A COMMUNITY has rallied round a well-loved woodcraft group which was left devastated when arsonists targeted its long-standing hut and burnt it to the ground.

The High Acres Woodcraft Folk group have been operating out of their Kinver-based hut for more than 48 years, but after the vandals struck in December, they were left with nothing more than dust and rubble.

Bob Sandall and his family have poured thousands of pounds of their own money into the camp’s upkeep, and were left heart-broken by the attack.

But as soon as word broke out about the blaze, an online fundraising page was set up by members of the group to fund the building of a new hut.

The online fund – as well as personal donations to Bob – has now passed £11,000 giving the group enough money to put its plans for a new base into action.

Bob said: “We have been overwhelmed with the help people have given us. A day doesn’t go by when we don’t receive another donation, and we are so grateful for the help we have been given by the local community.

“It’s so touching to know that people who have spent time here over those 48 years still remember what we did for them.

“It’s not just the donations, but we have had such lovely comments from people which really kept our spirits up after the terrible attack.

“The money we have now will be able to help us rebuild the hut, this time in metal cladding so the fire will not happen again. My son is doing the plans and we are trying to keep it looking in place with the rest of the campsite.

“But we also had about £10,000 worth of equipment destroyed, so we still need to find the money to replace that. However, the priority is the hut as there is no point in having equipment if you have nowhere to keep it.”

Even after the devastation of the fire, Bob and his family continued to host activities on the site, and on Saturday a number of children from across Stourbridge attended the camp for a birdwatching weekend.

He said: “We have cleared the site and have used the initial donations to purchase the essential items to keep hosting the kids, such as chemical toilets, tables and chairs.

“We will keep going and not let the fire stop us from doing what we do.”

With the plans in place and the materials ordered, Bob has organised a working party to take place between April 29 and May 2, where friends and family will meet at the site to help build the new hut.

Donations can still be made to help the group fund the specialist outdoors equipment it needs to offer the best service possible by visiting www.gofundme.com/woodcraftfolk

Bob added: “It is absolutely fantastic that we are even in this position; people have been so kind to us and we owe our new hut to everyone who has donated.”