Villagers crowded into Addingham’s new scout hut and refurbished football pavilion to see the new community facilities on Saturday.

The handover of the new scout facility marked the end of the village’s scout groups’ search for a new base.

The original scout hut, on land previously owned by Addingham Parish Council, was demolished several years ago to make way for the new Addingham Medical Centre.

Since then, the parish council has been actively seeking to rehome the scouts and several options were debated, including building a more ambitious Addingham Recreation Centre, before the refurbishment and extension of the football pavilion was agreed.

Planning permission was granted just under a year ago and, in the autumn, the parish council awarded the contract to a local builder.

At the time, members said: “The parish council sees this development as an exciting opportunity to improve the facilities available in the village and encourage more participation in sport and youth activities.”

Members agreed to contribute funds ring-fenced from the sale of the medical centre land to the £180,000-plus scheme.

The work was also funded by grants and money bequeathed by a local family for the good of the village.

Members hope that the improvement will encourage new users, in particular junior members, and they would like to hear from any individuals who would be interested in starting a junior team or implementing junior training.