A newly-formed trust to buy Waddow Hall from the national Girlguiding association has been fully endorsed by its local MP.

The activity centre just outside Clitheroe is one of five being sold off by the organisation and will close at the end of the year.

The proposal has caused a storm of protest led by East Lancashire guiding groups.

Now a special Waddow Hall Trust has been set up as a charitable company with the aim of raising around £5 million to buy the centre.

Ribble Valley MP and House of Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans this week has given his full backing to the new group.

Waddow Hall has provided opportunities to young girls and boys, a large number of different groups and many others for several decades.

The trust has now made a formal expression of interest to purchase outdoor activity centre from Girlguiding and save its future.

Mr Evans said: “Whilst it is of course incredibly disappointing to hear that Girlguiding are still intent on going through with the sale of all their activity centres, including Waddow, I am buoyed to have seen such enthusiasm and rapid action from those at the Waddow Hall Trust with the sole aim of saving the centre.

“To have formed so quickly and effectively is an incredibly impressive feat and I am delighted to see that they have already secured such wide-ranging support.

"They have given me a renewed confidence that Waddow Hall will be saved as an outdoor activity centre, continuing to provide opportunities for young people to make the most of the wonderful outdoors we have here in the Ribble Valley

"I would encourage everyone to get behind their campaign and give generously when they open up for donations in September.”

Girlguiding, which is headquartered on Buckingham Palace Road in London, said five activity centres would be sold ‘because of the investment needed and the reduced number of members using them in the past decade’.

As well as Waddow Hall, they are Blackland Farm in Sussex, Foxlease in Hampshire, Glenbrook in Derbyshire and Ynysgain, on the edge of Snowdonia National Park.

The centres will continue until December 31 with all 2023 bookings and events going ahead as planned.

A Girlguiding statement announcing the closure and sell-off said: “There has been historic underinvestment in the activity centres, and they would need over £20m in the coming years. We cannot afford this level of investment."