FOND memories of childhoods spent at Rhydd Covert spurred a Masonic lodge into donating £250 towards Operation Covert.

The cash - one of the biggest donations to the appeal so far - has been donated by Chaddesley Corbett Lodge of the Freemasons.

Lodge master, Hugh Meredith, said: "Many of them have pleasant memories of their times in the scouts and, indeed, benefited considerably from the use of Rhydd Covert in the past.

"I know it gives members of our lodge great pleasure to be involved in such a worthwhile appeal and, once again, to demonstrate, in a tangible way, our support for a non-masonic charitable cause, for the benefit of the wider community."

The lodge celebrates its 25th anniversary next year and has about 40 members.

Site warden at Rhydd Covert, Mark Woodward, said: "This is first class news. It is superb.

"The masons are a wonderful organisation and it is great they have come forward and donated this money.

"It goes to show that so many people have been touched by Rhydd Covert and the Scouts, whether people have been involved directly or will have seen someone in their family who has benefited."

The Shuttle/Times and News has teamed up with Kidderminster & District Scout Council to launch Operation Covert, an appeal to raise £80,000 to rebuild a Scout centre at Rhydd Covert campsite in Bewdley which was torched by vandals.

Ex-Scout MP backs

campsite

POLITICIANS have elected to back Operation Covert with cash donations towards the Shuttle/Times and News appeal.

Wyre Forest MP, Dr Richard Taylor and district Conservatives have pledged cash towards Operation Covert, hailing the drive to rebuild the torched Scout centre at Rhydd Covert.

Dr Taylor said of his donation: "I have been to Rhydd Covert and seen a huge gathering of Scouts from across the whole of the Midlands and I think it is essential for town kids to get out into the country like that.

"Working at night in the dark in the middle of the country is an absolute eye opener for town kids and Rhydd Covert is ideal for things like that because it is pretty rural and yet fairly near to civilisation."

Dr Taylor, who was a Scout during his teenage years in Cambridge, added: "I am very pleased to support Operation Covert and I encourage others to do the same."

Members of Franche branch of the Wyre Forest Conservative Association raised £200 through a collection at a skittles social evening in Wolverley.

A collection raised £100 and the association chairman then donated an extra £100, said prospective parliamentary candidate for the party, Mark Garnier.

He said: "The Scouts are a terrific organisation so we feel they have had a bit of a rough time and we wanted to help."

He added the association planned to hold another collection at the party's annual dinner at the Ramada Hotel in Bewdley on November 20.

Fund goes up

OUR appeal has passed the £3,000 mark just three weeks after being launched.

Kind residents, businesses and community organisations have helped the total rocket to £3,289.

The figure is more than double the £1,400 reported in last week's Shuttle/Timesand News and puts Operation Covert well on course to achieving its final goal of £80,000.

Sparks fly at bonfire

A BONIFIRE and firework display at a Rock pub raised more than £300 towards Operation Covert - and the money is still coming in.

Raffle tickets proved popular at Friday's display at The Duke William in Callow Hill, said landlord Phil Lyndon.

He said tickets were still being sold and a collection was also made on the night to go towards the appeal.

He said: "We couldn't believe how many people we had. We were expecting about 50 or 60 people but we must have had a couple of hundred.

"We had a fabulous night, it must have been the appeal which brought them here."

The top prize for the raffle is a combined DVD and television.