THE community is coming together to fight for a boathouse earmarked for demolition to be replaced.

The building at Highams Park Lake, off Charter Road, is used as a canoeing centre and regularly visited by hundreds of young people, but will be pulled down so work to reinforce flood defences can take place.

Landowner the City of London Corporation is taking the step after the area was upgraded to the highest flood risk, which means ten or more lives could be at risk following heavy rainfall.

Now dozens of people are set to form Friends of Highams Park after meeting last week and hope to secure funding for a replacement facility, which is likely to cost ten of thousands of pounds.

Ian Hanley, a canoe instructor and member of the Waltham Forest South District Scouts, said he was delighted by the support.

"It is encouraging that they are 100 per cent behind us," he added.

"We have no money to put any funding in place so we do need every bit of help we can get."

The boathouse has been used by scout groups in Waltham Forest and Redbridge since the 1960s and provides income through an annual event attended by 500 scouts, cubs and brownies.

It is hoped a new building would provide more storage space, shower facilities and classrooms for visiting schoolchildren to learn about the lake's ecosystem.

Councillor Paul Braham, who was one of the councillors who helped set up the group, said they would seek money from the Corporation of London but also LOCOG, as the boathouse could be part of a sporting legacy from the Olympics.

He said: "It could be a huge positive. If we're talking about sporting legacy, let's see some of the LOCOG money coming into the area and financing this centre.

"It's a perfect opportunity to use the Olympics to encourage children into sport."

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