## **Annual Report and Accounts**
**For the year ended 30 September 2025**
**www.opendofe.org** Registered Charity No. 1169592 Charitable Incorporated Organisation No. CE008073
## **Open DofE Centres in West Sussex**
## **Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 30 September 2025**
## **Table of Contents**
|Public Benefit Declaration|3|
|---|---|
|Report of the Trustees:||
|Chair’s Report|4|
|Treasurer’s Report|5|
|Awards and Achievements|6|
|List of Leaders & Volunteers|7|
|Receipts and Payments account for the year ended 30 September 2025|8|
|Statement of assets and liabilities at 30 September 2025|9|
|Notes to the Accounts|10|
|Trust Information|11|
|Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Open DofE Centres in|12|
|West Sussex (the CIO)||
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## **Open DofE Centres in West Sussex Annual Report for the year ended 30 September 2025**
## **Public Benefit Declaration**
The Trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Our Charity’s aim is to provide open access for the delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in West Sussex.
We pride ourselves on supporting all the young people to ensure they complete their full Award, to provide them with the experience and life skills their participation gives them individually.
The following reports describe how the charity meets its aim.
A Bronze DofE Team before climbing up to Leith Hill Tower in September 2025
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## **Chair’s Report**
The past year has been an exceptionally productive and successful period for the charity, marked by significant growth and a renewed commitment to the young people we serve.
## **Personnel and Volunteers**
As it’s the first time I’m writing this report, I would like to begin by extending my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated team of volunteer leaders. This year, their contribution has been more vital than ever. Their tireless efforts in training, organising, and supervising expeditions—as well as mentoring participants through their various Award activities—remain the backbone of our success.
## **Achievements and Performance**
It has been a particularly busy 12 months across all levels of the Award. A standout highlight was the unprecedented interest in the **Bronze Award** . Having found ourselves over-subscribed, we were determined not to turn young people away. Thanks to the incredible flexibility of our volunteers, we successfully expanded our capacity by running two distinct cohorts—one during the summer and a second in the early autumn. This allowed us to meet the needs of our local community and ensure no one missed out on the opportunity.
Our **Silver and Gold** expeditions also saw fantastic engagement:
- **Silver:** Our participants continued to utilise the New Forest and the Peak District. These locations have provided a wonderful opportunity for young people to explore and navigate terrains they might not have otherwise experienced.
- **Gold:** We maintained our tradition of challenging expeditions, with practice runs held in the Brecon Beacons and qualifying expeditions taking place in the Lake District. The resilience shown by these participants in such iconic landscapes is a testament to their hard work.
**Operational Note** Our trustee meetings have continued to be held virtually. This remains a highly effective way for us to manage the charity’s governance, offering both sustainability and convenience for our trustees, who are spread across several miles. Moving forward, we are looking at options to hold our meetings in-person.
**Looking Ahead** As we move into the coming year, our primary focus will be the continued development of our current leaders—particularly those who have recently joined the charity. We also aim to attract and mentor new volunteers to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Award in Horsham and the surrounding areas.
I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together over the last year and look forward to seeing our participants continue to thrive.
## **Ollie Foord**
Chairman
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## **Treasurer’s Report**
The Accounting Period for the Charity’s eighth year of operation was 1st October 2024 – 30th September 2025 and I am pleased to report that it has been another good year.
In general, the Charity has seen an increase in new participants from the previous year, mainly due to two cohorts of Bronze Participants.
Although we are showing a loss for this financial year, this was due to the Leaders needing to revalidate their First Aid Qualifications (every three years) and their Minibus Permits (every five years). These are costs that are budgeted for over the previous two years.
All activities are running well, and we are extremely grateful to Reigate Grammar School, who kindly loaned us a minibus, free of charge, for two of our expeditions. Transport continues to be a major challenge due to the lack of local minibuses available for hire.
The Charity is still in a very strong position going forwards and it is looking to use some of its funds to purchase some new equipment for the 2026 expedition season, which will mainly be tents.
Dave Hatton Trustee and Treasurer
A Gold Expedition Team at the top of Pen Y Fan in Bannau Brycheiniog during their practice expedition in March 2025
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## **Awards and Achievements**
2025 has been a standout year for participant engagement. I am thrilled to report that our completion rates remain exceptionally high, reflecting the determination of our young people and the quality of support provided by our leaders. Congratulations to everyone who reached their goals this year!
Our statistics for this reporting period demonstrate a consistent and healthy growth across all levels of the Award. With 57 new enrolments and 59 young people achieving their full Awards, we have maintained a completion rate of over 100%. This is a fantastic result for the Horsham area.
|**Award Level**|**New Enrolments**|**Completed Awards**|
|---|---|---|
|**Bronze**|30|33|
|**Silver**|7|18|
|**Gold**|20|8|
|**Total**|**57**|**59**|
It is particularly encouraging to see **20 new Gold enrolments** , as we always strive to see our participants progress to the highest level once they reach 16. Our Silver completion numbers (18) significantly outpaced new Silver registrations (7); this is because the majority of our Silver participants are loyal "returners" who transitioned into the level immediately after finishing their Bronze.
Once again, a significant number of volunteering hours were devoted to the community. Participants provided vital support to local primary schools and youth groups, including the Scout and Guide movements. Sports Leadership emerged as a primary focus this year, alongside dedicated service in charity shops and local environmental conservation projects like nature reserve maintenance and litter picking.
The Physical Section continues to showcase a diverse mix of team and individual pursuits. While traditional sports like Netball and Football remain the most popular, participants also challenged themselves with less common activities such as Irish dancing, Archery, and Trampolining.
Skills development remains a cornerstone of the programme. This year saw a heavy emphasis on Performing Arts (acting, drama, and theatre) and Musical Instrument proficiency. Practical life skills were also in strong evidence, with several participants focusing on Culinary Arts, Car Road Skills, and First Aid.
At all levels, our expedition training maintained a strong local base in the Surrey and Sussex borders, with training days focused on essential campcraft and navigation skills. Bronze expeditions were primarily concentrated in the Low Weald and the South Downs. Silver expeditions took place in the New Forest and the White Peak of Derbyshire. Our Gold assessment expeditions saw groups heading to the Cumbria (Lake District), and one participant completed their expedition canoeing in the Wye Valley. As ever, the young people demonstrated great adaptability, managing their expeditions through varying terrain and weather conditions.
The Gold Residential section continues to provide a wide variety of experiences. This year, participants engaged in National Citizen Service (NCS) partnerships, intensive cooking courses, and multi-activity weeks involving kayaking, rock climbing, and bushcraft.
Overall, 2024-2025 has seen some fabulous achievements by the young people from Horsham and the surrounding areas, demonstrating their commitment to personal growth and community service.
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## **List of Leaders & Volunteers**
The following individuals, either regularly or occasionally, have contributed to the successful delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh Award for young people in West Sussex during the period.
The volunteers are listed in alphabetical order.
Linda Batchelor David Hatton Paul Brooks David Munn Cathy Childs Charlotte Nichols (CJ) Keith Ediss Michelle Pope Oliver Foord Martin Tomlinson Barry Goodchild Oli Tullett Kate Hall Richard Ward Dorothy Harrod Alice Slade Mike Harrod
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## **Open DofE Centres in West Sussex (Charity No 1169592) Receipts and Payments account for the year ended 30 September 2025**
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## **Open DofE Centres in West Sussex (Charity No 1169592) Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 30 September 2025**
**David Hatton Treasurer and Trustee 13th May 2026**
**Ollie Foord Chair of the Trustees 13th May 2026**
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## **Trust information**
## **Trustees**
|**_Trustee Name_**|**_Office (if any)_**|**_Appointed_**|**_Retired_**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Catherine Childs**|**Chair until 17th June**
**2025**|**11/10/2016**||
|**Ollie Foord**|**Chair from 17th June**
**2025**|**29/06/2021**||
|**Barry Goodchild**||**28/09/2018**|**14/01/2026**|
|**Kate Hall**||**11/10/2016**||
|**David Hatton**|**Treasurer from**
**01/11/2022**|**26/04/2022**||
|**Martin Tomlinson MBE**||**11/10/2016**|**17/06/2025**|
|**Oliver Tullet**||**14/01/2026**||
NB: Several of the dates above show changes which occurred after the reporting period, but reflects the status of Trustees at the publication of this report.
Trustees are recruited from persons who are familiar with the aims and policies of the Charity, and the aims of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and have appropriate skills, knowledge, and experience to undertake specific roles.
Correspondence addresses:
Chair: Ollie Foord, 23 Barnfield, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9ZT Treasurer: David Hatton, 34 Hill Mead, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 2PU
Bankers:
Santander plc, Bridle Road, Bootle, Merseyside L30 4GB
Independent Examiner:
Michael Merritt MA FCA, 87 Worcester Road, Chichester, PO19 5EB
Constitution: Constitution dated 11[th] October 2016
Charity Registration No: 1169592 Charitable Incorporated Organisation No. CE008073 Web site: www.opendofe.org
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## **Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees of the Open D of E Centres in West Sussex**
## **(“the CIO”)**
I report to the Charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 30 September 2025.
## Responsibilities and basis of report
As the Charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the Act.
## Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. Accounting records were not kept as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. The accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: M W Merritt
Relevant professional qualification: FCA Address: 87 Worcester Road, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 5EB
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