A SIGNIFICANT donation of hundreds of pounds has helped kickstart the fundraising of a group in York.

York Scouts have received funding that has become a significant donation towards the eventual building of an adventure trail at the Snowball Plantation in Stockton on the Forest.

The donation of £1,000 was awarded by Persimmon Homes Yorkshire as part of their Building Futures initiative, which aims to support communal groups assisting under-18s.

Scout volunteer Nigel White said: “Our activity centre is set in 17 acres of mature woodland.

“It features a 39-bed lodge, various camping sites, an activity building and outdoor arena, and is used by more than 9,000 young people every year.

As part of our 50th anniversary year we were looking at how to enhance our facilities to provide more opportunities for young people to improve their wellbeing and develop their skills and confidence.

“We have received a lot of demand for young people to be active outdoors, particularly since the pandemic lockdowns.

The trail has been designed to complement our woodland terrain and aims to appeal and challenge all ages from four-years-old and upwards. Persimmon Homes’ donation is a great boost as we work towards achieving our £10,000 fundraising goal for this project. We are now looking for sponsors to help us with this project and other development plans.”

Building Futures plan to give away one million pounds as part of their initiative, and have already given £128,000 to good causes across the UK.

Scott Waters, managing director for Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, said: “Our Building Futures initiative is all about supporting the younger generations, and York Scouts provide the ideal environment to stimulate their sense of adventure.”

The scheme looks to assist young people in one of three different categories, education and arts, health, and sport as they look to make a difference or impact on their society.

So far, there has already been a £4,000 donation in the Yorkshire region.