A LOCAL Scout group has launched an urgent fundraising appeal to replace its 50-year-old floor at its headquarters.

The 1st Highweek Scout Group is seeking to raise more than £15,000 to replace the wooden floor at its Scout Hut, warning that without the work being completed, its Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers could face difficulties meeting indoors when the autumn term begins.

Group Lead Volunteer Andrew Thorpe said the floor had been identified as a future priority after the building received significant investment through Section 106 funding linked to the Whitehill development.

‘We recently got Section 106 funding for the Whitehill development’, he said.

‘So we had the rebuild done, an extension, improvement to the car park and so on.

‘The final phase, if we had any money left, was to insulate the main hall, which we did’.

However, problems with the ageing flooring became apparent during the recent hot weather.

‘With this really hot weather, at times the floor has lifted in various places’, Mr Thorpe said.

‘The wooden floor was lifted, with the dampness underneath wanting to escape’.

The group had originally hoped to replace the floor within the next few years once it had rebuilt its funds, but the damage has brought the project forward.

‘We always knew we’d have to replace the floor within the next five or so years once we had sufficient funds, but at the moment we don’t have that’, Mr Thorpe said.

‘That’s why we have launched the JustGiving page’.

While Scouting in Highweek has been taking place for more than 100 years, the current Scout hut opened in 1974.

The building was renovated in 2025 and now provides a base for around 100 young members, as well as being available for community groups.

The group says the floor is one of the last remaining original features of the building and has endured decades of use by generations of young people.

Mr Thorpe has been involved with the organisation for many years, having first joined Scouting himself before becoming a leader in the 1980s.

He returned to the local group in 1990 and has seen it continue to grow.

‘I was a Scout myself, becoming a leader in the 80s, and came back to the local group in 1990’, he said.

‘We are quite a flourishing group. We have an amazing section of leaders, nearly 20’.

The fundraising appeal will help pay for the removal of the existing flooring, installation of a new safe and durable surface, and the addition of a modern damp-proof membrane to prevent similar issues in the future.

Leaders are also appealing for support from residents and businesses who may be able to help through donations, sponsorship, grant funding opportunities, fundraising events or by joining the group’s trustee board.

The 1st Highweek Scout Group says every contribution will help secure the future of the Scout Hut and ensure it remains a safe and welcoming place for young people in the community for years to come.

To support 1st Highweek Village Scouts, visit JustGiving - www.justgiving.com/campaign/highweekscouts