Scouts from South Derbyshire are hotting up their campaign to keep their meeting hut warm during the winter months - with plans to replace an ageing boiler.
The boiler at the 1st Gresley Scout Hut at their headquarters in Church Gresley was installed in the 1980s and is worn out. It often breaks down, leaving the well-used Scout hut cold.
Groups which also use the venue, which opened in 1936, include Church Gresley Pre-School and local girl guiding groups.
Now the scouts are keeping their fingers crossed after entering a competition run by Marks and Spencer Energy, which could see them handed a cheque for £12,000 to go towards a new boiler system to heat the well-used venue.
Scout Leader Daniel Barnes has been scouting out people to vote for the group on the online competition page . He said: "We're really hoping that we can get the grant; it costs us so much money to heat our hall and because so many people also use it, it's really important that we can keep it going.
"In the winter months it can feel really cold, and when we hold activities for mainly young people, it's really important that we can keep them warm and comfortable."
The group currently spends around £300 a month on gas and electricity to heat the hall, more cash than would be spent on a modern replacement.
But replacing the heating and water systems looks set to cost the group around £15,000 - and the scouts are now hoping the M&S Energy Community Fund could help solve the problem.
The project allows not for profit organisations to apply for grants of up to £12,000 to support their needs. Judges are looking for innovative and inspiring projects to be awarded with a share of the £300,000 available to support energy projects across the UK.
Head of M&S Energy, Jonathan Hazeldine, said: "Each time we open the M&S Energy Community Energy Fund for new applicants, we are incredibly impressed by the time and commitment so many people give to the community projects that matter to them.
"As a 100 per cent green energy provider, this fund is a great way for us to take our commitment further by getting involved with our communities and helping them become more environmentally and financially sustainable."
Anyone wanting to get involved and help the group out, can vote for them on the M&S Energy Fund's website.
