South Shields school comes to sailing club rescue after suspected arson attack
A South Shields school has sailed in to the rescue after a suspected arson attack.
The wind of positive change has blown on young South Tyneside sea goers whose sailing centre saw one its dinghies destroyed in a suspected arson attack.
By a quirk of timely good fate, the 3rd South Shields Sea Scouts Group has been gifted a batch of kayaks to ensure its members can still take fully to the water.
They have been donated by Harton Academy, which by chance was looking to rehome the crafts after they became surplus to requirements at its indoor swimming pool.
Nine are now in the hands of the scouting group at its headquarters at South Shields Sailing Club, in River Drive.
It was the scene of a blaze discovered by bosses on the afternoon of Sunday, June 28, and which wrecked one of the club’s pricey dinghies.
Two heroic club members who found the vessel alight were able to dial 999 while dragging other boats clear and preventing fire spread.
Firefighters arrived to douse the flames and Northumbria Police has confirmed arson is the suspected cause.
The Omega type dinghy, which costs about £10,000 new but was well worn, was insured and the club is making enquiries to recover its losses.
Niall Graham, the sea scouts’ group lead volunteer, described the fire as “devastating” for members but said they had been invigorated by the kayak donation.
He added: “A huge amount of work goes into providing our activities for young people. We have to scrimp and save to buy the things we need.
“We care for equipment, and so to lose one of our dinghies was devastating.
“Our dinghies are quite old and have been used a lot, but they are important to us.
“Harton Academy has now given us nine kayaks which will double our fleet and they are very welcome.
“The 3rd Sea Scouts very much appreciates the donation and is very grateful for it. It will help us get the young people out on the water.”
Kerry Currey, who works at Harton Academy and is also a leader with the scouts group, said the donation had been fortuitous,
She added: “The school has brought in a new provider for managing the swimming pool and the kayaks are surplus to requirement.
“As they've only been used in the pool, they are in excellent condition.
“The school is keen to promote links with the local community and many of our scouts also attend Harton.
“A kayak coach who often used the pool for kayaking sessions, was contacted regarding the boats and he suggested they be donated to the group.
“The recent suspected arson attack on our sailing boat is unrelated. However, it has really given the leadership of the scout group and young people a boost.
“We plan to use these kayaks at our summer camp in Kielder at the end of July.
“Harton Academy is really keen on seeing young people embrace outdoor opportunities and take part in extracurricular activities, so this seems the perfect solution.”
The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it had attended the fire.
Northumbria Police added: “Emergency services attended the scene where nobody was found to be injured, and the fire was extinguished a short time later.
“While enquiries are at an early stage, the incident is being treated as suspected arson.”
Anyone with information can send police a direct message on social media or use the live chat and ‘report’ function on its website.
They can also dial 101, quoting reference number NP-20260628-0770.