WALKHAM Valley Scout Group’s new lodge at Yelverton was officially opened at a ceremony attended by parents and friends recently.

A significant grant from the Big Lottery Fund and generous donations from the Rotary Club of Yelverton and Burrator Parish Council enabled the replacement of an existing old wooden hut with a brand new building.

Carefully constructed by leaders Ray Butler and Keith Topham, with occasional assistance from scout family members, the new lodge will provide a dry and warm environment for the group.

A spokesperson for the scout group said: ‘The new lodge will greatly enhance the activities that can be conducted in the scout field and the support given by local and national contributors has been greatly appreciated.

‘Scouts aim to provide challenging and exciting events to develop young people and Walkham Valley is a strong, active group which runs camps and numerous events in addition to its regular, weekly meetings during term time.

‘There are three scouting sections within the group — Beavers, Cubs and Scouts — covering ages from six to 16 and each section has its own programme of activities.

‘The group is extremely lucky to have dedicated section leaders who give up their valuable free time to run the programmes.’