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← 3rd Aylesbury Scout Group

2025-03-31-accounts

Annual Report 2024-2025 To be presented on 21st July 7.00pm at 3[rd] Aylesbury Scouts AGM Scouts HQ, Old Stoke Road, Aylesbury HP21 8DE

Adgenda

Registration and Trustee Details

Appointed Trustees

Simon Buckland Chair Skye Elwin Buildings Lead Abi Parry Fundrasing Lead Paul Turner Leaders Representitive Lucy Elwin Leaders Representitive Trustee Geoff House Tracy Pickavance Trustee

Ex Officio Trustee Sharon Mitchel Group Lead Volunteer and Treasurer

Registration Details

Previous minutes

Group Executive Meeting - AGM Date: 13[th] July 2024 @ 3.00pm Venue: 3[rd] Aylesbury Scout Hut

Scouts

3rd Aylesbury (38th Starrenburg)

WELCOME

ATTENDEES AND APOLOGIES

MINUTES OF THE LAST AGM

GROUP SCOUT LEADER REPORT

Commissioner. The findings were discussed at a session at the Waterside Theatre..

CHAIRMANS REPORT

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

decided for this year just to do it for one year, so we all understand how it works. We may change this, no problem to do so.

TREASURERS REPORT / FINANCES

OTHER BUSINESS

– DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE Murray Dobbie

Meeting closed – 3.20pm

Group Chair Report

Firstly I need to say a massive thank you to all of the parents and young people for your continued support of 3[rd] Aylesbury Scouts. Without all of you we would not be here today and we would most definitely not be the fantastic group that we are.

As you will see from the various section reports all of the sections have been busy this year with all sorts of activities, including trips, camps and many other different activities.

This year has been a difficult year for Scouting in general with lots of changes for all of us in the way we manage groups, meetings and sections. One of the main changes has been to training of new leaders and adult helpers and moving over to a new online system for all of Scouting.

As always the whole movement of Scouting UK relies on people giving up their time to volunteer with us and without all of these people we would not be able to provide the support and fun for all of the young people that 3[rd] Aylesbury Scouts does.

I need to take this opportunity to thank Chris Vaughn for all of his support over the years who has decided to step back from being Scout Section Leader. I also need to say a big thank you to Murray Dobbie who after many years working with the group has decided to move on to other challenges and as a group we would like to wish him luck and to thank him for all of his support over the years. Along with these changes we also have another change with Sharon Mitchell taking up the role of Group Lead Volunteer, alongside her current role as Treasurer.

It is widely recognised that there is a shortage of adult helpers in all groups not just ours along with long waiting lists for young people looking to join. The only way to help this is to attract more regular adult helpers and leaders to take up the challenge.

If you think this may be of interest to you please let us know and talk to one of us about ways you could help and support the group. There are various roles from regular help with sections as leaders, to help with building and kit maintenance, fundraising, administration roles and various other things you can do to help. Please just talk to us or your section leaders.

Simon Buckland

Chair Group Trustee Board

Finance Report Summary

The Group accounts are in a healthy position, with a good reserve of money.

Accounts Summary For The Year 1[st] April 2024 – 31[st] March 2025 Subs £15648.00 Weekend/Daytrips -£2480.85 Uniform/Badges -£504.64 Fundraising £1538.56 Program/Activities -£335.33 Equipment -£425.31 Virgin -£561.60 Gas -£2414.79 Electric -£812.01 Maintenance -£2961.09 Chubb -£312.04 Insurance -£9288.50 Waste -£288.40 Administration -£582.61 Van £600 Water -£183.01 Hall Hire £636.00 Donations £795.00 Interest £288.08 TOTAL -£1644.57

Monetary Assets as of 31[st] March 2025 Main Account £12372.74 Activity Account £1003.85 Savings Account £7041.22 Treasury Account £10202.51 Total £30620.32 Non-Monetary Assets Land & Building £250000.00 Equipment £25000.00

Group Lead Volunteer Report

Another great year for all members of the 3[rd] Aylesbury, with many fun and exciting activities taking place, pushing young people beyond their comfort zone, resulting in some amazing personal achievements.

We have had a busy year full of days out, hikes, camps and much more. To name a few, our youngsters have visited RAF Hendon, slept over at Gullivers Land, litter picked with the Wombles, had a week long activity camp, completed Endurance 40, learnt about first aid with South Central Ambulance Service and supported the local food bank. Trailjam replaced the much loved JOTT and saw all sections hiking together around the local countryside.

A change from Saturday mornings to Monday evenings for our youngest section, saw 4 new leaders take up the challenge and join the team. Numbers of Squirrels increased almost immediately and the section is going from strength to strength.

We are very proud of our cubs and scouts that are representing the Group in our District Youth Shaped programme forums. Joining with other members from across the District to share ideas and thoughts. We also had 2 of our Scouts chosen to represent Bucks Scouts at the UK Youth Forum in Oxford earlier in the year.

With 5 sections meeting each week, we couldn’t achieve this without the hard work and dedication seen by our Leader Teams, Young Leaders and parent helpers. Also our Trustee Board, Maintenance and Fundraising teams who look after the Governance of the Group, keep us and our building safe and come up with some great ideas to help raise much needed funds. All this enables us to continue to offer the great opportunities we do to so many young people.

2025 marks our 100[th] Birthday and a big celebration is planned for later in the year. All sections took up the challenge to fundraise to make this a celebration to remember and what an amazing start. So

far we have, bag packed at the local supermarket and sang Christmas carols to shoppers, held a Christmas Bazaar, had a Christmas raffle, made and sold cakes, and everyone’s favourite Bunny Bingo. Thank you and well done to everybody that has worked hard to make this happen. Also a huge thank you to the parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents that have supported their youngsters with these events.

I hope you are all looking forward to another amazing scouting year Sharon Mitchell

Group Lead Volunteer

Echo Squirrels Section Report September 2024 – June 2025

We began our Squirreling year with an exciting Open Day at the hut with drew many new faces to the section, as well as some existing Squirrels to show us the way.

We have endeavoured to use the local community as much as we can from SCAS (South Central Ambulance Service) and The Aylesbury Wombles, we have been helping to raise money for 3[rd] Aylesbury Scouts 100[th] Birthday in September which we had a very successful Bag Packing session at Sainsburys on Gatehouse. We may not have been able to help with packing much, but we certainly cheered up shoppers and staff with our carol singing and smiley faces.

In March we organised the first Sponsored Squirrel Scoot – Mr Falkner, the Head Teacher of Bearbrook School allowed us to use his large playground and facilities for the event where we invited 1[st] Aylesbury Squirrels to join and do their own fundraising. We raised an amazing total of £1,285 from zooming around and having a lot of fun.

We also followed up the session with The Aylesbury Wombles, when Tom was able to borrow some litter picking devises to do our own Squirrel Litter Pick behind the hut at the Old Stoke Road Allotments. We met several allotment owners who were very pleased with the work we were doing, and we certainly picked up a lot of rubbish in and outside or the allotment area.

During the Summer Term we are continuing to work through badges, cooking, fitness and den building. We are heading off to Beech Green to do a Den Building session where there is a love clear open space to build some amazing structures.

Beavers Harriers

The beavers have been very busy this year, We started of with a 2 night camp staying at Phasel’s wood activity centre, where we took part in climbing, Tunnels and more.

We joined the county at the Beaveree under the sea at Paccar, which was great fun

Joined in with Trailjam where all the beavers got a little muddy.

Before the summer holidays we had a great splatter night with bats and water balloons

We made rockets for bonfire night, We carved pumpkins for Halloween, made nests from recycled items, for eggs to drop from a height (most of them survived )

We have worked on emergency aid, disability badge, gardening and community badges, the beavers raise money by doing good deeds, then go to Tesco to shop items for they local food bank. The beavers have been reading books and designing their own book covers

The beavers have all been very busy trying and learning new things, we have been so proud of each of them. During this year we have had many move up to cubs proudly with their bronze award.

Beaver team

3rd Aylesbury Cub Pack’s Hurricane report

The beginning of this year has seen a busy programme with lots of great activities taking place during normal weekly pack nights and over various weekends.

Some examples of the badges achieved in the past year by the Cubs are Home help, Chef and Scientist. And also fundraising for our groups 100[th] birthday celebrations

Achieving Activity and Challenge Badges all count towards their sliver Award. A reminder for parents that activity badges can be worked towards outside of Scouting at home e.g., if the Cub is also a member of a swimming or football club or working towards their Music grades, this can be used to gain the relevant Scouting Badge.

Few weekend activities we have joined in over the year included district panto, trail jam and Staying over at Gulliver’s.

We are also looking at other activities for the cubs to join in so please keep an eye out for emails

Lastly, none of this happens without the support of all our wonderful leader team, so a big thank you to Denise (Bagheera), & Wendy (Rashka), Oliver ( Rama) and James ( Chil) for all your help this year.

But most of all we would like to say thank you to the Cubs for attending, joining in, gaining their badges and making Scouting fun.

Akela (Lucy)

Scouts AGM report April 24-March 24.5

The Valiant Scout troop has again been working closely with the Vulcan troop, running a parallel program. The summer Term with started a number of outdoor activities, including hikes, a successful Trail Jam trip, tent pitching, and the Naturalist badge at Aston Clinton park.

We under took a day trip to the RAF museum in Hendon, for a day out earning the air activities badge.

The Aylesbury Wombles came to visit, and the scouts did a litter pick around the Southcourt area collecting all sorts of rubbish from the hedgerows and paths.

We once again travelled to the Intents week at Thrfiftwood camp site for an exciting week of activities, including (but not limited to) climbing, abseiling, water activities (falling in was mandatory) a talent show, day trip to Southend, and what has become a favourite activity of the scouts, sleeping in hammocks

As the nights pulled in on the autumn term the scouts undertook some badge challenges, with a group visiting the Warhammer store in town to complete the model maker badge, and the Mechanics badge and Emergency aid were also on offer,

A chip shop challenge in town provided a fun night finding the best chips in Aylesbury, and lots of work went into planning and running a Christmas fair to raise funds for the Groups centenary, and the annual trip to Sainsbury’s for bag packing in the run up to Christmas also helped boost the coffers for the celebration,

The spring term provided some new challenges, with the scouts learning how to cook on wood fired Kelly kettles and Hobo stoves, in preparation for a weekend in the woods, sleeping in hammocks and cooking their own food, along with Geocaching, map reading and another trip to the Warhammer store.

Spring term saw leader changes within the Valiant and Vulcan teams , with Paul (Gadget) moving over from Vulcan, to take on the role of Section Lead Volunteer with Valiant, and we are also pleased to have Geoff join Jodie and myself as a volunteer.

Vulcan Troop Report 24-25

Vulcan have been working in tandem with Valiant Troop this year, running a joint program and hosting some meetings together over the course of the year. Summer term 24 consistent of a host of outdoor activities to make the most of the weather before the Autumn term and earlier nights drew in.

This included Summer Camp, where the Scouts covered a range of outdoor pursuits and developed a love of sleeping in hammocks.

September and the Winter term brought a change in weather and activities, now focusing on badgework indoors with some knot work, crafting a water filter, and preparing for the Christmas Fayre. This was a fundraising activity for the Scouts, joint with Valiant, and was a huge success. Thanks to the Parents for attending the event and to the Scouts for planning, running, and managing the stalls on the evening.

Into the Spring and a return to an outdoor focus, with a programme packed with maps, geo-caching, back packing, and everything else you’d need to carry out a successful expedition hike. This was put to the test at the end of term with a hammock only weekend camp at Braidwood, with a 16km hike and some back to basics fire lighting and cooking.

The Troop has seen growth over this year, from a low of 6 Scouts on average to now 16 on the books. This is excellent to see increased numbers as it allows us to undertake more challenging team activities and

learn and support each other in different ways. We hope to see this number increase, so please feel free to bring a friend!

We’ve also seen some leadership changes this year, with our longstanding Scout Leader Chris Vaughan taking his well earned retirement from weekly Scout meetings. Chris has been an ever present member of 3[rd] Aylesbury, and has been in scouting since 1998. His service to the group has been excellent and he will certainly be missed, although we are pleased to say he remains affiliated having joined the Maintenance Committee for the Group.

With Chris stepping back I have taken responsibility for running Vulcan Troop. I’ve been in Scouting for 26 years, having joined as a Beaver aged 6 and progressed through the movement, becoming a Leader at age 18 with my local group, 3[rd] Worthing, in West Sussex. I moved to Wales for University and ran 15[th] Cardiff for seven years, before moving to Aylesbury last year with my wife to be closer to family. Since joining 3[rd] Aylesbury I’ve been hugely impressed with the set up, the support, and the kids themselves, it’s a real pleasure to be part of this Group and I hope to continue the current good form the group is in.

Finally, thanks to our leadership team over this year in Tori, Scott, and Paul (Gadget) for their help and support over the course of the year, with Paul moving to lead Valiant Troop, much to Oscars dismay. Thanks also to the parent helpers we’ve had, your support is always incredibly valuable.

Trustee Responsabilities

Reserves Policy

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 considered that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months running costs, circa £6,000. As we are now in the period following the COVID- 19 pandemic the trustees consider that in the light of the problems encountered since March 2020, that this level would be insufficient for our needs and we need to increase our reserves to around 12 months running costs to weather any similar future occurrences.

The Group held a balance of £15,000 in its savings account against this at the end of March 2023. This would be above the level required for operating expenses.

Responsibilities of the Trustees

The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group as at the balance sheet date, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees should:

The Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records, which disclose, with reasonable accuracy, at any time the financial position of the Group to enable them to ensure that the financial statements meet the requirements of the Charity Commission. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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 with the Scout Association subsidiary Unity to ensure that insurable risks are covered

The Group Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed, these have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are:

Damage to the building, property and equipment - The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss. Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members. The Group through the annual subscription fees contributes to the Scout Association’s national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.

Reduced income from fund raising - The Group is primarily reliant upon income from

subscriptions, Gift Aid from subscriptions and other allowable fundraising activities as well as general fundraising. These sources of income have not only allowed us to maintain our resources but to increase and enhance them with additions to the activities and equipment that the Group owns. The group does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income, The Committee could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the group on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.

Reduction or loss of leaders - The group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the group. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular section or the group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario, the complete closure of the Group.

Reduction or loss of members - The Group provides activities for all young people aged 4 to 14. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular section or the group as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario, the complete closure of the Group.

Investment Policy

The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. On an historical basis the Group has a small amount in the Scout Association Short Term Investment Fund. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of its funds.

All funds are therefore held in cash accounts using only a mainstream bank other than £250.00 which is held in the Scout Association Short Term Investment account.

Scout Group Constitution

The bpevaiion of the eau Group as a charity is governed by its Constitution. The standard Constitution for a Group District or County is covered by Chapter 5 of our Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) — specifically section 5.4.

Itis iepoM mantis that the Group adopt this as their Constitution which can be amended with any local considerations as may be required and re-adopted at all subsequent Annual General Meetings

Quorums for Meetings

It is recommended that the Quorum for Group Trustee Board meetings is 50% + 1

Accounts Summary For The Year 1[st] April 2024 – 31[st] March 2025 Subs £15648.00 Weekend/Daytrips -£2480.85 Uniform/Badges -£504.64 Fundraising £1538.56 Program/Activities -£335.33 Equipment -£425.31 Virgin -£561.60 Gas -£2414.79 Electric -£812.01 Maintenance -£2961.09 Chubb -£312.04 Insurance -£9288.50 Waste -£288.40 Administration -£582.61 Van £600 Water -£183.01 Hall Hire £636.00 Donations £795.00 Interest £288.08 TOTAL -£1644.57

Monetary Assets as of 31[st] March 2025

Main Account £12372.74 Activity Account £1003.85 Savings Account £7041.22 Treasury Account £10202.51 Total £30620.32 Non-Monetary Assets Land & Building £250000.00 Equipment £25000.00

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