GRATEFUL members of a long-standing scout group in Coventry are looking forward to a refurbishment of their 60-plus-year-old hut thanks to a donation from a local building supplies retailer.
The 74th Coventry (Whitley) group has started work on the project to modernise the facilities at its base off Abbey Road.
The group, which has 65 young people attending four sessions each week, can now continue the work after the Coventry branch of Selco Builders Warehouse donated £1,000 worth of building materials.
A team of 10 volunteers from Selco also visited the scout hut for a day to build decking and two sheds.
Simon Caughey-Rogers, lead volunteer for 74th Coventry, said: “The scout group has been going since 1943 and we have been in our current hut since the 1960s.
“Inevitably over that time, the condition of the building has deteriorated and we need to carry out changes to make our facilities suitable for 21st century scouting.
“A couple of years ago, one of our leaders – Stanley Visley – sadly passed away and he left a small amount of money to the scout group which made the renovations something we could think about doing.
“We do, however, still need support from the community and the backing from Selco makes an absolutely massive difference.
“We are so grateful for the materials they have provided and then to have members of the team come down to volunteer was truly a fantastic gesture.
“Amongst the improvements we are making are building a new camp fire area, upgrading the storage areas so that we keep the kit we have in good condition and making the toilets accessible to all.
“It’s a big project but will enable us to future-proof the scout group for many years to come.”
The 74th Coventry group includes beavers, cubs and scouts, as well as playing host to the Godiva Explorers, and hosts meetings on three different nights each week.
Matt Hunt, branch manager of Selco Coventry, said: “The 74th Coventry group provides a fantastic service for the young people in and around Coventry, and supporting its quest to create a new hut is something we are very proud to be a part of.
“Any initiative which helps secure the long-term future of community organisations such as scout groups is something we see as vitally important.
“We were determined to support the group with materials and it was also fantastic that members of the team from the branch joined forces with our colleagues from marketing to put in a hard day’s volunteering to support the ongoing development of the hut.”
