Cllr Timmons stated ”Sadly the Newcastle church finance committee and the Laurence O Toole Trust have ignored the over 2,750 people that signed a petition to save the scouts in Newcastle that I started and gone ahead and rented out the former school building the scouts have been using. I am told the lease starts on Monday 11th March and that the scouts have to remove all belongings on Saturday 9th March between 9am – 12 noon. The new tenant will move in from 11th March.”
Cllr Timmons said ” I am devastated and shocked to hear that 3K1C-Newcastle Scout Group have been told to remove all there belonging from the den. This is devastating news for the much used and loved local group, they do not have an alternative venue to hold meetings or anywhere to store their valuable equipment which they have worked extremely hard to build up over the last number years. They are the only non-sporting youth group in Newcastle, they provide these much needed activities for nearly 100 young people from the Newcastle and Celbridge areas, this area has seen a huge increase in population and young families over the last few years. Groups like the scouts keep young people from getting involved in anti-social behaviour and are a huge asset to local communities. The Scouts teach young people a sense of civic pride and responsibility, I feel it is shameful on the parish finance committee and the St. Laurence O’Toole Diocesan Trust and is devastating for everyone involved and a huge loss to the young people of Newcastle to loose such an invaluable facility for commercial gain. My calls asking Newcastle Church to lobby the Trust and ensure that the Scout facility is saved have fallen on deaf ears, despite efforts by SDCC to buy the premises, they decided to ignore the good of the community and put commercial value over community. It is disgraceful and shameful behaviour ”
Fore more information see https://www.change.org/p/newcastle-church-and-save-the-den-for-3k1c-newcastle-scout-group-in-newcastle
