Highwood presents cheque for 50% of North Stoneham Scout Group’s fundraising target

Highwood has given the new North Stoneham Scout Group’s fundraising target a welcome boost by donating £1400 to its appeal fund – half of what it needs to support this new initiative at the Park for the coming year. The 11^th Eastleigh Group had to find £2800 to meet the cost of community hall hire charges, equipment and outdoor activities and Highwood was delighted to step in and contribute.

Steve Matthews, Managing Director of Highwood, took great pleasure in presenting a cheque to Malcolm Young, Deputy District Commissioner who, coincidentally, was a member of the original 11^th Eastleigh Scout Group in the 1950s and 60s.

‘We’re delighted to support the 11^th Eastleigh Scout Group as it prepares to open its doors here,’ Steve commented. ‘Community projects like this are at the heart of what we’ve all wanted to achieve at the Park and the response from the families who live here has been so rewarding.

‘As the local centre prepares to open its doors for get-togethers and a great programme of activities and the nursery children move into their new home, the future for the Park’s community is looking very bright indeed.’

The North Stoneham Scout Group will be the UK’s newest scout group to formally open after Easter when it meets for the very first time on 19^th May. From that date, children aged from six to 13 will join their fellow Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to take part in a wide range of activities and some fabulous outdoor pursuits throughout the year.

These include kayaking and raft-making at the nearby Lakeside Country Park and the Lyons Copse Scout Activities Centre and Campsite in Shedfield as well as climbing and other adventures in the New Forest. Indeed, everyone involved can’t wait to get started as Hannah Butterworth Smith, 11^th Eastleigh Group Scout Leader and Park resident, has revealed.