## **difference.** Annual Report **and Accounts 2024-25** ## **Contents** **Welcome from the Chair A Year of Scouting A Year of Growth 14-24 Team Volunteering Development Team Youth Lead Roll of Honour District Trustees & Constitution Financial Review Get in Touch** **Blacktoft Beacon District Scout Council** Registered Charity Number 114803 ## **Welcome from the Chair** **Scouting’s key goal, to provide ‘skills for life’, is certainly being realised across the region. Our members have benefitted from great events taking place over the past year, at District, Group and Section levels. The pictures in this report are testament to this. The weather for our recent St. Georges Day event at Beverley Racecourse was absolutely glorious. It was amazing to see so many varied activities and big smiles on young people and adults alike.** **Looking back, it has been another exciting year of Scouting within Blacktoft Beacon District.** **The District membership levels remain strong. Some groups are growing in size and sadly some groups are declining and struggling to find appropriate leadership and governance resource.** **In Josh we have a new Lead Volunteer for the District, who brings both energy and experience to the team.** **My thanks to everyone that contributes to make Blacktoft Beacon District a great fellowship for all of our members.** **We have made a successful transition into the new Trustee led organisation and are getting used to the changes in titles and procedures that this involves.** **Scott Millard Chair Trustee Board** ## **A Year of Scouting** **I start my first AGM in the role of lead volunteer with a thank you. Thank you for the support and warm welcome, thank you for the guidance and thank you for the challenges too. I’ve really enjoyed travelling to meet groups and sections across the district and been proud to see the amazing Scouting being delivered every evening which is truly making a positive impact on ten lives of young people in our district.** **We know what a positive impact we are having and it’s also been great to see groups showing this off to the community even more too.** **The publication of the prevention of future deaths report by The Scouts HQ has seen us as a district take steps to ensure safe Scouting is taking place across Blacktoft Beacon. We have just finished the sprint to complete the enhanced safety learning which has helped up skill our leaders and provide new perspectives to approaching safety. I thank everyone who has taken the time to complete the learning and support others in completing too. We have also, led by Humberside Scouts, taken steps to rapid assurance of safety through a series of checklists which has given us great insight and allow us to put in place support to ensure we are delivering safe Scouting.** **We have seen so much happen in the past year, with our favourite events returning - with even more young people in attendance. Our annual St George’s Day celebration saw the biggest attendance we’ve ever seen and everyone had a great day. The feedback from young people was overwhelmingly positive and planning for 2026 is shortly going to start. The Deep sleepover welcomed over 100 Beavers in March and we also introduced a new sleepover at Jump Inc this year. 60 Cubs bounced their way into the night for a brand new sleepover experience that has definitely marked the start to what will be a regular event.** **Last year saw the roll out of The Scouts transformation programme, which is aimed at delivering a simplified and easier approach to volunteering. It is a big culture change, but we are hopeful it’ll bring long term benefits to our organisation. The teams based approach to volunteering has already given us a great framework to share tasks and ensure everything doesn’t fall to single volunteers. We have also changed how volunteers are welcomed into Scouts and removed appointments panels, which we know was a barrier for many volunteers. We know there’s a long way to go with this culture change, but thank you to the groups who are embracing this approach.** **All of this, plus the camps and sleepovers run by groups and sections which resulted in over 100 nights away with the district. And this comes on top of the 60 section meetings that takes place each week. Our amazing volunteers have delivered cooking skills to axe throwing skills, knot skills to archery skills and skills on the water to map reading a navigation… plus so much more.** **Alongside the transformation programme, a new membership system was launched in November to underpin our new approach to volunteering. I’d like to take this time to thank each and every volunteer who has logged in and completed tasks. We are acutely aware that the digital tools are not in the position we expected them to be in and are greatly sorry for the additional time some tasks have taken. I for one have had frustrations with the tools, but have seen the progress made since its launch and benefitted from many of my tasks being made easier. We will continue to provide the support needed to leaders in sections and managers across the district over the next year and expect the system to become reliable and much easier to use as time goes on.** **On a positive note, in the past year we saw our district continue to grow as we expand the number of young people learning skills for life. Hessle were able to open up a** **second Beaver colony which is ran by parents and Snaith are the latest group to open a Squirrel drey. Well done to the people behind the opening of these sections, and to everyone else across the district who have opened up their sections to more young people and helped contribute to our growth.** **As we have adapted over the last twelve months, it’s meant this year has been very much about the hear and now. But we will pivot to looking further ahead as The Scouts prepare to launch their national strategy for what the next ten years will look like and we’ll adapt that for Blacktoft Beacon, taking on board the thoughts and opinions of volunteers and young people within the district.** **I’m looking forward to the next year and all of the fun and adventure that will come with this.** **Josh Morablanco District Lead Volunteer** ## **A Year of Growth** ## **2025 Census Results** **2025 was another year of consecutive post Covid growth, with 1013 youth members this year vs. 1002 last year.** **volunteers which has opened more spaces for young people.** **Focus needs to be placed on our Cubs (-7) and Scouts (-31) which saw a drop in participation.** **Growth came from our Squirrels (+2), Beavers (+39) and Explorers (+7) thanks to the opening of new sections and the hard work of** **Overall volunteer numbers remained flat year on year.** ## **14-24** **The past year has been busy with a record number of Explorers in the district and lots of new events.** **To support our section teams, the 14-24 has been facilitating shared district nights hosted at the different sections. This approach is helping the sections with programme planning and more importantly allowing Explorers to mix more and make new friends.** **Our WhatsApp group is becoming a great tool for leaders to share and request support. We’ve been encouraging leaders to out calls out for help rather then cancelling meetings. It means we’re sharing ideas and new perspectives.** **We’re making the Young Leader training more accessible as our feedback is many of our Young leader work weekends and miss out on the provision county offers. We** **have therefore held our first evening session and planning to hold more in the next 12 months.** **Highlights from the past few months are Phoenix ESU heading down to the National Space Centre for the launch of the Explorers space badge.** **This term also saw the launch of Explorer Olympics which was received very well by the explorers and feedback says next year will be bigger and better.** **Rory and Lottie have also begun steps to open a Network unit for Blacktoft Beacon which will be up and running later in 2025.** **Gayle Tomlin 14-24 Team Lead** ## **Volunteering Development** **As volunteers in Scouts, we’re proud to help young people step up, speak up, dream big and gain the skills they need for life.** **groups to focus on making it easy for new volunteers to join, providing ongoing support, and facilitating learning and development opportunities, promote a positive volunteering culture and celebrate our achievements.** **Thanks to the adult volunteers in Blacktoft Beacon District, young people find their place in the world, learn to believe in themselves and make a difference to their communities and society. Our time and skills help young people gain skills for life.** **Encouraging volunteers to complete their mandatory learning continues to challenge, but we are here to support and help. We have recently received queries from volunteers wishing to complete their Wood Badge, having completed modules in the old system. We are also happy to assist in organising training courses local to groups in our District. If you would like some help in doing any of the above, please get in touch.** **By working together, and living our values of integrity, respect, care, belief and cooperation, our aim is to have a positive, safe and rewarding experience as volunteers.** **Following transformation at the end of last year, the Volunteering Development Team is responsible for ensuring a positive and supportive experience for all volunteers. We aim to work with** **Wendy Macadam Volunteering Development Team Lead** ## **Youth Lead** **This year, YouShape has truly thrived in Blacktoft Beacon, with fantastic opportunities giving young people a real voice in their Scouting experience. Youth-led activities are always a highlight across every section, from Beavers planning their own game nights to Scouts deciding on adventurous hikes for Top Awards and community projects. Leaders support these ideas with enthusiasm, making sure every young person feels heard and empowered, a massive thank you to all leaders that make this possible in your programmes. The district has seen a growing culture of young people taking the lead, choosing themes for camps, and helping plan badge work that excited them.** **A major milestone for the District was the two members representing Blacktoft Beacon at the first-ever National Youth Forum, where they shared their views and brought fresh ideas back to the District. At** **the same time, every group in the district has been working toward completing the YouShape Award, making sure young people are at the heart of decision-making. The award has inspired leaders and young people alike to focus on YouShape, sparking creative programmes and boosting confidence among young people. Overall, 2025 has been a brilliant year for YouShape in Blacktoft Beacon, setting a strong foundation for even more youth-led Scouting in the future.** **We are always striving to improve YouShape within the district, so if you—or someone you know—has a passion for giving young people a voice and would like to support at district level, please get in touch and join the YouShape team!** **Rory Kershaw District Youth Volunteer** ## **Roll of Honour** ## **Silver Wolf** **Liz Fraser** ## **Awards** **Katey Wales Michelle Parker Jacob Whatmough-Stow Susan Woodhouse Magnus Druitt Nigel Kemp Ben Unwin** ## **Commendation Award** **Josh Fry Chris Andersen Peter Holthuysen Sarah Goodwin Rhian Unwin Mary Tomlin Jo Smethurst Callum Tuttle** **Well done to everyone who earned their Wood Beads and Length of Service Awards in the past year.** **Congratulations to Frank Cook on his well-deserved inclusion in the King’s Birthday Honours list - an outstanding recognition of his dedication and service.** ## **District Trustees** ## **Ex Officio** ## **Vice Presidents** **Alan Hayward, Acting Lead Volunteer** _**(Until September 2024)**_ **Andy Eavis Christian Carver** **Josh Morablanco, Lead Volunteer** _**(From September 2024)**_ **Scott Millard, Chairman Claire Norman, Treasurer Rory Kershaw, Youth Lead** ## **Independent Examiner** **Alastair Connell 262 Beverley Road Anlaby East Yorkshire HU10 7BG** ## **Nominated Members** **Linda Thelwell** ## **Bankers** **Jo Cook Wendy Macadam Shaun Wilson Carl Cooper** **HSBC Bank PLC Hessle Merit House Hull** **Paul Daniel** _**(Resigned September 2024)**_ **Liz Fraser** **Joy Milestone** **Andy Wales** **Frank Cook** **John Jobling** **Amelia Bateman-Young** _**(Resigned November 2024)**_ ## **Josh Morablanco** _(Until September 2024)_ ## **District Constitution** **The District Scout Council voted to adopt POR 5c.2. and any future updates, as the district constitution at the previous AGM. The most up to date version can be found online at scouts.org.uk/por.** Financial Review **for the year ending 31[st] March 2025** **Blacktoft Beacon District Scout Council** BLAC￿0￿ BEACON D1SfRI￿scoUT COUNCIL BLAc￿0FT BEACON DlSfRICTSCOUT COUNCIL INCOME AND EXPENDttURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024 BALANCE SHEET AT 31ST MARCH 2025 GENERAL PURPOSE ACCOUNT 2025 2024 INCOME 2￿25 2024 CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank ar￿ in hand Subsciptions Gross Co5￿Cted Less Collected on Behalf of Others Net Collected 2,321.48 49,895.29 62 321.48 49 895.29 53.955.00 46,030.50 52,169.50 45.340.50 1,785.50 690.00 1,002.00 GENERAL PURPOSE ACCOUNT BaL4nce Brought Forward Surplus {-deficit) for year Refund of Capilataion So)ut Group Supwt Repayment Tablers W￿d GrantsDonations Amazon Smile Sak of Ba St Geor9es Day Income ExplorerlNthork PoacherlExplorer FestrBMJ Fun 988.00 0.00 0.00 21.74 235.82 384.52 6,261.54 4,880.00 49,895.29 44.892.95 12,426.19 5,002.34 62,321.48 49.895.29 TABLERS WOOD Balan￿ Brought Forward Surplus (-deficitl for year 0.00 2.￿2.09 0.00 -2,ffi2.09 0.00 590.00 413.fyj Deep Sleepx)ver Welty Walk GravTtylJump Williams Den Camp Craft Earmarked Income Jamboree Fells Tab￿ Woyj BBITS Closure of Hook Sc