Cat Smith Working for Lancaster and Fleetwood
Earlier this month I became aware of Girlguiding plans to sell Waddow Hall in Lancashire which offers amazing outdoor activities for young people, along with a number of other centres.
I have also received dozens of handwritten letters from girls in Lancaster and Fleetwood asking me to do what I can to save it.
I wrote to the Chief Executive at the beginning of this month offering to work with them to explore options to make this centre sustainable.
The Chief Executive has informed me that they are in dire need of capital investment. Whilst Girlguiding is in receipt of funding from the DCMS Uniformed Youth Fund for which they are very grateful, it is restricted to tackling waiting lists for 11-18 year olds, and the activity centres themselves were not eligible for any funding from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund due to geographic restrictions.
Outdoor education is so important for young people and when I was a girl I made so many happy memories in Waddow Hall, and I want girls to continue to benefit from these amazing spaces.
I have written to the Secretary of State asking for their intervention on this, and to directly engage with Girlguiding to save the activity centres.
Do you have memories of Waddow Hall, or do you have children or grandchildren who have taken part in social adventuring activities here? I’m always keen to hear about the positive impact and testimonials from people who know how important these places are for young women and girls – so please get in touch to share your experiences at cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk.