Hard-working fundraisers are celebrating after a major milestone was reached in the 1st Norwich Sea Scouts' bid to build a new headquarters.

The Sea Scouts have been on their site at Old Lakenham Hall Drive since 1935, but they are in desperate need of new facilities so have been raising funds and applying for grants for the last three years.

Now they have reached the �350,000 figure they needed to get building work under way.

A grant of �5,000 from the Norfolk Community Foundation and �30,000 from the Trusthouse Foundation has taken the Sea Scouts 'building pot' fund to �350,000 and the total raised to �420,000.

Kelvin Woodard, treasurer of the fundraising committee, said: 'If everything now goes to plan, demolition of the old HQ should start in around six weeks with the new building taking six months to complete.

'However, �350,000 will only get a basic building to a standard that building control will sign off, so fundraising still needs to continue to pay for such things as decoration, fencing, landscaping, etc.'

That means there is still a long way to go on the fundraising front, so the popular Great Norwich Duck Race will return during this year's Lord Mayor's Celebrations on Sunday, July 8.

The race will see thousands of multi-coloured plastic ducks race along the River Wensum from the Lady Julian Bridge for approximately 20 minutes.

The fun event raised �5,000 for the Sea Scouts last year and it is hoped that the 2012 event will raise even more by doubling the number of racing ducks sold and to increase the number of sponsored corporate ducks.

The 'sponsor a plank' scheme is also still running, which offers businesses the chance to sponsor one of the new HQ's planks for �25.

For more information, go to www.1stnorwichseascouts.co.uk/newhq, or for more details about the duck race, go to http://greatnorwichduckrace.blogspot.co.uk

- Have you got a story for the Evening News? Contact reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or david.freezer@archant.co.uk