A SCOUT group is heading off on a weekend adventure after being awarded a grant.

Cubs, scouts and beavers from 1st Newfield Scouts will take part in a weekend of outdoor activities at Dukehouse Wood Adventure Centre near Hexham in May after being awarded £2,000 by housing provider Cestria Community Housing.

The grant will also cover the group’s annual insurance bill and its costs for renting out the hall at Pelton Roseberry Primary School in Newfield, near Chester-le-Street for weekly meetings.

Group Scout Leader Chris Grimwood said the grant would enable some youngsters to go on the trip who might otherwise have missed out and would also pay for new camping and sports equipment.

She said: “This will make a massive difference to the group. We do bits of fundraising ourselves but nothing has come close to this amount in all the time I have been involved with 1st Newfield."

Christine Scott, assistant director at Cestria Community Housing, said: The scout group exists to create new opportunities for young people from a range of backgrounds to enjoy life changing experiences, so they are a worthy recipient of this grant.“