The 1st Cippenham Scouts Group is located in Cippenham, Slough, Berkshire. Founded in 1934, the land for their inaugural scout hut cost £35. A new hut was opened in 2006, funded by a National Lottery grant. Girls and boys join as Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from the ages of six to eighteen.
Group Scout Master, Chris Edwards takes up the story: “For many years, we heated our scout hut with a gas blower. Unfortunately, this became increasingly noisy. During the pandemic lockdown, we decided to look for an alternative solution that would be efficient, quiet and not involve circulating warm air (in order to cut down on the transmission of viruses).
“Two builders I know recommended infrared heating. I looked at various websites in order to research the subject. I contacted a company in the North of England, however, they could not supply a complete package for us, from start to finish. At this stage, another Scout Group suggested ARC Thermal.
“We spoke to them by phone and they answered my questions. Their quote was very straightforward. It contained an overall view and a complete package. We subsequently invited them over to our scout hut, so that they could see what we had in mind.
“Our dealings with the ARC Thermal team have been perfect. We are very happy with the way in which they communicate. In particular, the fitters were excellent.
“The infrared heating panels have been placed on the ceiling, so that everything is out of the way. The fitters were very precise and everything was neat and tidy. The wiring has been placed in the existing trunking and they added another fuse box. The ARC Thermal team is knowledgeable and the equipment has lots of good features. There is even an app that we can use on a smartphone, so that we can always be in control of the heating.
“The final step is a conversation with regards to programming the heating. We are very happy with the whole system. ARC Thermal has proved to be a good choice. All in all, it is a good way forward and a sensible investment for us.”