An end-of-year party for Scouts in Wroxall had to be abandoned when it was discovered the Scout hut had been vandalised, resulting in a cleanup operation being launched.
1st Wroxall Scout Leader Azwar Zahoor was shocked to see his group headquarters had been broken into when he went to open the building for a weekly meeting on Thursday 18th July. He was forced to abandon the evening’s meeting – an end of year party for the Scouts – and fix some of the damage before he could leave the building.
Shockingly, Azwar arrived back at the hut on Monday to find the new locks and chains he had fitted just days before had been broken and yet more damage had been caused to the interior of the building. Several items had been stolen including rucksacks and maps which the Scouts had recently raised funds to purchase.
1st Wroxall Scout group numbers had recently been increasing, following a period of very low numbers.
Ali Burt, East Wight District Commissioner, said:
“I am particularly upset that people could do this in an area where there is very little for young people to do on an evening. Scouting provides an outlet for young people to form friendships and learn skills so that they can develop activities themselves and become a valuable part of their community”.
A working party made up of friends of 1st Wroxall group and fellow Scout Leaders from across the Island arrived soon after to clean up the damage.
Azwar says:
“Life has its ups and downs but being a Scout means we won’t let a thing like this dampen our enthusiasm for Scouting and our aim to help our young people develop skills for life!”
If you would like to join Isle of Wight Scouts, then call Ali on 07785 934644 or email [email protected].
Anyone with information about the break-ins can call Police on 101, quoting 44190251809.
