2025-04-05-accounts

8th Mirfield AGM

MINUTES

Date: 15th May 2025

Time: 19.30, Location: St Marys meeting room

Minutes by Sophie Leung

Item 1, Present

Steve Bell (Chair), Lauren Montgomery (Treasurer), Martin Holmes (District Lead Volunteer), Amanda McCabe (Beavers), Chris Wilding (Cubs), Paul Goodwin (Scouts), Liz Roberts (Cubs/Scouts), Jemma Smith (part, GSL), David Nevill (parent)

Item 2, Apologies

Jemma Smith (GSL/Explorers), Liz Roberts (Cubs/Scouts)

Item 3, Minutes of Previous AGM

• These were not available

Item 4, Matters Arising

• Dealt with in subsequent meetings

Item 5, Report from GSL

• Not available

Item 6, Reports from Sections

Beavers

• Amanda went through her report – see appendix

• Amanda manages the waiting list to match the spaces that she knows will become available and forwards any other enquiries to other sections. Martin asked that she continues to do this, to help build the other Mirfield sections.

Cubs

• Chris ran through his report – see appendix

Scouts

• Paul ran through his report – see appendix

• He added that he’s comfortable to take a flexible approach on taking higher numbers due to the natural attrition they’re seeing.

• The section would value the addition of a couple of more leaders, which would allow cover for when leaders are away/can’t make it.

Explorers

• Report from Gemma not received but Amanda provided a summary.

• Explorers have been running for 2-years and continues to flourish

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• It continues to be full, with 15 Explorers (a lot of whom are also Young Leaders for 8[th] Mirfield).

• Two will soon be moving elsewhere and they are being replaced with two of the older Scouts who have requested a place.

• Activities have included Camp to Old Walk and lots of badges.

• Running a reduced programme this term as half are doing GCSEs or mocks.

• Next meet is in June.

• Planning to have a leavers event and award ceremony.

Item 7, Treasurer’s Report

• Lauren went through the Treasurer’s Report for the year ending 5[th] April 2025.

• We paid two lots of pantomime fees as we were charged late for the previous year.

• In the previous year we benefitted from a grant from the Mirfield Educational Trust, fundraising from the Gang Show, a donation from the Mirfield Round table and higher subscription levels (due to a higher number of members).

• For the 2023/24 year we had Grants totalling £9691.80 including gift aid whereas for the 2024/25 year we only had gift aid of £2981.09.

• As a result, there was a significant deficit over the year – the accounts show a loss of £358.51 but in reality it’s £4408.51 (we still owe for the Deep invoice).

• This led to a discussion around subscription levels, how we compare to other sections, sibling discounts, the need to balance camp costs (which had a deficit of £600) and making other activities and events cost neutral (Panto lost £450, Bonfire lost £226).

• After fixed outgoings are taken out we’re only left with around £4,100 to spend between the different sections.

• When reviewing the spends, Paul suggested we should focus on the income figure rather than cutting back on what we do and that a charities job is not to sit on cash.

• However, it was broadly agreed that we need a better handle on budgets and camp/activity costs.

• We agreed we need to arrange a Trustee Meeting to discuss finances further.

• Amanda highlighted the donation to Emily’s Peru fund (from profits from The Deep) – she doesn’t have an issue with it but doesn’t remember it being communicated. Chris thought he had and confirmed it’s in line with other years where profits have helped fund Young Leaders.

Item 8, News from District Representative

• Martin passed on his thanks to the Trustees and the attending parent.

• He continues to get lots of enquiries from parents about 8[th] Mirfield – well done to the section for continuing to make it so successful.

• The District is potentially opening another three Sections following on from four Sections last year.

• Martin passed on his thanks to Chris for his continued support to 1[st] Mirfield.

• Steve asked whether the capita charge is likely to go up this year and Martin suggested it was likely but that he appreciates the finances are tight for the different Sections and he’ll continue to reduce the impact as much as possible.

Item 9, Election of Chair, Treasurer & Secretary

Current Chair, Treasurer & Secretary all offered to continue in role and re-elected.

Item 10, Election of Committee & Section Leaders

Current Committee & Section Leaders all offered to continue in role and were re-elected.

Item 11, Any Other Business

2

• None

Actions

• Steve to arrange a Trustee Meeting to discuss the sections finances in more detail.

Meeting finished at 20.30

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APPENDIX 1 – Section Reports

Beavers – to add

Cubs Highlights Over the Past Year 24/25

Housekeeping notes

As always, I want to start by saying thank you to our fabulous group of leaders and helpers who have enabled 8[th] Mirfield to keep going and deliver another year of fabulous activities. Thank you to Richard, Ian, Chris, Mike, Liz, Katie Luke, Sophie, Daisy, CJ and Joe (our adult leader team) as well as Will, Rebecca, Phoebe, Oliver, Oska, Josh, Elle and Laura who come along every week and assist us as either as YLs or while they do their DofE. The adult leader team has remained very stable and over the past year James and Joe have both turned 18 so taken on full appointments, albeit James is away at uni so comes along when he can. We have said goodbye to Alex and over the summer months we sometimes find our leader / YL numbers down slightly as exams must always come first – on that note, good luck to everyone doing GCSEs, A-Levels or any other important milestones.

Regarding our member numbers, as was said last year, a lot of work has been done by our Scout section to map future trends and transitions and this means we are better managing our section numbers to avoid overwhelming our Scouts in a few year’s time. We have reduced our core Cub numbers to assist with these transitions and this has been done by not replacing from the waiting list if any cubs give up their place due to other interests etc.

We must note there that dropping from ~36 cubs to 24 cubs does however have a knock on effect on finances as this means 12 fewer subs payments (~£120 pp per annum) so revenue will have been impacted by ~£1400

Highlights

Since our last AGM there have been a number of highlights. These include 2 successful camps (Old n Bold, and our summer camp), DIY badge, naturalist badge, night hikes, backwoods cooking, baking (who remembers the alien slime pies at Halloween?), Live Nativity, Remembrance parade, orienteering at Oakwell, kite flying at Castle Hill, VE Day Celebrations, and finally, who could forget our recent sleepover at The Deep!

The varied programme may not suit every cub, every week, but it provides an opportunity to try things they may not have tried before, to learn new skills, to get out of their comfort zone and more importantly to get out into the world, nature and our surroundings. This is all in addition to the usual fun and games we have week in and week out.

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Many of these activities involve earning badges and it is also fabulous to see some of our cubs now going away and working on their own badge challenges and then bringing portfolios of evidence of what they have done. Since the last AGM, we have had 1 recipient of the Chief Scout’s Silver Award (well done Rex) as well as a handful who are about to complete it (watch this space)

Other Comments

As in previous years, our Facebook page continues to be an essential tool for organising activities and reporting on them afterwards. I continue to manage access to this page so we only have those with legitimate membership reasons.

I have also tried to move away from paper permission forms to using Microsoft Forms for our activities (camps, visits etc) although this is in the early stages so I will see how it goes for this summer’s events and then decide a future plan.

I have tried to also keep in the habit of sending things to the Church Magazine as appropriate and over the past 12m we have had 3 or 4 published articles covering many of the activities I have listed above.

As a group we are very fortunate to have a healthy number of young people as well as adult (and “young”) leaders, meaning that we can offer a wide and varied programme, week in week out. Not all groups are so lucky and over the past 12m within our district we have seen 14[th] Batley Group close completely, while 1[st] Mirfield is currently reviewing how they operate. I must say thank you to Liz, Daisy, CJ, Phoebe and Becca who have all given up evenings to help me at 1[st] Mirfield (where I have been assisting for a couple of years due to their leader shortages). If any parents would like to become involved in scouting, 8[th] are always delighted to welcome you, but if you look and think “well ,they don’t really need more leaders” then please also consider that other groups may

On the above topic, 1 comment I will make (as I occasionally hear “oh, I would, but I can’t commit to every week”) is that nobody should feel pressure to have to be there every week – we know people have lives that can get in the way, so anything you can give would be much appreciated. Thank you

Chris Wilding (Akela) – 8[th] Mirfield Cubs

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– Scouts Key Highlights 2024/2025

General Notes

The last 12 months has been a balance – transitioning some of the leadership whilst maintaining an exciting and varied programme for the young people. As ever, nothing happens in Scouts without the dedicated support of the group of leaders and helpers. A huge thank you to Jo, Kate, Tabitha, Liz, Neil, Daisy and latterly Russell for their enthusiasm and commitment. We have also had the support of YL Oska and Josh on occasion. We always welcome the opportunity to help Young Leaders develop their leadership skills – something that will serve them well in later life. It was a real pity to say goodbye to Jez, but we are delighted that this year he continues to support the expedition plans for the older Scouts.

As mentioned in the Cubs report, we are managing the numbers to ensure that as many Cubs as possible are given the opportunity to move into Scouts. Managing the numbers certainly makes planning, particularly for external activities and camps, much smoother.

Section Highlights

Our programme has aimed to provide variety, along with opportunities to develop skills. We held 2 camps in the period – Hesley Wood in the in the summer with its huge range of outdoor activities, and a very different experience last Autumn at Hebden Hey, with a focus on night walks and orienteering skills. Given the Scouts do much of the cooking, washing up, etc, there are also good opportunities to develop teamworking skills. Activities undertaken include light painting, live nativity, cooking, paralympics night, meteorologist, athletics, wood turning and VE Day reflections.

Where possible we have aimed to be visible in the community, particularly at Mirfield events, such as the Remembrance parade, Mother’s Day parade and VE Day 80[th] Anniversary.

Many of the activities we plan help Scouts to progress towards badges, and it is always a pleasure to see Scouts using their initiative to work towards badges outside of the organised programme. For many Scouts the culmination of this work is in the achievement of the Chief Scout’s Gold award, and it was fantastic to present 8 Scouts with theirs at the prize giving late in 2024.

Our 2025 activity plan continues to promote variety, new skills, teamwork and leadership. Where possible we take the Scouts out into the local environment – as ever this is weather permitting! Summer camp, geocaching and orienteering are examples of our plans.

Building for the Future

As stated above, nothing happens without the support of the leaders and helpers, and we were delighted to welcome Tabitha and Russell to help us out this year. As we know, leaders and helpers transition in and out, so we will aim to welcome new people in whatever capacity they feel they can help 8[th] Mirfield to flourish.

Paul Goodwin – Section Leader – 8[th] Mirfield Scouts

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8th Mirfield Scout Group

Reciepts and Payments for Year ending 5th April 2024

RECEIPTS 24/25 Membership subscriptions 8,543.00 £	8,543.00 £ 2,981.09 £ 4,009.50 £ 808.30 £ 3,738.00 £ 4,822.50 £ 250.50 £ 553.00 £ - £ - £ - £ 25,705.89 £	7,126.25 £ 3,813.00 £	23/24 3,313.25 £
Less : National /County /District Paid
Gift Aid Camps Activities			2,638.35 £
			4,653.50 £
			3,551.00 £
Deep 8th Mirfield Deep other groups Panto Bonfire
Explorers Grants Donation Fundraising : Gang show PAYMENTS Rent Cap Insurance The Deep Activities Camp Costs Uniform & Badges first aid equipment panto bonfire Donation to Emily's Peru Fund & Freddie Xmas Parties Transfer to Saving account Training Materials & Courses Easter Eggs Explorers Sundries Fundraising : Gang show Net Surplus/Deficit			3,817.00 £
			2,220.00 £
			2,721.00 £
			22,914.10 £
	1,938.69 £		2,132.25 £
	4,510.00 £
	279.63 £		420.12 £
	3,450.00 £		- £
	2,712.26 £		2,682.04 £
	4,630.50 £		5,967.08 £
	1,625.66 £		1,779.49 £
	20.00 £		20.00 £
	348.63 £		65.00 £
	1,171.00 £		589.00 £
	679.55 £		492.51 £
	800.13 £
	1,028.87 £
	- £		4,868.87 £
	- £		20.00 £
	88.25 £
	2,580.31 £		2,924.26 £
	20.92 £		64.95 £
	180.00 £		966.51 £
	26,064.40 £ 358.51 -£		22,992.08 £
	358.51 -£		77.98 -£

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 5th April 2025

At 5th April 2024 Cash Funds Current Account Deposit Account Cash in hand Net surplus/deficit as above at 5th April 2025 Current Account Deposit Account Cash in hand Non Monetary assets for Charity's own use Land & Buildings Loss of Money Personal effects Scouting Equipment	At 6th April 2023 6,437.01 £ Current Account 6,514.99 £ 8,995.62 £ Deposit Account 4,031.82 £ 123.76 £ Cash in hand 159.24 £ 15,556.39 £ 10,706.05 £ 358.51 -£ 77.98 -£ 6,078.50 £ at 5th April 2024 Current Account 6,437.01 £ 9,122.68 £ Deposit Account 8,995.62 £ - £ Cash in hand 123.76 £ 15,201.18 £ 15,556.39 £ ( based on insurance cover) 24,007.00 £ 22,864.00 £ 700.00 £ 500.00 £ 18,077.00 £ 16,895.00 £ 43,284.00 £ 39,759.00 £	6,514.99 £ 4,031.82 £ 159.24 £
		10,706.05 £
		77.98 -£ 6,437.01 £ 8,995.62 £ 123.76 £
		15,556.39 £
		39,759.00 £

Signed by

Lauren Montgomery-Bell (Treasurer)_______

Stephen Bell __________ ( Chair)

Independent examiner's report to 8th Mirfield (St Marys) Scout Group

I report on my examination of the accounts for the above for the year ended April 2025

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report in respect of my examination of the accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1.accounting records were not kept in respect of the Scout Group as required by section 130 of the Act; or

• 2.the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name: Peter John King

Address: 3, Parkfield Way, Mirfield, WF14 9HH

Date: 27th November 2025