Wyllie Legacy sets sail again with £100k boost for Sea Scouts
Historic group launches £300k restoration drive with first £100k secured from MM Wyllie Trust, honouring WL Wyllie’s 1907 vision.
1st Portsmouth Sea Scouts have launched their ambitious fundraising drive to restore their historic Scout Hut in Old Portsmouth with a spectacular boost — a £100,000 donation from the Wyllie Trust.
The Sea Scout group, the only one of its kind in Portsmouth, secured a 100-year lease for their Grade II listed Scout Hut and adjoining beach in Bath Square from Portsmouth City Council earlier this summer. They are now setting sail on an ambitious £300,000 restoration project to transform the building into a safe, modern, and inspiring space for generations of young people to come.
This initial major donation is especially meaningful. It comes from the trust established in memory of Peggy Wyllie a descendant of eminent Victorian marine artist WL Wyllie, who founded the Sea Scout group in 1907 — at the forefront of the Scouting Movement following Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys, and three years before the official launch of Sea Scouting. The group has been a registered part of the Scout Association since 1912.
Susan Mary Sommerin (a descendant of Wyllie) alongside Richard McNeil and Gordon Denson, all trustees of the Wyllie Trust, joined a celebratory event this weekend. Gordon said: “It’s wonderful to see the legacy of WL Wyllie continue over 120 years. We hope this donation helps the Sea Scouts thrive for at least another 120 — giving Portsmouth’s young people the chance to learn sailing and so many other life-changing skills.”
The 1st Portsmouth Sea Scouts currently deliver water and land-based activities to around 100 young people aged 6–18, meeting weekly throughout the year and holding regular sailing sessions during the summer.
Group Lead Volunteer Phil Jones said: “We have a proud tradition of Sea Scouting on the South Coast, and we’re passionate about continuing it for future generations. Our Scout Hut is central to everything we do — from boat maintenance training and storing camping gear, to workshops and weekly meetings. It’s in urgent need of repair, and this restoration will make it fit for purpose once again.”
Scout Explorer Bertie Findlay added: “We’re really excited to see our space transformed, especially our meeting room and changing facilities for the sailing season. It will make a real difference for us and be welcoming for future Scouts.”
Phil Jones continued: “We still have a way to go, but with the help of our Scouts, the wider community, local businesses, and individuals across the city — many of whom were Scouts themselves — we’re confident we can get there. We are incredibly grateful to the Wyllie Trust for this amazing start.”
The group aims to complete the restoration project within the next two years.