2025-03-31-accounts

1[st] Corsham Scout Group

Trustee’s report for the period 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025

Section A – Reference and administration details

Charity name: 1[st] Corsham (Lord Methuen’s Own) Scout Group

The Group is registered with the Charity Commission, registration number 1059288.

The Charity’s principle address is:

Corsham Scout and Guide Headquarters The Laggar Corsham Wiltshire SN13 0DE

The Charity may be contacted through the Chairman as follows:

Chris Hyde 3 Potley Lane Corsham Wiltshire SN13 9RY

Throughout the year being reported on, the following have acted as Charity Trustees:

Chris Hyde - Chair

Roger Tigwell - Treasurer

Gayle Lui - Trustee

Drew Tigwell – Lead Volunteer

Sarah Ball, Trustee (Resigned 24/09/24)

Martin Lancashire – Trustee

Section B – Structure, governance and management

The Group is run as a Charitable Trust under the rules of The Charities Commission.

The Group’s governing documents are currently 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 (POR), specifically Rule 5.4, of the Scout Association.

A proposal, agreed by the Trustee Board, to continue to adopt the Group’s governing documents (Constitution) to be in line with those contained in Section 5.4 of the POR of the Scout Association is included in the Agenda for the Group AGM to be held on 24[th] September 2024.

The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the rules of The Charities Commission and Rule 5.4 of the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.

A Trustee Board acts as the governing body for the Charity, 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

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with legislation applicable to all charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

The Trustee Board consists of 3 independent representatives, Chair, Treasurer and Secretary together with the Group Scout Leader and 3 Trustees who are also Section Leaders. It meets six times per year.

The Trustee Board exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment and is responsible for:

• The maintenance of property owned by the Group;

• The raising of funds and the administration of Group finance;

• The insurance of person, property and equipment;

• Group public occasions;

• Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support;

• Appointing any sub-committees that may be required; and

• Appointing Group Administrators and Advisors other than those who are elected.

The Group has in place systems of internal controls, which are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include a requirement for two signatories for all major payments and a range of comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

With effect from April 2024, there have a number of changes and clarifications to section 5.4 of the POR relating to the appointment of Trustees, the role of the Trustees, how the Trustees manage the Trust and greater separation of Trust management from the day-to-day management of the Group. These changes are being phased in during 2024 and 2025.

Section C – Objectives and activities

The objectives of the Group are as a unit of the Scout Association.

The Aim of The Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided by adult leadership.

The Group meets the Charity Commission’s public benefit criteria through both of:

• The advancement of education; and

• The advancement of citizenship or community development.

Section D – Achievements and Performance

The Group continues to provide Scouting opportunities for young people in each of the available ageranges, catering for young people aged 6-14 years. It works in close partnership with the North Wiltshire District Explorer Scout Unit, which means that the full range of scouting provision is available locally. The Group provides the necessary infrastructure for this wide-ranging provision, including running two separate building locations and providing support and training for adult leaders.

The three sections continue to operate at or near capacity and provide a strong, progressive programme of adventurous and other activities. There is a bias towards water activities in the Scout section, as it is a Sea Scout Unit as designated by The Royal Navy.

Despite being one of the largest in the area the Group continues to find itself unable to meet all of the potential demand for places for young people at the Beavers and Cubs levels. The Trustee Board has concluded that at present, due to the hall and other facilities being in use by various sections of both the Scout Group and local Guiding Unit on each weeknight, it is not possible to extend the size of the sections

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or create additional ones. The Trustee Board will keep the situation under review. In the meantime enquiries where the Group is unable to provide a place are referred to other local Scout Groups. The Group has sufficient capacity to meet demand for Sea Scouts.

All of the activities of the Group are enabled through the hard work of a significant number of volunteers, fulfilling a diverse range of roles. There are no paid staff and the activities of the Charity would not be possible without this significant voluntary contribution.

Section E – Financial Review

The Group held total funds of £33,057, including the required reserves, at the year-end. This is an increase of £4817 on the previous year (FY2023/24 - £28,240) due entirely to timing differences as a result of income for camps and trips received at the end of 2024/25 with related expenditure happening early in 2025/26.

All three Sections (Beavers, Cubs and Sea Scouts) have been meeting normally throughout the year (including attending camps and going on trips) and normal membership subscriptions are in place. Although income levels are at usual levels, it has been necessary to waive or reduce membership subscriptions in a few cases, where families have been struggling under the current economic conditions. The Trustee Board has sanctioned these on the basis that financial conditions should not be a barrier to young people to prevent them having the opportunity to benefit by the activities the Scout Group can provide. Even though the Group itself is suffering from increased operation costs, based on the budgets and forecasts prepared for the last year and the coming year, the current level of annual income is sufficient to maintain normal operations and maintain the necessary reserves.

The Board’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 Trustee Board considers that the Group should hold a sum equivalent to at least 6 months total running costs - approximately £12,000. A sum equal to this is held in a notice term deposit account, to maximise earnings on the reserves held.

As part of a review of the existing building infrastructure, the Trustee Board has signed off on a necessary renewal of elements of the main hall fire alarm system and electrical system, as identified by external experts. The fire alarm system had a major overhaul during April 2024 and an annual maintenance contract has been entered into for ongoing maintenance. The electrical works have yet to be carried out, due mainly to the difficulty in finding a contractor to do the work. A number have been approached but no quotes have been received as yet. It is anticipated these works could cost in the region of £2,000. Funds are being kept aside to pay for these works.

Section G – Declaration

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above at the Trustee Board meeting held on 10[th] September 2024.

Signed on behalf of the Trustee Board on 4[th] September 2024:

----- Start of picture text -----
as - Chairman
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_________ Roger Tigwell - Treasurer

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Draft Charities Commission Accounts Submission - Year Ended 31st March 2025

Section A - Receipts and Payments

		Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds	Total funds	Prior year
	A1 Receipts
	Membership
	Membershipsubscriptioins	13,679			13,679	13,760
	lesspaid	(5,869)			(5,869)	(4,806)
	Total Membership	7,811	0	0	7,811	8,954
	Investment Income	441			441	420
	Fundraisng General	203			203	241
	Donations/Grants
	Guides contribution towards HQ running costs	4,800			4,800	4,674
	Activitycharges	16,021			16,021	11,350
	donations andgrants	2,503			2,503	500
	Gift Aid	2,719			2,719	2,695
	Sundry Receipts
	Hire of hall	2,272			2,272	2,791
	Sundries	0			0	62
	Sub-Total	36,769	0	0	36,769	31,688
	A2 Asset and Investment sales
	Asset sale	0	0	0	0	0
	Total Receipts	36,769	0	0	36,769	31,688
	A3 Payments
	Premises
	Ground rent	0			0	50
	Heat,light,water,etc.	2,927			2,927	3,357
	Insurance	3,593			3,593	3,299
	Cleaning	3,491			3,491	3,351
	Repairs and renewals	2,378			2,378	3,471
	Miscellaneous	742			742	751
	Insurance
	Boats	1,228			1,228	1,228
	Leaders	42			42	42
	Equipment

Purchase	1,275			1,275	191
Repairs	141			141	11
Training	75			75	177
Activities Expenditure	16,059			16,059	11,744
Sub-Total	31,952	0	0	31,952	27,673
A4 Asset and Investment Purchases	0	0	0	0	0
Total Payments	31,952	0	0	31,952	27,673
Net of Receipts/(Payments)	4,817	0	0	4,817	4,015
A5 Transfers Between Funds	0	0	0	0	0
A6 Cash Funds Last Year End	28,240			28,240	24,225
Cash Funds This Year End	33,057	0	0	33,057	28,240

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of theperiod	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of theperiod	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of theperiod	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of theperiod
Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets	Details	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £		Endowment funds to nearest £
	Group Accounts	33,057	-	-
		-	-	-
	Total cash funds	33,057	-	-
	Details
		Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £		Endowment funds to nearest £
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
	Details	Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional)		Current value (optional)

B3 Investment assets

B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use

B5 Liabilities

		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
Details	Fund to which **asset belongs **	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
Headquarters Building		-	1,168,795
Boathouse Building		-	134,216
Boats and Contents		-	135,650
Note - values shown above represent insured values		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
Details	Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees g[DLrr &Ro u P On accounts for the y8ar ended 31 /031 ?ozfj Charlty no (if any) losqzsg Set out on pages ITOmemb6r to include niiMkn￿ nf >A I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above chartty {Yhe Trust.) for the year ended 3110 312915. As tha charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of th6 accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Act"). Responslblllties and bas1$ of report I r8POrt In respect of my examination of the Trust'5 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 u of 18. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any materral respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance wrth section 130 of the Charities Act,. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements con￿rnIng the fomi and conlent of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an indep6ndent examination. I hav8 no concems and have come across no other matters in connection wilh the examination to which attention Should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Dato: Signed: Name.. k¥RT Sro Flrt OP HAAT6R&O 47(14 Relevant professional qualification{s) or body 6ftfE4r60 IER If .c.IA Oct 2018

(if any): Address: h& aiisewdy. Ippenham Wiltshire SN15 3DO Company No.. 13800518 mail.. chri Tel.. [phone] Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts- directions and guidance for examiners). Glvo he￿ briof details of any items that the examlnerwishes to dlsclose. IER Oct 2018