For 70 years, it has provided a haven for children and young adults to learn, bond and socialise as part of a national institution.

Eastern Daily Press: Toilet facilities at 1st Earsham Scout Hut. Picture: Helen ColmanToilet facilities at 1st Earsham Scout Hut. Picture: Helen Colman (Image: Helen Colman)

The 1st Earsham scout hut has welcomed Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers for seven decades, and while it is still fit for purpose, it has seen better days.

Its roof is in need of constant repair, its walls are beginning to warp and its floors are developing rot, meaning it is has reached a stage where it needs replacing.

However, this is quite the costly task, with leaders being quoted £29,000 to build a new wooden hut.

Now, the group's leaders have turned to the Internet to drum up community support, as they look raise the funds for the much-needed new hut.

Helen Colman, Beavers group leader, said: 'The hut is safe at the moment, but it is going downhill to the point that in a few years time repair work will not be worthwhile.

'We repair as much as we can and are fortunate enough to have a brilliant team but it's at the stage now where the most cost efficient thing for us to do is knock down the hut and build a new one.

'It is a very big project and something we are in the beginning of, but we need to very quickly get under control.'

The site on Church Lane welcomes hundreds of youngsters each year, both from their troops and visiting group's that use its grounds for camps.

Miss Colman added: 'It is an amazing site - we are very fortunate to have a large outdoor space which allows others to camp here.

'The idea is that if we have better facilities on the site it could be used as more than just a scout hut, but for other types of events as well.

'We do hold fundraising events, such as fireworks nights and stalls on the Christmas market, however, these do not raise anywhere near what we need, and the subs from the group only cover running costs of the building.'

The leaders have set up their own Go Fund Me page, on which they are hoping to attract donations to bring their vision to life.

The fundraising page can be found at www.gofundme.com/help1stearshamscouts, or anybody offering to pledge their support can contact Miss Colman via email on helencolman@hotmail.co.uk