Last updated on 20 September 2019
Article by Colin Ferguson (from Tollerton Village Newsletter April 2019)
Do you remember the Tollerton Morris Men? The origins of this remarkable group of locals go back to the construction of the current Scout Hut – the members of the construction team stayed together and formed the Morris troupe. The erection of the Scout Hut was a remarkable community effort by, mainly, the parents of Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides in Tollerton in 1985.
The existing hut was very old and falling apart and had to be replaced. It was no longer fit for purpose, was leaky, cold and draughty. We were lucky to have some remarkable individuals on the team, including builder Paul Knight assisted by Messrs Wheatcroft, Byfield, Molyneaux, Lewis, Ferguson, Goldby, Brooker, Squires and Mowl. If I have missed someone I apologise, it was a long time ago. It was a matter of taking down the old hut before it fell down, it came apart prey easily. We had found a similarly sized wooden building at Old Basford which the Gas Board were prepared to let us have if we removed it from their site. It was February and very cold when we dismantled it and loaded it onto one of Pete Brooker’s trailers for transport to Tollerton.
The preparation of the site was a major undertaking as the new hut was larger than the old one. Under the expert and benevolent guidance of Paul Knight the site was levelled, enlarged and covered with concrete. Reassembling an old wooden structure wasn’t easy. Paul is a bit of a perfectionist and it can’t have been easy dealing with his team of rowdy amateurs, but the hut was eventually introduced to its new home.
It is a tribute to the quality of the building and its constructors that it is still sound and in use over 34 years later. To create such a structure was an extraordinary achievement which deserves to be remembered. The people involved worked well together and the bond created between them exists to this day. It led to the creation, amongst other things, of the Tollerton Morris Men, coached by Pam Brooker.
The story of this remarkable community project is not generally known to today’s Tollerton residents, but it is sufficient reward to its creators that their creation is still in daily use by a new generation of young people.
A few years ago the scout hut was brought up‐to‐date with a fund given by the Winifred Eileen Kemp Trust. Winifred Kemp lived in Tollerton and the charity was set up to help children; young people; elderly/old people; people with disabilities in Nottinghamshire.