Girlguiding group receives £391,000 of National Lottery funding to help rebuild centre in Harrogate

The Birk Crag Centre, based in Harrogate, will be a valuable, accessible community asset, providing a meeting place not only for Girlguiding groups, but also welcoming other community users too.

Girlguiding North Yorkshire West County has owned the site since the mid-1990s and there has been a residential activity centre based there since the ’50s when the site was gifted to local Girlguiding.

It has been the source of many happy memories for visitors over the years and now it will continue to be a part of many more to come.

The new centre will have accessible meeting facilities, a hall which can accommodate up to 120, a well-equipped kitchen and a large basement area for more messy, outdoor-style activities.

There will also be lift access to all floors.

Upstairs, when complete, will accommodate 40, with two accessible bedrooms and a large lounge area.

Girlguiding North Yorkshire West County has 2500 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Leaders across the county who have all played a part in fundraising over £1.3 million to fund the project this far.

Delays caused by the pandemic and the ever-increasing cost of building materials and labour has meant that the original budget and timeline have over run, leaving the project in need of a final boost to open the doors again.

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see the ground floor and basement of the building completed and able to be used again.

This will mean that units who have been unable to meet there for nearly ten years will once again have their own meeting place.

Other local community groups will also be welcomed.

At the same time, work on the residential floor will continue through other sources of fundraising, enabling them to welcome residential groups both from Girlguiding and the wider community.

Knaresborough Lions have been a huge support to the project, providing hours of labour.

The previous Birk Crag building played host to walking groups, musical groups and other youth organisations - the new centre will welcome all too.

Carly Halls, Girlguiding North Yorkshire West County Commissioner, said: “This wonderful news is just what we have been hoping for and we are very grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for sharing our vision and helping bring the dream to reality.

"Now thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to complete the work on the ground floor and basement of the Birk Crag Centre.

"This is important because it will enable us to welcome everyone back into the centre again.”