Haslemere’s new mayor, Cllr Jean Arrick, has named the 1st Hindhead Scout Group as one of her chosen mayoral charities – offering a much-needed boost to a troop that has fought its way back from near collapse.

Cllr Arrick, who retired from teaching in 2023 after 25 years at St Catherine’s School in Bramley, said: “I will not benefit personally from money raised for the Hindhead Scouts, but the young people who attend will. The hut is in an ideal location but is in need of renovation and repair.”

The group, which offers ‘skills for life’ to local boys and girls aged six to 14, has grown to 45 members and now boasts a committed leadership team. But the hut — a corrugated tin building jokingly thought to date back to the First World War — remains a pressing concern.

Keith Clayton, Group Lead Volunteer, said: “We’ve got one of the nicest plots of land in the district, with trees, space to camp, and everything you could want — but our hut needs some work. In an ideal world we’d knock it down and rebuild, but that would probably cost a quarter of a million pounds, which just isn’t feasible. For now, any funding gets funnelled into renovating it.”

After reopening the Beaver colony, the group is working to expand its Cubs section — but it still faces a shortage of adult volunteers.

“We’ve come through the worst,” Mr Clayton added. “We’re more than on the up — but we’re not satisfied with just good. We want to be great. Scouting teaches kids resilience, teamwork and confidence, and right now, that matters more than ever.”

The group is also actively seeking adult volunteers to support its expanding programme. Anyone interested should get in touch by emailing [email protected]