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← 1st Sutton (Cambridgeshire) Scout Group

2024-12-31-accounts

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

For the period 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024

Section 1: Reference and Administration Details

Charity name: 1st Sutton (CAMBRIDGESHIRE) Scout Group

Registered charity number: 01048727

Principal address:

13 The Row Sutton Ely CAMBS CB6 2PD

13 The Row
Sutton
Ely
CAMBS
CB6 2PD		 13 The Row
Sutton
Ely
CAMBS
CB6 2PD		 13 The Row
Sutton
Ely
CAMBS
CB6 2PD
Names of charity trustees who manage the charity
Trustee Name Office Dates Acted
Alan Mitch Chairperson January 2024
Laura Collins Secretary January 2023–May 2024
Alison Chaplin Treasurer
(supporting from May 2023)		 January 2023- May 2023
Jess Groom Treasurer May 2023-Sept 2024
Elaine Chamberlain Group Lead Volunteer September 2023
Alison Wells Administrator Seconded after AGM May
2024
Ken Docherty Quartermaster January 2023

Name and Address of Advisor:

Name: Victoria Cooper Type of Advisor: Independent Examiner Address Unit 14b ESpace North 181 Wisbech Road , Ely CAMBS CB6 1RA Date: May 2023

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Section 2: Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document:

The Group’s governing documents are those issued by 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 (POR) of The Scout Association.

The Group adopted its own constitution in furtherance of the Scout Associations objectives in 2008 and reviewed annually.

In 2023 our Constitution was refreshed to accord with the standard POR constitution with a reserves policy and participation support fund and adopted at the AGM,

How is the charity 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 POR of The Scout Association and in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines.

Additional governance issues

The Board of Trustees

The Group is managed by a Board of Trustees. 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 Board of Trustees consists of three ex-officio officers, Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, together with the Group Scout Leader, individual section leaders and parent’s representation.

All Trustees complete being a scout Trustee learning withing 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, land 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 highquality and safe programmes that gives young people skills for life.

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SECTION 3: OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVTIES

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. We encourage young people to do more, learn more and be more. Each week, our young people aged 4-14 enjoy fun and adventure while developing the skills they need to succeed, now and in the future.

We actively engage and support our Young People in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society through our core values of Integrity, respect, care, belief and cooperation and for our Adults to develop their skills, make an impact and change lives. We’re talking about teamwork, leadership and resilience – skills that have helped Scouts become everything from teachers and social workers to astronauts and Olympians. We help young people develop and improve key life skills.

We believe in bringing people together. We celebrate diversity and stand against intolerance, always. We’re part of a worldwide movement, creating stronger communities and inspiring positive futures.

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objectives. What Scouts do

Young people in the Scouts take part in an exciting programme of activities from kayaking to coding. They develop character skills like resilience, initiative and tenacity; employability skills such as leadership, teamwork and problem solving; and practical skills like cooking and first aid – current research proves it really works.

A 2018 report says Scouts are 17% more likely to show leadership skills and work well in teams. They’re a third more likely to support their communities to.

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 heading.

SECTION 4: ACHEIVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Treasurers Report 2024

This report is being written by a trustee (and former treasurer), acting as interim treasurer since September 24, as the appointed treasurer found the role to be unmanageable alongside their other commitments.

The Group have ended the year in a good financial position. Group reserves have increased from £12,475.02 in 2023 to circa £15,485.63 in 2024. This is due to the expansion of the Group.

Cash Account

Subscriptions for the year increased from £15,375 in 2023 to £20,382 in 2024. In September 2024, I became aware that, because of a due diligence issue, funds were being withheld by GoCardless, a company who collect subscriptions and event payments on behalf of the Group via our Online Scout Manager platform. This issue was not resolved until November and meant that we had to ask parents/guardians to pay any outstanding Summer 24 subscriptions and event arrears and Autumn 24 subscriptions manually. Thank you to all parents/guardians who paid these promptly,

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this helped us through a very difficult financial period.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of oversight during the summer period, there are circa £500 of unpaid subscriptions and event payments, mostly for young people who have now left the group, that cannot be recovered and have been written off.

The funds withheld by GoCardless, over £10k, have now been released and automatic payments have resumed.

As there were several unpaid expenses and fundraising events and other money held in this account for other purposes, I have adjusted the bank cash account balance of £22,525 and the reserves sum is more likely to be circa £15,485.63. The largest creditors are £1,250 owed for the Firework event and £2,628.19 owed for event expenses. All outstanding event invoices, except one and expenses for 2023 and 2024 were settled in January 2025.

The Group has grown across all sections over the year, and Section numbers increased moving from 116 in Autumn 2023 to 134 in Autumn 2024. Membership fees of £7603.50 for the 134 youth members and 3 young leaders on the roll in January 2024 were paid to Scout HQ in March. This was our biggest outlay from reserves.

In September a second Scout troop was formed, and the Group is now required to hold reserves of £10,000.

Gift Aid was not claimed within the year. Two years will be claimed in 2025. The amount due for the 23/24 Tax year will be £4021.54.

£74 has been set aside from kayak hire proceeds to cover future replacement of this type of equipment and we are holding £1500 in donations for Equipment plus £1500 of funds raised running a quiz and a fun day and advance payments for the 2025 Cub Camp. Our thanks to S & G who donated £75 to this cause. £378.65 is being held in the Squirrel’s Sleepover Fund.

During the year, the group supported 10 children using our Participation Support Policy. This was set up in 2021 to encourage participation in scouting for those who may not be able to afford the financial commitment required. Details of the eligibility criteria are available from the Treasurer.

The policy states that up to 50% of Gift Aid received on subscriptions for the relevant year may be allocated for this purpose. Support for children within the Parish of Sutton, has been given by the Sutton Charity who have provided grants of £1706 for subscriptions and events in 2024. We thank them for their very generous and continued support. In total (including the grants) circa £2156 was spent by the Group in 2024 on Participation Support. In 2025, I estimate that a similar amount will be spent.

Fundraising Account

Around 20 fundraising events were supported in 2024, a huge thank you to our amazing volunteers in fulfilling this schedule. This is similar in number to those supported in 2023. There are several events undertaken in 2023 & 2024 where expenses and some invoices need to be settled. Entries for these events have been calculated and after these are taken into consideration the amount raised was £10,181.99. This sum includes some 2023 events.

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Fundraising activities were varied and included catering for local events, supporting the Feast Committee with Party in the Park and the Fireworks event, as well as supporting Haddenham and Ely fireworks events and festivals. Our annual Christmas draw raised a fantastic £615.93 thanks to very generous donations from the local community and across the whole of Cambridgeshire.

Donations of £2410 for our new home fund have also been received. Thank you to everyone who has donated, your continued support is highly appreciated. These included a £250 private donation, £880 donated following catering events, £500 from the Open University and we are enormously grateful to the Sewing Fairy who continues her seemingly endless task of sewing on badges and who donates all proceeds to the Group.

After the adjustments mentioned above, the Group has £80,785 in the bank to commence the build or for other campground projects and to form the basis for any large grant applications we can apply for.

Overall, the Group has now raised over £108,000 towards the build, £28,000 having already been spent on demolition, architects and structural engineer fees, land purchase, planning fees, fencing, hedging etc

Additionally, a donation made in 2021 of £9,528 for a specific campground related project is being held in a designated fund until this project can be commenced.

The Group has a potential liability of £1,972 for VAT on items purchased where we have issued a S708 VAT Exemption Certificate. Professional advice was sought prior to issuing these certificates however it is prudent to note this potential liability due to the possible length of time between expenditure and the build commencing.

The group currently has monetary assets of circa £110k with CAF Bank in two accounts. Under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, CAF Bank covers deposits held of up to £85k. In early 2024 research was done and a decision made to open an additional account with a separate bank to cover anything over the £85k however that was not completed and now needs urgent action.

Alison Chaplin Acting Treasurer & Trustee 31st March, 2025

Overall Achievements and the future - A message from the GSL (Group Scout Leader)

1st Sutton Scout Group has continued to grow during 2024. This is mainly due to the fantastic group of volunteer leaders who have given up their time, energy and enthusiasm to provide engaging, exciting and adventurous activities for each of the sections across the group, allowing our young people of all ages to gain new skills and grow in confidence. Thank you all – you do an amazing job!

We also need to thank the Board of Trustees for their support – ensuring we, as a registered charity, comply with all our legal obligations, reviewing our group risk assessments to allow activities, meetings and events to happen throughout the year and for ensuring the funding is available for the equipment needed by our leaders to carry out their jobs.

Finally, we need to thank the Group supporters and parents of our young people who assist in a number of areas – at weekly meetings, at larger events when we need extra adults or

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helping at the many fundraising events we organise throughout the year to raise funds for both our general activities and for our much-needed new Scout Hut at Sutton Gault.

The leaders give up their time because we all love to see the young people in our care to develop as individuals as they progress through the Group – and we have a lot of fun doing it! We hope everyone else who has helped us has also enjoyed the experience!

What makes Scouting different to other youth groups? Scouting prepares our young people for life – giving them life skills they will continue to use throughout their lives. Learning resilience – helping them overcome fears when tackling new experiences – whether it be joining a large group at a very early age (some of out Squirrels haven’t even started school when they join us), spending their first night away from their parents with a Nights Away experience, moving schools (most of our Cubs move to Scouts before they move to secondary school so have tackled that being with the big kids transition) or tackling a scary challenge such as abseiling down the side of a building or underground caving. They learn basic life skills such as cooking, packing a bag, planning a trip and so much more. But as they go through Scouting they also learn leadership skill, what it means to look out for each other, how to live alongside people they might not see eye to eye with, self respect and respect for each other and how much fun they can have helping out in the wider community. I’m really proud that 1[st] Sutton Scouts prepares our young people so well with the wider challenges of life!

At the start of 2024 we had 2 Squirrel Dreys, 2 Beaver Colonies, 1 Cub Pack and 1 Scout Troop. By the end of the year we had needed to open a second Cub Pack and a second Scout Troop. The Group continued to grow – starting the year with 134 young people and 31 Adult members (a total of 165 members) and ending the year with 147 young people and 40 Adult members (a total of 187 members).

The above numbers do not include our wonderful Young Leaders (14-17) year olds who make a major contribution to the support of the Group. Some of these are young people who have grown up in the group, and have either joined the District Explorer Units but want to continue their connection with Sutton by helping out with the younger sections or have decided that Explorers is not for them but still want to continue their connection with Sutton by helping out with the younger sections or are young people who have had no previous connection with Scouting but are working towards one of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and help out with a section in Scouting as part of their “service” requirement. Some of these simply help out for 6-12 months depending on the level of the award they are working towards but some then discover how much fun it can be and stay on as young leaders after their official “service” is complete.

We are, as always, still looking for extra adults to come forward and help us at meetings and events.

The Group continues to get very involved in our community, taking active roles in events run by the Conservation Society, the Church and Sutton Feast (Picnic in the Park and Sutton Fireworks to name but 2) and, as a result, is well supported by many people within the village. Thank you!

Finally, we need to say “Thank You” to some key people who have helped us this year.

Jess Groom took on the role of Treasurer at the 2023 AGM, and was supported for the first year by Ali Chaplin – our previous Treasurer. The job is not small, and once she had taken on full responsibility she found it hard to give sufficient time to the job whilst maintaining her career training. Therefore, during the year Ali Chaplin very kindly picked up the reins again for us and sorted us out. We want to thank them both for all their hard work and I especially

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want to acknowledge how grateful I and the Group are to Ali Chaplin, we would have been lost without you!

We have learned by this experience and in 2025, have split the Treasurer role to make it more manageable and not all down to one VOLUNTEER!!!

Elaine Chamberlain Group Team Leader

Squirrels Dreys 2024

2024 has been an incredible year for 1st Sutton Squirrels. With 48 Squirrels, this section continues to be popular with a substantial waiting list and enquiries from across the district.

Our Squirrels have been busy this year, with several Squirrels gaining their Chief Acorn Award, the highest award in our section. Squirrels have achieved over 200 badges this year, including their challenge badges, digital maker, nights away and hikes away badges! This is on top of the standard Squirrel activity badges which they continue to enjoy achieving, including the new Space Explorer released this year.

The biggest highlight of our year was offering 3 sleepover events. 'Bear Hunt', 'Stickman' And ''Room on the Broom' have been our themes, with each one being used as a permit assessment, and I am pleased to say that all applicants achieved this recommendation. Providing nights away experiences continues to be a priority for the Squirrels Section.

Squirrels also took part in the 1st Squirrel Activity Day, alongside the rest of the Squirrels in the County. The day was full of adventure and the Squirrels (and Leaders) loved it!

The Squirrels are supported by a committed and passionate team of leaders including the Section Team Leader, 4 Team Members and a rota of 2 parents for each session. We are also lucky that other leaders within the group attend our Squirrel sessions to help support their transition as they move up through the group.

We look forward to the next 12 months and the adventures ahead for Squirrels, and would like to thank everyone who has supported Squirrels from day 1 and beyond.

Samantha Sharp - Section Team Leader

Beaver Colonies

Riverbank and Wildwood Beaver Colonies

Over 2024 both Riverbank and Wildwood Beaver Colonies gave nearly 50 children across the two Colonies the 1st Sutton Beaver Scouting experience.

During the year the Colonies have delivered a similar programme of activities covering a variety of badges such as Sports, Global issues, Air Activities and the always fun Builder badge!

Although week to week the Colonies meet separately there are many occasions where the colonies have come together to do joint sessions or activities. We have jointly been to Pingle Woods in Little Downham for our Explore badge; Beavers in Tents at Copley, St Ives; 2 sleepovers including a Christmas sleepover (with a special visit from Santa), and a group trip to RAF Museum in London which was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance!

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In April, we took the Beavers to the Sutton Cricket club to have a taster session - they all did so well and displayed great teamwork and resilience.

In July, our very own Hawk and his fellow karate instructors came in to let us have a go at Karate! There was some great sparring and moves on display throughout this fun session!

In September some of our Beavers headed for an exciting, adventure-filled day at BeWilderwood in Norfolk; and we had an exciting litter pick around Sutton (the Beavers were delighted with the ‘interesting’ things they found!) We finished off our busy year with a trip to Haddenham Library to do our Book Reader badge.

We have awarded a total of 635 badges! An astonishing amount achieved by our wonderful Beavers! Part of this total was the 16 Bronze Awards that have been awarded over the year (8 in each colony) - This is the highest award a Beaver can achieve with us. This is incredible and we are so proud of the Beavers and how hard they work to get this top award. We look forward to awarding many more in 2025 as our Beavers continue through Scouting building up their skills, confidence and resilience to new activities and new opportunities.

Over the year we have had the pleasure of welcoming new Leaders into our team. It is wonderful to see them growing as leaders and passing on so many new skills to our Beavers. We have also said a fond farewell to other leaders as they start new adventures and pursue new and exciting opportunities.

We look forward to the next 12 months and the adventures ahead for Beavers and would like to thank everyone who has supported Beavers throughout 2024!

Caroline Barrell and Stuart Byrne - Riverbank and Wildwood Section Team Leaders

Cubs Packs

2024 was a year of change for Cubs in Sutton with the formation of a second Cub Pack at the start of the spring term. Borneo and Madagasgar were chosen as the names for the two packs enabling the section to prepare to welcome more young people throughout the year.

Madagascar pack

The year started with a welcome forum to get the young people’s ideas wishes for the year ahead. In the following this session the Cubs also learned some home help skills in the shape of sewing and ironing, patching a tyre, and changing a light bulb. We celebrated Chinese new year, Mothering Sunday, and pancake day with topical activities. The young people brought in their collections to show others and discuss which fitted the Scouts value of respect as they listened to others and asked questions about what they’d brought in. The term finished learning some valuable first aid.

In the summer term we were able to enjoy more outdoor activities and kicked these off with a Harry Potter sports day complete with a game of Quidditch! The Cubs had exciting visits from the CAMSAR team to learn about tracking techniques and equipment as well as an evening learning about disabilities and an opportunity to play wheelchair basketball with a 4-time Paralympian. They also did some backwards cooking, pioneering catapults, tomahawk throwing, and fire lighting.

Within the Summer term many of the Cubs attended a joint Cub and Scout camp at Phasels Wood campsite which was a great success with the Cubs trying many new activities over an action packed weekend. This saw the young people joining in with each other to have a

go at archery, air rifles, climbing, orienteering, tunnelling, and coming together for a sing around a campfire.

The Autumn term saw the creation of a second Scouts troop in Sutton which Peter Sharp put his hand up to run and so he took a step back from Cubs in September in order to focus more of his time on the successful creation of the new troop. We extend our thanks to Peter for his direction and dedication to Cubs in his time as section lead, he has benefited the development of many young people and can now take them through the next stage of their Scouting journey.

During the sessions the Cubs had the opportunity to do some photography and learn more about framing and composition, and more about fitness including physical activities and even a bleep test which burned off some of the healthy treat they’d made. We also covered the Cub Scout Law which the Cubs turned into a piece of art to express how they might be able to use it outside of Cubs. There was a project for Christmas where the cubs made a picture frame to take home, an evening of music made on instruments made by the Cubs, and a look at all the different hobbies the young people engage in.

In September some of the older Cubs went on the Cub County Challenge Day where they got to do many adventurous activities from problem solving to catapults, and even tomahawk/angel throwing. October saw a Sutton Scouts group outing to RAF London aviation museum which allowed the Cubs a chance to explore and look around all the different planes and complete activities towards their Air Activities badges.

Looking ahead in 2025 we are preparing to welcome even more young into the section with both packs expanding to nearly 30 members each. In May there is to be a second joint camp with the Scouts and Cubs which we look forward to after the success of the first in 2024.

Aidan Flack – Section Team Leader, Madagasgar Cubs

Borneo Pack

Borneo have had a busy year, spending the majority of it outside taking part in and completing lots of different activities to gain our awards and badges. Over the year we’ve issued 89 badges with lots of the Cubs working towards completing their Silver Awards.

During the Spring term we hiked around the local area and celebrated lots of holidays. We hosted an authentic Scottish guest who helped us to celebrate Burns Night in January. We learned about Chinese New Year and celebrated with a selection of Chinese food. For Mother’s Day we got crafty and made flower pots out of clay and decorated them. We also practised our Scouting Skills of Firelighting where no matches were ever used.

In the Summer Term, we continued with our adventures outside. We got to meet a local beekeeper who taught us about how to look after bees and got to take some local honey home. We visited the local allotments and helped with some tidying and made our own seed bombs for the local wildlife. We attempted to break some world records, which unfortunately we didn’t manage but the Cubs had lots of fun trying. We took part in a Paralympic themed evening, attempting some of the events of the Paralympic Games. With the benefit of the lighter nights we were able to enjoy lots of adventurous activities including Tomahawks, Archery, Karate and some Bushcraft. We even had a trip out to Johnson’s of Old Hurst where we got to meet all of the animals that live there and a trip to see some microlights.

After the summer holidays we started our final term of the year. During the Autumn term we ventured back inside and started by travelling across the world learning about Borneo and Germany. We raced around Ely on a chip hike to rate the best chip shops of Ely. We celebrated Remembrance Day with Remembrance Parade which only 1 member attended.

We made some Christmas decorations for the annual Church Christmas Tree Festival. We ended the year with a Christmas Party and an extra session climbing at Clip ‘N’ Climb in Cambridge.

Alongside all of the activities we’ve completed as a pack we have joined up with Madagascar for some activities. We joined together for Cub and Scout Camp in June where the Cubs had lots of fun completing lots of different adventurous activities such as sledging, climbing, air rifles, tunnelling. We had a day out to RAF London along with all the other sections in 1st Sutton Scout Group where the Cubs got to see a variety of planes and learn about how they were used. In September we had a day at Copley taking part in Cub Challenge Day where we got to do even more adventurous activities alongside the other pack.

Overall, Borneo has had a very busy Scouting Year with lots of activities and lots of fun had and memories made.

Ben Barrett - Section Team Leader, Borneo Cubs

Scout Troop(s) Teamwork was the ongoing theme for this year, we wanted to build closer bonds between our patrol members and troop as a whole.

In the Spring term 2024, we worked on elements of the Skills Challenge Award which included lock picking, code breaking, emergency aid and planning and cooking a Chinese meal. In March the Scouts looked at maps and route planning and finished off with a night hike in Ely. In the Summer term we concentrated on building on the great teamwork that was happening between our Scouts, and the Outdoor Challenge Award. We had a visit from Shoney Karate who taught the Scouts some new moves. The Scouts also enjoyed lots of outdoor activities including fire lighting, back-woods cooking, whittling, pioneering, a remote hike, archery and tomahawks. The Scouts had their annual game of rounders for Father’s day, where they challenged members of their family to a game, as usual the adults were far more competitive than the Scouts!

At the end of May half-term the Cubs and Scouts came together at Phasels wood for a very exciting, adventurous and enjoyable 2 night activity camp. In Autumn, 4 of our oldest Scouts achieved their expedition challenge badge, where along with 4 Scouts from Ely, they completed a 2 night expedition to Cromer, travelling by train and hiking. They had to plan and budget the whole weekend. New friendships were made. In October some of the Scouts attended the RAF London air museum as part of a whole group visit. We finished the year by making Christmas tree decorations and voting for the best chips in Ely on a festive chip shop challenge, Alans fish bar won!

With the growth of not only our Scout troop but Sutton Scout G roup as a whole, the decision was made to open a second Scout troop by initially splitting the existing troop and then offering a choice of troop to Cubs moving up and new Scouts. These troops were given names by the Scouts and started operating after October half term. Stirling troop on a Monday at Mepal village hall led by Kirsty, Andrew and Chloe and Lancaster troop on a Wednesday at the Glebe led by Pete and Shane. Lancaster troop only started at the beginning of November 2024.

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Throughout the second half of the Autumn term, the Scouts advanced their first aid skills, including learning CPR, using Defibs and dealing with common camp injuries.

We then spent the next few weeks learning to cook on various types of stoves. We completed some mini pioneering to prepare for larger pioneering later in the year. We ended on a high with a joint session with Stirling Troop in a chip shop challenge around Ely.

Pete Sharp Kirsty Booth Team Leader - Lancaster Scout Troop Team Leader – Stirling Scout Troop

Snapshot of the Group Census data January 2024 and 2025

The Group

In January 2024 we had 31 Adult members of the Group, and in January 2025 we had 40 Adult members registered with the Group.

Group Age
(years)		 31 Jan 2024 31 Jan 2025
Squirrels 4-6 32 44
Beavers 6-8 51 34
Cubs 8-10 31 40
Scouts 10-14 20 29

The Board of Trustees Committee

A Board of Trustees met mainly online with the odd informal face to face meeting to continue to support the delivery of a programme which can be safely rolled out to our young people, and to ensure we can continue to support our community.

Our main focus in 2024 has been to continue to support and expand our sections, with the creation of a second Cub Pack, a second Scout Troop and to oversee fundraising and ongoing planning for our new scout and community building and activity field.

We have maintained our community presence and local partnership working with activities such as the spring village litter pick, Remembrance Day churchyard tidy up, jointly organised village firework event (with Sutton Feast Committee) and catering provision at Picnic in the Park and other Feast Committee events.

We provide regular updates to the community via Sutton village magazine (The Pepperpot), have rationalised our Facebook pages and plan to continue to develop our new website.

New Scout Hut and Activity field Project Update 2024

Background

Over a number of years, 1[st] Sutton Scout Group has been working hard to build a new home for its thriving groups which would also be open for use to the wider community too. The group also decided it wanted to increase the size of our site to allow for more outdoor

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activities including camping and bought 0.5acre of adjacent land from Sutton Poors Land Charity.

This has been a particular focus for the Board over the last 8 years, previous key milestones included:

Year 2023

2024

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SECTION 5: FINANCIAL REVIEW

Charity 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 for at least the forthcoming year ahead.

The Board considers the Group’s budget annually to enable it to meet its charitable objectives.

At the end of 2024 the Group held general reserves of £15,485.63. This is the level required for operating expenses.

Investment Policy

The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy for the investment of its funds. All funds are held in deposits using only mainstream banks or building societies.

The Group Board regularly monitors the levels of bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure the Group obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements. Occasionally this may involve using an account that requires a period of notice before funds may be withdrawn. Before doing so the Group Board considers the cash flow requirements.

Subscription Policy

The Group Board Of Trustees regularly monitors the level of subscription chargeable to members to ensure that subscriptions to district are met.

From September 2023 subscriptions were increased to £50 per term. These subscriptions paid by members are used to support the Scouting activities, badges, materials, resources etc, as well as the hire of meeting areas such as The Pavilion, The Glebe and Mepal Village Hall.

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Fundraising Policy

The Group undertakes a variety of fundraising activities to support the objectives of the charity. The purpose for the majority of our fundraising efforts this year has been focussed upon our hut replacement project.

The principal source of fundraising activities during the year includes catering events, our annual village Fireworks event (in partnership with the local Feast committee), annual Christmas draw, Santa's sleigh donations, other generous donations and gift aid claimed on donations received in the previous tax year.

The Board has a sub-group of the committee under the terms of reference. This is to identify and actively pursue local fundraising.

The Group Lead Volunteer is exploring separate leads to take forward sourcing grants, match funding, and company sponsorship for the project.

SECTION 6: OTHER OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Plans for future period - Chair

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SECTION 7: DECLARATION

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature Full Name(s) Alan Mitch ~~Pp~~ Position Chairman ~~pO~~ Date 24/10/2025

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1st Sutton Scout Group Receipts and payments account

Year start date Year end date
For the year
from		 01.01.24 To 31.12.24
Receipts and payments
Receipts 2024
Unrestricted funds
£		 2024
Hut Funds
£		 2024
Total Funds
£		 2023
Funds
£

Donations, legacies and similar income

Membership subscriptions and Joining Fees		 20,718 - 20,718 15,375
Donations 4,158 - 4,158 3,025
Donations-CAF 314 20 334 -
Donations-Cub Camp 75 - 75 -

Donations-Equipment Fund		 500 - 500 -

Donation - EasyFundraising		 81 - 81 -
Donations-Sewing Fairy 132 - 132 -

Gift Aid		 - - - 3,221
Cash Deposit 4,546 - 4,546 -
Sub total 30,524 20 30,544 21,621
Grants
Participation Support 1,856 - 1,856 -
Other grants - - - 800
Sub total 1,856 - 1,856 800
FundraisingEvents 110 - 110 -
Fundraising Events-Cub Camp 1,535 - 1,535 -
Fundraising-2023 894 - 894 -
Fundraising-2024 18,739 - 18,739 -
Fundraising- EasyFundraising 35 - 35 -
Fundrasing- AGM Cake,books andgames 79 - 79 -
Mepal Fete Cake Stall - - - 90
Chequers Quiz Night - - - 259
Christmas Raffle - - - 206
Tea towels 100 - 100 467
Sutton Christmas Fayre - - - 15
Mepal Christmas Fayre - - - 40
Sleigh Event - - - 60
Big Splash - - - 99
Catering - - - 423
Coronation Street Party - - - 552
County Base Camp - - - 560
NHS BBQ - - - 119
Catering package - - **- ** -
321
Foss Fete BBQ - - - 563
Events-Cubs 2,305 - 2,305 -
Events-Squirrels 582 - 582 -
Events-RAF London 1,320 - 1,320 -
Events-Clip n Climb 168 - 168 -
Events-Cub Camp 2025 825 - 825 -
Events-Be Wild 529 - 529 -
Events-Other 3,818 - 3,818 -
County Award Event - - - 55
Hope Farm - - - 227

Wilburton Beer Festival		 - - - 1,472
Picnic in the Park - - -
432
Clearcom Buffet - - - 107
Sutton Fireworks 24 - - - 1,610
Afternoon Tea - - - 100
Haddenham Fireworks - - - 1,323
Event Profit 2024 - - - -
Events 2022 - - **- ** -
2,691
Sub total 31,039 - 31,039 5,767
Investment income -
Bank interest - 2,015 2,015 1,503
Sub total
Total Gross Income
Asset and investment sales, etc.
Total receipts		 - 2,015 2,015 1,503
-
63,419 2,035 65,454 29,691
- - - -
63,419
2,035
65,454		 29,691

LT700002 (July 2021)

1 of 3

1st Sutton Scout Group

Receipts and payments account

For the year 01.01.24 To 31.12.24 from

Receipts and payments

Payments
Charitable Payments

Membership subscriptions paid on		 7,659 - 7,659 5,029
Donations 2,404 - 2,404 -
Donations-CAF Donate 127 - 127 -
Donations-Sewing Fairy 19 - 19 -
Youth programme and activities - - - 2,232
Adult support and training 60 - 60 200
Rent-2023 356 - 356 2,760
Rent-2024 5,305 - 5,305 -
Insurance 533 - 533 489
Repairs and Renewals 226 - 226 85
Licensing 20 - 20 -
Materials and equipment **- ** - - 2,358
Printing and photocopying **- ** - - 5
Uniforms & badges 1,965 - 1,965 2,445
AGM and trustee expenses **- ** - - 416
Hut Specific Activity **- ** - - 119
Gifts 101 - 101 -
Participation Support 42 - 42 -
Expenses-OSM 230 - 230 -
Expenses-Scouts 218 - 218 -
Expenses-Cubs 560 - 560 -
Expenses-Beavers 967 - 967 -
Expenses-Squirrels 1,703 - 1,703 -
Expenses-Travel 111 - 111 -
Expenses-Group 449 - 449 -
Website 180 - 180 180
RBL Wreath 35 - 35 -
Event Expenses 206 - 206 -
Events-Cubs 1,434 - 1,434 -
Events-Squirrels 2,250 - 2,250 -
Events-Beavers 1,192 - 1,192 -
Events-RAF London 2,244 - 2,244 -
Events-Cub Camp 2025 656 - 656 -
Events-Clip n Climb 230 - 230 -
Events BeWild 1,073 - 1,073 -
Events-Archery 45 - 45 -
Sub total 32,601 - 32,601 16,318
Fundraising expenses -

Fundraising-2023		 2,633 - 2,633 -
Fundraising-2024 12,437 - 12,437 -
Fundraising-Tea Towels 696 - 696 -
Account fees 60 - 60 77
Account fees other (Virgin, CCVC, Scout manager) - - - 1,018
Go cardless 573 - 573 -
Transfers Between Accounts - - **- ** -
Other fundraising costs - - **- ** -
Sub total 16,399 - 16,399 1,095
Total Gross Expenditure
Asset and investment purchases, etc.
Total payments
Net of receipts/(payments)
Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end
49,000 - 49,000 17,413
49,000 - 49,000 17,413
14,419
2,035
16,454
12,278
93,345
-
93,345
81,067
107,764
2,035
109,799
93,345

LT700002 (July 2021)

2 of 3

1st Sutton Scout Group

Receipts and payments account

Year start date
Year end date
Year end date		 Year start date
Year end date
Year end date		 Year start date
Year end date
Year end date		 Year start date
Year end date
Year end date
For the year
from		 01.01.24 To 31.12.24
Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year

2024
2024
2024
2023
Unrestricted funds
Hut Funds
Total Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
Cash funds
Bank current account 22,525 - 22,525 12,713
Bank deposit account - 87,073 87,073 80,132
Building society account - - - -
The Scout Association Short Term Investment Service - - - -
Cash/Floats 200 - 200 500
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts andpayments account)		 22,725 87,073 109,798 93,345
Other monetary assets

Tax claim		 4,199 - 4,199 -
Outstanding subscriptions 580 - 580 -
Insurance claim - - - -
Sub total 4,779 - 4,779 -
Investment assets
Investment property-detail - - - -
Quoted investments - - - -
Other investments-detail - - - -
Sub total - - - -
Non monetary assets for charity's own use

Badge stock
Land and buildings - 14,534 14,534 14,534
Motor vehicles - - - -
Scouting equipment, furniture etc 1,714 - 1,714 1,714
Other
Sub total 1,714 14,534 16,248 16,248
Liabilities
Accounts not yet paid-Fireworks -
1,250		 **- ** -
1,250		 -
Accounts not yet paid-E Chamberlain -
2,628		 **- ** -
2,628		 -
Transfers between accounts due -
1,420		 1,420 - -
Expenses incurred but not invoiced-Kayak -
74		 **- ** -
74		 -
5,511
Restricted reserves-Hut Fund - -
9,528		 - -
Sub total -
5,372		 -
8,108		 -
3,952		 -
5,511
Total net assets 23,847 93,499 126,873 104,082

LT700002 (July 2021)

3 of 3

Independent Examiner's report to the Board of Trustees

of 1st Sutton Scout Group

I report on the accounts of the Scout Group for the year ended 31st December 2024.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's

trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the

Charities Act 2011 (the 2022 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

  1. Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act

  2. Follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission

(under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, and

  1. State whether any particular matters have come to my attention

Basis of Independent Examiner's Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to the matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has to my attention:

have not been met; or

2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

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 to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Victoria Cooper Date: 24.10.25

Red Shoes Accounting Services

181 Wisbech Road

Unit 7 E- Space North

Littleport

Cambridgeshire

CB6 1RA