Author: Ben Whitworth

White walls and flattened mounds

by Ben Whitworth

It’s been a few weeks since I have updated you all on the progress of the hut. The really good news is that we are now secure, almost fully plastered, have flooring lined up and have even started painting!

The amazing Dave has been landscaping our mountain to allow the natural vegetation to recolonize, and we may even add some local wild flower seed to encourage some local insects and wildlife.

Inside the hut is turning from pink to white as we paint the walls, and a big thank you to Crown Oxford for the paint donation. The electrics are going in this week, and the plumbing kit has all been ordered.

We still have lots to do. If you would like to help in anyway, from shifting boxes, painting walls or some serious landscaping just get in touch with Ben or Paul.

We are getting going again

by Ben Whitworth

It’s been a while, but we are excited to be putting up the internal walls and trying to make it watertight. Thanks a lot to everyone who has supported us so far.

You can see the foyer, toilets, kitchen and storage going on, and the mezzanine for even more storage.

More updates soon!

Make 2025 a year to learn a new skill and make a difference.

by Ben Whitworth

1st Stonesfield Scouts need support from the village to keep the group getting better and better!

You may not know some of us personally (even though it is a small village) but I bet you have seen our groups in some way or another, be it on Remembrance Day or at our annual Duck Race.  We give young people opportunities to make a difference to the community and be engaged with the natural world, but we need to bolster our volunteer numbers.  We are looking for people who can give a little bit of time to help run some of the sessions or to be part of our trustees.   We are all lovely people, and are also all volunteers, and getting new ideas and fresh views is an essential part of what we do.  We also have some seasoned volunteers who are looking to take a step back and we need to ensure the group keeps going.

The Scout Organisation provides a great way for you to learn a new skill yourself. Our Leaders have become trained kayakers, climbers and bushcrafters, but we are also looking for locals to share their interests with the group.  This could be through nature walks, guided tours, or even a craft you are a dab hand at.

You can find an overview of what we do here.

Come and find out what you can gain from being part of our group, and how we can gain from knowing you.  We are having a social on January 15th 2025 at 7:30pm at the White Horse Pub in Stonesfield.  We look forward to seeing you then.

Raising the roof with local support

by Ben Whitworth

It’s been a little stop start, but we are pleased to say that we are starting again and putting up our roof!

We have been supported by Stonesfield Charitable Trust, and are massively grateful for this local group for their donation. It is making an enormous difference.

We are also crowdfunding. Pledge and allow us to claim gift aid at https://www.spacehive.com/stonesfield-scout-hut-and-community-hub

The big steels have proved a challenge down our little lane, but the fact that we won’t need internal supporting walls will give us more space for scouting!