A HUGE cash windfall means the Operation Covert appeal to rebuild the vandalised young people's activity centre at Rhydd Covert has gone into overdrive.

Kidderminster and District Scout Council has donated £60,000 from the sale of John Stretton Memorial Hall and the move means the new centre will now be the tailor-made building which has been dreamed about for years.

The donation has enabled the first phase of the building contract to be signed and a start will be made on the site on Tuesday, November 8 when rock star, Robert Plant, who has a home at Shatterford, digs the first trench.

The original building was a dilapidated Nissen hut, which had almost come to the end of its days before it was set on fire by vandals last October.

Rhydd Covert has a special place in the hearts of Wyre Forest people and is a facility where generations of youngsters have learned important life skills while enjoying activities such as camping, archery, abseiling and climbing.

Operation Covert was launched exactly a year ago by the Shuttle/Times & News, with the aim of raising £80,000 to create a new hub for activities at the 50-acre camp site used by thousands of young people every year.

District Scouts Commissioner, Dave Denton, said: "It was vital that we got the appeal under way soon after the old building was attacked last October and the best estimate for a replacement at that time was around £80,000.

"Over the past year, it has become apparent that the cost of a purpose-built structure with all the necessary safety and security features to combat further vandalism was going to stretch beyond that original figure.

"We put our ideal wish-list into the design and size of the new building and the cost came in at £142,000, which would have been out of the range of our appeal.

"It looked like we had two choices. We could either scale down our plans to fit in with the £80,000 appeal or delay the project to try to raise the extra money needed.

"We felt it would be unfair to extend the £80,000 appeal after such a magnificent response from the community and delaying building would have lost all the momentum that has been built up. But now this money from John Stretton Memorial Hall has come out of the blue and means we can press on with getting the kind of centre we have always dreamed of."

Shuttle/Times & News editor, Clive Joyce, said: "The Wyre Forest community has taken the appeal to its hearts and raised £50,000 in a year. It has been a wonderful effort and the next six months will see us in the home straight.

"There are a number of fund-raising activities already arranged and we hope that we can have one final push and gather in the remaining £30,000 to see us through to our target."

He added: "Approaches have been made to trust funds all over the country and the lottery and it is hoped some of the shortfall will come from this source.

"We also have a lot of support from companies supplying goods and services. Many are keen to help us reduce the capital cost of the project by donating items or trimming their charges when the second phase of fitting out the new building gets under way next spring."

District Scout Council chairman, Mike Thompson, said: "When we started the appeal, we never anticipated being able to put in this kind of money because we did not know we would be selling the John Stretton Memorial Hall.

"But we felt it was appropriate that the bulk of our share of the proceeds should be used for Rhydd Covert because it will benefit so many Scout groups and young people from all over Wyre Forest."

The building scheme has been split into two phases by Bewdley design-and-build firm, Pondstart, and Mr Thompson added: "This money is the icing on the cake and has enabled us to sign up to the first phase of work, which should be finished just before Easter.

"By then, we hope to have raised the remainder of the funds needed to start the second phase and we will then have a facility to be proud of by early summer."