A SCOUT group in Thornbury is appealing for the community’s help in fundraising for much needed repairs to their home.

The Scout Hut on Park Road is used every weekday by the six Beavers, Cubs and Scouts units within First Thornbury Scout Group, as well as the linked “Explorer” Scouts, which amounts to around 180 young people.

Having been selected as one of the groups to benefit from the Tesco Bags of Help”, the group are calling on shoppers to put forward their blue tokens in support of their cause.

Dave Johns, the group’s executive chairman said: “Of the three scout groups in Thornbury, we are the only ones with our own premises.

“It’s great having our own headquarters, but that comes with a significant cost in terms of management, maintenance and upkeep which is not the case if you are hiring a church or community hall for a few hours a week. 

“Our current building dates from 1976, and over time of course things start to deteriorate and show some wear and tear.

“Although we can do low level maintenance and repairs ourselves, we have got to the point where we need to spend a significant amount to keep the building and grounds in a weatherproof and safe condition for our young members.

“We also want to improve the facilities to make it more attractive as a space available for wider community use – many people will already be familiar with its service as a polling station.”

As part of the scheme, the group are already guaranteed a grant, but should they receive the most votes, they could win a grant of £4,000.

Group scout leader Rob Mills said: “Our boys and girls do a good deal of fundraising during the year, but we like this to go to causes other than ourselves.

“We take part, for example, in the Rotary Club sponsored Swimarathon, and last year our cubs raised over £500 to help set up a scout group in Uganda. The RNLI and guide dog charities have also recently benefitted from our youngsters’ efforts.”