Historic Sheffield Scout shop to reopen

Sheffield Scout and Guide Shop on Trippet Lane, city centre, was forced to close in May after a broken toilet on the floor above completely flooded the premises.

The flood, which went unnoticed for 48 hours, caused around £30,000 worth of damage to the building and ruined approximately £10,000 worth of stock.

It was the first time the shop, which opened in 1939, shut its doors – even through the wartime years.

But on Saturday the shop will reopen again after a full refurbishment.

David Worth, aged 72, administrator at the shop, said staff were devastated to discover the damage on the Monday after the flood.

He said: “The shop was completely ruined, it was devastating.

“This shop didn’t even close during the war years, so it was a real shame.

“But we are almost totally refurbished, repainted, refitted and restocked now and everybody is excited to open again.”

David said the shop, which is the biggest retailer of Scout and Guide equipment in the UK and also a huge worldwide online retailer, has made one positive out of the disaster.

He said: “A lot of the stock was too damaged to sell. Some of it was watermarked, or smelled a bit fusty, but was actually still in relatively good condition.

“All that stock is being donated to Scout and Guide group leaders in the city, which is one positive I suppose.”