A PROJECT which set out to renovate a scout hut has completely transformed the building and grounds.

Volunteers from the Basingstoke branch of Mears Group, the council’s repairs and maintenance contractor, joined forces with leaders at Worting Scout Hut in Basingstoke over two days to complete the work.

Over the past few decades, the Worting Scout group has faced challenges with the upkeep of the building, which dates back to around 1970.

It has been an ongoing struggle to source the skills or funding to complete the work needed to provide a safe environment for more than 100 children, aged from six to 18.

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Some of the jobs completed over the two days included new fencing and raised planters, bathrooms, a door to the garden, a vegetable patch, and painting throughout – including a climbing wall.

Trade specialists and office support staff from Mears, as well as the company’s chief operating officer Lucas Critchley, volunteered their time through the company’s employee volunteering hours scheme.

The cost of materials was funded by a grant from the Mears Foundation, the organisation’s charitable arm.

The idea for the project came from Elizabeth Ravenscroft, Mears operations manager, who was an explorer as a teenager and whose daughter Elsie now attends Beavers.

Elizabeth said: “The Worting Scout Hut is an essential part of the Basingstoke community, and the leaders give hours of their time away to support our younger generation, which I have been lucky to experience myself.

"They are creating amazing opportunities and projects which help in later life – and it meant a tremendous amount to me that we’ve been able to protect it for the future.”

Lucas added: “It was fantastic to get involved with such a worthwhile project and help make an impact for a building and community group which means so much to so many young people and adults in Basingstoke.”

The Basingstoke branch now plans to continue working with the group providing ongoing support, with further projects lined up including maintaining the vegetable garden and improvements to the building.

David Wheeler, chairman of the Worting Scout Group, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the two days that Mears’ volunteers dedicated to helping us. Everyone on the team who helped out was phenomenal and their generosity has made a significant impact on the Worting Scout Group.

“The work carried out not only helps us as leaders but ultimately creates a space that our young members can use every week.”

The results of the hut’s dramatic makeover will be revealed at a ceremony in September.