The morning of Saturday, the 22nd of November 2025, saw the unveiling of a plaque by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey that commemorates the rebuilding of our Scout Hut and the persons and organisations that made it happen. The event was attended by Cllr. Carla Morson (LibDem), Shaista Salim of your Fund Surrey, Mr and Mrs Keen of Keen Construction Limited, representatives from other Scout Groups, our Scout Group members, and long-time supporters and friends of our Scout Group.
Our GSM, Richard, opened the ceremony:
My Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Councillor Carla Morson, Councillor Fiona White, Shaista Salim from Your Fund Surrey, Fellow Scouts, Supporters of our Scout Group, family and, so many friends. So many friends, some of whom are unable to be here today, but I am also thinking of those who can no longer return but also belong in our hearts today.
Welcome here today to what is, in fact, a new Scout Hut. The internal walls and the floor are the only remnants of a Scout Hut that we have kept useable for over twenty-five years after inheriting it as a dilapidated building.
This new building has been made possible because our Scout Group was given a grant of £78,277.00 and I want to thank those who made it happen:
• The first ray of light was Shaista Salim from “Your Fund Surrey” who first visited our Scout Hut many years ago but came back because she believed that we really did need support. Shaista phoned one of our Trustees and founding members, John Lewis, earlier this year and said there may be some funds available. She suggested that we make an application.
• The light then brightened because of Councillor Carla Morson and Councillor Fiona White, both of whom supported our application and authorised the funds for our grant.
• Our application for the grant was also supported by the incumbent Clerk to Ash Parish Council, Ali Watmore. Ash Parish Council handed us the Scout Hut many years ago and have been good friends to our Scout Group. Ali unfortunately could not be here today and sends her apologies.
• Our original plan was to have a contractor fit a new roof and internal ceiling but then we would purchase materials and do the rest of the work ourselves. We had already replaced the SE exterior wall. After reviewing quotes from several contractors, we asked Keen Construction Limited if they would take on the project. After discussions with Sam and Liz Keen, they agreed to take on the whole project despite their estimate for that work exceeding our grant budget. Sam wrote: “I have tried to adjust figures to ensure works can be carried out within your budget but am coming over £78,277.00 by a few thousand.” He continued, “I am willing to carry out the work for this price as I feel it is for a good cause”. There was no “however”, just “I am willing”. We would not be standing here today but for them. We would still not be anywhere near usefully spending all the grant.
This is truly good value for money. The quality of work is excellent, and the scope of work far exceeded our expectations. The completed project includes:
• Removing existing rubbish resulting from our works (that was the first thing Sam offered to include!)
• Laying floor and furniture protection inside
• Strengthening existing roof structure
• A completely new roof to the Scout Hut
• New guttering
• A new internal ceiling throughout
• New insulation in the ceiling
• Complete re-wiring for electrics
• New electrical fittings
• Repair exterior wall’s structure
• New external walls (including toilets that had previously no insulation or external wall, they were just thin galvanised steel cubicles!)
• New insulation to the exterior walls (where there had been none before!)
• Painting new exterior walls
• New double-glazed windows throughout
• Repair walls in Kitchen and re-paint
• Purchase and fit and install new kitchen appliances and furniture
• Install base for canvas store container
• Purchase and install canvas store container including power and light
• Removal of all waste materials to authorised waste management site.
Keen Construction supplied all the materials and labour for the whole project.
And the timeline:
• Receipt of our grant application was confirmed by Your Fund Surrey on the 19th of March 2025 and there followed four months of follow up on our application and provision of quotations and clarifications.
• Our grant was confirmed by Your Fund Surrey Small Community Projects Fund on the 9th of July 2025 and we notified Keen Construction of award, asking them if they would quote on the whole project. They were our preferred contractor for the roof and ceiling.
• We met with Sam Keen at the Scout Hut on Thursday the 24th of July 2025 to review the project.
• Keen Construction agreed to undertake the project on the 5th of August 2025.
• Notification of Works was provided to local residents by Keen Construction and on the 1st of September work commenced.
• On the 10th of September a site meeting was convened with Cllr. Carla Morson, Cllr. Fiona White, Shaista Salim (YFS), Ali Watmor (APC), Kevin Graham-Wilson (APC) so that they could see the progress achieved.
• On the 14th of October 2025 the Completion of Works signed with Keen Construction.
The whole project was completed within six weeks.
Today the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey will unveil a plaque that commemorates the rebuilding of this Scout Hut and the persons and organisations that made it happen. However, there is a story that is not written on that plaque which I would like to briefly describe to you before it is unveiled.
Had this grant not been received this Scout Group would have gone down. Gone down fighting it would have been, but there was an inevitability. Since our inauguration in 1993, the families and friends that made this Scout Group have worked tirelessly to provide life opportunities through Scouting to the young boys and girls in our community. That tireless work, in addition to regular Scout meetings with delivery of progress work and achievement programmes, has not only provided activities, expeditions and camps during their own volunteer time, but has also included operating and maintaining a minibus and coach so as to reduce the cost of travel to the families of those young people, and preserving and maintaining a dilapidated building. As an example, the fence about this building was installed over one very wet and rainy weekend by leaders, Scouts and family members, including taking down the old fence before we could start.
That dedication has been encouraged and complimented by good will and practical support from many over the years and the principles of those who have supported us has given us such excellent example and reassurance. I will recount some. I say “some” because I am sure I am missing many, and from those I ask forgiveness.
• Bernard Sunley Charitable Trust
• Trueman Coaches
• Ash Parish Council
• Royal Army Logistics Core
• Royal Marines
• Johnsons Wax
• Leslie Sell Charitable Trust
• Major (retired) Craig McColville, Royal Signals, and his wife Mary in France
• Mike Godfrey and his family on their farm in Devon
• The Loseley Park Estate
• “Mich”, former banker land owner at East Horsley
• The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA)
• The Nantmor Mountain Centre in Snowdonia
• World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS)
• Other independent Scout Groups.
As he is here today, I will mention Mr. Michael More-Molyneux. The Lord Lieutenant is the Monarch’s representative in Surrey. I say “Monarch” rather than Queen or King because her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the second was such an excellent example to the world. A young woman of 21 years of age made a promise to her nation, a promise that she kept until her dying day, 70 years later.
Mr, Michael More-Molyneux is a champion of Commerce and enterprise in Surrey, but also a staunch supporter of youth organisations in Surrey and it was he and his family who kept our big red 53 seater coach, “Mildred”, safely parked on their land in the Estate office car park at Losely Park for many years. I will take this opportunity to say a heartfelt “Thank you”.
Also here today are Richard & Barbara Trueman of “Trueman’s Coaches”. Barbara was our Fund Raising champion for a time and Richard allowed us to use their company workshop to maintain “Mildred” throughout the 18 years we owned her, many a time getting actively involved himself to the detriment of his white shirt and tie; and his spares inventory! Again, I will take this opportunity to say a heartfelt “thank you”
A pervading ambition of our Founding members has always been to have a New Hut to hand over to those young leaders who will carry on our Scout Group. So today, 30 odd years later, marks achieving that ambition, and means so much to those who started this Scout Group, and many of those people are here today. This Scout Group now has a future with a history to be proud of. So, to all of you who made this grant happen, thank you so much, it really does mean a great deal.
As I have already said, there are many people who are unable to be here today for one reason or another. There are also some who cannot be here today but would have been so very proud of this occasion; and we treasure their memory.
So, I would like to end by thanking every one of you for being here today, sharing in marking this day in the history of what is a very tiny independent Scout Group in the great and wonderful world of Scouting in so many countries. You have all made this a very special day.
• Mr Michael More-Molyneux, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey;
• Councillor Carla Morson
• Councillor Fiona White
• Shaista Salim from Your Fund Surrey
• Sam & Liz Keen from Keen Construction Limited
• Scouts;
• Family and so many friends
Thank you all so much for being here.
I will now ask Philip West to say a few words about our Scout Group. Phil was a Beaver Leader at this Scout Hut before we took it over. He and his family stayed and have been an integral part of our endeavours, our history, and our hopes for the future. He and Callum Howarth, who will take over from me as GSM next year, have been the main liaison with Keen Construction throughout this project.
Phil then took the floor:
Community Identity of Our Hut Speech
My Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Councillor’s Carla Morson and Fiona White, Shaista Salim from Your Fund Surrey, Valued supporters of our Scout Group, families and friends.
I also want to extend a very warm welcome to all of our honoured guests guests today and to thank everyone for their support, without which today would not have been possible.
I very much I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words about our hut and what it means, not only to me, but every member past and present who all have worked tirelessly for the good of our group.
It has been my privilege to have been part of our huts history for over thirty years, never has the term ‘Second Home’ been so appropriate!
This actually is the second building to be used for Scouting on this site, the first being half of a pavilion that used to stand on Ash Hill Recreation Field which was used by the Ash Players to store their costumes and theatrical props.
The hut as we know it today was donated by Racal who where based at Bracknell at the time.
Starting on a Friday evening the site was cleared and over the weekend the hut was transported here in sections by low loader. By Sunday evening there stood a new functioning scout hut, thanks to many leaders and helpers, some of whom actually camped on the recreation field in order to guard the site!
I wonder if anyone from Racal would possibly have dreamt that their donation is still going strong today and that so many people have gained from their generosity?
This hut was already being used as a Scout Hut for at least five to ten years before I became acquainted with it and so I can only reflect on memories from that point onwards.
Apart from a very short period of time Scouting has taken place here continuously since its inception.
The 2nd Ash Vale Scout group where originally formed to cater for the perceived needs created by the building of the Avondale Estate off of Lysons Avenue.
Having moved onto said estate a few years previously my first involvement with the group was around 1990, when our eldest son Nicholas became a founding member of the Beaver colony, which was formed and run by Sue Grundy(Keo).
Shortly afterwards I became a parent helper and then a warranted assistant Beaver leader, which proved to be the start of a long scouting association between Sue and I, that lasted for many years.
Following the closure of 2nd Ash Vale Group, Sue, Russell Day(who became our Scout Master) and myself felt we had the nucleus of a new group comprising of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts who where orphaned from the closure of the 2nd Ash Vale Group.
Our only way forward was to leave the umbrella of the Scout Association and become an independent scout group and so the Ash Vale Baden-Powell Scout Group came into existence.
This presented some challenges as the hut still belonged to the S.A. and so we met at the community centre in Mytchett, whilst negotiations took place over the summer holidays. Happily by the start of the next school year we had gained the use of the hut and a place to call home!
In parallel Richard was also leading an independent BP group who met at Mytchett and so the the sensible thing to do was for our two groups to amalgamate, which we did forming the 1st Blackwater Valley Baden-Powell Scout Group, with Richard being our Group Scout Master.
Over the ensuing years a great deal was done to improve the hut as originally it had no toilets and so we had to use the now disused toilet block in the car park, which in the dark cold midwinter nights was challenging to say the least, not helped by the carpark being unlit and a torch was our only souce of light!
At that time there was only one way into the recreation field as the top height restricted barrier was only put in when Ash Vale Infants school, where Cherryvale Nursery is now, closed down and the pupils went to Hollylodge.
The top car park was surfaced, but for many years the road down to the car park here remained unmade.
One of my most unusual memories was nearly falling off of my motorcycle on the way past where the top barrier is now, which then was still wooded. As I rode past in the woods there where two camels and a lama, seemingly keeping watch on the passing traffic, which was not an everyday sight in sunny Ash Vale!
What had happened was a circus had set up its Big Top on the field having arrived via the Carrington Lane entrance, an event that I think happened a couple of times in all. It made our Scouting meetings interesting to the sound of the music and cheers coming from the circus!
Also the Farnham Knights American football team used to practice on the field, which despite its seeming popularity remains completely lost on me to this day!
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since our group was formed, but thanks to our new hut we can now look forward to our group having a home for many years to come and to allow more children experience the joys of Scouting.
It would be completely wrong of me to talk about the hut and not mention our wonderful team, of past and present of Leaders, Trustees and parent helpers without whom undoubtedly the continuation of our group would not have been possible.
Also I look to our younger corp of leaders and helpers to build on the events which has bought us here today as we celebrate the dedication of our new hut.
I ask you to never lose sight that our biggest asset is the boys and girls who make up our sections and that their parents have entrusted their most precious children into our care?
Finally it might seem a fairly insignificant little wooden hut to some who regularly pass it by, but over the years the people and events which have taken place within it’s walls have greatly enriched my life and to me the hut is a great deal more than just an insignificant little wooden hut at the end of the car park !
Richard then handed the floor to Mr. Michael More-Molyneux, the King’s Representative before Cllr Carla Morson said few words, followed by Cllr, Fiona White, Shaista Salim (from Your Fund Surrey), and lastly, Sam Keen from Keen Construction.
