1st Hopwas Scout Group
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDING MARCH 2025 REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1026225 SCOUT ASSOCIATION REGISTERED NUMBER 09578 Charity’s principal address: The Scout Hut Nursery Lane Hopwas Tamworth B78 3AS
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
| Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity | Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted If not for whole year |
| Graeme White | GroupChair | |
| Lynette Clawley | GroupLead Volunteer | |
| Carolyn Biggin | GroupTreasurer | |
| Gillian Walker | ||
| Carolyn Lang | ||
| Rebecca Oddy | ||
| Karen Jordan | Resigned 02/09/2024 | |
| Joanne Gilbert | ||
| David Wallbank | ||
| Ben Brookes | ||
| Jane Hilton |
| Names and addresses of advisors | ||
| Type of advisor | Name | Address |
| Bank | Co-Operative Bank | 42 Greengate,Stafford ST16 2BU |
| Independent Examiner | Mrs Sonia Jackson | The Gate Hangs Well,Tedstone Wafre,Bromyard,Herefordshire HR7 4PY |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
| Structure, governance and management | Structure, governance and management |
|---|---|
| Type of Governing document |
Our governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. |
| How the charity is constituted |
The Group is a Trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts. |
| Trustee selection methods |
The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. |
| Additional 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 educational charity. As charity trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate. The Trustee Board consists of the Chair, Treasurer and 10 Trustees and meets every 6 months. Members of the Trustee Board complete Growing Roots learning within the first 6 months of joining the Board. This Group Trustee Board exists to make sure the charity is well-managed, risks are assessed and mitigated, buildings and equipment are in good working order, and everyone follows legal requirements and the organisation's policies and rules. Their support helps other volunteers run high-quality and safe programmes that gives young people skills for life. All Trustees are volunteers and receive no renumeration. The charity has no employees. |
|
| 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 2 signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered. |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
| Objectives and activities | |
| Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing documents |
The Purpose of Scouting Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. The Values of Scouting As Scouts we are guided by these values: Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal. Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others. Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live. Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes. Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends. The Scout Method Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of Scouting and: - enjoy what they are doing and have fun - take part in activities indoors and outdoors - learn by doing - share in spiritual reflection - take responsibility and make choices - undertake new and challenging activities - make and live by their Promise. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects |
The Group continues to provide a wide programme of activities for all ages which benefits our young people by developing their self-confidence and social skills alongside practical and life skills. |
| Public Benefit Statement | The Group meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings. |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
| Achievements and performance | |
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year. |
Chair’s Report Good evening and a very warm welcome to all of you and thank you for joining us this evening for our Annual General Meeting. It is great to have so many Volunteers, parents and carers, and of course our wonderful young people, along with the District representatives who are here today. Firstly, let me introduce myself as this is my first AGM as Chair of the Trustee Board, having taken over from Derek after he stood down at the last meeting after 14 years of dedicated support and contribution to the continued success of the group. My name is Graeme White and my association with the First Hopwas comes from my daughter and son who are both part of the Group. For some of you I suspect this is your first time attending this meeting. As a Registered Charity and as a Scout Group, we have some formal responsibilities that we need to complete this evening as part of this AGM so please bear with us, we will keep that as brief as we can, and then the majority of this meeting will be to reflect on the activities of the Group this year and celebrate its achievements. As we will hear during the meeting, First Hopwas continue to offer a full and varied programme across all age groups starting with a now established Squirrels Drey which is wonderful to see. The leadership team , along with the support of the Trustee Board, ensure financial and regulatory compliance is achieved and sustainable in Hopwas. Can we all please give a round of applause to all our volunteers. Once we have completed our meeting formalities, the lead volunteer for each section will give their respective reports where you will hear the wonderful range of activities that have been planned and delivered for our young people, which hopefully you will have witnessed personally this year. Finally, a thank you to Lynette as Group Lead volunteer along with all the team for all the time they dedicate selflessly for the young people of Hopwas and to you as parents and carers for bringing our Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to the meetings and activities every week. Graeme White Group Chair |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Group Lead Volunteer Report
I’m pleased to report that we’ve had another great year at Hopwas, filled with lots of adventurous and exciting activities.
The section leaders will tell you all about their activities this year, but we have had some super group events too. We held Group Camp at Willesley last June, where nearly 100 of us attended and did many different activities including the infamous water slide which was great fun! We held our annual Bonfire Party at the DAC in November, which was thankfully dry, followed by a sleepover at the National Space Centre in Leicester. This was a place we had never been before, and it was a super event with lots of interesting activities organized for us. This year, we have just been to Gulliver’s Kingdom for their Jamboree weekend – attended by just under 100 of our young members, leaders and parents.
All our sections are thriving and with not many spaces available in all sections, with Squirrels and Scouts full. We are fortunate to have many committed leaders who do a wonderful job of running our sections. I’d like to say a huge thank you to our leaders who give up their time to volunteer with Hopwas. Welcome also to those that have joined us this year – we are very lucky to have you! We have sadly recently lost Nigel from the scout troop who has moved away with his job. I’d like to thank him for everything he has done for Hopwas over the past few years. He given up a lot of his time to provide wonderful opportunities for our young people and he will be greatly missed.
In December 2024, scout HQ introduced a new IT system which brought with it changes to our structure and a new ‘Teams’ approach. Each section is now a team with a Team Lead (Owl, Oak, Akela and me), with all other leaders now known as team members. The training requirements and the way we do our training has also changed, much of which is for the better. I’d like to thank all the Hopwas team for the way we have moved through this change together – it has been seamless. Thank you also to the Trustee Board for your support during this year of change!
Last year, I made a plea for more volunteers in our sections. This year I have a different plea! We are in desperate need of a team of people to look after our hut. At the moment, it is down to the leaders to sort out any problems or maintenance issues and this can be time-consuming. So, can you help us? If volunteering in sections isn’t your thing, this could be right up your street, and it would make our lives so much easier. If you think you can help, then please speak to me or one of our team.
Scouting is a such great experience – we get such a lot out of seeing your young people enjoying themselves, many of them doing things they haven’t done before (and the leaders too!) It’s rewarding, fun and you make new friends too. Hopwas really does rock so why not come and volunteer? If you’d like to help us, then please speak to any of us after the meeting. We are a lovely lot I promise, and no previous experience is required. We even have nights out too!!!
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
I’d like to finish by saying thank you all for attending this evening and for bringing your young people to our drey/colony/pack and troop nights. We really do appreciate your support and really hope that you will consider giving some of your time to help us.
Lynette Clawley Group Lead Volunteer
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Squirrel Scout Leader Report
I want to begin by saying just how incredibly lucky I feel to have such an amazing and supportive team around me.
Oak our beaver leader who supports at squirrels, thank you for everything you do for me and of course, my own team: Magnolia, Stag, and most recently, we’ve welcomed Hedgehog. Alongside them are our fabulous Young Leaders, whose enthusiasm and dedication never go unnoticed. Thank you all for your hard work, time, and commitment.
Currently, I have 16 children and 4 adults, which just meets the minimum adultto-child ratio. As part of the Scouting journey, we work hard to deliver a programme that’s interactive, educational, and – most importantly – fun. I aim to include as many outdoor activities as possible, helping our young Squirrels step outside their everyday boundaries. It’s all about building independence, encouraging curiosity, and laying the foundations for lifelong skills. But of course, running these activities safely means we need adult support – and I’m always grateful for the help we receive.
I also feel extremely lucky that we've been able to maintain a full Squirrel Drey, with a constant waiting list. That, to me, speaks volumes about the strength of the programme we offer and the fantastic reputation Hopwas has. Squirrels are aged 4 to 6, so we tailor our activities and badges to be ageappropriate, engaging, and exciting. To earn their Acorn Award, Squirrels work towards four Challenge Badges and a minimum of two Activity Badges. When I first took over from Red last August, I knew I had some big shoes to fill, and I began my own journey alongside the squirrels.
We began our journey with the “All About Me” challenge badge – starting with a show and tell session. The Squirrels drew pictures of themselves and bravely stood up to talk about their hobbies, interests, and favourite things. We then tackled the Navigation Badge – learning about compasses and the four basic coordinates. It was a fun introduction to finding our way in the world. One of the most important things we’ve done is learning a life-saving skill: emergency first aid. Over two weeks, we covered when and how to call emergency services, the recovery position, and what to do when someone needs help. It was incredibly rewarding to see our young Squirrels take these lessons so seriously – and still have fun! We then moved into some exciting outdoor activities – including packing a bag for adventures and joining our Hopwas Group Fireworks Night. The Squirrels enjoyed hot food, sparklers, and a display of no-noise fireworks – which was new for me! We launched into our Space Badge and “all about adventure” challenge badge, we learned about planets, the International Space Station, and drew the aurora. We made space helmets and played “Space Poop” – which went down very well! A true highlight was our Space Centre Sleepover – a fantastic experience and, for many, their first night away from home. The Squirrels were absolutely amazing,
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
and we were incredibly proud. Honestly, I think I may have had more fun than the children!
After Christmas, we landed into our Superhero Badge. Along the way, we also worked on “All Around Us”, “all together” and continued “All About Me” Challenge badges. A real highlight was our visit to the fire station – which also housed the local police... and a pool table! The Squirrels had a fantastic tour of the station, learned how emergencies come in, explored the engines and equipment, and tried on the firefighters’ uniforms. We even got to use the hoses – and yes, I got completely soaked! We also made Kindness Jars to give to our own superheroes to say thank you – a simple but meaningful activity that really captured the spirit of appreciation and played a game a bingo, tailored to the community and superheroes.
Next came an exciting afternoon at our District Activity Centre, where the Squirrels took on the bouldering wall – hopefully burning off a little extra energy! Another personal favourite of mine was the Beaver and Squirrel Sleepover with a Disney Pixar theme at the Hut. For some of our new Squirrels, it was their first sleepover, and again, they did fantastically well! I’m sure many of you saw the wonderful wall memorial and all the arts and crafts they brought home over that weekend.
In those few weeks, we also completed more activity badges including Being Active, Let it Grow, and Super Chef. We got our hands dirty with some fun gardening, made cress heads, and each Squirrel took home their own plant to nurture and grow. I was impressed by the photos of how well the flowers thrived. To tie in with our gardening theme, we had a food tasting afternoon where we tried lots of different fruits and vegetables – and now that the Squirrels knew how these things grow, it all made a lot more sense (and maybe tasted a bit better too!).
Then, the week after... we blew things up – in the name of science, of course! With the help of Redwood from Beavers, we held an exciting science session. The Squirrels watched what happened when Mentos met Coke, created erupting foam lava, and even made rice dance. It was minimally messy, fun, and totally fascinating!
6 Squirrels have achieved their Chief Acorn Award, and I have said goodbye to 10 squirrels as they took their very exciting next steps into beavers and jumped over the river to meet Oak. I have been incredibly proud to watch the squirrels grow and move on to their next adventures and equally excited to then welcome the new squirrels as they began their journey.
We have lots more fun and activities planned, and as you can see, we’ve already packed so much into our Squirrel journey in a short space of time. But I couldn’t do it without your support. At times, we simply cannot run sessions safely without additional adult help.
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
So, if you’ve ever thought about getting involved – even just one hour a week or helping occasionally when you’re available – please do consider joining. You’ll not only be helping us continue delivering an amazing programme, but you’ll also be part of something truly rewarding. And honestly? It’s a lot of fun.
Owl (Laura Sandy) Squirrel Leader
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Beaver Scout Leader Report
My appeal for help at last year’s AGM was very successful, so Andy, Joe and I have been joined by Pleia, Katie and Alice over the last year. Dylan, Fiontan, Josh, Amber and Ewan have been helping us as Young Leaders, and their help is invaluable. We would also like to give our thanks to the parents who volunteer to help us when required. We are always happy for more people to help, so please let me know if you would like to join the Team!
The numbers in our Beaver Colony have stayed fairly low, but are slowly increasing as we take in more children from Squirrels and their friends find out about us too! We currently have 22 Beavers.
This report covers the period from April 2024 until March 2025.
In the Summer Term in 2025, we went to Pets at Home for a workshop and completed the Gardener, International and Experiment badges. We did parts of the Camp Craft badge in preparation for Group Camp, including practising washing up! We also went for a walk to Hopwas Quarry and took some photographs for the Photographer badge while walking round Tamworth town centre
In the Autumn Term we visited Claire’s allotment and helped her prepare for the end of the growing season, we completed the Navigator, Safety, Space and Air Activities badges, visited a care home to make Christmas decorations with the residents and finished the term with our Christmas party.
In the Spring Term we completed our Emergency Aid, Digital Citizen, Disability Awareness, Global Issues and Health and Fitness badges, had a Knots Night run by our Young Leader, Amber and had a session on the traversing wall at the DAC. We finished the term with our Easter craft night, making cards and chocolate nest cakes.
Many Beavers have earned challenge badges over the last year, and four have managed to complete their Chief Scout’s Bronze Award, the highest award a Beaver can receive. We are very proud of them all. Two more are very close and will hopefully get their Bronze in the coming weeks and months (they know what they need to do!) We have lots of young Beavers at present, but hopefully they will all complete their Bronze Award before they move up to Cubs.
Lynette has told you about the Group events this year, so I just need to mention that 7 Beavers joined us at the DAC for the District Chinese New Year event, and for the first time, we held a very successful joint Beaver and Squirrel sleepover at the hut, on the theme of Pixar films.
We are now looking forward to Group Camp at the Oaks and the District Beaver Camp at Meriden in September.
Thank you. Oak (Gillian Walker) Beaver Scout Leader
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Cub Scout Leader Report
AGM time again – how the months fly; it must be because we pack so much in or my age – one of the two or both!
Unfortunately, our numbers have reduced over the last 12 months, and we currently sit at 25 members. We are very lucky to have 3 Young Leaders and 5 Adult Leaders too as Anna has very kindly taken out her adult warranty and is staying with us.
After our AGM last year, we ended the summer term with our athletics badge and the obligatory water fight night which was the usual wet fun.
We kicked off the autumn term with the communicator badge, 14 of us attended the District Cub sleepover at Twycross Zoo which was very enjoyable. We had a visit from our local PCSO’s and then headed to Rough Close at the end of September for our cub camp and had a great weekend completing activities including wide games, gun carriages, frisbee golf, caving bus, fire lighting a great campfire, shooting and archery, although I think the cubs will tell you the best part is finding as many big sticks as possible and playing in the woods! We are always amazed at how many sticks cubs can fit into tents!!
We enjoyed using the traverse wall and the archery at the DAC. The sixers then planned and bravely ran an evening; this gives them a great insight into leadership.
We enjoyed the Digital Citizen badge. The group bonfire night at the DAC was a great fun night. We then really enjoyed the group Space Centre sleepover at Leicester, it was an excellent trip with lots of experiments and all things space, we slept (or not!) under the plantes of the solar system. We finished the autumn term completing our global issues & navigator badge and had a Christmas Party.
The New Year we began with a bowling night at Strykers. We attended the District Pantomime Trip to see Cinderella which was great fun! We completed our Skills challenge badge where we get to complete some very helpful activities such as making tea and ironing our neckers. We had a very magical evening with a show from Magical Mayhem, completed some junk modelling which is always fun. We had an international food tasting night where we tried food from around the world such as dates and stuffed vine leaves, it was interesting to see what the cubs thought they were! We made and ate our cub’s bodyweight in pancakes on pancake night and completed our personal safety badge. We joined cubs across the District on our BP Funday Walk to Pooley Park where we enjoyed hot dogs and a campfire. We finished the term completing our scientist badge and a craft night. 6 cubs enjoyed the District Paddlesports day.
We began this term with an evening of mindfulness and learned the importance of this. We had a lovely evening making natural clay decoration using flowers and leaves, we made 2 each and the cubs have chosen 1 to be their entry into the Hopwas Village Show in September. We finished the half term enjoying our photographer badge. Every year the District host a cub football tournament, we
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
have unfortunately struggled as a District to get teams together. After 2 failed attempts, Hopwas could only field 3 players, we therefore joined with Polesworth cubs and were victorious! Well done to Henry, Elliott and Ezra for representing Hopwas and bringing the trophy home!
As I write this report we are looking forward to completing our local knowledge badge, athletics badge and our group day out to Gulliver’s Kingdom.
We have had 8 Chief Scout Awards presented this year, a great achievement. Well done all! In total we have awarded 203 badges this year which just shows what a fabulous bunch of young people we have!
As Akela I would personally like to thank Bagheera, Chill, Shere Khan & Rikki– we couldn’t be Hopwas Cubs without you. A big thank you to Kieran too who has had a spell as Kaa but has decided to stick with Scouts instead, we are sorry to lose you. Thank you also to our young leaders; Lily, Imogen & Blake, it is wonderful to have you on board. A big thanks to all the parents who have supported us this year and to those who have helped us out, we really appreciate it!
Should you wish to join us at Hopwas Cubs – please get in touch, we promise you will not regret it for one moment!
Akela (Carolyn Lang) Cub Scout Leader
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Scout Leader Report
Since the AGM last year, we’ve had another busy year with 7 scouts - Ollie, Max, Seth, Ronnie, Morgan, Blake and Theo - achieving their Chief Scout Gold which is a fantastic achievement for them. I’m pleased to say that Ronnie, Blake and Theo have stayed with the group as young leaders.
We have had an exciting year as scouts with a fun-filled programme. Here’s an overview of what we’ve done.
We have taken part in several district activities throughout the year including an Expedition Camp, a visit to Cliff Lakes, the Scouts Archery Competition, where our two teams came second and third and the Scouts Bowling Competition, where we came third. In the Autumn term we did archery at the DAC and learnt 6 figure grid references. We also learnt and performed campfire sketches, made pancakes on our sawdust cookers and had a session on internet safety. We made contour maps out of layered cardboard and had our annual pumpkin carving competition. We achieved our emergency aid level 3, had a night hike and made a Christmas dinner on open fires. We ended the term with 10 pin bowling.
In the Spring term, we completed the Model Maker badge which concluded with a visit from Outrider in Lichfield to teach us how to play Warhammer with our models. We made bridges from all sorts of resources and did shooting and Claymation at the DAC. We had great fun planning and cooking for an international cooking night – the scouts really went to town on this with some great costumes and accessories. We did an escape room and went on a night hike.
Finally, this term we have begun the photographer badge and produced a poster about the environment in Tamworth for our World Challenge badge. We have also been preparing for our expedition camp next week, which will be the final part of the Chief Scout Gold for some of the scouts.
A massive thank you to our scout team John, Karen, Kieran, Ant and young leader Ronnie for your commitment and making scouting fun for our young people. A huge thank you to Nigel for everything you have done – we are missing you! You’re a fantastic, supportive team and your commitment to volunteering is amazing. Thanks also to our wonderful scouts, for your smiles and laughter and for enjoying scouting. You are all brilliant and we’ve had a great year with you. But most of all to our super parents who have encouraged and supported your scouts this year. Thank you!
Lynette Clawley
Scout Leader
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
| Financial review | |
| Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves |
The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the Group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Group Trustee Board considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 24 months running costs, circa £26k. The Group also holds £25k for maintaining and improving the Scout Hut. |
| The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies. |
Declaration
| Declaration | Declaration |
|---|---|
| **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. ** | |
| Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees | |
| Signatures | |
| Full names | Graeme White Carolyn Biggin |
| Position | Group Chairman Group Treasurer |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
TREASURERS REPORT YEAR ENDING 31[ST] MARCH 2025
INCOME & EXPENDITURE STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025
| RECEIPTS Membership Subscriptions Camps/Trips Rental Hut Hire Gift Aid Fund Raising Bank Interest Other TOTAL RECEIPTS |
£ £ EXPENDITURE 2024/25 2023/24 11,424 9,458 Activities Spend 11,911 6,247 Camps/Trips 2,833 2,686 Hut Maintenance 1,698 1,613 Group Scouting 633 534 Large Item Spend 807 678 Online Commission 546 1,868 Other 29,851 23,084 TOTAL EXPENDITURE |
£ £ 2024/25 2023/24 (3,548) (4,108) (10,454) (10,077) (6,444) (5,658) (5,808) (5,250) (8,732) (802) (653) (2,717) (2,586) |
|---|---|---|
| (29,772) (37,064) |
The accounts that I am presenting to you tonight, are subject to a review by an independent assessor.
This year our income was £29,851 and expenditure £29,772, a very small difference of £79.
The trustees agreed to continue to subsidise camps and trips this year, contributing £1,378.
No large item spends happened this year.
Weekly subscriptions are the largest source of income for the group. Subscriptions this year totalled £11.4k compared to £9.5k last year. This increase is down to increased members; a full year of the Squirrel unit and a subscription increase in January 2025.
Rental from hiring out the scout hut to other groups and individuals continues to be a source of additional income to the group. The income from hut rentals was £2.8k, compared to £2.7k last year. A small rise.
The day to day running costs of the scout hut, which include rates, utilities, insurance and general maintenance, have continued to rise to £6.4k, from £5.6k last year.
The Easy Fundraising website gave the group, this year £248. This money has dropped over the years, and we encourage more people to sign up and help increase this. The only other fundraising was the donations given to Gillian and Lynette for the sewing of badges. This raised a fantastic £242 in the year. Thank you to both of them for the extra time they give.
A Gift Aid claim was submitted in the year and totalled £1.7k. The Gift aid scheme enables the group to reclaim tax on weekly subscriptions and continues to be well supported. This is now very easy to sign up to on Online Scout Manager, so please do, if you are a UK taxpayer, it does help the group.
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
Group scouting has cost the group £5.8k. This fee is a cost per member and is paid to District Scouting to cover running costs of The Scouting Association. This has increased slightly from last year, due to an increase in members in Hopwas group and small cost increase.
The trustees continue to take a prudent approach and have continued to set aside funds to ensure that costs relating to Hopwas scouting and the ongoing maintenance of the scout hut, can be met.
Carolyn Biggin Group Treasurer
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP INCOME & EXPENDITURE SUMMARY YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|£|£|
|2024/25|2023/24|
|TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR|29,851.48|23,084.49|
|TOTAL PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR|(29,772.20)|(37,064.00)|
|MOVEMENT|79.28|(13,979.51)|
|£|£|
|BANK BALANCES AT THE START OF THE YEAR|
|CURRENT ACCOUNT|2,438.60|8,268.98|
|DEPOSIT ACCOUNT|49,044.60|58,366.29|
|CASH|0.00|0.00|
|DEBTORS|1,219.75|304.00|
|CREDITORS|(60.00)|(316.81)|
|TOTAL B/FWD|52,642.95|66,622.46|
|BANK BALANCE AT THE END OF THE YEAR|
|CURRENT ACCOUNT|4,853.93|2,438.60|
|DEPOSIT ACCOUNT|47,851.90|49,044.60|
|CASH|298.93|0.00|
|DEBTORS|0.00|1,219.75|
|CREDITOR|(282.53)|(60.00)|
|TOTAL C/FWD|52,722.23|52,642.95|
|MOVEMENT|79.28|(13,979.51)|
----- End of picture text -----
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST MARCH 2025
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Fixed Assets | |||||
| Tangible Assets | 1 | 81,420.00 | 81,420.00 | ||
| 81,420.00 | 81,420.00 | ||||
| Current Assets | |||||
| Debtors | 2 | 0.00 | 1,219.75 | ||
| Cash at bank and in hand | 3 | 53,004.76 | 51,483.20 | ||
| 53,004.76 | 52,702.95 | ||||
| Liabilities | |||||
| Creditors Falling due within one year | 4 | (282.53) | (60.00) | ||
| Net Current Assets | 52,722.23 | 52,642.95 | |||
| Net Assets | 134,142.23 | 134,062.95 | |||
| Represented by:- | |||||
| Unresticted Funds | |||||
| General funds | 107,638.64 | 107,197.95 | |||
| Designated funds | 5 | 26,503.59 | 26,865.00 | ||
| Total Charity Funds | 134,142.23 | 134,062.95 |
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
Notes to the Accounts:
1) Fixed Assets Year Ended 31st March 2025
| Cost B/f and c/f Depreciation B/f Charge C/f Net book value as at 31 March 2025 Net book value as at 31 March 2024 2) Debtors Scout Shop Balance Subscriptions owed Total Debtor assets 3) Cash at bank and in hand Bank Current account Bank Deposit account Cash In Hand Total Monetary assets 4) Creditors Expenses owed Scout Shop Balance Deposits held Total Current Creditors |
Land £ 50,000.00 24,000.00 24,000.00 26,000.00 26,000.00 2025 0.00 0.00 0.00 2025 4,853.93 47,851.90 298.93 53,004.76 2025 0.00 7.53 275.00 282.53 |
Hut £ 102,000.00 46,580.00 46,580.00 55,420.00 55,420.00 2024 1,219.75 0.00 1,219.75 2024 2,438.60 49,044.60 0.00 51,483.20 2024 0.00 0.00 60.00 60.00 |
Fixtures and Fittings Total £ £ 0.00 152,000.00 0.00 70,580.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 70,580.00 0.00 81,420.00 0.00 81,420.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
5) Designated Funds
Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips which will happen in the future.
| Capital expenditure Camps/trips cash collected |
2025 2024 25,000.00 25,000.00 1,503.59 1,223.00 26,503.59 26,223.00 |
|---|---|
1ST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS
YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1026225
SCOUT ASSOCIATION REGISTERED NUMBER 09578
Page 1
1ST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS
YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1026225
SCOUT ASSOCIATION REGISTERED NUMBER 09578
MEMBERS OF THE TRUSTEE BOARD NAME Group Chairman G. White Group Treasurer C. Biggin Group Lead Volunteer L. Clawley Trustee G. Walker Trustee C. Lang Trustee K. Jordan Trustee R. Oddy Trustee J. Gilbert Trustee D. Wallbank Trustee B. Brookes Trustee J. Hilton
OTHER
Village Representative
L. Jowett
BANKERS
AUDITOR
Co -Operative Bank PLC S. Jackson FCCA 42 Greengate The Gate Hangs Well Stafford Tedstone Wafre, Bromyard ST16 2BU Herefordshire HR7 4PY
Contact Name and Address Treasurer:
C. Biggin FMAAT, ACMA CGMA 70 Valley Drive Wilnecote Tamworth B77 5FP
Page 2
| FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP | ||
|---|---|---|
| INCOME & EXPENDITURE SUMMARY YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025 | ||
| £ | £ | |
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR | 29,851.48 | 23,084.49 |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR | (29,772.20) | (37,064.00) |
| MOVEMENT | 79.28 | (13,979.51) |
| £ | £ | |
| BANK BALANCES AT THE START OF THE YEAR | ||
| CURRENT ACCOUNT | 2,438.60 | 8,268.98 |
| DEPOSIT ACCOUNT | 49,044.60 | 58,366.29 |
| CASH | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| DEBTORS | 1,219.75 | 304.00 |
| CREDITORS | (60.00) | (316.81) |
| TOTAL B/FWD | 52,642.95 | 66,622.46 |
| BANK BALANCE AT THE END OF THE YEAR | ||
| CURRENT ACCOUNT | 4,853.93 | 2,438.60 |
| DEPOSIT ACCOUNT | 47,851.90 | 49,044.60 |
| CASH | 298.93 | 0.00 |
| DEBTORS | 0.00 | 1,219.75 |
| CREDITOR | (282.53) | (60.00) |
| TOTAL C/FWD | 52,722.23 | 52,642.95 |
| MOVEMENT | 79.28 | (13,979.51) |
| Var | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Page 3
| FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP | FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOME & EXPENDITURE STATEMENT YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025 | INCOME & EXPENDITURE STATEMENT YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025 | |||||
| RECEIPTS | £ | £ | EXPENDITURE | £ | £ | |
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | |||
| Membership Subscriptions | Units Spend | |||||
| Squirrels | 1,839.57 | 1,123.38 | Badges / Woggles | (1,370.00) | (1,510.25) | |
| Beavers | 2,279.72 | 2,572.61 | Activities | (2,177.95) | (2,597.87) | |
| Cubs | 3,545.09 | 2,705.20 | (3,547.95) | (4,108.12) | ||
| Scouts | 3,759.90 | 3,057.00 | ||||
| Group Scouting | (5,808.00) | (5,250.00) | ||||
| 11,424.28 | 9,458.19 | |||||
| Hut Maintenance | ||||||
| Rental Hut Hire | 2,832.97 | 2,685.84 | Utilities | (2,213.86) | (2,713.27) | |
| Maintenance | (2,533.79) | (1,126.62) | ||||
| Fund Raising | Rates | (157.18) | (161.28) | |||
| Easy Fundraising | 247.73 | 219.60 | Insurance | (1,539.29) | (1,657.14) | |
| Other Fundraising | 384.77 | 314.65 | (6,444.12) | (5,658.31) | ||
| 632.50 | 534.25 | |||||
| Large Item Spend | ||||||
| Bank Interest | 807.30 | 678.31 | Hall new flooring | (5,520.00) | ||
| New front door | (1,670.00) | |||||
| Gift Aid | 1,698.18 | 1,613.17 | New tents | (1,189.93) | ||
| Hall repainting | (352.50) | |||||
| Miscellaneous | ||||||
| 0.00 | (8,732.43) | |||||
| Camps & Trips Income | 11,910.75 | 6,247.00 | ||||
| Other Income | 0.00 | 195.73 | Bank Charges | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| T - Shirt Sales | 545.50 | 1,672.00 | ||||
| 12,456.25 | 8,114.73 | Online Payment Commission | (801.56) | (652.71) | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||||||
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | 29,851.48 | 23,084.49 | Camps & Trips Expenditure | (10,453.76) | (10,076.80) | |
| Other Expenditure | (1,912.39) | (558.17) | ||||
| SUMMARY: | T - Shirt Purchases | (804.42) | (2,027.46) | |||
| (13,170.57) | (12,662.43) | |||||
| Total Receipts for the Year | 29,851.48 | 23,084.49 | ||||
| Total Payments for the Year | (29,772.20) | (37,064.00) | TOTAL EXPENDITURE | (29,772.20) | (37,064.00) | |
| Cash, Bank Funds brought Forward | 52,642.95 | 66,622.46 | ||||
| Cash, Bank Funds carried Forward | 52,722.23 | 52,642.95 | ||||
| Check | 52,722.23 | 52,642.95 | ||||
| 0.00 | 0.00 |
Page 4
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST MARCH 2025
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Fixed Assets | ||||||
| Tangible Assets | 1 | 81,420.00 | 81,420.00 | |||
| 81,420.00 | 81,420.00 | |||||
| Current Assets | ||||||
| Debtors | 2 | 0.00 | 1,219.75 | |||
| Cash at bank and in hand | 3 | 53,004.76 | 51,483.20 | |||
| 53,004.76 | 52,702.95 | |||||
| Liabilities | ||||||
| Creditors Falling due within one year | 4 | (282.53) | (60.00) | |||
| Net Current Assets | 52,722.23 | 52,642.95 | ||||
| Net Assets | 134,142.23 | 134,062.95 | ||||
| Represented by:- | ||||||
| Unresticted Funds | ||||||
| General funds | 107,638.64 | 107,197.95 | ||||
| Designated funds | 5 | 26,503.59 | 26,865.00 | |||
| Total Charity Funds | 134,142.23 | 134,062.95 |
Page 5
FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
Notes to the Accounts:
1) Fixed Assets Year Ended 31st March 2025
| Fixtures and | Fixtures and | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land | Hut | Fittings | Total | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Cost | ||||||
| B/f and c/f | 50,000.00 | 102,000.00 | 0.00 | 152,000.00 | ||
| Depreciation | ||||||
| B/f | 24,000.00 | 46,580.00 | 0.00 | 70,580.00 | ||
| Charge | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| C/f | 24,000.00 | 46,580.00 | 0.00 | 70,580.00 | ||
| Net book value as at 31 March 2025 | 26,000.00 | 55,420.00 | 0.00 | 81,420.00 | ||
| Net book value as at 31 March 2024 | 26,000.00 | 55,420.00 | 0.00 | 81,420.00 | ||
| 2) Debtors | ||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Scout Shop Balance | 0.00 | 1,219.75 | ||||
| Subscriptions owed | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| Total Debtor assets | 0.00 | 1,219.75 | ||||
| 3) Cash at bank and in hand | ||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Bank Current account | 4,853.93 | 2,438.60 | ||||
| Bank Deposit account | 47,851.90 | 49,044.60 | ||||
| Cash In Hand | 298.93 | 0.00 | ||||
| Total Monetary assets | 53,004.76 | 51,483.20 | ||||
| 4) Creditors | ||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Expenses owed | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||
| Scout Shop Balance | 7.53 | 0.00 | ||||
| Deposits held | 275.00 | 60.00 | ||||
| Total Current Creditors | 282.53 | 60.00 | ||||
| 5) Designated Funds | ||||||
| Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips | Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips | Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips | Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips | Designated funds represent funds that the Exective have ringfenced for specific purposes and includes cash collected for camps/trips | ||
| which will happen in the future. | ||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Capital expenditure | 25,000.00 | 25,000.00 | ||||
| Camps/trips cash collected | 1,503.59 | 1,223.00 | ||||
| 26,503.59 | 26,223.00 |
Page 7
LT700006 - Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees (January 2024)
England & Wales
Template 1: Unqualified report for a non-company charity preparing receipts and payments accounts with a gross income of £250,000 or less in the relevant financial year
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP for the year ended 31ST MARCH 2025
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the FIRST HOPWAS SCOUT GROUP as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
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.
Signed:
Name: Sonia Jackson, FCCA
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants Association (2735860)
Address: The Gate Hangs Well, Tedstone Wafre, Bromyard, Herefordshire, HR7 4PY
Date: 26.5.25
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