Charity Secures Purchase of Historic Girlguiding Site

A charitable organization has successfully acquired a historic Girlguiding facility, notable for hosting the inaugural world camp one hundred years prior. In May 2023, Girlguiding disclosed its intention to divest its five activity centres, among them the Foxlease estate situated in the New Forest. Foxie’s Future reported that it had successfully accumulated over £4 million within an 18-month period to prevent Foxlease from being permanently shut down. The organization stated that the location is scheduled to recommence operations for camping, overnight accommodations, and public access starting in February 2025. Hazel Warwick, chair of Foxie’s Future, commented: “We’re just overwhelmed. We can’t believe it’s happened.” She added: “There has been so much hard work from everybody to get to this place.” Girlguiding had previously indicated that its five facilities – Blackland Farm (West Sussex), Foxlease (Hampshire), Glenbrook (Derbyshire), Waddow Hall (Lancashire), and Ynysgain (Gwynedd) – were operating unprofitably and necessitated substantial capital expenditure. Ms. Warwick affirmed: “We absolutely know what we’ve taken on and we’re absolutely confident we can deliver it.” She further mentioned that the property, which will be rebranded as Foxlease Park, is planned to feature a cafe, camping facilities, outdoor pursuits, and potentially host weddings. The charity intends to divest three cottages located on the estate to assist in repaying over 300 creditors, she also stated. Funding for the acquisition additionally included a grant of £1.78 million from the government’s Community Ownership Fund. Girlguiding expressed its satisfaction that its members will retain access to the site in the future. Foxlease, a Georgian residence encompassing 64 acres (26 hectares) of land situated near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, served as the venue for the inaugural world camp in 1924, welcoming over 1,000 girls and Girlguiding leaders representing 40 nations. Readers can connect with BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight via Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.