THE future of Scouting in London Colney has been secured, thanks to the generosity of a host of local organisations.

Funds were desperately needed to repair the 50-year-old corrugated asbestos roof on the Scout headquarters in Chicken Lane as it had been leaking for some time and threatened to stop all activities completely.

The First London Colney Scout Group has worked tirelessly over the past few years to raise funds for the project and their efforts were supplemented by more than �13,000 in donations.

The bulk of the money came from LaFarge Aggregates, through Groundwork Hertfordshire, an organisation which works with all sectors of the community to improve the environment.

Donations were also received from county councillor Chris Brazier’s localities budget, London Colney Parish Council, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hertfordshire and the Leslie Sell Trust.

A tremendous amount of effort has gone into the three-year project from fundraising co-ordinator Andre Hladkyi, Group Scout Leader Clive Huddleston and group chair Maureen Fisher.

Parents and other leaders have also played a huge part in making the project a reality and the group has extended a heartfelt thank you to all who have been involved.

Mr Huddlestone said: “It’s a fantastic achievement! Our membership across Beavers, Cubs and Scouts has massively increased in recent years and we also have a long waiting list of youngsters wanting to join too.

“With the new roof, we have secured the future of Scouting in London Colney for generations to come.”