New look for Dorothy Hughes
New look for Dorothy Hughes
New look for Dorothy Hughes at Gilwell Park
Originally opened in 1970, the Dorothy Hughes Pack Holiday Centre at Gilwell Park is undergoing some great renovations this winter.
Lots has changed in the Pack Holiday Centre's 55 years of service, and these renovations will ensure the building continues to work for the Scouts, Guides, schools and youth groups we welcome for many years to come.
We've used feedback from visiting groups to help us shape these plans.
Here's some of the key changes we're making during these exciting works:
Modern, welcoming toilets and showers
We're remodeling the toilets and shower areas, providing a layout and facilities that will better suit groups today. These changes include:
- Gender-neutral toilet and shower area for young people with individual, full length cubicles
- A separate, individual adult toilet and shower room
- An accessible en-suite
This will make group management easier, provide facilities that are more welcoming to all gender identities, and make the building more accessible. These upgrades will also help us to keep the building clean and well-maintained.
Better accessibility
Changes to the building's layout will also make the building more accessible. This includes adding a new accessible twin bedroom with en-suite to the building.
Layout for modern groups
Dorothy Hughes was well-known for it's large, cozy dorm rooms - and lots of groups loved them! But we understand that these can also make it more difficult for groups leaders to accommodate their group, allocate bedrooms and manage behaviour.
In response to feedback about how groups use indoor accommodation today, we're also converting the building into smaller, more suitable bedrooms. This will consist of:
- 5 four-bed bedrooms
- 2 six-bed bedrooms
- 5 twin bedrooms (including 1 accessible en-suite twin room)
This new layout also increases the building's sleeping capacity by an additional 2 people, for a total of 42 bed spaces.
Bookings for 2024
We're expecting the building to re-open from April 2024, and we're taking bookings now! Get in touch with the Gillwell Park team on [email protected] or 020 8138 0191 for more details and bookings. You can also check out our 2024 pricing online.
About Dorothy Hughes
Dorothy Hughes was born in 1891, her father a successful doctor who was able to give the family a comfortable life. They lived near Regents Park in London.
Sadly, Dorothy's father died in 1900, and her brother was killed in May 1918 after joining the British Army to fight in the First World War.
Keen to help those less fortunate, by the early 1920s Dorothy had been volunteering with with Brownies, Guides, and then Cubs. She ran Cub Packs across East London, using her wealth and privilege to provide facilities for groups.
During the Second World War, she volunteered at an Auxiliary Ambulance Station alongside her work with Cubs.
In 1952, Dorothy met Scouts from around the world at a special event held at Gilwell Park. By 1968, she'd offered to fund a special building for Cubs visiting the home of Scouts.
The plans developed, and upon opening in July 1970, Dorothy's 52nd West Ham Cubs were the first group to stay.
Dorothy died in December 1973. Her obituary in Scouting Magazing read "she was born with a silver spoon but used it to feed others."
