Shrewsbury scouts muck in for new hut - with video
Scouts from Shrewsbury enjoyed getting stuck in the muck to raise money for a new group hut this weekend.
This was the 20th year in a row the 1st Shrewsbury Scouts have held their annual Muck Sale, and they raised more than £1,600 in the process.
Money raised will go towards replacing their scout hut at the group’s base in Belvidere Avenue, which has been in use since the 1960s.
John Fannin, who has been volunteering in Scout groups for 25 years and is currently assistant group leader with 1st Shrewsbury, said: “It went extremely well. It’s a great fundraiser for us.”
Potato farmer Simon Gittins donates the muck and youngsters from the Scout group bag it up and sell it to punters to fertilise their lawns.
Mr Fannin added: “He’s very generous. The young people enjoyed packing it all up. They loved it. It was good to see and there was a good atmosphere. We were really busy this morning.
“The scout hut we’ve got at the moment has been going since the 60s and, although it’s served us well, I think it’s coming to the end of its time and we need an upgrade.
“We’ve got a 25-year lease at Belvidere from Shropshire Council, so we can look at making plans for a new hut. We’ve not really looked at how much it will cost. If we go for a concrete build it’ll probably be pretty expensive.”
The Scout group has around 100 children in its ranks, and Mr Fannin added: “I think there would be even more if we had a few more volunteers to be leaders.”
They will now be looking to set up other fundraisers to help swell the coffers for a new hut.
