A POPULAR New Forest activity centre could yet be saved thanks to the hard work of one community group. 

Foxie's Future, set up to save Foxlease in Lyndhurst, have been told that they are now the preferred bidder for the site, up for sale at a guide price of £2.5 million.

Foxlease Activity Centre has been providing adventures for young people since being gifted to Girlguiding in 1922.

(Image: Savills) So a decision by trustees of the charity to sell the much-loved 65-acre site was met with shock and outrage - and Foxie's Future was set up to save it. 

Against the odds, campaigners raised enough money to bid for the centre and run it themselves, thanks to some incredible fundraising and support from Guides past and present and the community, but were told in July they were not the preferred bidder for the site, despite all their efforts. 

But, two months later, the future of Foxlease looks considerably brighter. 

A spokesperson for Foxie's Future said: "This is our best update since we started fundraising last year.

"We are still going through the process at the moment so we can't say more at this time.

"But we are also working with Girlguiding to explore the ways that Foxlease can be used by Girlguiding members in the future to maximise opportunities for adventure and we're really excited about that too.

"Our future plans include making Foxlease available for all in the wider community but we're keen to start what we see as a great future relationship with Girlguiding to benefit its members."

(Image: Newsquest)

The group urged members of the community to continue fundraising to support their ongoing efforts to keep Foxlease open.

Foxlease was one of five sites trustees decided to sell for financial reasons back in May 2023. 

Trustees made the recommendation to close Foxlease, as well as Blackland Farm in East Sussex, Glenbrook in Derbyshire, Waddow Hall in Lancashire and Ynysgain in Gwynedd, and put them on the market in a bid to secure the financial future of the organisation. 

A petition demanding a rethink attracted tens of thousands of signatures.