Black Country sailing club working to replace destroyed starter hut

Himley Hall Sailing Club have begun work to replace the starter hut, which was destroyed by fire in December along with all the club's sailing, racing and safety equipment, including first aid boxes, flags, buoys, oars, safety bags and solar-powered lighting system.

The fire on the morning on December 11 also destroyed the decking left to the club by the families of former members and was the latest in a series of vandalism attacks, coming after 14 dinghies had been damaged in the boat park, a safety boat had been stolen and steel doors for the club's entrance store was cut to pieces.

Club member Sarah Bonnar said the club had been working to clear up the debris and said the local community had been very kind in their response to the fire.

She said: "At the moment, we've just had to clear up the debris and look to see what we can salvage and what we can't, which just wasn't a lot because it was pretty much all destroyed.

"We also have to look at what we can replace, including the decking which, sadly, had been gifted to us after two club members had passed away by members of their families.

"Because of the time of year, there hasn't been much of a chance for people to really see what has happened, but we've had a lot of people come back when we've been at the park and said that it's such a shame and they've always loved walking by the club."

Ms Bonnar said the club had been part of the park for half a century and said the club wanted to remain at the park, so were looking to replace the starter hut, as well as having applied for planning permission for railing and CCTV around the rest of the boat park.

The club has started a Just Giving page to ask for help with paying for the new hut, which was insured alongside some of the equipment, but the decking was not insured and the excesses for the insurance means the club is looking to raise £10,000 for the hut and £30,000 for the CCTV and railings.

Ms Bonnar said the club did a lot of work with the local community and said that she hoped people would make a donation to help the club continue its community work.

She said: "We do lots of work with youngster and scout groups and disadvantaged people and, last year, we had 180 scouts out on the water.

"By losing things like the starting hut, it could stop all that, so I hope people can make a kind donation."

To find out more about the Just Giving campaign and to make a donation, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Himleyhallsailingclub?utm_term=Kkjb35mNe