Let there be light again

The young people of Crawley have lost the use of a magical outdoor place after the theft of the main electrical cable in to the local Scout campsite in recent weeks. At some point during the last week of September metal thieves disconnected and stole 150m of high voltage copper cable from the Pease Pottage location, disabling the security measures that were in place.

Consequently their campsite no longer has power for lighting, heating, hot water or cooking affecting all the buildings at the location. So for the time being the local Scouts cannot safely use the site for their weekend and evening activities. This doesn’t just affect the local Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers as the site is regularly used by Air Cadet, Schools, Guides, Church Groups and other Youth organisations.

It is estimated that the cost of replacing the cable and the necessary groundwork will cost many thousands of pounds to put right. At this time it is unclear whether their insurance will cover the essential work but the Scouts are committed to fixing this set-back as soon as possible. Scouting in the UK is self-funded through membership subscriptions and other fundraising activities.

The situation is made worse by the lack of support shown by specialist industry giants who are not interested in such a relatively modest project by their commercial standards. Their efforts are also thwarted by smaller companies visiting the site to survey the work and then failing to respond with estimates. Whilst the adult members do their best to maintain the site the replacement work required is beyond these volunteers’ skills.

At this time Crawley Scouts would welcome help from any business or individuals who can or are able to provide a solution to their problem and get this local gem up and running again; this could be by recommending companies who can undertake the work, quote or support these efforts in some other way.