Eight years of fundraising will finally bear fruit in September when the headquarters of the 1st Beetley Scout Group receives a shower and changing and toilet facilities.

The �38,000 project to extend and upgrade the building in the village, north of Dereham, will make it suitable for use by other scouts, community groups and schools.

Richard Cross, a Beetley Scout Group committee member, said: 'With the new facilities, the new scout hut will be a tremendous asset not only to our own group but the other scouting and guiding groups who'll be able to hire them.

'We're ideally placed in central Norfolk and with our grounds and proximity to the Rural Life Museum at Gressenhall. I'm sure this will be popular with visiting groups.'

The group used its reserves and grants from other organisations with links to scouting, and was able to complete the project thanks to a �2,000 donation from chartered accountants Lovewell Blake.

Senior manager Ken Renshaw said: 'The scouts did a tremendous job in raising money with a number of grants and materials donated at cost, and we're delighted to have been able to make up the shortfall.'