Scouts raise £2,500 to replace vandalised hut
MORE than £2,500 has been raised for a scout group targeted by vandals who ripped apart its woodland hut.
1st Midsomer Norton group launched an appeal for money after discovering its two-floor storage hut in Wellow, near Bath, had been destroyed on Friday.
Ropes and a vehicle were used to tear down the front of the hut it is believed. Police are investigating.
Since the incident, however, the public has donated £2,590 to the 150-member group for clearance and towards costs associated with replacing the hut.
Assistant leader Rebecca Mears said: “The response we have had so far has been awesome.
“From being in a situation where you are heartbroken, what people have since done and donated has restored my faith in humanity.”
Miss Mears, who has been at the group for five years, said the hut was built seven years ago after the previous building burnt down. The hut was used for storage for items used by members during activity sessions in the woods or campouts. It also had a generator and solar panels.
But on Friday, a farmer who owns the land the hut sits on, found the entire front of the building had come down.
Miss Mears said: “We believe someone attached ropes to the front door and pulled them using a vehicle, which brought the front of the building down.
“We’re not sure if they were would-be burglars who were scared off by the damage caused or if it was purely vandalism. Nothing inside was taken. It wasn’t so much the money which upset us, it was the time we’d all spent working at the site, making it the place it was, which got to us most.”
The group is waiting for its insurers to visit the site before clearing it up. They hope to get money to create a new hut in time for next summer. Until then, the group, which is led by scout leader Adrian Burge, will use its base in Radstock Road in Midsomer Norton.
Avon and Somerset police believe the vandalism took place overnight last Wednesday. No arrests have yet been made.
Spokesperson Jenny Bigwood said: “Officers have carried out house-tohouse enquiries in the village and are keen to trace the occupants of a blue Mitsubishi Shogun seen in the area.”
Anyone with information about the damage should call police on 101, quoting crime reference number 5218 255 176.
And people wanting to donate money to the scout group’s fundraising campaign should visit www. gofundme.com, searching Midsomer Norton Scouts.