New Year Message from the Chairman

A happy and proficient New Year.

I could/can be incredibly boring and write on and on about financial worries - most of which revolves around the responsibility of providing a headquarters from which to operate cadet activities.

The Mill Street training centre by virtue of its age and size has its own problems - but these are not unique - others have large and elderly HQ's. We came here from a purpose built Sea Cadet Headquarters which was situated in Standish Street - purpose built but it had reached the end of its useful live after only 20 years, forcing us to find a different venue.

Our Mill Street building is owned by us and the land it is built on is leased from three different landowners. The main one being the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool.

As you can see a massive building is going up behind us, an NHS Centre, this development is only one part of a much greater development that was planned to happen, but which has now been put on indefinite hold. This greater development did include the fact that we, the Sea Cadets, were to be re-located and the Archdiocese would buy our building. This is now not going to happen, least wise for the foreseeable future.

Therefore things which we had put on hold, thinking that we were moving, cannot now be put off. The building needs a satisfactory electrical 'periodic inspection report' - the survey for this alone will be in excess of £1,000 with the likely remedies costing many thousands more.

Roof repairs, although not major ones, are being investigated. Our first estimate received is for just under £2,000.

To comply with regulations allowing sleep-overs in the building; we must now install a fire alarm device, a casual look at at the internet suggests costs of between £2,000 and £3,000.

A change is afoot with regard to water charges, these being based on the size of the roof. This change is causing major concerns throughout the country, especially for people with large buildings like ours and churches and sports clubs. A recent report showed a sports club's charges going from £300 to £3,000 per year!

All of us need to be concerned about our running costs - electricity, gas, water, insurance etcetera, etcetera.

Sorry I am going on about money again - whoops!

Lt Cdr.(SCC) A. Kelsall RNR

Unit Chairman

Since this was written we have had an estimate for the fire alarm system of £11,000

Ray