Scouts in a village near Farnham are prepared for a great future as their £400,000 home has been officially opened.

The 4th Farnham (Tongham) Scouts have completed their biggest mission to date as the ribbon was recently cut to their new headquarters off Poyle Road.

Dozens joined the celebrations with the mayor of Guildford, Cllr Sallie Barker MBE, doing the honours.

The upgrade has been around 16 years in the making as plans to replace the group’s much-loved but dated ex-army hut were touted in 2008.

A period of hard graft with car washes, carol singing and bag packing pushed the coffers up to £25,000 before grant applications swelled the figure.

“Back in 2008 when I took on the role of group scout leader there was much debate on the future of Tongham scout hut,” said Bill Weller.

“Repair, move to St Pauls School, move to Harpers Rec, continue with the old scout hut. We decided at the time to remain in Tongham, as we’ve been here since 1908 and wanted to remain the new community.

“At last we have finally completed our project – it’s been a huge team effort.”

The new ‘hut’ is probably the envy of the district boasting a large hall space, kitchen, shooting range and upstairs clubroom adorned with cuttings and photos from a century of scouting in the village.

David Neame, chair of the 4th Farnham (Tongham) Scouts, namechecked the Radcliffe Trust for their financial and moral support during a difficult period around the pandemic when the old hut was knocked down and progress slowed.

He said: “Sometimes we never thought we would finish it but here we are and everything has been signed off.

“It’s being used by so many young people now and it’s opened up a world of opportunity for the little ones.”