2026-03-31-accounts

1[st] Bishopsteignton Scout Group Trustees Annual Report year ending 31st March 2026

Registered Charity No. 1079871

The Group Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2026.

The registered address is at: Barnwood, 22 Murley Crescent, Bishopsteignton, Teignmouth, TQ14 9SH.

The Charity Trustees are:

Elaine Cawthraw Chairman Adam Livett Treasurer Ben Randall Sally Livett Ex-Officio Roy O’Mahony Gail Miles Liz Gardner Matt Neale Ewan Davy Katie Smith Helen Wavish Vicki Gardner

The independent examiner of the accounts is Mr. Ian Johnson The Charity’s bankers were Nat West, Lloyds, Aldermore and Cambridge & Counties BS.

The Group Executive (Trustees) present their report and accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2026.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing document - The Group's governing documents are 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 of The Scout Association.

How the Group is constituted and trustees’ selection methods - The Group is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts and Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

The Group is managed by the Group Trustee Board, 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 consists of The Chair, Treasurer, 1 Ex-officio and 9 Trustees. It meets 3 times a year. The Board members complete ‘Being a Scout Trustee’, Safety, Creating Inclusion, Safeguarding and Data Protection in Scouts learning within the first 6 months of joining the Board.

The Group trustees ensure the charity is well-managed, risks are assessed and mitigated and equipment are in good working order and everyone adheres to the organisation’s policies and rules. Their support helps other volunteers run high-quality and safe programmes that gives young people the skills for life.

Risk and Internal Control

The Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed, these they have reviewed and action taken to mitigate them.

The group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments and a comprehensive insurance policy to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

Lack of a permanent meeting place – The Group has been without a permanent meeting place since the closure of the old scout hut in 2017. Primarily, we are reliant on Bishopsteignton Primary School allowing us to use the school for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and some Teign Explorer meeting. The Squirrels meet in the Bishopsteignton Methodist Church. Should either of these establishments wish to terminate our rental arrangements, we would find it difficult to find other suitable accommodation within the village. Hiring the Community Centre or the Village Hall would be unaffordable. Storage for our resources is problematical in both the school and Methodist Church and all leaders have to store items in their own homes.

Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members – The Group through the capitation fees contributes to the Scout Associations national accident and public liability insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities. We also have additional Personal Accident and Medical Expenses Insurance for Non-Members and Supporters with Unity.

Reduced income – The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The group holds a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Board could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the group on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.

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

Reduction or loss of members . The Group provides activities for all young people aged 4 to 18. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular section or the group as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst case

scenario the complete closure of the Group.

Aims and objectives

Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. https://www.scouts.org.uk/por/1-fundamentals-of-scouting/

The primary objective is to provide scouting activities for the benefit of the young people in Bishopsteignton and surrounding areas.

All activities are carried out by volunteers. When planning activities and funding we bear in mind the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit.

The focus of our activities remains those of the Scout Movement and the support of a programme of youth orientated activities and events. This benefits young people by developing their self-confidence and social, practical and life skills.

Financial and fundraising review

The Group’s main income is from members’ subscriptions and fees towards camping activities. We encourage tax payers to complete a gift aid form. We also fundraise for monies to financially support children from families on low incomes, purchase equipment, a new HQ build project and jamboree camps.

The Group’s bankers are Lloyds, Aldermore and Cambridge and Counties Building Society.

At the end of the financial year our account balance is £169,580 of which: - £6,000 is held on reserves as per adopted reserves policy £9,108 unrestricted funds £153,958 is designated funds for building project, jamborees £515 restricted low-income family support grant.

We are achieving interest in excess of 4% on all our investments.

Throughout the financial year subscriptions per term were £40.

We are extremely grateful to all our fundraisers who work so hard to raise much-needed funds. The support from the community has been heart-warming and everyone has had a lot of fun along the way. The new build project is on hold and the fundraising team is currently focussing on raising funds through events and grants for the Kandersteg Jamboree expedition in August 2027.

Treasurer’s Report

Report Financial Year 2025/26 (ending 31st March 2026)

Income

• Subs are slightly down by £502, or 7%, reflecting a drop in numbers.

• Bank interest is up by £502 as rates have been improving.

• Fund raising £5270 consists mainly of the Christmas raffle, a Devon Educational Trust

• grant of £500 and a generous donation from the Ian Grey memorial fund of £517.

Expenditure

• Lloyds bank has started charging us for paying in cash since November, only £33 this

• year but we need to be aware of it going forward.

• Although not explicitly shown, OSM cost us £467.90 in transaction fees (approximately 3.25%). The fixed fee for using OSM was an additional £127. We have decided to use bacs payments instead of OSM to collect Kandersteg payments from parents as the OSM fees are so high and payment is typically held up for 2 or 3 days. These payments all go through the Teign Explorer account.

• Camps and activities have been approximately covered by the fees paid. More than 50% of the £5511 camp expenditure was paid by Teign Explorers, who attended our summer scout camp, Christmas scout camp and Woodlands fun day.

• The fundraising and grants expenditure of £4318 includes: A grant of £500 to Phoebe Gardner towards the 2027 World Scout Jamboree in Poland. This money was originally raised for the cancelled 2020 Poland jamboree and has been ringfenced since then.

£3356, the proceeds from the Christmas raffle transferred to Teign Explorers to subsidise individual Kandersteg payments, as agreed with trustees.

Kandersteg International Camp August 2027

• Kandersteg finances are complicated by the trip being promoted and run by Bishopsteignton Scouts but attended by scouts from both Bishopsteignton and Shaldon scouts plus Teign Explorers.

• The trip involves 8 leaders and 32 young people. Teign Explorers is managed under Teignbridge District financial governance and is not part of Bishopsteignton Scout Group. The trip cost is approximately £1500 per person, or £60,000 in total. Some of the scouts will become Explorers over the 2-year period between the deposits being taken and the trip. We have decided with District approval to use the Explorer account to manage this camp financially, so all parental and leader personal payments go into that account directly and all camp payments go out from there. However, some fund raising done by Bishopsteignton Scouts for the camp has been and will be transferred to the Teign Explorer account in agreement with trustees.

Running Costs

• Capitation was £70 pp, up from £68 last year

• Subs plus gift aid aid at £8010 roughly covered our annual running costs of £8090 (i.e.

• all costs except fundraising and grants).

We are very grateful to Mr Ian Johnson who has independently examined the accounts with no concerns noted.

Adam Livett

Treasurer

The Investment Policy

The Group's Income and Expenditure is very small and as a consequence does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer-term investments such as stocks and shares. The Group

has therefore adopted a low-risk strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies. The Trustees 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 Trustees considers the cash flow requirements.

The Reserves Policy

The Group's policy on reserves is to hold an amount of £5000 to cover one year's normal expenditure to cover hiring of premises, all insurance premiums and capitation. This amount will be reviewed annually.

Policies

The Group adopts all the recommended policies as per the Scout Association Policies, Organisation and Rules. Particular emphasis this year has been on Safeguarding and Safety. All Trustees have read the recent Charity Commission’s Regulatory Advice Note and have noted any policy amendments.

Lead Volunteer’s Report

Group wide activities

All sections attended the St George’s Day campfire at Luxton beach in a challenging easterly wind and several scouts and Explorers read at the Remembrance Sunday at the war memorial Liz organised carol singing at the local care homes in December, attended by squirrels, beavers and cubs

Camping:

30 Scouts and Explorers held a successful 5-night summer camp at Huish Woods, enjoying a Baden Powell Heritage Day, fancy dress challenge, Taunton selfie challenge, colour war day, archery, woodcraft skills and cooking on fires.

Cubs held their traditional annual weekend camp at Broadleas, Haytor last July on the Jungle book theme, with older beavers as day visitors and a few younger scouts attending.

Beavers and Squirrels camped at Watcombe, with the northern lights on display for the lucky few who were awake during the night.

Scouts enjoyed the Hurdlestone challenge, although only one team entered as many younger scouts attended cub camp instead.

2 older scout teams completed their 1-night expedition challenge, this time along the coastal path between Torquay and Teignmouth, camping at Watcombe overnight and navigating (mostly successfully) without a leader in tow

In December, Amber ran an indoor Christmas camp with scouts and explorers at Watcombe

Kandersteg international camp August 2027

We still have our full complement of 32 scouts and explorers between Shaldon Scouts, Bishopsteignton Scouts and Teign Explorers and fund raising has started in earnest. This is a very exciting opportunity to camp at the world international scout centre in the Swiss Alps.

Special thanks are due to the 8 leaders who are giving up their time and paying the same price as the young people to facilitate this camp.

Scouts (aged 10 ½ to 14)

New helper Roger introduced scouts to the sport of hashing and led the electronics badge. Scouts completed an incident hike, photo challenge, what 3 words challenge, taskmaster night, tried bellringing at St Johns and foraging and wide games at White Wells wood. We finished the first aid and navigation badges as well as the annual parish footpath survey and litter pick.

Scouts also scouts tried dry slope skiing, horse riding, archery and target shooting.

Cubs (aged 8 to 10 ½)

At the end of the summer term cubs enjoyed a trip to Go Ape. Since September we have had 5 adult leaders and 5 young leaders and have been able to complete the Entertainer badge putting on a Gang Show for parents / carers and have done the Skills Challenge and Fire Safety badge over the winter. Cubs celebrated the 110th birthday of cub scouting with a party in January. They attended the District Cubs' badge evening at Bovey Tracey, completing the Space badge. They have also visited Clip n Climb and the Fire Station in the spring. Cubs to plan get out and about every week from Easter to October when the weather allows

Beavers (aged 6 – 8)

The Beavers enjoyed a wide range of engaging activities this year, focusing on teamwork, outdoor skills, and personal development.

Meetings included practical camping skills such as tent pitching and fire safety, alongside fun campfire songs and games.

The group took part in local walks, including visits to Mamhead Obelisk and the River Beach, encouraging exploration and an appreciation of nature.

A visit to the Fire Station in Newton Abbot helped the children learn more about the important role of emergency services within the community.

Beavers also worked towards a variety of badges, including emergency aid, disability awareness, and global issues, helping to broaden their knowledge and confidence.

Special events such as Remembrance Sunday allowed the children to take part in important scouting traditions and community remembrance activities.

The end of the summer term was celebrated with a joyful visit to Decoy Park, where the Beavers enjoyed the splash park along with hotdogs and ice lollies.

Throughout the year, the Beavers showed fantastic enthusiasm, kindness, and teamwork, making the section a fun and welcoming place for all members.

Squirrels (aged 4 – 5)

Summer Term 25

The Squirrels were invited to visit the allotments near Michael's field. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Squirrels loved being in the sun shine in glorious surroundings. There was a scavenger hunt looking for things we’d find in a garden and also decorating some pots and planting a bean to take home. We also had a great session trying unusual fruits and vegetables which took some of the squirrels out of their comfort zone but they were extremely brave all tried something! We also had great fun crabbing at the back beach in Teignmouth and caught and released some great specimens.

Autumn Term 25

More inside based due to the weather and darker evenings, the Squirrels enjoyed some board games and lego sessions but we still got outside for an ever popular campfire session as we do every term, always a favourite! We had two fun party sessions with the Beavers with a Halloween Disco and Christmas Party.

Spring Term 26

The highlight of the Spring term was our biannual visit to Humber farm to see the lambs. Joe was very welcoming as usual and some of the Squirrles even witnessed a lamb being born while we were there! We also enjoyed a fab experiment session organised by Rocky and as the weather improved got outside for some den building in Happy Valley.

Teign Explorers (aged 14 – 18)

• The Explorer unit is officially separated from the Group but continues to have a close part nership with both RTSS and Bishopsteignton Groups.

As well as summer camp, Cremyll challenge camp, Woodlands and Hurdlestone, explorers competed in the Ten Tors challenge at 35- and 45-mile distances. Explorers tried archery, shooting, indoor and outdoor cooking, paddleboarding, drawing skills, treasure hunts, sailing, kayaking, litter picking, hungry hippoes. Both Leila and Song achieved their Kings Scout awards, the only explorers to do so in District this year. Both are now adult leaders, Song in London and Leila with Bishopsteignton during university holidays. 6 other ex-explorers are now active leaders.

6 Explorers have helped as young leaders during the year.

Group Numbers

We currently have 7 Squirrels, 10 Beavers, 21 Cubs as Seth also counts as a cub scout and 18 scouts in the group, totalling 57 young people, down from 61 last year. Squirrels and Beavers in particular need more members; we have always had waiting lists in the past with

a full complement of 12 squirrels and 18 Beavers. There are 27 Explorers in the Teign explorer unit, which is not officially part of either Bishopsteignton or Shaldon Scout groups but run separately through District, 12 of whom are ex Bishopsteignton Scouts. Lower primary school roles, struggles to find consistent leaders and alternative clubs have contributed to the decline at younger ages. Leaders have noticed a higher percentage of members not wanting to complete their highest challenge badges, or having behavioural issues compared to previous years which may also be a factor.

We ran an Easter recruitment campaign through social media which may yet yield more members.

Leader situation

Explorers and Cubs are fully staffed with 4 and 5 regular leaders respectively. Scouts, Beavers and Squirrels are under staffed, although scouts will improve when Amber returns from university in May.

We were delighted to see Leila attend her Kings Scout presentation at Windsor Castle, she will help us during university holidays.

We welcomed new cub leader Matt Parker (Colonel Hathi) during the year but new squirrel leader Emma moved away from the area, leaving Anna (Red) as the only squirrel leader. This is my last annual report as group lead volunteer after 16 years and I thank all the leaders for their support in that time, but in particular Elaine as Group Chair. Her wide-ranging contacts, dynamism and professionalism both as Chair and chief fund raiser have been crucial to our success and my enjoyment of scouting.

I am not leaving the Group and will continue to help at explorer camps and events and support weekly activities when needed, under the direction of a new Group Lead Volunteer. I would very much like my successor to be identified soon, so that I can support them before I hand over in September. I would emphasise that a lot of the GLV roles are administrative, such as census return and could be done as a back-office role and split between several people. A new GLV does not need a scouting background.

Thanks to ….

As we don’t have our own premises, we are lucky to be able to use Shaldon’s hut and equipment for archery and shooting. They also provide 5 evening water sessions in the summer term for our Explorers.

Bishopsteignton School continues to allow Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to rent their hall, although we are now confined to the hall itself and outdoor areas. The Methodist Hall allows Squirrels to rent their hall. Both venues are significantly cheaper than the Community Centre and Village Hall.

Performance against Objectives for the year 2025/2026

Objectives for the year 2025/2026

1) Increase member numbers – Unfortunately, our numbers have decreased during the year. The Group finished the year with 57 young people across all sections – down 4 on last year. Squirrels and Beavers have been most affected by falling numbers. We are currently having a recruitment drive.

2) Increase the numbers of hands-on full appointment leaders for all sections – Unfortunately, although on paper we have ample full leaders not all are hands-on. Squirrels, Beavers and Scouts have all been understaffed during the year. The appointment of Matt Parker as an assistant leader in cubs has eased the problem and we also welcomed Roger Whitton, as a volunteer helper in Scouts. We look forward to full leader, Amber Gardner’s return in September. As from September 2026, Squirrels and Beavers will operate with only Adrian and Anna as leaders and no assistant leaders. It’s not possible to run beavers or squirrels with only 1 leader each, even with small numbers and the sections will either need to close or merge

3) Reduce dependence on Sally – Sally informed the Trustees in February that she will stand down from her GLV role in September. Repeated requests for help have so far fallen on deaf ears. This must be a priority for Trustees.

Performance Objectives for the year 2026/2027

1) Recruit a new Group Lead Volunteer.

2) Encourage current leaders and parents to undertake some of the admin. roles e.g. DBS checks, census returns, OSM membership compliance.

3) Continue with our recruitment campaign for members in all sections.

4) Increase the number of full appointment leaders in Squirrels and Beavers.

The Trustees express their thanks and gratitude to Sally Livett, who has successfully led the Group over the last 16 years. Sally has made a positive contribution to so many young people’s lives and she is also highly respected by the wider community. It has been a huge pleasure to work with Sally and thank heavens she’s not leaving us completely.

Also big ‘THANK YOU’ to all our wonderful leaders who without their dedication and hard work we would not exist and to all establishments, all fundraisers, families and members of the public who have supported us throughout the year. We are truly grateful.

Approved by the Trustees on 13[th] May 2026 and signed on their behalf by Elaine Cawthraw, Chairman