Fellowship raises £500 and turns it into £1,400

CATERING for scores of hungry youngsters at the new Rhydd Covert Scout Centre will be made easy thanks to the generosity of a men's social club.

The Wyre Forest Fellowship Club has donated an impressive £1,400 Rangemaster cooker, forming a centrepiece of the fully fitted kitchen.

The club raised £500 for the £142,000 Operation Covert appeal at a jazz evening at Chaddesley Corbett Village Hall and chairman, Jon Crellin, who owns Bromsgrove Domestic Appliances, negotiated for a discounted cooker.

"We approached Rangemaster, who very kindly agreed to let us have the cooker for the £500 we had raised, which is a tremendous discount, for which we are extremely grateful," said Mr Crellin.

The fellowship club is made up largely of ex-Round Tablers and meets twice a month for a diary of social activities, often with wives and partners, as well as running fund-raising events.

Mr Crellin, who lives in Bewdley, added: "There is obviously a lot of interest locally in Rhydd Covert as most families have had a child that's gone there.

"The club likes to raise money for use locally and as we've made donations to organisations like Cancer Research UK and Kemp Hospice, we thought it would be good to support young people."

Several businesses have contributed to the appeal, launched by the Shuttle/Times & News, by providing materials for the new building and fixtures and fittings for the interior.

The centre, which replaces the one destroyed by vandals in October 2004, is expected to be ready by June. Windows, sanitaryware and wooden cladding are some of the items that have already been donated and any other firms wishing to offer assistance should contact Shuttle/Times and News editor Clive Joyce on 01562 633348.