A LLANDAFF North scout group has launched a huge bob-a-job campaign to raise £250,000 to buy a local church.
The Second Llandaff Scout Group is hoping to buy Christchurch Methodist Church/URC in Belle Vue Crescent to provide a long-term base and secure the future of the group.
The Church is selling off its land, and the scout group will have to move unless they can raise the money by the end of this year.
Scouts are hoping to raise the £250k total through a “Big Bob-a-Jobs Campaign” which will involve children in the group providing services for different companies. And they have already secured their first deal.
On March 24 the group will earn a large donation for performing a range of jobs at the Cardiff offices of law firm Eversheds.
Assistant scout group leader Abigail Gibbins said: “We needed to do something massive so we decided to bring back the old scouting tradition of bob-a-jobs.
“We thought, ‘let’s go massive, let’s go corporate.’ So we approached Eversheds and they agreed to donate if the kids came in. They’ll be in their uniforms serving tea and coffee and maybe even manning reception for the day.”
Ms Gibbins is hoping that Eversheds will be the first of many benefactors.
“Now that one big company has done something, we’re hoping for a domino effect with others joining in. If we can get 100 companies to each give us £2,500 then suddenly the £250,000 figure looks a lot more manageable,” she said.
“So far we’ve only raised £3,500 including the Eversheds deal, but I’ve got a couple of big meetings in the next couple of weeks with some really significant people. It’s very exciting.”
It would be a disaster if the scout group had to move away from Llandaff North, according to Ms Gibbins.
“We have between 120 and 130 kids at the moment and many of them wouldn’t have the opportunity to do the things we provide for them if we moved away,” she said.
“The sight of a boy who is normally in a wheelchair swinging from some rafters in a climbing harness is the most amazing thing, and that’s the kind of thing we do for the kids.”
Ms Gibbins also said that all alternatives to the church in Llandaff North would only be available on a rented basis.
“We don’t want to rent anything. We’ve got this one chance, this fantastic opportunity, to buy the church so that no one can ever kick us out. We could have a permanent home forever.”
To donate to the Second Llandaff Scout Group, go to www.givey.com/saveourscoutgroup.
