LOCAL scouts proved they are prepared to move heaven, earth - and a 60ft narrow boat - to keep their Preston headquarters.

The 6th Fulwood Scouts were joined by other local beavers, cubs, scouts and venture scouts to pull the huge 'Imedit' canal boat 12 miles along the Lancaster Canal in a high-profile fund-raising event.

The group hopes to have raised around £800 from the barge-pull, which will take them closer to reaching the £40,000 total needed for them to buy the leasehold interest in the land where their headquarters is based.

Volunteers, the youngest aged six, set off from Owd Nells, in Bilsborrow, at 10am on Saturday, and reached their finish line at Haslam Park, in Preston, by 3.30pm.

Rachel France, 16, and Alistair Livingstone, 19, are pictured lending their support to the scout group.

Glen Crook, assistant group scout leader, explained why the group need to raise the cash to buy the land, at Beech Way, in Fulwood.

He said: "The £200,000 headquarters building was built in 1970 after a lot of fund-raising by local people. But the county council has always owned the land, and we have leased it from them.

"A few months ago the county council said we can no longer lease the land, and have given us three years to raise enough money to buy it."

Glen, whose dedication to the scout movement began when he was an eight-year-old cub in 1960, added: "We started fund-raising at the start of the year and we have already received several donations - including one from a runner who raised £1,000 by completing the London Marathon.

"Local people are keen to support us, but we are also appealing to businesses to donate cash."

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