IT has been a long and frustrating eight years, but a Scout group left homeless by fireraisers has finally moved into its new £180,000 hall.

The 1st Neilston Scout Group is celebrating after the hall was officially opened by Graham Haddock, Chief Commissioner Of Scotland.

Scouts may no longer have Bob-A-Job Week, but the members of the East Renfrewshire group worked hard to raise the cash needed for the new facility in Main Street, which will also be a community hall.

They received a host of grants and local businesses helped out, but they raised £10,000 themselves. They did it by holding coffee mornings, working at the Neilston cattle show, and holding raffles and doing bag packing in local stores.

Jim Duffy, Paisley & District Scout Executive and development leader said: "This hall is an invaluable asset to the whole community of Neilston.

"Our thanks and gratitude go out to all the people in Neilston who have supported the project."

The new hall was backed by East Renfrewshire Council's Leader fund, which provided £90,000, and the Scottish Renewables' Whitelee Windfarm Fund, which gave an additional £20,000.

Three sums of £10,000 also came from Lottery Awards For All, the Postcode Lottery and group supporters and donations.

A further sum of £30,000 was raised from Entrust via Murdoch haulage.

Mr Duffy added: "Thanks go to all the funders and supporters, especially Leader funding and East Renfrewshire Council, which provided remarkable resources, and finance into the new hall.

"Future generations of young people will benefit from this excellent Scout and community hall."

Iain MacLean, East Renfrewshire Council's head of environment, said: "Neilston has a wonderful community spirit and the council is delighted to see this project emerging from the ashes after all this time."

The previous hall was destroyed in a fire attack in 2004. The Scouts first relocated to Neilston Parish Church hall and then to St Thomas Primary.

With a large sum raised, construction on the new hall started in March 2010.

That year Mr Duffy and chairman Dan Harper, of the Paisley and District Scout Executive, came on board to help and secure funding to complete the project.

The Group, which was founded in 1918 and is split into four sections, is led by leader Billy Wilson.

ewan.fergus@ eveningtimes.co.uk

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