2022-12-31-accounts - The Dittons Scout Group

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Annual Report of the Dittons Scouts Annual General Meeting March 24[th] , 2023

Highlighting the 2022 adventures of our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers

Dittons Mission Statement the Purpose of Scouting at the Dittons

Our values are at the heart of all we do in Scouting:

Integrity - We’re honest, we try to do the right thing (even if no-one’s watching), and we stay true to ourselves.

Respect - We’re thoughtful of people’s feelings and values, treating everyone as we’d like to be treated ourselves.

Care - We’re kind to others, looking after the world we live in.

Belief - We explore our beliefs and attitudes with wide-open minds.

Co-operation - We work with others to change the world for the better, making friends along the way.

Group Activity Report by Suzan Baker, Dittons Group Scout Leader

In 2022 we lost our Scouting Patron, Queen Elizabeth II. For seventy years, The Queen has stood at scouting’s side, encouraging our volunteers and inspiring our young people to learn new skills, help others and shine brightly. Her sense of duty was an outstanding example to every single Scout. In 2011, at a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, Queen Elizabeth II spoke these words from an Australian Aboriginal proverb:

“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love…and then we return home.”

I have reflected much this year on the nature of volunteering, of duty and inclusivity for all and of the difference we can make while “passing through”. Every November when we gather with our local community on Giggs Hill Green to commemorate Remembrance Sunday I am touched not just by the words we speak but by how many more of our local community join with us; it was a very great tribute to the inclusivity of The Dittons that we could, in September, provide a focus for families and lead the local community in remembering the life and role of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her memory and promising as individuals, as a scout group and as a community to continue her values.

In the reports that follow each section details their activities and these words, combined with the pictures, show what make us all very proud of our Dittons volunteers and young people. I want, once again, to say a big thank you to all our Leaders who have once again put in a great deal of hard work and freely given up a lot of their time to provide quality Scouting for all this past year. A massive thank you also to our 2022 activity planners, badge capturers, cake makers, nail hammerers, lift givers, question asking and OSM answering, bonfire building, BBQ burning, picnic making, uniform washing, sideline cheering, email reading, form filling in helpers from every Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer at The Dittons – we couldn’t do it without you .

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St Georges Day camp - renewing
promises and reflecting
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The Group Executive Committee – Kate Back & Annette Williams, Chair

The Group Executive Committee plays a vital role in the running of a Scout Group. Executive Committees make decisions and carry out administrative tasks to ensure that the best quality Scouting can be delivered to young people in the Group. Members of the Executive Committee must act collectively as Charity Trustees of the Scout Group. The committee also exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment. All our volunteers get a lot back from their roles, we can tell this from the years of service awards handed out both to uniformed and also to all of the members of the Group Executive Committee at the AGM.

Without these volunteers and their hard work and support, the group really would not be able to run.

The Executive Committee members are legally and financially responsible for the running of The Scout Group, maintenance of the Shack, all The Dittons property and equipment along with the raising of funds and the administration of the group’s finances. It is a vital role that enables the Leaders to run the activities. The group reserves policy, agreed by the Executive states that our policy is to build a fund which would enable The Dittons to purchase the freehold and to substantially improve our buildings. This will be reviewed in 2023.

 Membership is open to all through elections at the AGM or by co-option throughout the year.

 All Executive members are Charity Commission Trustees of The Dittons.

Scouts is just a great place to volunteer.

 Every volunteer is welcomed.

 Every volunteer is supported.

 Every volunteer is valued.

 Every volunteer gains skills (and has fun!)

Trustees 2022	Chair- Annette Williams	Secretary- Louise O’Gorman	Treasurer- Diana Goodhugh
Paul Bartlett	Stuart Jack	Norman Goldsmith	Fiona Ball
David Cooper	Pamela Forsyth	Craig Behrens	Matt Davies
Will Kendrick	Melanie Uzunoglu	Allen Widdowson	Jackie Bourne
Tony Butcher	Tom Wilkinson	Phil Guildford	Julia Hawkins
Kate Back_until September 2022 AGM – Thank you!_
Suzan Baker – Group Scout Leader		3 x vacancies

Objectives of The Dittons Scout Group- Public Benefit Statement

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. Scouting uses a method, which is young people in partnership with adults: enjoying what they are doing; learning by doing; participating in varied and progressive activities; making choices for themselves; taking responsibility for their own actions; working in groups; taking increasing responsibility for others; taking part in activities outdoors; sharing in prayer and worship; and making and living out their Scout Promise.

Under the Charities Act 2006 The Scout Association is required to demonstrate that our aims are for the public benefit. Our assessment is that we have met the public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings. The activities outlined in this report highlight the areas of work that achieves these aims.

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Mother’s Day Tea Beavers at District Cross Country St George’s Day Parade
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Cub Sausage Sizzle

Explorers in Wales

Tuneful Beavers

Scout First Aid – of course! Thanks for everything Phil! Cub adventures in the dark!

The Dittons Fair by Rebecca Walker, Fair Chair

in to

The Dittons Fair – Sunday 8 May 2022

As the 1pm opening time approached and the sun was out full, we all held our breath slightly, unsure of the numbers expect. But we shouldn’t have doubted the local community. As we looked out onto Giggs Hill Green people were pouring in from all four corners. After two challenging years, our community was back together to celebrate, have fun and fundraise for The Dittons Scout Group. Many of us admitted to feeling just a little emotional.

Another huge thank you is due to each one of you for all your contributions towards making it a huge success, from

promoting the Fair by programme selling to stall donations to volunteering on the day – we just couldn’t do it without all your effort and support. I must give a special thank you to the Committee who work really hard in the months before the Fair to bring in the sponsors, fill the arena, promote the event, confirm the stallholders and juggle all the logistics! At times we were flying by the seat of our pants, but our meetings and evenings to sort through all the donations were packed with humour, everyone having each other’s backs.

Plans for Sunday 14 May 2023 are well under way and we’re delighted that John D Wood has become our platinum sponsor for the second year running. They really threw themselves into the event last year, not only becoming our largest sponsor and running a stall on the day, but also putting up as many estate boards as we would sign up! Please do consider them if you’re buying or selling a house.

This is our only fundraiser and the only ‘volunteering requirement’ we have of all the families that join The Dittons’. It is this one day, of maximum effort, that ensures the continuation of The Dittons Scout Group. We keep subscriptions to a minimum and the Fair is therefore our main source of income to keep our beloved and unique ‘Shack’ alive and well!

1932 Committee by Paul Bartlett, Chair of Committee & Estates Manager

2022 has been another year of ad-hoc work, minor jobs and a lot of ongoing maintenance. Our wonderful Shack building, which

we are so fortunate to own outright, requires a lot of time, love and attention to keep its character useable and intact and so many hours of volunteer time were spent behind the scenes ensuring Scouting activities could continue safely for so many.

July 24[th] 2022 saw the unexpected and unwanted visit of Surrey Fire Brigade to the Dittons Shack. A fire began in the wood storage area by the garages and quickly spread to the fir trees and grass at the back of the building. Volunteers who were working next door at the Miniature Railway, swiftly called 999 and two engines arrived. Over ten officers put out the fire and also stayed to check that the smouldering wood piles, trees and grass were all out before they left. The Chief Fire Officer said the Shack itself had a lucky escape (and also praised our new roof!). He advised us to clear the area behind the Shack of the remaining fir trees. Working parties with chain saws over two weekends subsequently took down the trees and now the whole area at the rear of The Shack has been dug over and cleared of fir trees, other dead trees, years of overgrown ivy as well as the fire damaged trees.
This event has opened up a significant amount of space and the team are considering options as to future use of this land. As always we are very thankful for the generous parents who built the Shack in 1932 and gave Dittons the land.
We have had architectural plans drawn up to refurbish and extend the kitchen. The aim is to create a ‘cooking school style, commercially fitted out, facility’, which will expand onto the field and merge into Uncle’s Room. We are actively seeking builders to meet us and join in this Uncle’s Kitchen Project and many hours have been spent in meeting building firms – we hope to have soon selected a firm quote and a building partner. You can see from the photos on the front of our 2022 Report a flavour of just how important cooking is to all our members and it would be great to leave a legacy of a new kitchen to future Dittons members.

There have been several people involved in all this behind the scenes essential work at The Shack, to whom I extend sincere thanks. However, I have to single out Stuart Jack, Rowena Guildford and Aidan McGuinness for extra special thanks and recognition for all the long and hard hours they have spent dedicated to working at the Shack.

All volunteers at the Dittons continue to strive to provide the best facilities for the Group’s young people and I thank everyone for their 2022 hard work.

If you would like to lend your time and skills to the preservation, remodeling and protection of The Shack we are actively looking to recruit new parents at our AGM to help with the 1932 Committee – could it be you?

Dittons love FIRES but much prefer safe fires...

August 2022 - Team chainsaw and tree clearing

Beavers by David Cooper

Montreal Colony Leadership Team for 2022 Section Leader - David Cooper

Toronto Colony Leadership Team for 2022 Section Leader - David Cooper

Section Assistant - Ollie Bath (until July 2022) Assistant Section Leader - Pamela Forsyth Group Occasional Helpers - Dave Barnes, Andrew Thompson, Group Occasional Helpers - Jon O’Sullivan, Annette Williams, Rachel Surgeoner, Hannah Malone, Naomi Walsh, Claire Tanya Donkin, Kate Felton, Anna Young, Claire Marstin, Becky Appleyard, Michel Cerulli, James Walker Lawson, Chantal Pilbrow & Amy Packer Explorer Young Leaders: Orson Skittles & Drew Swallow Explorer Young Leader : Joshua Baird

Spring Term 2022

Both Colonies completed the Safety Activity Badge & Emergency Aid Badge (Stage 1)
Ten pin bowling competitions at Hollywood Bowl, Tolworth on 9th & 10th February
Themed meetings for Chinese New Year, St David’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and the Winter Olympics
Visits to meetings by Kung Keep Fit (Martial Arts) and Irish Dancers
District Cross Country Race on 20th March – Ned Stephenson (Toronto) was first individual Beaver but 1st Hinchley Wood won the Team Trophy with Toronto finishing a close second
Mother’s Day Tea Parties were a huge success and we enjoyed Easter Egg Hunts on last meeting of term

Summer Term 2022

36 Beavers attended the St George’s Day Parade
Both Colonies attended the Safari Adventure Golf in Hersham on 11th & 12th May.
Our Beavers completed the Health & Fitness Activity badge over two meetings.
45 Beavers & 18 adults attended Bazzaz – Surrey County Fun Day at Merrist Wood on 21st May
54 Beavers attended a Cowboy camp craft activity afternoon at the Shack on 25th June, 50 of whom camped overnight with parents in tents on the Shack field.
Water Games on 6th & 7th July with World Cup Football Tournaments on 13th & 14th July
Rounders matches versus parents and family bbqs on 20th & 21st July

Autumn Term 2022

Dittons Family Day at the Shack on 8th October
Both Colonies attended Sandown Ski Centre for sledging & mini ringos on 12th & 13th October
Our Beavers completed the Digital Maker (Stage 1) and International Activity badges.
40 Beavers took part in the Remembrance Sunday Parade and service at the War Memorial on Giggs Hill Green
We organised a Carol Concert for the families of both Beaver Colonies at the Shack on 11th December. The Beavers performed Christmas songs and poems on stage.
Both Colonies held end of term Christmas parties on 14th & 15th December
20 Beavers from Montreal and 17 from Toronto earned their prestigious Chief Scout’s Bronze Award , the highest badge a Beaver can earn – Congratulations!

Cubs by Matt Davies and Aron Stewart

Mowgli Cub Pack Leadership Team for 2022	Zulu Cub Pack Leadership team for 2022
Section Leader –Aron Stewart & Will Kendrick	Section Leader –Matt Davies & Craig Behrens
Assistant Section Leader	Assistant Section Leaders
Carol Hernandez_– until September 2022_	Renato Marchio, Stephen Wakefield
Section Assistants	Section Assistants - vacancy
Lloyd Smith, Simon MorrisGOH -Jamie Feaver

Explorer Young Leader – Ed Bartlett & Ted Ferguson Explorer Young Leader – Neve Davies, Catherine Bartlett & Lauren Widdowson

Zulu Pack (Tuesday nights) & Mowgli Pack (Monday nights)

With the return of camps, climbing and canoeing in 2022 Cubs have taken on some remarkable and astounding challenges both at the Shack and out in the wider community. As leaders we have been very proud of their resilience and spirit, especially as many Cubs missed so much in Covid years and are now facing a steep learning curve in independence and personal responsibility. District Cub Camp was a real highlight and it was it was wonderful to see so many of the Dittons cubs from both packs camping and enjoying themselves, (the leaders even managed to get some sleep this year!) and we have never seen so many exhausted cubs on a Sunday afternoon…

Cooking remains a firm Cub winner from seeing how much sugar can be put on pancake to making quesadillas and cooking sausages on a fire and we have even mixed it up a bit in 2022 by experimenting with making our own ice cream, and we even tackled our own fire based pizzas! We trialed building miniature volcanoes (with coke and Mentos), learnt Makaton, deafened all volunteers with our bird box hammering and definitely invented a new firm favourite in an evening of ‘ I’m a Cub, Get Me Out of Here! Cubs enjoyed water fights in the summer heat and gathered around the campfire when it has been cold (cooking the obligatory cubs favourites of smores, sausages, burgers!).

We have transferred older cubs onto the adventures of Dittons Scouts, as well as welcoming new Cubs transferring up from Beavers – we really enjoy watching young people of the Dittons progress through the sections, growing and maturing on their way. Thank you for your parent support in 2022, we said a sad farewell to our leaders Will and Carol but gained other parent volunteers and Explorer Young Leaders. We must pay special thanks and give a huge thank you to Melanie Uzunoglu whose behind the scenes organization is greatly appreciated. Without all your help we wouldn’t have been able to run as many activities – we look forward to many more in 2023!

Scouts by Tony Butcher

Scout Troop (Wednesday nights) Leadership Team for 2022	Scout Troop (Thursday nights) Leadership Team for
Section Leader – Jackie Bourne & Tony Butcher	2022 Section Leader –Allen Widdowson
Assistant Section Leader	Assistant Section Leader
Will Kendrick	Jonathan Yates
Section Assistants - Vacancy	Section Assistants
Group Helpers– Gavin Bacon & Martin Brown	Richard Hunt, Martin Yates & Phil Hawkins

2022 has been a year of new adventures, some continued success and an amazing Scoutabout at the South of England Showground in Ardingly. The Dittons joined Ajax Scouts for our inaugural Polyapes camp over the St. George’s Day weekend. This very well attended camp provided the Scouts with opportunities to sleep in bivouacs, cook on open fires, test their pioneering and work with axes. We then joined together at day break on the Sunday morning to collectively renew our Scout promise in the shadow of the Lord Robert Baden Powell War memorial statue.

We are delighted to report the successes of previous years were to be continued into 2022:

The Dittons once again won the Day Hike around the Box Hill area, expertly navigating their way around the 9 mile route answering questions along the way. We also saw victory in the Cross Country at Oxshott as well as even more success in the Night Hike around the Holmwood area. Our Scouts have really demonstrated great skill, commitment and dedication in all of the events they have entered in 2022.
The highlight of the year though must be the Scoutabout camp in Ardingly. This event had been delayed from its original date due to Covid and it was fantastic seeing Scouts from across the County joining together to enjoy a weekend of activities, adventures and music. Scouts drove cars, enjoyed zip-wires, water-bungee slides, space hopper races, escape rooms, and literally hundreds more activities run by the various groups in attendance. There was a festival vibe on the Saturday evening with a music concert and it was great to see so many young people, and a few older leaders, having the chance to enjoy themselves under the Surrey stars.
Another important return to our Scouting programme was the return to Linwood care home. We visited in November to help the residents create a hand-made poppy wreath for the Remembrance Day event on Giggs Hill Green. Dedicated Leaders have created this link between the generations and it’s very fulfilling to see both young and old gain so much from the time spent together.
Leaders have supplemented the programme with new activities on Stokes Field learning about What3Words, completing a treasure hunt around Thames Ditton, learning communication techniques on Oxshott Common and helping pull some pines on Esher Common.

We all love the history and traditions built into the very fibres of our Shack, but it’s great to get our Scouts out and about in the Surrey countryside enjoying nature and learning how they can make a difference to this world.

2022 also saw us award another Chief Scout Gold Award . Kai Butcher completed the remaining tasks to earn the award prior to moving onto Explorers. It’s been a great year of Scouting and it’s been a pleasure for the whole Leadership team to see Scouts enjoying their time outdoors experiencing new challenges and adventures.

Ditton Scouts Shooting Club by Tony Butcher

Dittons Scouts Shooting Club Leadership Team for 2021

DSSS Leader – Tony Butcher DSSS Assistants – Phil Hawkins & Barry Walker

For those who have not heard of us, The Dittons Scout Shooting Club was established in 2019 to give Scouts and Explorers the opportunity to learn Air Rifle Target Shooting. . Air Rifle Target shooting is a sport which promotes core strength, balance, coordination, concentration and discipline. There are Group, District, County and National competitions for Scouts

2022 …Wow!

Honestly, when a number of Leaders at the Dittons began planning how we could establish this new club and give Scouts a new sport to learn and accomplish I don’t think many of us thought it would transpire into the year we’ve had.

We have 13 Scouts all earning their Master at Arms Scout badge and 2 Explorers using the opportunity as their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Skill. All of the members of the club have joined us outdoors at the Shack garage or at our indoor winter training venue at the Surbiton Postal Rifle Club, which has been so important to helping our young people develop their skills.

The 2022 season has been very busy indeed. We sent 2 Scouts to Scoutshoot, which is an opportunity for older Scouts to try multiple pistol and rifle disciplines at various distances; it’s a really fun-packed day at Bisley.

This year saw us enter the National Scout Championship for the first time. The 10 Scout team entered a variety of disciplines over the October weekend. We had an amazing performance from all of our entrants who did themselves and the Dittons proud.

A special mention to:

Drew, finishing 8th in Field Target
Emily, finishing 7th in 6yd Pistol and 6th in the overall Chief’s Prize.

We hope to be challenging for the medals in the very near future.

One final competition the team entered in December 2022 was the County Team Finals. I’m delighted to say our result improved from 5th in 2021 to 2nd in 2022. The best individuals were then invited along to Bisley once more to compete in the Individual County Finals for 2022. Emily, Kai & Gregory did very well. We are delighted to congratulate Emily who won the Individual County Final, with Kai 4th and Gregory 13th. This was a superb result for the club and everyone involved is exceptionally proud of all the members and what they’ve achieved this year.

As a reminder, our Leadership team for the club is made up of enthusiastic and knowledgeable adults to help run these sessions and train the Scouts to improve their skill. If you are a keen Target Shooter from the past or now, or you are interested in the sport and want to help out, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Tony.Butcher@DittonsScouts.com

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Emily winning the 2022 Bisley
Individual County Finals
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Explorers by Tom Wilkinson

Explorers Leadership Team for 2021 - Section Leader - Philippa Guildford then Tom Wilkinson, Steve Baird

Assistant Section Leader - Stuart Jack Section Assistant – Aidan McGuinness & Julia Hawkins

Group Occasional Helper & Network – Ro Guildford

In 2022 we dipped a little below thirty Explorers but we were also joined by Olena and Vlad, Ukrainian refugees who were being hosted by our Group Scout Leader and who found Explorers a respite from homeland worry, a place to learn English as well as a complete adventure when Dittons generously funded their participation in the Explorer Summer camp. At the end of the summer 2022 term Phil stepped down as our Explorer Section Leader after 9 years. A role that it has taken both Tom & Steve to fill! The Dittons community offer huge thanks to Phil for her years of hard work. We are thankful for all our volunteers who allow us

to run such a large Explorer unit and also give each Leader the chance to step back some weeks when work or other commitments require – flexibility (and food!) are definitely the key to successful Explorers!

2022 saw a full return to face-to-face scouting and we have made an effort to hand over more control of the programme to our Explorers themselves. Activities have ranged from campfire building alongside axe and saw skills to ice skating at Hampton Court. Following on from 2021's successes in District events we were able to retain the 2022 District Explorer Scope Trophy. Summer camp in North Wales saw the opportunity for more adventurous activities from trampolining in a cave to hiking to coasteering.

The Duke of Edinburgh award has continued to be a key part of our programme with practice and qualifying expeditions in Kent and the New Forest leading to 4 Bronze and 2 Silver Awards this year. Six Explorers will be doing both their Practice & Qualifying Gold award expeditions in 2023! A real success for The Dittons and the result of a lot of hard work by our young people, support from parents and a lot of hours of Dittons Leaders – we thank them all. Finally congratulations To Drew and Orson who both achieved their Young Leader Belts by completing all the training on the Young Leader Award Scheme .

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