Wash Common Scout group celebrate ground breaking ceremony for new £700,000 club house at Falkland Cricket Club

Scouts will soon be able to enjoy a new headquarters after a ground breaking ceremony in Wash Common.

The construction of the new £700,000 building for the 1st Wash Common Scout Group will now begin – after five years of hard work, planning and fundraising.

The event, held last month, was celebrated by burying a time capsule with the help of one of the Beaver Scouts, seven year old Toby Daniels. The time capsule includes a front page from the Newbury Weekly News.

Rob Daniels, group Scout leader, said: “It was a wonderful way to celebrate the hard work everyone has put in to get us to this stage.

“Burying a time capsule, naming the HQ and turning the first sod was a great way to get the build underway.

“Thank you to everyone who has got us to this stage including architects Morse Webb, Calco Construction and Falkland Cricket Club, who have been hugely supportive.”

The new facility, which is at Falkland Cricket Club, was officially named Ramblers Wood in honour of all the fundraisers who completed a range of sponsored hiking-based activities, including walking from Brownsea Island to Wash Common in 48 hours and completing the Three Yorkshire Peaks and Three National Peaks challenges.

The event was attended by the deputy mayor of Newbury Gary Norman, the CEO of Greenham Trust Chris Boulton and the vice chair of West Berkshire Council, Rick Jones, who all gave short speeches.

The Scout group’s executive chair, Mike Goddard, also said a few words at the ceremony.

Other special guests included former mayor and mayoress David and Marion Fenn, Eugene Futcher - who first started the project - and members of the Scout group’s executive committee.

The Scouts hope to move in to their new home by the end of the summer.