in Brackenhurst.
“For the last forty years, as well as teaching the children about things like caring for the environment and life skills like cooking and gardening, we have also encouraged the children to reach out and help the community,” he said.
In the past forty years of their existence, they have undertaken to help many charities within the community.
“Some of our more recent community projects have included collecting dog food and blankets for the SPCA, collecting Easter eggs for orphanages, nappies for children’s homes and making jars of hope to distribute to those in need.”
For more information, or to find out how you can help, contact Adrian at 082 820 6995.
