Scouts Maldon and East Essex Maldon & East Essex District Scout Council Trustees Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31" December 2024. SCOUTS network EXPLORERS Scouts Active Support
The Scout Grou s of Maldon and East Essex District 1xt Sllv•r End KddOn & Fwlng 1•t Wltham 3rd WThhaffl{St Nl¢olas) 11 Haffi•ld P•v•r•l Tlpts7e 1 B¢a¢on Hlll 1•1 8lathvat•r 1" H¢ybrldgo(St Al¢*8) 111 Maldon IAU Salnts) Sothhminst•r & Maylind8•a 111 Ilorth Fambrldg• (Holy Trfnlty) 111 BumhanFon£rouGh Contents Page No District Informatlon Trustees, Report District Lead Volunteer's Report Prance5 District Scout Campsite Report District Management & Policies Treasurer's Report Accounts: Receipts Accounts: Payments Accounts: Assets & Liabilities 10 Independent Examinerfs Report 11 IVIILLDON & EAST ESSEX DISTRICT SCOUT SHOP For all your unlForm. books and equipment requirements Based at Prance$. Gt. Totham Rd, Wlckham Blshops Openln8 hours: Saturday 10.CW>13.CrfJ Tr Wednesday 17.00.19.00 hrs Managers: Dave and Teresa Couslns. tel: 07849 628106
Maldon and East Essex District Scout Council Th8 Maldon and East Essex District Scout Council is a Trust established under rules of The Scout Association. Annual Report And Accounts 2024 Trustees are appointed in aCrdanCe with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. The accounts have been drawn up on a receipts and payments basis. Presented at the Annual Gen8ral Meeting on Monday 1 June 2025 The accounts were approved by the Trustees on 12th May 2025 and s18ned on thelr behalf by the Dlstrlct Chairman and Distrlct Treasurer. Mr B Co{nS Mr DjOe Mr5 P Turfe VKe Presknts Mr M Bell mDRea M Wa>lw Mr B Martsn Mr CBurton Mrs MPrttctsrd M FIowa5 Mr Csmith P Ron Ex 0117do Tryste Mrs A Dukes, Lead VLlunts MrD kn? DistrKt Chaimmn Mr CBurton, Tra3surer Mrsj. Richa Mr GBtshop Mr N Hunter Mr P Membern MrA Goodwin Mr M Catto Mr fBugg Mr P Green S Goodwin Bankers 8arclays Bank, Iter, LE872BB Audilvr/Examlner. Mts E. lThmong Charlty Reglstrnlion No. 1123146 ScoutAssoaaUon Ivo. 11734 Contartaddress Distritt tary, 15 Bk Gt. Totham, Es¥ex, CM9 8PE Headquarters & Acuvity Centre.. Fran Gt Totham Road, Wickham &"shops CM8 3NP
TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 Structure. Governance & Management The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trusteeg Report and the financial staternent5 in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The Law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the tnfX)ming resources and applKation of resources of the charity for that period, In preparing these financial ststèments, the trustees are required too: Select suitsble accounting policies and then apply them consistently; Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP {Ststement of Recommend Prartice>; Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; stste whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; Prepare the financial ststements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to prèsume that the charity will continue in operation. The Tiustees are responsible for keeping a¢¢ountlng records that dlsclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the chartyand enablethem to ensure thatthe f Inancial statements comply wlth the Charlties Act 2011, The Charity (Accounts Reports) Regulations 21X)8 and trust deed, They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charlty and hence for tsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Maldon & East Essex District Scout Council is the electoral body which supports and encourage5 the development of Scouting in the District and operates in accofdance with a written constitution. It is the body to which the District Executive Committee Ithe Trustees) is accountable. Details of the Trustees are shown in Page l. The Trustees are appointed annuallv at the Annual General Meeting of the District Scout Council, either by electK)n or nomination, and May also be Coppted by the Executive Committee during the year. Trustees are made aware of their responsibilities and can benefit from training provided by the Training Team as to the role of Trustee at District and Group level. Young peoplé are also given opportunities across the distrlrt to become the Leaders of the future, leading to better retention of young people through to adult volunteering roles. The Trustse Board met on 5 occasion5 through the year. The Trustee Board Is supported by the Warmer Welcome Tearn. They held 3 warmer welcome panels in 2024. These were attended by a total of 8 candidates, from 4 Groups. There are ¢50 members of the DistrictTeam, advisers and supporters directly supporting the Maldon & East Essex Di5trKt Scout Council. None of these volunteers receives any payments for services rendered. The principal sources of the Scout Councils income are membership subscrtptions, fees paid by members for activities, Prances scout Shop, grants and donations from public bodies and individuals. During the year the Trustees have closely rnonitored the maintenance of the Prances HQ includlng the Activity Centre. Prances Cottage and the surrounding outdoor site. Detai15 of these activlties are reported separately.
Objecuves. Artlvltles, Athlevements. Our vlslon for 2025 Our vision for 2025 was to have prepared more young people with skills for lrfe supported by amazing volunteers that deliver an inspiring programme. The aim was to grow, be more inclusive, shape our work by young people and make a bigger impact in our communities. As we're now in 2025, we're developing a new strategy in line w.th volunteers and young people's needs. Since mid 2024, we have been conducting research wrth people inside and outside of Scouting to inform the development of our next strategy. Our mlsslon Scouting actively engages and supports youw people in their personal development, empDwering them to make a positlve contribution to society. Our values We act with care, respect, integrity, cooperation, exploring our own and others, beliefs., Scoutlng Is currenty under8oln8 dwnge Transformatlon. We want to make volunteerlng vAth Scouts easler and more fun... .- so that wo can attract more volunteers and our current vdunteers want to stav Training is ongoing, many leaders have completed their mandatory training, much of this is online. 5uting in Maldon & East Essex District is open to all young people who are between the ages of 4 and 25 no matter what background, ethnic orIn, nationality, race, gender, marital or sexual statu5, mental or physical ability, political or religious belief. Scouting in our District is provided through 14 Scout Groups and 6 Explorer Scout Units, by around 200 committed, experienced and trained volunteers, working in teams across the districL The Dlstrict Executive Committee acknowledges these volunteers are the most valuable asset and resource, without whose support it would not be posslble to provide Scouting for the young people of our District. The successes and achievements of the last twelve months can be seen in the Annual Review 2024.
The Trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the need in the Charities Act 2011 to demonstrate that or aims are for the public benefit. Our assessment is that we have met the public benefit criteria under both the adydncement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings. The main principles of Scouting demonstrats that our aims are for the public benefft in the following ways: Developing young people towards their full potential, through the Scouting programme. There is a clear link between the purpose of Scouting and the benefits to young people. The various and nurnerous Scouting activities are undertaken with the health and safety of the young people tsken very seriouslyj and the benefit of these activities far outweighing any associated rks. The young people and other main beneficiaries of Scouting are in the &25 years age rnnge. Young people who are willing to make the Scout Promise can benefit from full Scouting membership. We are an Snclusive organisation with membership open to all, including those living in f inancial hardship. Whilst an annual membership fee is payable, the ability to join is not restricted by their abilty to pay. Dlstrlct Secretary District Chairman
Management and Policios Goveman The District operates under the Royal Charter of The Scout Assooation which gives authority to Ihe Bye Laws of the Association and the Policy organisats.on and Rules of The Scout Association. Trustees The District is managed by the District Executive Committee, the members of which are the 'Charity Trustees, of the District. Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisarion and Rules of The Scout Association. Apporopriate Induction and Training is offered on appointmenl using the Charity Commission document CC3 - The Essential Trustee as well as intemal Factsheets. Reserves pollcv The Trustees recommend that the balance on the Genral Fund should be maintained at a level of not usually more than 25Vo of annual expendiulure. This allows a suitable contingency ot protect tho continuity of business. In addition there will be a maintained balance in the Development Fund depending on availbale dunds and requirement for development work both capital and in support of Group8. The Trustees will monitor the lev81 of re8eves on a regular basls. Investment pollcy The Trustees recognise the need to ensure that available liquid funds are invested in the best way by using the Bank Savings Deposit Account dicated by the requirement to readily acces8 these funds should particular emergencies arise. Rlsk Assessment pollry The Trustees are committed to undertake Risk Assessment in all areas of responsibility and in particular with due regard to the Safety Policy of The ScoLrt AssocA8tion. A detailed Risk Assessmenl of all activ¢(y and operats.on induding both Safety and Finance at the District Activity Centre has been completed. Thefe are in place systems of intemal controls designed to provide reasonable assurance againsl material mismanagement or loss. Treasurers Report 2025 The District Continues to operate on a sound finanaal footing, with funds set aside to support District Events and to subsidise attendan at four yearfy Irrternalional Jamborees. The Scoul Associalion made the decision to dose the Short Term Investment Sepiice during the year, these funds are now In the deposit account. The Accounts and Independent Examinerfs slatement for the year to 31 st December 2024 appear on the following pages. I would like to Ihank everybody for all the hard work they have put in to ensuring the District remains financially viable. Chris Burton
MLILDOII & ETEsSEx DISTRICT GCOUTCOUNCIL SAS 11114T&tIi SHIP $118SCRI O.OD 32 032.DD Su o.oo 3.536.00 00 o.oo 2,5Y6AO 00 .00 tSW.52 SX52 3)2AD Sroth ChNt tse B&nk te$l IIAcuwt Q.DD o,ao 238.27 630.42 630.42 O,DO ST4. ONATEON T$ Pranct Book Jthn Rep.d Mwrioft&l F 'Hn Bal Memortal Pun O.OD oAo 0.00 O.DO 0.00 3 184.00 00 Oth&r AcbWIU$ o.oo 18.97 4.640. D.DO 0.00 O.DO NG O.DO 0.00 0.00 0.00 Lo•n R MIAtlane0 0.00 WNDRYREC FBP 7 159.75 170.00 509875 28415 1eo.00 nl Church L Pr•t8sAL*wli Sftlo> of E ul S J3mhoiAe Flec Unllanr Sho &qlttA It s•1 District Bad e S81•1 453.00 9 45.3.DD 7 075.00 18 8482 17 IS.gB2. 2222A1 16 YB2.63 2.222 61 2 110.06 2 110.06 22,077.5Q Q.OD TOTAL PAYMENTS 319.99 ,2S3.98 1447 16,083,86 1.368.10 1B.109.QI .33 594.52 43,730.36 35 44.750. v¥)
•I00N & EAST ESSEX DfjTRT SCOUT COUN¢IL P•yTren15 fwlhg yw•r ended JI D•¢•IvIol4 R•strfth¢ G•ntr•l Pran¢•s Bady• SecTntsry Scoul Shllp Di¥trk4 Expk)r•F 2WToknl PREPIISES Inwr8nce- v8rfous 3 550.94 3 857.84 O.DD 342926 8574 Èménts o.oo 0.00 O.DO ,857 DONA d tow11M rer 594.52 594.52 0.00 Q.OD 332AO 0.00 Q.DO O.DO E8 015tDct da mllnt Urc61$1R Irn DIBtrhtt Ca s ubT•I CK• Do ActlVm86 njral IBO.79 1BO.79 4 287.15 676.23 4 287.15 0.00 0.00 229.99 2 713.(rfJ o.no 0.00 D.00 1 454.85 672.26 672.26 30,90 0.00 D R&1 FundrHi5 •n 0.00 0.00 smol 8uildl Mwtenanc AG k E Rent Ttaln rsnl o,oa 74.44 397.29 0.00 397 29 394.08 90.QO 214MS o.a wsjp 6Goul,%h Card 0.00 o.oo o.oo 0.00 12S34.11 BOZ.20 2 222,61 12 $34.11 802.20 222261 14 673.26 4110,02 62.17 Putha 332.40 Sundrivs 11. sr.99 o.no 2 277.2b 1521,9D 18,083. 6,109.9 0.00
MD0 & EAEf oTrIcT SCOUT COUNCIL Statem Ase1 & Liabilili06 at 31 1>oG•Mb•r 2U34 ID73 CASH PUNDS 8?nk cuTr8nt 8ccounts eank dÈ soun 35082_33 40742.83 35 082.33 53B.77 25 5fj7A5 17kS.94 Cash in hand 52Q 48 195.90 ,82 MON Silè & AL 8ad • Y A68ET6 F868 n( a¢ty)unts u aCcts nol 555.75 O.OD 1307.00 o.oo 160.att ald 0.00 5ubtotsl f4>r th• C ni¥nt dla Vlaual 133.W 133.00 &rul Shu Gift Sh Slud( 10271.6S Z 8JO.25 4,21 .8 9 $30.23 3 372.eo 4.48T.fj4 8 stotai IbH Bqu pm•n g étyipm8nl, •inc and tolbrt Ll rlall Memo sB$ ealNn¢é ol John fi8ed Memorl I Icrfer leador n$¥9 Scoul sh Grodiis &rtrthMJlfjbknln G 10.39 0.00 2,862.17 3 100.70 2 g46.46 Sub lots BPA Brmunt £1086.25 Road bh¢ £410 eirty ytsÈrA gra £299.69 BriHn 8Jry Mornrripl The •kty4• w•lpl$ ond payTr8 acwjnl and 81atBrnert of ané labllltles tre apprtyded bylha TrutaeA on 19 Klay 2025 ènd wgn8d on Ih8ir b•haN W. N•mo Chalrman Dertk Joy(* 12N202S Tyeawrer Ghrt¥ Burtc 122025
Ind•pond8nt Examin¥r'8 Report to the trustees of Maldon & East Essex Dl8tricl Scout Coun¢ll I report to the twstees on my examination of the accounts of the Maldon & Ea8l Essex District Scout Council for the year ended 31 December 2024 whiGh are set oul on pages a to 5 of thls report Responslbllltl•s and ba818 of report As the Gharil preparalion o I repc*t in respect of my examination of the Maldon & East Essex Distritt Scout Council accounts urried out under sectbon 145 of the 2011 Ad and in carrylng out my examination I have followed all the applicable DIrectn8 given by the Charity Commission under secllon 145(5)(b) of the Act. 's truslees of the Maldon & East Essex District Scout Council you are responsible for the the accounts Sn accordance wth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). Independent examinerf8 Statoment I have completèd my VAaminalion. I confirm th8t no m8teri81 matters have come to my attention in connedion wth the examination giving me cause to believe that In any material r8SPeCt'. accounting recofds were not kept in SpeCt of the Maldon & East Essex District Scout Council as required by section 130 of the Act: or the accounts do not accord with thos8 r8cords I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connectlon wth the examination to vthich att8ntion should be drawn In thls report in cKder to enable a prop8r understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Eli2ab8th Ironmong8r 20 Brook Clos8 Great Totham Essex CM9 8PE date 81512025
Dlstrltt Lead Volunteerfs Report 20225 Hi all, Wowl Has it really been 2 % years Since I took on thi5 roll, nearly halfway through, it has gone so quick. The last year has seen many changes. Most of all is Transformation with the new system being introduced last November. I would like to say a big thank you to all of you and the people who have helped me introduce this. I can't say that it has been easy, and we still have a long way to go to make it work for us, but with trial and a lot of errors we will. It has been great to see all the fun and exciting visits, activities, camps (horne and away) taking place, with more to com acros5 the distrlct. E55ex Jarnboree was Jast year as well, with 5 groups attending having a brilliant time. Maldon and East Essex has always been a great District for carnping and trips and this year is no exception, we hope there will be many more to come. We received our first grovrth award last year from County, and this year is no different we have received one this year as well. From the Census every Section has grown and with addition of the 2 new Squirrel Dreys last year and 2 more planned for this year we are well on track. Training is going well, and I would like to welcome Mark Catto. Mark has come on board to the district as District Lead for Training. He will be contacting groups shortly for any training needs you may have. We are hoping that some of you will be willing to join us on these teams. We are always looking for new people to come and join us, help at events, and bring new ideas to us. We have had a few district events past and future. May 2024. Drey day at Prances wlth 10 Dreys attending from across the county. September 2024- District Camp Museum of Power. Great weekend with 150 young people attending Scouts and Guides. They had the run of the site access to the museum, train rides. Campfire, Magician and lots more. A big thank you to all those that made this happen and to the Museum of power who let US Use the site. May 2025 - saw the young people's awards day, wlth 85 YP invited to celebrate their achievements of Acorns, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum awards. And this year we saw a Diamond award as well. We gave out the John Reed award for Achievement and courage to Charlie a Cub from Kelvedon, who grew his hair for charity and fundraising a lot of money for the Little Princes trust. We gave out a Medal of Mefit to Ben Hopkins {well deserved Ben) and a lot of long service awards to Leaders. Well Done everyone. June 2025- Drey Day at Prances June 2025 AGM May 2026- Handicraft Exhibition {Looking for ideas and people to helpl A Big thank you from me to all the Leaders and helpers that make Scouting happen in Maldon and East Essex. Without your hard work and commitment, you give to Scouting this would never happen. Enjoy the rest of 20251 Yis Ann Dukes
Prances District Scout Campsite Report 2024-2025 This pasl year Prances has been a busy site which is great. We're loving the site and with all the bookings and site works that have been caffled out here it has bn a hive of aclivily in the last year. Even more so into this year. It really feels like we're making headway from where we started. Hall Master has multiple bookings into 2026 and continues to manage our schedule. We have a rnaintenan crew helping around site and local contractors that have fixed and certified what needs fixing and certifying. At the end of lasl year, we were up from the number of bookings that we took in the previous year which is great and the direction that we want to be heading. Organi5ing mulliple groups on site allows us to increase bookings. along with the newly established DofE schools using the Beac¢n Hill site and our groups can camp at Headquarters which allows us to make this possible. Thank you, Janet Richardson and lan Williams. It is great to have Ihe whole grounds being utilised. All this considered, the numbers were starting to look good at the end of 2024. Having the ste back to being a busy Headquarters again is fanlaslic although the grounds and equipment do also need time to recuparate and time to be maintained. The Upper camping field here has taken a bit of hammering wilh all the foot traffic through it, as well as it being one of the driest springs on record for at least fifty years. The result is that is that this combination has made for sparce grass regrowth on the upper eamyng field. Thankfully it has started to grow this year and replenish to its former green grounds. Wlth these bouts of intermrtlent rain and sunshine it should be ready for the 'ever busy, Summer ahead of us. Here's a brlef outlook at how the year panned out. Wlnter January 2024, we had a camps along with our regula¢s 1 st Heybridge Scout group. They started back up with us when tenn time started after the Christmas holidays and had their annual ChrFStma8 me81 here at camp. Although it was a hard slart to the year for the whole group with the loss of Clive Searles, they have stayed strong and carried on. Rest in Peace Clive Searfes. We had Waltham Guides camp, 8th Chelmsford Explorer camp and Ingatestone with a Cub camp. They all braved the elements; wrth frozen fingers they dimbed the tower and fired down the archery range, Wilh numb faces and toes they Stacked the crates and dimbed the adventure area. Plenty of hot chocolate was needed but all camps enjoyed themselves. A couple of birthday parties and few meetings in the PCL Hall and that was the Winter season through. Spring arrived and more regulars started up with our Filness and Yoga groups back in the PCL Lodge. Our Forest school in the day Scattered the grounds with toddlers and toddlers, toys. We had birthday parties, one in particular a rather loud 50th birthday party celebration, to which the group had requested light guitar playing around the campfire and tumed up with a DJ and a PA system. They contested wth the football grounds music until 10.55pm when it was shut down for bedtime with time and there was a sigh of relief from our neighbours. St Georges Day fete where 1 st Heybridge held their AGM and l am told that they raised a decent amount in donations. Summer arrived and alongside the big camps we had a very successful Drey day with a hundred squirrels outnumbering the ones that live in our oak trees. A well organised fun day was collaborated by Graham Bishop and thank you to all that helped alongside to run the activities for the day. What I negatively presumed would be a day harder than herding cats, tumed into a very successful well organised and calm day full of activities and fun. It was great to see. We had tiVitieS for our regular and non-regular Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers in as wdl. We had Troop nights, DofE camps, Scout evenings. activity days. We also had group camps all the way through, Black Notley,1 st Danbury, 4th Braintree and Buttsbury guides towards the end of Summef. They all camped with us and had a good, sucsSful and fun camp. Thanks again to all our instructors that help to rnake this possible with donating your time and effort to help the groups. Autumn came and we had young leaders training in the PCL Hall, thank you to Rachel and Paul V¥fjlkinson for all of your hard work. Multiple school DofE camps. a Theatre group using the PCL Hall for rehearsals. Buttbury Guides back for a leader activily day 8nd more birthday parties along with a multrtude of activity evenings for Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups within districl. An orienteering expedition from Rayleigh and the first District Camp for a very long lime. The location was at the Museum of Power and the activity day here at Headquarters. Deste a few hurdles along the way it was a great Camp and a lot of fun. There are plans in motion for a repeat camp in August 2026. The activity day here on site ran through the Saturday with many of our instructors from district helping to run all the activities. Thank you to those that
helped to feed, transwrt, entertain and manage the groups. Putting in all Ihat effort to organise such an event is no small feat and is greatly appreaated. Towards the end of Autumn we had bookings for bonfire night, 1st Maldon and 1 st Heybridge with small category fireworks at a safe distance to round up the season with a great display. First aid training was held in the PCL Lodge and more training on our new defib machine attached to our PCL Hall now that we are on the arcuit. Thank you to Trevor Hammond. Black Notley came back for their SGOLrts camp and had a great time with us to end off the year 2024. A lot of work has gone on at the beginning of 2025 on site. The huge amunt of tree work carried OLrt by Gary Steggal and his son in GKS tree care Itd has brought us up to date with the recommendations with our arboriculture assessment report from Hallwood Associates. The extensive electrical upgrades have been carried out making us a)mpliarrt with the safe site audit that was sent out to scout sites. Once reled. the vrforks have been laken on by Gareth and his team GJ building and electrical Itd. Newly fitted fire doors have been measured up ordered and replaced on the PCL Lodge and lan Valentine block. Thank you Andrew G00c7n for all of the safe srte management, time and admin that you've undertaken to get us up to speed and thanks to Derek Joyce and his son Steve Joyce thal fitted the doors. It now looks great and adds that extra level of safety should a fire ever occur within the building. Annual checks of Fire system have been undertaken and all is okay. Boilers serviced and certified in both blocks. The maintenance crew have also sanded down and repainted the external dadding and r&st8ined the windows on both the Peter Church Lodge and the lan Valentine shower block.11 has revived the exterior of the building. Along with Ihe substantial weeding and bramble control that is needed on this site, a fence fixing here and a handle fixing there, they have helped to keep the site functioning. Thank you to Chris Westall and Lewis Goodwin for your continued work and help on site, With Ihe ref resh of the climbing tower Lx)urtesy of Tony Bugg and Les Taylor, it is now looking gat again. They have both cleaned the whole external structure whilst Chris Cushing and son Liam Cushing replaced the external safety netting. We aim to add new hold8 for new dimbing routes in the future. They have comJetdy refreshed rt and it looks great, thank you guys. Graham Bishop, Simon Gill along with Tony 8ugg helped to reinstate one of Ihe dimbing wall panels on a recent Scout party weekend and made it safe after installing the new frame work as per the reported requirements of 'High Times, our annual tower inspectors. The wall is certified and safe to climb. Thank you to all that have come to help wrth keeping this site refreshed and running safely. High Times are looking into restringing the cable for the zip wire next year and possibly adding some extra supports to the crate stacking structure when they come back to assess the dimling tower again. Thank you to our committee, our trustees and all that come to Prances for keeping this great site running and maki'ng it possible for Ihose that enjoy all it has to offer. Yours in Scouting Louis and R08ie