Scou *4,
Agenda
108[th] Ormskirk And District Annual General Meeting Wednesday 7th June 2023
| 1. | Presentation of the Flags |
|---|---|
| 2. | Opening Refection |
| 3. | District Chair’s Welcome |
| 4. | Apologies |
| 5. | Approval of the minutes of the 2022 AGM |
| 6. | Governance topics |
| 7. | Review of 2022/2023 |
| 8. | Appointments |
| 9. | Closing remarks |
| 10. | Withdrawal of Flags |
Minutes from the 107th AGM
Presentation of the Flags. By Callum Cochrane & Keith Thompson- thanks to Steve Kirby for organising.
Opening Refection. Opening reflection given by Rory Smith, Explorer Scout, “Always help your neighbours – to live a meaningful and happy life help others find happiness”.
Welcome. Heather Lomas, Chairman, welcomed everyone to 107[th] Annual General Meeting of the Ormskirk and District Scout Council.
Apologies. Apologies from invited guests; Mayor of West Lancs Cllr Marilyn Westley, Deputy Mayor of West Lancs Cllr Kate Mitchell, Father Godric of St Anne’s RC Church Ormskirk, Rev Pauline Bicknell of Ormskirk Parish Church, Rev Sue Guenault of Emmanuel Church, Karen Sutemire of Ormskirk Guides and Gail Stanley County President. Ormskirk & District Scouts leadership team; Jacob Richmond, ADC Scouts leaders at 56[th] , Eddie Webb of 44[th] , Ann Molyneux of 45[th] and Charlie and Lesley Cavaghan of 17th.
Approval of the minutes of 2021 Annual General Meeting. The 106[th] Annual General Meeting were proposed by Chris Lomas and seconded by Paula Slobin.
Presentation of the 2021/2022 Annual Report and Accounts. Thanks to the volunteers who have written the reports and to Liz Wainwright for producing the booklet. Thank you from District Chair to everyone for all the Scouting done this year.
Annual report – District Commissioner Chris Charlton thanks all the leaders who have provided such a wonderful return to face to face Scouting. Both the report and accounts were received and considered by the District Council via a show of hands.
Annual accounts – Chair of Finance Sub Committee, John Brindle gave an overview of changes and streamlining implemented to improve the financial management in the District. This includes changing online accounts and developing ways of working for District events such as RAG system and pro forma. There will be a new hardship fund to allow Scouting For All and the District Executive aims to appoint a bookkeeper following the resignation of the treasurer Les Davies since the last AGM.
Nomination of District Chair: Heather Lomas has been nominated by Chris Charlton to continue to be District Executive Committee Chair. This was approved by the Scout Council via a round of applause.
Nomination of District Secretary: Fay Voller was proposed by Paul Britton and seconded by Paul Cochrane to continue as Secretary of the District Executive Committee. There were no objections to this appointment.
Nomination of District Treasurer: John Brindle was proposed by Niamh Woodruff and seconded by Steph Forrest to be District Treasurer of the District Executive Committee. There were no objections to this appointment.
District Commissioner’s Nominations: Chris Charlton nominated Chris Nevill, Steve Swainson and Mike Nolan to serve on the District Executive Committee. There were no objections to these appointments.
Election of members to be on the District Executive – Luke Pargeter, Mike Pye and Hugh Miller were nominated by Dawn Corlett and seconded by Heather Cochrane to serve on the District Executive Committee. There were no objections to these appointments.
For reporting in minutes only, Ex Officio members on the District Committee due to their role in Scouts are Chris Charlton, District Commissioner, Niamh Woodruff, District Youth Commissioner, Colin Marshall District Explorer Scout Commissioner and Jenson Heptinstall District Scout Network Commissioner.
Approval of Scrutineers: Hirsch & co have been appointed to be scrutineers for 2022/23. The Scout Council approved via a show of hands and there were no objections.
District Commissioner’s Address – Chris Charlton. Wonderful to see lots of people all together at this AGM. Chris wanted to celebrate those receiving awards instead of making a speech.
Wood beads – Paula Slobin, ADC Beavers
Service awards –
5 years – Dawn Corlett
20 years – Mike Nolan
40 years – Margaret Iddon, Ann Simms
50 years – Mike Pye
Good Service Awards
Chief Scout Commendation – David Nolan
Award for Merit and 15 year service award – Steve Swainson
Award for Merit and 15 year service award – Mike Henty
Bar to the Award for Merit – Linda Nixon
Silver Acorn – Ian Flavell
Bar to Silver Acorn – Steve Kirby & Linda Kirby
Mr Fred Trophy for Beaver Leader of the Year presented by Paula Slobin to 1[st] Ormskirk Beaver leaders for working well together with a great programme and having Beavers getting top awards and youth led.
McGuire Shield for Cub Leader of the year presented by Paul Britton to Craig Kirby who is full of ideas and has great scouting programme, very outdoors based which the Cubs love.
Fillingham Trophy for Scout Leader of the year presented by Paul Cochrane on Jacob Richmond’s behalf to Jane Lea for keeping Scouts going throughout the pandemic and really encouraging her Scouts to take part.
Explorer Leader of the year was awarded by Colin Marshall to Leigh Phillips. Leigh passed away in April therefore Steph Phillips and Mike Phillips accepted in his memory. Leigh was invaluable at Equinox ESU and was always willing to help and lead Explorers when kayaking and cycling.
Young Leader of the year presented by Colin Marshall to Isaac Walton for all his help at 30[th] . He also wrote a murder mystery activity which was made free to other Scout groups and has been completed by over 300 people around the world.
Explorer of the year presented to Rory Smith, dependable and always there when needed and helping new members of the unit.
John Pye Trophy being presented by Liz Roberts for SASU member of the year jointly to Helen and John Broady they are always willing to assist and always in the background helping out, providing lifts and more.
Youth Shaped Award presented by Niamh Woodruff to 42[nd] Ormskirk, a group that have had their young people involved throughout the programme, throughout the year.
Gary Beeley Award for contribution by a lay member presented by Chris Charlton to John Brindle for joining Scouting just 3 years ago and is now the District Treasurer. He has been instrumental in improving the financial management of the district.
Bob Powell Trophy for contribution to Scouting across a broad front presented to Paula Slobin for being involved in so much for the District.
A new award Billy Duncan Award for Inclusion – Billy was a key member of 37[th] Ormskirk and provided advice on inclusion at a district level - awarded to Bubble Factor Explorer Leaders and Explorer Scouts for ensuring that every member could take part.
County Commissioner Craig Dewar-Willox introduced special guests Colonel Mike Glover and David Thornton. Colonel Mike Glover introduced the Scouts Silver Challenge Cup to be presented and talked about the importance of Scouting especially during the pandemic. The Cup dates from 1909 initially as a military cup. In 2009 it was donated to Scout Museum at Waddecar and now is awarded to a member each year in either West Lancs, East Lancs or Greater Manchester North Counties to worthy recipients either meritorious conduct or for Scouting skills of great standing. The Cup this year is presented to Emma Aggrey an Explorer Scout who has been a wonderful ambassador for Scouts particularly during the pandemic, is involved with media work at a national level and the National Thank You Day. Emma has also been recognised by Downing Street.
At the end of the meeting, County Commissioner, Craig said how enjoyable it was to return to face to face AGMs to congratulate the volunteers for their work over the past two years. Thank you to all the volunteers who always give more than an hour a week. We do it because we care and we know that Scouting is needed to bring young people back together after the pandemic.
Chris Charlton presented the final award – the Silver Wolf, the top Award in Scouting – to Hilda Powell, who has been in the District for many years and had many roles, GSL, Cub leader, training leader, District Secretary and more.
Congratulations to 1[st] Class for winning the quiz
Withdrawal of flags at 8:55pm
Chair’s Report
Welcome to the 108th Annual report for Ormskirk and District Scouts. As the reports from Chris and each of the sections have been arriving in the inbox, it has been lovely to read about all the wonderful experiences young people and adults in Scouting have had over the last 12 months.
We should be very proud of the work we do in the community and the impact we have on young people. Please do take some time to read and reflect on the fantastic year we have had.
As we look ahead we have lots of exciting changes across the whole organisation in the next 12 months. The trustees are looking forward to playing their part in ensuring a warmer welcome for volunteers, and supporting the district to adapt and make the most of the new opportunities.
Thank you for all that you do, each and every week.
Heather Lomas - District Chair
Financial Report -m=bith and Dirict AOLrt CrlI :t•t•m•rrt of Artrbfjt: fty trey••rwd•LI 31# M•rch X123 £ .330.78 fund: Y•r 21rd2 £ 7.840.00 £ 15.621.00 12.523.931 £ 12.523.931 5.225.15 £ 4.225.15 £ i.0.00 12.219.32 £ .12454 £ P05.221 38.3a £ 2.727.33 £ 12,688.991 59.038.31 £ .&7155 £ 4,565.76 480.00 £ 1480.001 1.646.00 £ 3.415.00 £ 11.769.001 15.00 15.00 3B15.00 £ 10.52soo £ 16,710001 27.691.06 £ 34.80&02 £ 17,Ila.961 Dcffiatio. gft ah Tradry ArrirM=tration ktivrtvè: evw £ 11.537.951 £ 1148.001 Train kntw"A)ut w•nts PrprTh w. HQ TedebPr¥ knve#men £ 12.301.001 Mi:tèllanèr•Je CPt. Ci:tritt Awt"JKP ":trirt Bèdgt: ci.trrt Exp•. Total: 449.00 52500 £ 5.676.00 £ 1.900.IXI £ 3.173.1)0 £ 31.197.05 18.272.00 £ .000.36 £ 271.64 8.611.25 £ 3.703.89 £ 4.907.36 37.62602 £ .53158 £ 13.906561 171.673.52 £ I87.0.42 £ 115.338.901 Total IrKcffle Totsl Balance 171.673.52 £ I87.0.42 £ 115.338.901 t£mpnt olAl. Liiktiv_ at 3Lt M¥th 2023 Cwir¥J balance Oo=ry balarKe arye 70,141.08 £ 102.555.93 £ 3?,41a.85 13,391.00 £ 9.745.36 £ 13,645.641 14,794.70 £ .143.19 £ 12.651.511 4.907.36 £ 4,907.36 £ 11,004.001 CAF Di=trKt Ge wIp. CAF Ex4lLYer Ac(Lnt CAF AoJtthq) Ca=h in Ha 1.004.00 £ Delt: due bj di.trid Loan: bydi:trict from Its•Lly:I 300.00 £ 29300 £ 1300.001 185_961 207.04 £ 148 001 £ 14&072001 £ 145.024 001 150.001 oui.hop cr. Totsl Mort•y A..ets 99.825.78 £ 8d.48a88 £ 115.338.901 5.184.00 £ 5.2C&I.00 4.785.01 170.957.00 £ IKs.957.IXI 3,706.00 £ 3.7C6.00 18.687.00 £ .687.00 "AOUL thcp: :trk (Le. fftiry= F4LMFment
District Commissioner’s Report
Thank you to all the leaders and young people who make Ormskirk & District the best District in West Lancs. We had the biggest growth in the County last year, which is a testament to the dedication and commitment of every single volunteer in the District. Congratulations and well done Team Ormskirk & District.
With the support of the County Development Officers, we have been able to offer assistance to more groups this year, once again bringing in new young people and adults. We will continue to try and provide help where it is most needed as well as offering advice and guidance for groups to find their own ways. Thank you to those members of the District Support Team who have provided leadership at group level to help bridge gaps in adult volunteers. It has been very much appreciated.
You will be able to read the section reports separately, but as we have no Assistant Distract Commissioner Squirrels yet, here is a brief update on our newest section. We now have 6 Squirrel Dreys with another couple in the pipeline. They have great fun and it is a pleasure to visit the dreys and see the enthusiasm and range of activities on offer. Since they were allowed to camp from the beginning of February there have been 3 Squirrel sleepovers. Well done to all the leaders.
The highlights of the year for me have been the coming together of the District, starting with the Gathering in September. This involved nearly 800 young people and adults, demonstrating that Scouting is alive and well and an integral part of the community. It was followed by Remembrance Sunday when Scouting was represented at more than a dozen parades throughout the whole District. Finally, in this 2022-2023 Scouting Year we had a fantastic celebration of St Georges Day with a parade through Ormskirk and promise renewal in Coronation Park.
I am looking forward to celebrating with and recognising the achievements of our amazing adult volunteers at the AGM.
Finally, I make no apology for repeating my closing statement from last year. Each and every one of you is a valued member of Ormskirk & District and you all have my heartfelt thanks for everything you do. Keep up the good work.
Chris Charlton - District Commissioner
NES ST
It has been a fantastic 12 months for the Squirrel Section. The 2 original groups - 42nd Skelmersdale and Crawford, both have full dreys and waiting lists. The drey numbers in the District are growing. Leaders are planning and delivering exciting programmes for 4 and 5 year olds in many groups. These include the 9th, 40th, 45th and 46th with new ones opening in the coming year, among those the 37th.
It has been a very exciting and fun-filled 12 months as these youngsters, their adult team and their parents, enjoy Scouting activities that are age appropriate.
During the last 12 months Scouting has provided our squirrels with lots of new activities. They have visited Waddecar for the wonderful Puddle and Waddle event; experiencing low ropes, water fights and bubbles by the millions! In addition they went looking for hundreds of plastic ducks which certainly laid the foundations for when they become Explorers.
They attended Waddecar at Christmas during the Winter Wonderland event. The range of craft activities provided was superb with the added bonus of a relaxing chat with Santa (the Squirrels did wonder why he was in the back of a box trailer).
In September, they joined the District at the Gathering. In addition to the exciting activities, many of the Squirrels were in awe at seeing so many tents in one place. Some of the Squirrels had never even seen one tent before!
Many dreys are having a positive impact on their local community too - they receive wonderful reactions when out and about in the community. Some have forged links with their local care home - visiting to share HM Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebration and again, at Christmas to share singing Christmas carols. The joy on the residents' faces is a special memory.
In January, HQ gave permission for Squirrels to have nights away. This too, has proved to be a success. The excitement of having a sleepover is contagious. Once again, leaders are able to provide new, exciting experiences including campfires, making S'mores and hiking which gives the young people a foundation on which to build their Scouting skills. To look at a campfire burning and listen to the clear, happy voices of Squirrels singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while some are gazing at the clear, dark sky was a special moment.
The popularity of Squirrels is a clear indicator of the need for this provision across the District. All Squirrel teams are looking forward to begin networking and, hopefully share joint events as we look forward to the coming year.
*y t4EhVEI<S
It’s been a busy year for the Beaver section and I’m happy to see lots of colonies getting out and about and enjoying themselves. We have seen huge growth in numbers for the last 12 months with an additional 66 Beavers being counted on the recent census, so well done to everyone doing their bit and continuing to provide exciting programs that keep Beavers interested.
The usual array of activities have been provided by both the District and County, including the annual pantomime at Burscough Methodist starring our own district Leader Ann Molyneux from the 45th. We could have sold over half our allocation again (if we had the space) so this event was once again really well attended. We had a visit to the Fun Factor again this year and it’s nice to see some different colonies joining in with us. This year will be our second outdoor camp at Tawd Vale and we’re hoping to build on the numbers we got last year and get some new colonies coming along too. Last year we had over 100 people on our first outdoor camp and we are looking forward to this year’s event. We are hoping that this will give leaders the confidence to take their Beavers on an outdoor adventure themselves.
There have been sleepovers going on all over the District and this is great to see, it’s even better to see those leaders who got their permits this time last year doing camps and indoor sleepovers with their own colonies. To see them grow in confidence is brilliant, so well done to those leaders. On the subject of camps and nights away, at last September’s annual District Gathering we had 144 Beavers attending and of those, 40 stayed the 2 days and 30 stayed for 1 night. I would love to see us increase those numbers this year and can’t wait to get camping again.
We have had colonies attend County events like Puddle and Waddle, which this year is also going to be an overnight stay, so I hope lots of colonies will enjoy that. We have a great variety of activities that are put on for us by the County Team to supplement what we do in our own colonies so I want to encourage Groups to make use of pre planned and organised events.
It’s been another good year for the Chief Scout Bronze awards and I have been out and about in the District visiting groups and talking to their Beavers about what they have done to achieve our top section award. I have enjoyed a variety of chats about different topics and I have even had a mini concert on the keyboard from a Beaver at the 9th who played the theme tune to Harry Potter among other things.
Here’s to another great year of Scouting in the Beaver section, more fun and games and hopefully more Beavers getting the top award.
From the District Team and myself, including our newest member Ann (from the 1st who was recruited this year) thanks for all you do. Thank you for supporting events we put on and keeping things ticking over in your own colonies.
Paula Slobin - Assistant District Commissioner Beaver Scouts
Cubs have had a busy 12 months, starting with County Cub camp at Waddecar in June. A new feature was a hike (up to the top of Beacon Fell) on the Sunday. We combined our camping area and activities with Chorley, lots of fun was had by all who attended and we nearly created another district – Chormskirk!.
Later in the year, following a good attendance at the Gathering, Cubs went to the Crocky Trail in Cheshire and spent the day on the trail and many rides that are there. They even managed to get me to go down one of the slides -the biggest of course! A couple of months later, we went to Chester Zoo.
Earlier this year, we had over 100 Cubs on the ski slopes at Ski Rossendale and spent time having taster sessions on skis and tubing. We also took part in the County Adventure Day at Bibby’s Farm, Chorley.
In February and March, a few packs took part in the Jambowlree competition in Hollywood Bowl, Wigan and over the space of a couple of weeks, over 200 Cubs went bowling to see where their pack would be placed in the world ranking published later this year.
We have also presented over 60 Chief Scout Silver Awards which is wonderful and a testament to the leaders to provide the programme to do this. The children that are receiving these should be proud of what they have done as they have stuck to Scouting through lockdown and come out the other side with a sense of achievement. There will be a recognition day in July to celebrate the fantastic work that the children have put in to gain this award.
I would like to thank Anne Gilham & Mike Selway for the support that have given me coming out of lockdown as well as Chris Charlton who although I have lost from my District Team, still supports me when her time allows.
I say it every year and there is no exception this year. Thank you to everyone who has provided Scouting to the children in the District. Your enthusiasm and energy is a testament to the safe, fun, exciting and adventurous activities that you provide for the Cubs, giving them #skillsforlife.
Paul Britton - Assistant District Commissioner Cub Scouts
Scouts
Another great twelve months of amazing #skillsforlife has seen some fantastic opportunities for the young people of Ormskirk & District: from nights away experiences, adventurous activities, exciting challenges as well as huge numbers achieving their Chief Scout Gold Awards.
As part of our District offering, we welcomed the return of Operation Overlander, with many thanks going to Charlie Frankland for organising a great weekend. I look forward to continuing our expedition events each year, with the return of Solstice this month! This will give Scouts the opportunity to combine their skills from their whole time in Scouting. They will be leading and taking part in a two-day expedition. Scouts are challenged to become more self-sufficient whilst taking part in activities such as geocaching and backwoods cooking.
Red Rose 2022 brought a third of our Scout troops together as a contingent, with 58 Scouts taking part in an action-packed week of exploration, adventure, water and fun activities and evening entertainment in the ‘Wild West’ of the Lake District. A huge thank you to all the leaders who took an active role to enable our Scouts to have a memorable week, and I look forward to seeing even more troops taking their Scouts on Red Rose 2024.
A massive thank you goes to Andrew Senior and his team for organising The Gathering 2022, with 199 Scouts taking part in the fantastic weekend: more than any other section! I cannot wait to see even more in 2023 having a taste of the awesome weekend, including new activities! It was great to see an increase in Scout teams at Moonlight 2023.
We took 21% more Scouts to County Rally for a huge range of activities from high ropes to water sports, from chess to tomahawk throwing! This huge increase demonstrates the commitment of our leaders in adventures and opportunities for Scouts, and it was great to see troops who were joining for the first time in some years. I’d like to thank Lorraine Murt and Jane Lea, Ruth Johnston and Linda Nixon for stepping up to the plate to organise the weekend in my absence.
With the help of Erin, our Youth Commissioner, and her Meet Up and Speak Up sessions, I’ll be running more youth-shaped events to complement the troops’ programmes. I look forward to hearing from more and more Chief Scout Gold awardees on their Scouting journey, as well as supporting troops develop and grow, taking on new activities, challenges and nights away experiences over the next twelve months.
Jacob Richmond - Assistant District Commissioner Scouts
Thank you to everyone involved in the Explorer section for making the last 12 months so enjoyable and rewarding. The units have all delivered good programmes every week and the work put in to this is very well worthwhile. Unit leadership teams have strengthened and a new Unit was started in October at Tarleton called Salamander ESU.
The District programme of events included the monthly walking days which regularly see two minibuses of Explorers heading into the hills. The beach night in July was very well attended with 2 volleyball courts needed for so many.
The Ormskirk Red Rose team made it possible for a large contingent of Ormskirk Explorers to attend this week long camp in August. They have already started planning for Red Rose 2024. September saw even more Explorers at Mersey Moot and then two weeks later at the Gathering where the Explorers got to join in with the weekend before heading off to Liverpool Docks for the Aqua park. On the weekend in between there were unit teams at the Mountain Adventure Challenge in the Lake District.
In November a new District Explorer fun night was introduced which was roller skating. This went down very well and with 70 members attending. I was made to dance Cotton Eye Joe in roller skates – it was not easy! December saw the Mini Moonlight competition which was preparation for Moonlight in January where all units had at least one team entering. Young Leader training was held which was very popular and will be held more regularly in the future. These young people are a great asset to groups as well as the young people learning new skills whilst there. March saw the return of the Go Karting competition at Burscough where everyone got to be a racing driver for the night. The competition was won by Equinox and it was fitting that they were the first unit to receive the Leigh Phillips trophy which was presented in his memory after he very sadly passed away last year.
The London Monopoly Run camp with Fylde and South Ribble went ahead in April for the first time since 2019. Teams had the chance to see London before competing in teams to find the locations and score the valuable points. The District Explorer Camp on the first May bank holiday weekend to Kielder (Hawkhirst Scout Camp) in its second year was just as successful as the first with expert instruction on sailing and canoeing as well as fun on paddle boards before finishing with climbing and abseiling.
Forums were held and views from Explorers given with some attending the County forums. There have been Platinum Awards, Diamond Awards and Young Leader Belts presented within the District and it was good to see members, now in Network, receiving their Queens Scout Awards at Windsor.
It has been a busy year and we will continue to build on the success of the last 12 months. Thank you to the Groups for your support for District Explorers and individually to Units, we hope these links remain and grow stronger.
Colin Marshall - District Explorer Scout Commissioner
Network. A group of shenaniganisers, tomfools, and - most importantly - crazed clowns. The often forgotten section of 18 - 25 year olds is THRIVING in District! We are having the best time in the world taking the District by storm! Since our first meeting in November 2022 we have grown and grown and grown with numbers increasing each passing month! Our exciting and fun-filled programme has seen us camping, paddleboarding, escape-rooming, and - surprisingly to most it seems - has seen few pub visits with no meeting being held at the pub since our rebirth!!
We would like to welcome our latest member in the form of our Lead Volunteer, Jacob O'Connor!! We can't wait to push you in the lake, cover you in edible glitter, and all manner of pranks imaginable!!
We are greatly looking forward to the summer with Ormskirk-opoly, camping, bbqing, beaching, and much, much more on the horizon!! We would love you to join us on our next Network adventure.
District Youth Commissioner’s
Report
I’m Erin District Youth Commissioner for Ormskirk District Scouts. I’ve only been in this role since January so really been finding my feet and attending District Team and Exec meetings. I’m also very fortunate to have a Deputy Youth Commissioner Rhys Evans who is currently away on teaching placement but will return in September.
As a member of Network, Rhys and I have been working on supporting Network with recruitment as we have only recently appointed a Network Commissioner. We officially meet every month and started with 4 members in our first meeting and now have 22 so we’re growing. The last meeting, we had 12 members paddle boarding.
Linking is vital so now we have Network moving forward we’re now focusing on more linking sessions with Explorers to Network. This in turn then means we build linking to assist with Scouts moving to Explorers so I’ll be working at up-and-coming events like Monopoly run and in September the Gathering as the older sections will be there. This top-down approach will continue through the younger sections and we will be working with the District Team this year on plans.
In March the County ran a “meet up and speak up” event which I was involved with, and the aim was to get feedback from the Scouts, Explorers and Network sections. Ormskirk & District filled our places which was a brilliant turn out, so thank you to those who turned up. At County Rally I took the opportunity to speak to the Scouts and got some good feedback of what they’d like to see more of on a District level which gives an opportunity for me to feedback to the District Team.
Many of you will have seen me at St. George’s Day as I was given the role to assist with co-ordinating young people during the event and also renewal of the promise and law. I feel very privileged to be given this responsibility and look forward to new and exciting times ahead.
Erin McGee - District Youth Commissioner
Scout Active Support Unit
(Crew)
It has been another active year for Crew with some great opportunities to support activities across the District. The majority of members also hold other appointments within the District but through volunteering with Crew, they can provide an active support to specific activities. Below are some key areas where members have been involved with other the last 12 months.
Red Rose 2022: Many of our members were up as staff on Red Rose 2022 providing adventurous activities for those attending this great international camp. We’re excited to see Red Rose 2024 being advertised and we already have people signing up to support this event and we’d encourage all groups in the District to take part.
District Gathering: Crew were on hand to support the Gathering Team with activities. It was great to see the District camp return following Covid and wonderful to see so many young people at Tawd Vale enjoying the event.
Operation Moonlight: Our largest event of the year saw over 700 participants take part in Operation Moonlight. With around 120 teams entered it was the largest one to date and all had a great time taking part.
Monthly Walks: Our members organise monthly walks for the Explorer Scout which, with significant support from the Explorer admin, ensure that most months we have 20+ Explorers, accompanied by adults out on the hills. These monthly walks are a great opportunity for the Explorers to get out regularly walking and improving their navigation. It also enables many of our adult volunteers to build up their logbooks and experience to help them gain permits in the future. We regularly share the pictures from these events on the District Facebook group and it is clear how much fun and adventure the young people (and adults) get out of these.
Richard Charnock - Scout Active Support Manager
Scout Active Support Unit
We have been very active this year, a few of us went up to Red Rose to see what an international camp looks like, we were impressed and think we would like to attend in a larger group next time.
In August we had afternoon tea in O’Briens.
In September we attended the Gathering on a very sunny Saturday.
October was busy we helped at the Orienteering competition and also supported Bibby’s Farm with Halloween and we had a games night of our own and enjoyed the annual Scouting ball.
November we reminisced with an evening of song ‘Old time music hall’
December is Carols in the Park (church) and Santa visits some groups, unfortunately this year due to bad weather and ill health we cancelled our Xmas party.
January was Burns Night, a Silent Auction and then we catered at the Moonlight.
In March we had a St. Patrick’s evening, went to a show in Southport.
April we celebrated the Coronation with a supper and a royal quiz.
We have, throughout the year, supported the Shop (Carol and Ian). Bronze and Silver awards, St. George’s Day and Remembrance Sunday Parades, open night at 61st.
We are always looking for new members, we enjoy life, volunteering and having a good laugh, we have members in their 30s and some will be 90 soon, so never too late to join.
Helen Broady - Scout Active Support Manager
Assistant District
Commissioner (Activities)
Young people have had some great fun and gained valuable experience doing Scouting activities this year. Once again huge thanks go to John Lechmere for his continued support with kayaking and canoeing in the District. Along with helpers, he has organised British Canoe Union training so Scouts can achieve qualifications, firstly in the pool at Nye Bevan and then on open water trips in the Lake District and Lancaster.
Explorer walking days have been very well supported and are frequently oversubscribed. Many thanks go to Dawn Corlett, Richard Charnock and the numerous leaders who make these days such a success.
A new shooting team is growing, beginning at the Gathering last year. Paul Massam, who is kindly leading on shooting, has been joined by several more leaders who have gaining the NSRA qualification.
Last month five leaders completed their qualification to run taster sessions in fencing. Funding is being sought for our own equipment, meanwhile this can be hired so fencing sessions could be starting very soon.
Unfortunately, we have lost the use of Rock and River for climbing and are currently looking for a suitable alternative. However, several groups have used the Climbing Hangar Liverpool for bouldering and we have a new climbing permit holder, Sally Coventry, who gained her permit recently.
There is a review ongoing of how we provide leaders with permit opportunities and a new activity booking system via the website is on the way. Enormous thanks go to every permit holder and supporter who has helped Scouts try out exciting activities over the past year.
We look forward to growing our District activities and future progress.
Pat Fairclough - Assistant District Commissioner Activities
Badge Secretary’s Report
This past year has seen a fabulous bounce back on badges since the lockdown era. Lots of Activity Badges and Challenge Awards given out and more importantly, lots of the top awards – The Chief Scout Awards given to members.
Section numbers are as follows:
| Section | Activity BadgesChallenge Awards |
Activity BadgesChallenge Awards |
Chief Scout Awards |
Staged Badges – all Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squirrels | 168 | 110 | 10 | |
| Beavers | 1503 | 482 | 56 | |
| Cubs | 1449 | 869 | 65 | |
| Scouts | 453 | 538 | 33 | |
| Explorers | 14 | 15 Platnum | ||
| All Sectons | 2475 |
Well done to everyone for helping all Sections to achieve their badges whilst having fun and enjoying the adventure.
Anne Gilham - District Badge Secretary
Adult Training
Another 12 months and I still have not been able to spend as much time as I would like on encouraging leaders to complete their training.
Adult training is an important part of the Scout Association safeguarding and safety policy. The wellbeing of the young people is paramount, and all training helps our young people and adults enjoy their Scouting safely. Thank you to everyone who has completed any training this year. Our compliance figures are good, but as with everything we can still do a little better.
Thank you to all my Training Advisors for helping leaders to complete training, with a special thank you to Linda Nixon and Liz Roberts for running a series of validation sessions to accommodate those leaders who need that extra bit of encouragement. Also, thanks to my Training Administrator, Mike Selway, who has put all the completed modules on Compass, an essential part of the process.
First Aid is very nearly up to date, and we only have a few leaders whose training is overdue. District, County and National are working very hard to facilitate offering enough courses to now keep everyone First Aid refreshed every 3 years.
If anyone would like to help with any aspect of training please let me know.
Chris Charlton
I, <)
Legal & Administrative Details
Ormskirk & District Scouts
Registered Charity No. 1068959
District Registration The Scout Association 12911 Governing Instrument The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association by authority of a Royal Charter dated January 1912.
Aims
Our mission - Scouting actively engages and supports young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.
Our values - We act with care, respect, integrity, cooperation, exploring our own and others’ beliefs.
Legal and Administrative information
Principal Bankers
CAF Bank Ltd
25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ
Investment The Scout Association, Short Term Investment Service, Gilwell Park, Bury Road, Chingford, London E4 7QW
Independent Examiner Alan Venn
71 Claughton Avenue Clayton-le-Woods, Leyland Web Site www.ormskirkscouts.org.uk District HQ Hall Lane, Lathom, L40 5UQ Contact Address 4 St. Michael’s Park, Aughton, L39 6TF
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2023.
The Legal and administrative information as set out forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice. - Accounting and Reporting by Charities. The accounts have been drawn up on a Receipts and Payments basis, which is consistent with the previous year.
Trustees
The District is a trust established under the rules of The Scout Association, which are common to all Groups, Districts, and Counties.
Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation & Rules of The Scout Association. No Trustee had a personal interest in any assets of the Ormskirk & District Scouts.
District Executive Committee
| Trustees: Ex-Offcio | District Commissioner Chris Charlton |
|---|---|
| District Chairman Heather Lomas | |
| Deputy District Chair John Brindle | |
| District Secretary Fay Voller | |
| District Explorer Scout Commissioner Colin Marshall | |
| District Network Commissioner Jenson Heptinstall | |
| District Youth Commissioner Niamh Woodruff (Until January 2023) | |
| District Youth Commissioner Erin McGee (From January 2023) | |
| Trustees: Elected | Luke Pargeter |
| Hugh Miller | |
| Mike Pye | |
| Trustees: Nominated | Steve Swainson |
| Chris Nevill | |
| Michael Nolan |
Scouts Thank you