Newton Aycliffe Scouts Supporters Association is a registered charity which was formed in the late 1970’s to raise funding to build a hall for the use of the 1st Newton Aycliffe Scouts who were about to lose their Hut in Finchale Road due for demolition. The 2nd Newton Aycliffe Scouts also needed somewhere to hold their meetings, although they had use of the church hall at St Clare’s it was not always available.
Parents and other interested people joined together to raise the necessary funding which was £3000, this amount would enable them to obtain the grants to complete the build.
The first group and Committee included our very own Jean Rutter, among many other parents and friends and they worked tirelessly to help the Scouts raise the money required.
The money was raised by various means; a mile of pennies, raffles, monthly dances at Brafferton village hall, coffee mornings etc and Jean Rutter one of our long standing members has baked more cakes than Mr Kipling!
Initially only the building was owned by the association on behalf of the Scouts, but over the years the land the Hall stands on, the car park and the grass area adjacent to the car park has been purchased as funds allowed. The premises would, if the association were to be disbanded belong to scouting groups who use the hall and not the Main Scouting body, be it BP Scouts or SA. The Scouting groups have the free use of the hall and the facilities.
It was decided to include a licenced bar within the hall, as the Scouts Hut at Wheatley Hill had used this idea successfully, using the profits from the bar as funding for the running and maintenance of the Hall.
In the main this has worked well, and until recently the members have done bar duties and general maintenance on a voluntary basis. There has been difficult times in the past and at one time members rallied round to pay the bar bill and gas bill to keep the venue open. Hopefully these days are long gone and the club is showing a healthy bank balance.
We have recently had to employ bar staff to cover the weekends, as we were unable to cover the hall opening times using volunteers. The Association is now in the process of raising further funds as we would like to add a small extension to the hall to house separate toilets for the young people who use the centre, and a better kitchen area. We have recently extended the social club area to increase the size of the ‘engine’ that generates most of the funds to run the premises; we have also installed a new floor and windows in the hall to make it a pleasant environment for a variety of uses.
The hall is available for hire at very competitive prices: £25 for afternoon hire, £35 for evening at weekends. The bar area can also be hired when not in use and has proved a popular venue. We currently have a vacancy on Tuesday evening if any group or organisation is looking for a venue for their activities please call us to discuss your requirements.
If anyone is interested, we need positive thinking, active, self-motivated people to join our association. Membership is only £3 per year and if you can spare an hour or so once a week or once a month this would be all the better as there is always work to be done! Tel 01325 318901 (answer message picked up at weekends) or Secretary: 01325 321084.