Christmas joy as Leicestershire group given volunteer support and up to £2.5k funding after winning first Severn Trent NeighbourGOOD award

The organisation is set to receive up to two days of support from up to 30 Severn Trent volunteers each day to help towards the decoration of their scout hut and community hall as well as up to £2,500 funding for material costs

The community initiative was launched by the water company to support local causes that matter with practical volunteers, and a squad of local Severn Trent employees have been drafted in to support the project in 2025.

The 1st Nanpantan Scouts clearly won the hearts of the public, as they were crowned the Leicestershire winners in an online vote - having earlier come through a judging panel of independent local figures, including councillors and journalists.

The Scouts also have the added bonus of receiving £2500 funding to help towards material costs of the project.

The Nanpantan Scout Group in Loughborough supports 160 children aged 5-18 in developing life skills, with the help of dedicated volunteers. They need assistance to update their community facility to continue to support the local community.

Carl Travis-Roberts, Group Scout Leader at 1st Nanpantan Scouts, said: "We are thrilled to have won this initiative and would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for us. The support from Severn Trent will make a big difference to our project, enabling our new facilities to be painted in record time and ready to welcome our members and the community. This is what Scouting is all about, helping others and sharing skills."

Elizabeth Heath, Social Impact Lead at Severn Trent, said: “It’s great to see the 1st Nanpantan Scouts be crowned Leicestershire winners. Their project will benefit a number of people across the local community, so it’s no wonder that they received so many of the votes.

“Thousands of people took to our website to have their say and we’re looking forward to working with the Scouts and providing them with the funding and volunteer support they need to complete their project.”

The NeighbourGOOD Scheme is just one of the many community initiatives Severn Trent are doing to support local groups, with their Community Fund also giving £10 million to local organisations across the Severn Trent region in the last five years.

For more information, please visit: https://www.stwater.co.uk/neighbourgood-scheme/.