THE Rotary Club of Ilkley visited Hag Dyke Scout Activity Centre which stands at 1525 feet up on the slopes of Great Whernside above Kettlewell.

Formerly a farmhouse for at least 250 years it has been the mountain home of the 1st Ben Rhydding Scout Group for 70 years.

The hostel is well used by Scouts, Guides, youth groups and walking groups with the vast majority of these visits from Ilkley, Addingham, Burley and Menston groups. The majority of the maintenance is carried out by unpaid volunteer wardens who give up their weekends to carry out repairs but also provide warden assistance and advice to visiting parties most weekends. Over the years major works have been undertaken including the installation of solar panels and wind turbine, but more work is needed.

A spokesman said: “The water supply is analysed annually by Craven District Environmental health and has failed significantly on several parameters. There is also concern that in a dry summer the supply may be inadequate. New regulations require us to upgrade the septic tank waste disposal by January 2020 at the latest as the present system is too small for the size of the property.

“The proposal is to dig out and install a new septic tank of capacity 3800 litres; to fit a new underground water storage tank of 3500 litres and to improve the water filtering and sterilisation system. The initial estimates for this work total approximately £11,000. This represents over 12 months turnover for Hag Dyke whose regular income comes only from the fees charged to visiting parties. We are therefore asking for support to finance this project and help to secure the future of this unique facility for future generations of young people and outdoor enthusiasts.

“Contact Robin Beaumont – Group Leader on robin.beaumont@talktalk.net if you could help support this great activity centre for young people.”