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## Scouts
## Pathfinder Scout Group Annual Report & Accounts
## Period Ended 31 March 2025
Pathfinder Scout Group, Pathfinder Scout HQ, Baden Drive, Horley, Surrey RH6 8SD
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## PATHFINDER SCOUT GROUP AGM
## **AGENDA 2025**
## **1. Introduction and welcome**
## **2. Apologies for absence**
## **3. Governance topics**
- a. Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 3[rd] July 2024
- b. Adopt the model constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR)
- c. Agree the number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board
- d. Agree the quorum for future meetings of the Group Scout Council (excluding this AGM)
## **4.**
**Review of the previous year**
- a. The Group Lead Volunteer’s review of Scouts in the Pathfinder Scout Group
- b. Receive and consider the Annual Report of the Group Trustee Board, including the annual Statement of the Accounts
## **5.**
## **Making appointments**
- a. Appoint members of the Group Trustee Board, following recommendations from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board
- b. Appoint the Independent Examiner
## **6.**
- Awards and Presentations
**7.** Closing Remarks
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## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025**
## **Section A Reference and administration details**
**Charity name Pathfinder Scout Group Group registration number 1020859 Charity’s principal address Scout Hut Baden Drive Horley RH6 8SD**
## **Members of the Group Trustee Board (All Turstees acted for the whole year except where stated)**
**Trustee name Office (if any)** Mr Kevin Smith Chair Mrs Nicky Chiswick Treasurer **Ex –Officio** Mr Dan Gould Group Lead Volunteer Mrs Lisa Gould Mr John Williamson Mrs Bev Clear
|**Secton B Structure, governance and management**|**Secton B Structure, governance and management**|
|---|---|
|Type of governing document|The Group’s governing documents are those of the Scout Associaton. They consist of a
Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Associaton and The
Policy,Organisaton and Rules of The Scout Associaton.|
|How the charityis consttuted|The Groupis a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts.|
|Group Trustee selecton methods|The Trustee appointments are made in accordance with the Policy, Organisaton and Rules
of The Scout Associaton.|
|Additonal Governance Issues|The Group is managed by the Group Trustee Board, the members of which are the
‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout Group which is an educatonal charity. As charity Trustees
they are responsible for complying with legislaton applicable to charites. This includes
the registraton, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission
as appropriate.
The Group Trustee Board exists to support the Group Lead Volunteer in meetng the
responsibilites of the appointments and is responsible for:
•
The maintenance of the Group’s property and equipment
•
The raising of funds and the administraton of the Group’s fnance
•
The insurance of persons, property and equipment
•
Group public occasions
•
Assistng with the recruitment of Leaders and other adult support|
|Risk and Internal Control|The Group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide
reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss; these include Bank
account restricton to 2 signatories for allpayments.|
|Damage to the building, property
and equipment|The Group would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from
neighbouring organisatons such as the church, community centre and other Scout
Groups. Similar reciprocal arrangements exist with these organisatons. The Group has
sufcient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitgate against permanent loss.|
|Injury to leaders, helpers,
supporters and members|The Group through the capitaton fees contributes to the Scout Associatons natonal
accident insurancepolicy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all actvites.|
|Reduced income from fund
raising|The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptons and fundraising. The group
does hold a reserve to ensure the contnuity of actvites should there be a major
reducton in income. The Board could raise the value of subscriptons to increase the
income to thegroupon an ongoingbasis,either temporarilyorpermanently.|
|Reducton or loss of leaders|The group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the actvites of the
group. If there was a reducton in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a
partcular secton or the group as a whole then there would have to be a contracton,
consolidaton or closure of a secton. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of
the Group.|
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|**Secton C Objectves and actvites**|**Secton C Objectves and actvites**|
|---|---|
|Secton|Descripton|
|Summary of the objectves of the
charity set out in its governing
document|The objectives of the Group are as a unit of the Scout Association.
The purpose of Scouting is to contribute to the development of young people in
achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as
responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.
The method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and
attractve scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided
byadult leadership.|
|Summary of the main actvites in
relaton to these objects|Refer to the reports by the section Leaders.|
|Public Beneft|Subscriptions are charged for membership to cover immediate running costs of the
Group and these do not unduly restrict membership. The Group follows the principle that
no one should be excluded because of their inability to pay membership subscriptions.
Two key principles demonstrate that Scouting’s aims are for the public benefit and that
through the Scout method young people develop towards their full potential and that
there is a clear link between the benefits for young people and the purpose of Scouting.
The safety of young people is taken very seriously and the benefits Scouting activities
provide far outweigh the risks. Any private benefits from Scouting are incidental, other
than to those as a beneficiary.|
**Section D Achievements and Performance** Summary of the main Refer to the report from the Group Chair achievements of the charity during the year **Section E Financial Review** Brief statement on the charity’s We hold cash at bank of £38272. The Group’s policy on reserves is to hold sufficient policy on reserves reserves to continue the charitable activities of the Group should income and fundraising activities fall short and to effect repairs to the buildings we manage. The Group Trustee Board considers that the Group holds sufficient reserves to satisfy this policy. Details of any funds None materially in deficit
**Section F Investment Policy** Investment Policy Group’s policy does not have sufficient spare funds to invest longer term investments in stocks and shares. The Group has therefore adopted a low risk strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks. The current account is reviewed regularly to transfer funds not required for near use to obtain maximum value and income from its banking arrangements.
## **Section G Declaration**
**The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees**
Signature _The original has been signed by_ Name Kevin Smith Position Chair Signature _The original has been signed by_ Name Nicola Chiswick Position Treasurer
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## **Chair’s Report**
The Group Trustee Board plays a vital role in the running of a Scout Group, making decisions and carrying out administrative tasks to ensure that the best quality Scouting can be delivered to the young people in the Group. Members of the Trustee Board must act collectively as charity Trustees of the Scout Group, and in the best interests of its members. During 2024-25 the Pathfinder Scout Group Trustee Board was made up of the following members: Kevin Smith (Group Chair); Nicky Chiswick (Treasurer); Lisa Gould ; John Williamson; Bev Clear; Dan Gould (Group Lead Volunteer)
As a note for post Financial year end, we will sadly be saying goodbye to Mike Haynes. Mike has been in Scouting forever (at least 40 years I think) and has been the friendly face of Scouting in Horley for some time. Mike was instrumental in reinvigorating Horley Scouting by merging the failing 4[th] , 5[th] and 6[th] Horley Scout groups in 2008 to form Pathfinder Scout Group. Mike has been a constant source of information and help to everyone and was particularly helpful when I took over as Chair and had no idea what I was doing. I would like to extend my thanks on behalf of all Scouts, parents and Guardians, leaders and Trustees for all his hard work over the years. Mike you will be missed but please do enjoy the break!
Since September 2024, our Bay Close property has been home to a thriving local Pre-School. After 20 years of disuse, it’s been wonderful to see the building brought back to life, following significant investment to make it suitable once again. The Pre-School has settled in brilliantly, and we’re proud to have supported their growth.
That said, our mission to bring Scouting back to Bay Close remains a top priority. We continue to search for dedicated volunteer leaders and remain optimistic that, with the right people, we will re-establish Scouting activities there in the near future.
Meanwhile, Pathfinder has entered an exciting new chapter. With a refreshed leadership team and financial stability, the group is thriving. Our new Group Lead Volunteer has brought fresh energy and momentum, and it’s been fantastic to see new volunteers getting involved. I remain incredibly proud of all our Trustees, volunteers, and young people—their passion and dedication are at the heart of everything we do.
Pathfinder is now the largest Scout Group in Horley and one of the biggest in Reigate. We’re looking ahead with confidence as we plan for continued growth and opportunity in the years to come.
Financially we have had a lot of expense, including the failure of the Septic tank at Bay Close and significant expenditure on replacing doors and windows across our three buildings. Our Utility bills have risen by nearly 100% and the committee are working to look at savings we can make here. The accounts reflect this but overall our position is still strong and reserves are higher than our budgeted requirement. After much consideration we have taken the decision to increase subs, which brings us in line with the majority of Groups in Reigate and Banstead. Thei is the first rise since I became Chair in 2016 and reflects the rising costs of running the group, which until now we have done our best to absorb.
If you have read this far (and it’s probably just you) then you’re pretty committed why don’t you come and have a chat with us and offer some help, we need help in many ways and we would love to speak to you.
Kevin Smith Group Chair
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|**Pathfinder Scout Group**|**Registered Charity no. 1020859**|**Registered Charity no. 1020859**|**Registered Charity no. 1020859**|**Registered Charity no. 1020859**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Income and Expenditure Account**||||||
|**Year ended 31 March 2025**||**2025**|||**2024**|
||£|£||£|£|
|**Income**||||||
|Subscriptions received|14257|||17484||
|Less Subscriptions collected for District||||||
|Net Subscriptions Received||14257|||17484|
|Gift Aid||3035|||2987|
|Hall Hire||||||
|Baden Hires|1960|||2778||
|Rainbow Nursery|11058|||10840||
|Salfords|480|||498||
|Other Hall Hire||13498|||14116|
|Grants||1150|||1532|
|Uniform & Scarves||366|||0|
|Fundraising/Donations received||302|||434|
|Camp& ActivityReceipts||5353|||55|
|Other income||14529|||0|
|Go Cardless||||||
|Bank interest - savings account||1019|||783|
|**Total Income**||53509|||37391|
|**Expenditure**||||||
|**District Subs**||6784|||7968|
|Section expenses||||||
|Beavers|522|||373||
|Cubs|465|||1332||
|Scouts|675|||148||
|Uniforms/Badges|1256|||1742||
|Camps|9988|12906||420|4015|
|Equipment||649|||6350|
|Training||214|||0|
|General||2268|||3905|
|Premises costs||||||
|Premises Insurance|3817|||3831||
|Gas & Electricity|9795|||6864||
|Rent|1158|||1000||
|Rates|393|||592||
|Water|1537|||983||
|Maintenance & Repairs|3561|||9204||
|Cleaning|2734|22995||2619|25093|
|BayClose refurbishment||27993|||1472|
|Salfords Refurbishment||922|||566|
|Administration costs||||||
|Motor expenses||||||
|OSM|308|||340||
|Phone costs|149|||0||
|Website And Internet|790|||723||
|Bank Charges|0|1247||0|1063|
|||||||
|**Total Expenditure**||75978|||50432|
|**Surplus/ (Deficit) for theyear**||-22469|||-13041|
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-
Assets & Liabilities 2024 25
2025 2024
This Year Last Year
Total Total
Cash funds
Savings Account 43,000 43,000
Current Account 17,741 17,741
Subs Account 0 0
Sub Total 60,741 60,741
Total Assets 60,741 60,741
Liabilities
0 0
Total Liabilities 0 0
Total Assets less Total Liabilities 60,741 60,741
Represented by:
Brought forward 1 April 60,741 73,782
(Deficit) for the year -22,469 -13,041
Accumulated reserves 38,272 60,741
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## **Pathfinder Scout Group**
## **Minutes of the Annual General Meeting**
## **Held on 3rd July 2024**
## **Present**
Kevin Smith, Helen Bunn, Lisa Gould, John Williamson, Susan Hunter, Steve Robinson, Nicky Chiswick, Dan Gould, Bev Clear, Patrick Moody, Mike Haynes, Stuart Bromley, Tony Brown, Andrew Bolton, Dave Bunn, Daryl Tedstone
## **Apologies**
## None
## **Chair’s Welcome**
Kevin opened the meeting welcoming everyone and informing attendees that they are all part of the Group Scout Council
Kevin made a request for help with hall hires and looking after the buildings.
## **Minutes of the Last Meeting**
The minutes of the last meeting were voted for and accepted without amendment. There were no matters arising from last year’s minutes.
## **Constitution**
Kevin presented that we would now be following Scouts POR 5
## **Board of Trustee members**
Kevin explained that the Trustee Board should consist of 5 to 10 Trustees.
Dan would be running the Group Scout Council which would consist of a minimum of 6 members with no maximum. This group would organise trips, camps and fundraising events.
## **Group Lead Volunteer**
Dan explained that we have had a fun busy term. Highlights have been the Beavers going to GoApe, Cubs going to the Gatwick Aviation Museum, the Scouts doing watersports and Scoutabout.
Dan said thank you to Helen and Dave and introduced the new Team of leaders:
Lisa Gould and Louise Gould (young leader) - Beavers at Horley and Salfords
Daryl Tedstone - Salfords Cubs
Stuart Bromley - Scouts Horley
Patrick Moody - Scouts Salfords
Dan explained that we will need more volunteers to help and encouraged anyone able to help to speak to him after the meeting.
Dan highlighted that we now have an IT room and common room at Baden HQ and that he would like to get more involved in District events in the coming year.
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## **Sectional Reports**
Helen highlighted that the Beavers enjoyed earning their first aid, chef, camp craft, faith, safety and musician badges, writing their names with their feet, cooking, taking part in the parade and carnival and doing GoApe. 12 children have earned their Chief Scout Bronze award this year.
Susan highlighted that Windsor pack enjoyed go-karts, crafts, visits from Pastor Tim for their Faith badge and the Horley Historic Society for the History badge. They also enjoyed visiting the Gatwick Air museum and a walk to Emlyn Meadows.
Patrick highlighted that in addition to some joint meetings with Winsor Pack, Salfords Pack also enjoyed a visit from a Fire Engine, backwoods cooking, team games and scooting/roller blading.
Mike highlighted that Haynes Pack have enjoyed earning their photography, astrologer, cooking, 1st Aid and Carpentry badges (making bird boxes)
The Scouts have enjoyed learning 1st Aid, Justin spoke to them to help them earn their air activities badge, geocaching, the chip shop challenge, cooking, survival skills, caving, watersports and Scoutabout. 7 children have earned their Chief Scout Gold award.
## **Accounts**
Nicky presented the Treasurer’s report and explained that our finances are in a secure position. Our accounts have been independently approved by Eddie (surname?) and were accepted at the meeting.
Our income of £37,000 has included subs (some of which are paid to district), hall hire, £3000 in Gift aid (which subsidised events) and grants/fund matching.
Our reserves are £61,000
This year we have spent £51,000 including painting Baden Drive main hall, new tents, creating our common room, fire pits for Baden & Salfords, sound reduction boards at Salfords, work towards Bay Close being fit for use including new windows and doors. Our maintenance and running costs of the halls have increased this year.
## **Appointed Trustees**
The current Trustees agreed to stand for a further 3 years.
Kevin Smith remains as Chairperson, Nicky Chiswick remains as Treasurer, Bev Clear, Lisa Gould, John Williamson remain as Trustees. Dan Gould remains as Group Lead Volunteer
## **Awards**
Tony said thank you to all the leaders and explained that there are currently long waiting lists in Reigate District. He explained how the structure of Scouting is changing towards a more team based approach. He encouraged more people to volunteer.
Bronze, Silver and Gold Chief Scout Awards were given to Beavers, Cubs and Scouts
Leaders and volunteers were presented with 5 year length of service awards
Sections presented their Beaver/Cub/Scout shields
Dan introduced our new award, the Scouts Values Award which will be presented to one child each year. This year the award was given to Helen and Dave Bunn for being role models for the Scouts Values and they were presented with cards and gifts as a thank you for their years volunteering with Pathfinders.
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|**Secton C Objectves and actvites**|**Secton C Objectves and actvites**|
|---|---|
|Secton|Descripton|
|**Summary of the objectives of the**
**charity set out in its governing**
**document**|The objectives of the Group are as a unit of the Scout Association.
The purpose of Scouting is to contribute to the development of young people in
achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as
responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international
communities. The method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an
enjoyable and attractve scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and
Law andguided byadult leadership.|
|**Summary of the main**
**activities in relation to**
**these objects**|The Group is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts.|
|**Public Benefit**|Refer to the reports bythe section Leaders|
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## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
**Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Pathfinder Scout Group **On accounts for the year** 31/03/2025 **Charity no** 1020859 **ended (if any) Set out on pages**
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2025 **.**
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
**Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Signed:** Edward Warans **Date:** 20.10.2025 ~~Po [|~~ **Name:** Edward Warans FCA ~~Po~~ **Relevant professional** Fellow Institute of Chartered Accountants **qualification(s) or body : Address:** Tanfield, Hogspudding Lane, Dorking RH5 5DU ~~Po~~
1
**October 2018**
**IER**