Guides fundraising to save holiday cottage

A Girlguiding group is fighting to save a cottage which has been a holiday destination for thousands of members.

Girlguiding Cleveland, which has 2,300 members across Billingham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and the wider region, has been using Egton House, in North Yorkshire, for trips since 1969.

But in 2024 the house was closed due to severe damp which has made the building "unusable".

Volunteer Rachel Lee attended Egton House as a child and said seeing the cottage in such a state of disrepair is "heart-breaking".

She said: "Egton is my happy place and holds so many memories for me - from going there as a young child, as a Brownie and a Guide, and then taking my own Brownie unit.

"Egton will always hold a special place in my heart.

"I hope that by raising enough money, we will be able to repair our cottage and reopen it for future generations to enjoy holidays [there], like I did."

The group is hoping to raise £20,000 to fund work to tackle the damp, and has already raised £16,000.

Sue Wilcox, a Brownie leader, said her group regularly tell her that visiting Egton is "different to home" and members particularly enjoy the garden surrounding the cottage.

"Being able to take the girls away gives us the chance to spend more time with them and get to know them better," she said.

She added: "For me as a leader, it's in a beautiful setting which lifts my spirits."

Fellow leader Lesley Magson said: "Egton is a place where you can escape from everyday life.

"The Brownies and Guides love it because it's like they have a big old house in the country."

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