West London District Scout Council
Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the year 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
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|Contents||
|---|---|
|Table of Contents|2|
|CharityDetails|3|
|Charity governance and risk control|4|
|Objectves of the Charity|5|
|Public Beneft Statement|6|
|Report from the Board|6|
|Jack PetcheyAwards|7|
|Annual census|9|
|Financial Review|10|
|Reserves and Investment Statements|11|
|Accounts|13|
|Accounts Notes|17|
|Report bythe Independent Examiner|20|
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## Charity Details
Charity Name West London District Scout Council Registered Charity Number 1197659 Scout Association Registration Number S10001047 (formerly 13820) Charity’s Principal Address C/O Mr I Clarke 22 Avenue Road Sutton Surrey SM2 6JB Bankers Barclays Bank plc Wimbledon 3 Branch Leicestershire LB87 2BB
## Charity Trustees
Ms Dawn Sheppard (to October 2024) District Lead Volunteer Mr Chris Wollen (from May 2025)
Dr Tony Malone (to October 2024) District Chair Mr George Barber (from May 2025) Mr Ian Clarke District Treasurer Ms Wynsee Lau District Youth Lead Mr James Kelly District Explorer Scout Commissioner Mr Robert Harm District Training Manager Mrs Jeanne Sheppard District Appointments Advisory Team Lead Mr Nigel Riordan Jack Petchey Awards Co-ordinator Mr Christopher Larkin Trustee Mr Leigh Porter Trustee
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## Governance
## Governing documents of the charity’s trusts
The District’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.
## Constitution
The District is trust established under its rules which are common to all Scout Districts.
## Trustee selection
Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.
## Role of the Trustee Board
The District is managed by the District Trustee Board, the members of which are charity trustees of the District, which is an educational charity. Board members 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 Trustee Board consists of two ex-officio members, the District Lead Volunteer and District Youth Lead, and up to ten others recruited using a fair and open process. The Board meets every two months.
All Trustees complete ‘Being a Scouts Trustee’ learning within six months of their appointment.
The District Trustee Board exists to make sure the charity is well-managed in the best interests of its members to:
- Comply with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association
- Protect and maintain property and equipment owned by the District
- Manage District finances
- Arrange insurance for the District’s people, property and equipment
- Provide sufficient resources for Scouting to operate, including, but not limited to, supporting adult recruitment
- Promote and support the development of Scouting within the District’s area of operation
- Appoint and manage the operation of any Teams, e.g. Appointments Team, including appointments of Chairs
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- The opening, closure and amalgamation of Groups, Explorer Scout Units, Scout Network and Scout Active Support Units in the District as necessary
- Supervising the administration of Groups, particularly in relation to finance and trusteeship of property.
## Risk and Internal Control
The District has in place systems of internal control that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include two signatories for all payments and insurance policies to ensure that property and equipment risks are covered.
## Objectives of the charity
## The purpose of Scouting
Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.
## The values of Scouting
As Scouts, we are guided by these values:
Integrity – We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
Respect – We have self-respect and respect for others.
Care – We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
Belief – We explore our faiths, beliefs and at udes.
Co-operaton – We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.
## The Scout Method
Scouting takes places when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of Scouting and:
- Enjoy what they are doing and have fun
- Take part in activities indoors and outdoors
- Learn by doing
- Share in spiritual reflection
- Take responsibility and make choices
- Undertake new and challenging activities
- Make and live by the Promise
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## Public benefit statement
The District meets the Charity Commission’s public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings.
## Report from the Trustee Board
The Trustee Board met five times over the course of the reporting period. At each meeting it received routine monitoring reports on financial matters, including insurance, adult appointments, adult training and operation of the Jack Petchey Award Scheme in the District. The Board also monitored progress of the development of the Volunteer Experience Transformation as the scheme was launched in the autumn of 2024.
Chris Owen-Brooks, our Administrator, stood down in October 2025. New IT systems at the Scout Association and the use of Artificial Intelligence to produce notes of meetings have reduced the scope of this role.
The year saw the closure of the 4[th] Kensington Scout Group, though this process was not finally completed until October 2025. Happily, the 49[th] Kensington Scout Group was opened during the year.
Various District events were run with financial support during the course of the year: a Beaver Christmas Party, a football competition, a cooking competition, a sports day and a Patrol Camping Event. The Board also approved funding requests towards attendance at the Kent International Jamboree, some adult training and offered financial support for leaders to attend the Gilwell Reunion. The District also oversaw the continued operation of the Inclusion Grant scheme.
The District held an adult recognition event at the House of Commons during the year where a large number of awards were presented. Smaller scale events are planned to be held in future years.
A scheme of improvement works at the Coombe Farm Camp Site involving refurbishing the kitchen and toilets has been proposed and a feasibility study is in hand but some aspects may need building control approval. Preparation of contract paperwork has commenced. The site is open for camping use only until the works have been completed. Site ownership is currently with two named individuals on behalf of the District but will be transferred to the Scout Association Trust Corporation on behalf of West London District Scout Council, the same arrangement as is in place for property at 159 Munster Road and the camp site at Luxted, Kent.
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A risk register has been compiled and is reviewed by a small working group which meets every two months and by the Board twice a year; the main risk identified is financial and relates to the loss of income from development work at the camp site but there are also risks associated with cultural governance. Some mitigations are already in place in respect of some financial risks and development of the register continues.
The District provided financial support to nine leaders attending a New Leaders’ Skills Weekend. Other adult training themes throughout the year related to ensuring that all leaders’ first aid, safeguarding and safety training were kept in date. Ensuring that new adult joiners were correctly and promptly dealt with was also an issue for the appointments and training teams.
The Board considered the annual submission of annual reports and accounts by Groups at each of its meetings. These largely enable the District to discharge its general duty of supervision of the administration of Groups but many Groups struggle to meet the timetable set by the Association in its Policy, Organisation and Rules to hold annual general meetings and supply reports and accounts to the District.
The District’s two Explorer Scout Units met regularly during the year. One of them forms part of the service crew at Walton Firs camp site in Surrey and also took part in the Monopoly Run as well as some camps during the course of the year.
## Jack Petchey Awards
The Jack Petchey awards are for Scouts, Explorers and Network aged between ages 11 to 25. Each recipient receives for their section £300 to go towards their nominated project. This year, we were able to use all of our 15 allotted quota of awards; well done to all groups that took part.
The awards ceremony for recipients during 2025 were held on 3rd February 2026 at The Greenford Community Hall. Our recipients were:
- Maria Vaughan, 28th Hammersmith
- Amelie Ayaddi and Amelia Campbell, 16th Westminster
- Natalia Couto, Yana Petrova and Rron Selimi, Pimlico ESU
- David Hana St. Thomas and Paul Ozan, St. Thomas Syriac Scout Group
- Shayan Ondhia and Felix Bradford-Buck, 8th St Marylebone
- Morgan Rhys-Jones, Victories ESU
- Fire Evans-Clutterbuck, 21/23rd Fulham
- Pavlo Dyachenko and Hanna Peresunko, 1st London PLAST ESU
- Sarah Djendi, 11th St Marylebone
- The Leaders award went to Leigh Porter of the 10th Fulham.
Congratulations to all those who received these awards.
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## Annual Census
The annual census was run at the end of January 2026. Numbers were slightly up on 2025, with 1022 young people recorded this year.
|Secton|2026|2025|Change|
|---|---|---|---|
|Squirrels(4 Dreys)|51|42|+9|
|Beavers(11 Colonies)|182|200|-18|
|Cubs(15 Packs)|293|285|+8|
|Scouts(14 Troops)|349|326|+23|
|Explorers(9 Units)|147|148|-1|
|Total – YoungPeople|1022|1001|+21|
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## Financial Review
West London District Scout Council’s accounts for the year have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis as usual and are set out later in this report. Just one unrestricted fund has been used during the reporting period.
Net receipts for the year show a surplus of £36,260. A legacy of £6,000 contributed to this, and there was no Jamboree related expenditure this year.
Expenditure was £9,000 more than in 2023/24 and that is attributable to spending on District events, both activities for Young People and a recognition event for adults. We also spent £3,380 on inclusion subsidies to help Groups with the costs of Scouting for young people whose families were in financial difficulty. In addition, we met the cost of hall hire for one of our Explorer Units, a burden other Units do not have to bear. Our Units otherwise funded their own programmes.
We paid an honorarium to the District Administrator for his services until he stepped down at the end of October 2024. The role has not been filled.
Transfer of the custodianship of the camp site at Coombe Farm in Croydon to the Scout Association Trust Corporation continues. The site cost £4,984 to run during the year, much less than in 2023/24 when remedial works arising out of various risk assessments were paid for. The site was available for camping only during the reporting period pending refurbishment works on the building although progressing these works has been difficult.
The District’s investments provided 11.9% of its income, though this income is still short of their peak in 2010/11 when equity markets were very strong. The sale values of each of the investments is either just a little higher or just slightly lower than at 31 August 2024. The overall increase in value is £7,157 (1.4%).
The other principal source of income is rent from leasing out property in Munster Road, Fulham to a nursery school.
The District has sufficient liquid assets to meet its liabilities, notably the annual membership fees payable in April. For the reporting year, these were £54,304.
The District owns three properties, two of which are held on the District’s behalf by the Scout Association Trust Corporation and the other by named individuals; this is being transferred to the Trust Corporation:
- A house in Munster Road, Fulham that is leased out on a commercial basis to a nursery school.
- Land adjacent to the former Downe National Scout Camp Site at Luxted, Kent.
- Land and a building adjacent to Coombe Farm, Oaks Road, Croydon.
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## Reserves Statement
Apart from the funds immediately available in the District’s main bank account, it has a sum, currently £32,087, in a deposit account. This would be sufficient for the District to run normally for at least six months should the main account become exhausted and no income be received. The sum could be accessed almost immediately if required; there is no notice of withdrawal involved. The sum acts as a financial cushion but could be used to fund new initiatives should the current account not be able to sustain them.
## Investments Statement
West London District Scout Council is fortunate to have acquired investments through the transfer of assets from the predecessor bodies that were merged to form it. The bulk of the investments are currently in the Charities Aid Foundation’s ESG Income and Growth Fund and the COIF Charities Investment Fund. The only constraint on the investment policies of the fund managers is the need to take account of the relatively low risk appetites of the charities whose money they are investing. The other investment is a holding of shares in Barclays plc, again a legacy of the transfer of assets when the District was formed.
Apart from income from these investments, the charity has rental income from the leasing out of property in Munster Road, Fulham. The Trustee Board uses income from its investments and the rental income to carry out its functions.
Specifically, it uses this income to:
- Fund its own running costs such as insurance and administration expenses. This means that the District can avoid implementing a District Levy on membership subscriptions, reducing the financial pressures on individuals and Groups.
- Provide a range of activities and events for members of all the Scout Groups in the District’s area. Some of these activities will be at no cost to participants while others may be subsidised in order to make them accessible.
- Provide resources and events to promote the development of Scout Groups in the District.
- Operate an inclusion fund to ensure that young people from disadvantaged families have access to local Scouting.
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The present level of income generates sufficient income to meet these objectives. Income is fairly stable because of the way the reserves have been spread across a range of investments although there has been a reduction in income earned in recent years because of the general economic situation, both in the UK and globally. While any unspent income may be added to the reserves from time to time, the reserves would also be used to fund any shortfall of other income to ensure that the programme of activities approved by the District Executive Committee can be carried out.
The level of and returns on investments are reported to each meeting of the Trustee Board and both the Investment and Reserves policies are reviewed as part of the budget setting process each year. The size of the investments and reserves currently held is deemed appropriate by the Trustees.
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## WEST LONDON DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR 1 SEPT 2024 TO 31 AUGUST 2025**
|
Total monetary receipts for the period
Total payments for the period
Net receipts for the period
Bank, cash and deposit funds carried forward|2024/25
£
122,589
86,329
36,260
251,855|2023/24
£
112,162
77,304
34,858
215,595|
|---|---|---|
These accounts were approved by the trustees of the West London District Scout Council.
Approved by the Trustees on
Signed on their behalf by Trustees:
_____________________________ _________________________
Ian Clarke
## **Trustee**
**Trustee and District Treasurer**
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## **RECEIPTS FOR YEAR 1 SEPT 2024 TO 31 AUGUST 2025**
|Monetary receipts|**2024/25**
**Total £**|**2023/24**
**Total £**|
|---|---|---|
|Monmouthshire BS interest earned|901|881|
|CAF ESG Income and Growth|13,183|11,878|
|COIF Charities Investment Fund|400|391|
|Barclaysplc shares dividend|146|139|
||||
|Sub- total: income from investments|14,630|13,289|
|Membershipsubscriptions(see Note 2)|55,634|41,912|
|---|---|---|
|District events(see Note 4)|1,320|-|
|Explorer units’ income(see Note 6)|6,731|7,492|
|Campsite income(see Note 3)|365|177|
|Rental income|33,531|33,620|
|Insurance rent|1,337|3,379|
|Legacy|6,000|-|
|Loan repayment|-|861|
|Closure ofgroups|3,041|11,432|
|Sub- total: other income|107,959|98,873|
||||
|Total monetaryreceipts|122,589|112,162|
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## **PAYMENTS FOR YEAR 1 SEPT 2024 TO 31 AUGUST 2025**
||**2024/25**
**Total £**|**2023/24**
**Total £**|
|---|---|---|
|Membership subscriptions (see Note 2)|54,304|47,132|
|Insurance (Personal Accident & Medical
Expenses)|60|60|
|Insurance (equipment)|309|250|
|Insurance (property at Munster Road)|1,337|1,678|
|Coombe Farm Camp Site (see Note 3)|4,984|7,679|
|District events (see Note 4)|12,578|1,939|
|Inclusion grants (see Note 5)|3,380|2,259|
|Explorer unit grant (see Note 6)|900|900|
|Activity grants|-|1,804|
|Explorer units’ expenditure (see Note 6)|6,914|6,769|
|AGM expenses|210|1,590|
|Officers’ expenses|129|51|
|Administrator’s honorarium (see Note 7)|520|3,120|
|Group closure|107|-|
|Subscription – debit cards|250|-|
|Storage at Twynholm Hall|-|457|
|District Team meeting|-|60|
|Leader training|281|-|
|Gifts|66|-|
|Jamboree and Jamborette 2023|-|1,556|
||||
|Totalpayments|86,329|77,304|
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## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES**
|Monetary assets at|31 August
2025 (£)|31 August
2024 (£)|
|---|---|---|
|District bank account|214,478|178,936|
|Explorer bank accounts|5,290|5,473|
|Monmouthshire BuildingSocietyCharity90 Account|32,087|31,186|
||||
|Total monetaryassets|251,855|215,595|
||||
|Adjustments outside of the accounts|||
|Debtors(see Note 8)|6,735|4,925|
|Liabilities|1,814|322|
||||
|Total monetaryassets after adjustments|256,776|220,198|
||||
|Investment assets at
(selling prices)|31 August
2025 (£)|31 August
2024 (£)|
|CAF ESG Income and Growth Fund (434,434.5996
shares@112p)|486,567|481,093|
|COIF Charities Investment Fund (711.30 shares at
1966.31p)|13,986|14,502|
|Barclaysplc(1742 ordinaryshares@354.65p)|6,178|3,979|
||||
|Total investment assets|506,731|499,574|
||||
|Non-monetary assets at
Equipment
(values have been subjected to depreciation at 20% per
year with no residual value for all equipment. Badge stocks
are valued at latest known replacement cost)
Land and property values are set out at Note 9|31 August
2025 (£)|31 August
2024 (£)|
|Stock of badges(incpostage stampstock of £13.60)|436|634|
|Other equipment(see Note 10)|469|501|
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## **Explanatory Notes**
## 1 Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis using historical costs. However, investments are shown at market value at the closure of the financial period. Land and property values shown in Note 9 are those last obtained from professionally qualified valuers.
West London District Scout Council meets the definition of a public benefit entity under the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
## 2 Membership subscriptions
HQ membership subscriptions and the County levy totalling £54.25 was paid on 1,001 youth members.
## 3 Coombe Farm camp site
There was income of £365 from the use of the camp site. Its use has been restricted to camping only throughout the year.
Expenditure on the site over the year has been £4,984 as follows:
- Insurance - £2,263
- Water and sewerage - £263
- Electricity - £1,900
- Business rates - £159
- Maintenance costs - £399
The business rate charge is low because a number of government schemes introduced for the Covid pandemic were still in place.
## 4 District events
The events which took place during the year were a 5-a-side football competition, a cooking competition, a sports day, a Patrol Camping event and a Beaver Christmas Party. In addition, there was a recognition event for Leaders held at the House of Commons and some advance payments for attending the Kent International Jamboree in August 2025.
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## 5 Inclusion grants
The scheme whereby Group Scout Leaders can request a subsidy from the District to cover or part cover the costs of Scouting for members in financial difficulty was used by five Groups/Units during the reporting period.
## 6 Explorer Units
These accounts incorporate those for two Units which are financially independent of the Groups that host them. A grant is paid annually to one unit to cover the costs of hiring a venue, an expense the other does not have to bear.
## 7 Administrator’s honorarium
The Administrator received an honorarium for his services, paid monthly, until his departure in October 2024.
## 8 Debtors and Liabilities
The figure of £6,735 represents debts owed to the District for annual subscriptions and a rent payment for August 2025. Payment of the rent was received in September 2025 and the annual subscriptions debt was written off when the Group involved closed.
The liabilities related to the Patrol Camping Event and transport costs for the Kent International Jamboree.
## 9 Land and property
The land and property assets, especially camp sites, are difficult to value with accuracy and the value may be difficult to realise in the event of sale. The most recent valuations are:
- Land at Luxted in the London Borough of Bromley valued at £20,000 in 2020 and last used as a camp site.
- Land and building at 159 Munster Road, Fulham professionally valued in April 2023 at £672,400. It is insured at a rebuilding cost of £400,000. The District derives rental income from the lease of this building to a nursery school.
- Land and building adjacent Coombe Farm, Oaks Road, Croydon valued for insurance reinstatement purposes at £524,316.
Landlord liability insurance on all properties is covered by the general membership policy taken out by the Scout Association.
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The first two properties above are held in trust by the Scout Trust Corporation while two named Trustees of West London District Scout Council are the currently proprietors of the land adjacent Coombe Farm.
## 10 Equipment
The District has a range of equipment, including camping equipment, all over five years old held at various locations. The equipment is insured on a replacement basis but is not expected to have any value if it were to be sold. The only item shown in the accounts is a defibrillator at the Coombe Farm Camp Site which was purchased in 2023.
No equipment is held at the sites in Luxted or Munster Road. The site at Coombe Farm has contents which are insured on a replacement basis for £54,037.
Other equipment, held at various locations, is insured on a replacement basis for a total of £28,094.
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## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the West London District Scout Council (Charity no 1107659)**
I report on the accounts of the District for the period 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 which comprise the Receipts and Payments Account, the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and related notes set out in the preceding seven pages.
This report is made solely to the trustees in accordance with Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charity’s trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees for my examination work.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The District’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this year under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
## It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts (under Section 145 of the Charities Act),
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under Section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and
- state whether 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 District 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 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 that the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## Independent Examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act 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.
**Philip G. Staker JP ACMA CGMA**
39 Mill End Thaxted Dunmow Essex CM6 2LT Date: 22[nd] March 2025
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