A scout camping trip has been heralded a great success thanks to the generosity of a Birmingham business.
Volkswagen Van Centre, on St Stephens Street, provided the Johnson Troop from the 7th Lichfield Scout Group with a van, as they embarked on their first camping trip of the year.
The Volkswagen Transporter was used to transport all of the tents, rucksacks and camping equipment required for the troop’s 30-man camping adventure.
Claire Hubbard, assistant scout leader believes camping trips are an integral part of scouting, and are something that every young child should have the opportunity to experience.
“The camping trip is a very popular and beneficial event in the troop’s calendar. We try to keep costs to a minimum so that it’s accessible to all. However, rising prices made this hard to achieve, so we were very grateful to Volkswagen Van Centre (Birmingham) for the loan of the Transporter.
“The van could comfortably and safely carry all our camping gear and the children’s rucksacks, which meant we only had to hire two minibuses.”
The vehicle loan was part of the Birmingham business’s ‘Charity Chariot’ initiative which supported local charities and community groups in their area with the use of the Transporter van.
Stuart Smith, head of business at Volkswagen Van Centre Birmingham, said: “We were delighted with the initiative’s response.
“Unfortunately it was not possible to support every enquiry we received but we felt the scouts camping expedition was not only an excellent adventure for youngsters but provided the children with essential life experiences in a safe environment.”