High Wycombe Scouts have launched a fundraising campaign to build a brand new meeting hut in Sands and have called on the community to help.

The roof of the 60-year-old building in Chapel Lane is caving in due heavy rain earlier this summer and is used only for storage, while Scouts meet at alternative venues in the district.

The group has now launched its campaign Sands Fundraising Challenge 2017 to raise £110,000 to demolish the current building and erect a new state-of-the-art hut in its place.

The campaign comes as Scouting celebrates 110 years, and High Wycombe Scouts are encouraging people to donate £11 or £110 to mark the milestone occasion.

High Wycombe District Scout Treasurer, Steve Crawshaw, said: “That area really could do with a bit more development. There are 1,000 people involved in Scouting in Wycombe so that is why we think that there are people out there who would like to help the local community.

“We know people who have been involved in Scouting or Cubs who may want to give back. We are also asking people to donate £11 or £110 pounds, for the 110 years, so people may think that’s not too much.

“We need to demolish the old hut, it is very old and part of the rood has come in due to that rain back in June. There isn’t much in there, we have not used that place for a number of years.”

The High Wycombe Scouts has around 1,000 members, 162 adult volunteers, 15 groups and has raised £42,000 through the High Wycombe Gang Show for charities based in the area.

Volunteers and Scouts hope the new hut, will be available for use by other community organisations, will be supporting the Sands community by Summer next year.

Mr Crawshaw continued: “Scouting has come a long way since it started 110 years ago and it is not just about sitting there and learning how to do knots as some people may think.

“Children spend so long looking at screens and computers, and Scouting is so far from that.

“It teaches them life skills – we don’t want a child to be looking up on Youtube how to boil a kettle.”

To donate to the Sands Fundraising Challenge contact sands.challenge@hw-scouts.org.uk