High Peak District Scout Council Annual Report 2024
CONTENTS
Trustee Board Chair’s Report ....................................................................................................... 3 District Lead Volunteer’s Report ................................................................................................. 4 District Treasurer’s Report ............................................................................................................ 8 Summary of Explorer Scout Unit accounts: ....................................................................... 11 Gradbach Warden’s Report ........................................................................................................ 12 Gradbach Treasurer’s report ....................................................................................................... 14 Explorer Scouts & NetwoRk report .......................................................................................... 16 Young Leaders Report .................................................................................................................. 18 Paddlesports Report ..................................................................................................................... 19 High Peak District Trustee Board: 2024 ................................................................................. 21
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TRUSTEE BOARD CHAIR’S REPORT
Welcome to our 2024 Annual Report and (hopefully) our 2025 AGM. I can’t say a great deal about 2024 as I only joined the Trustee Board in October when Cath Chirgwin moved on to take over as Chair of Hayfield Scout Group. I would like to start by thanking Cath for the time she put in as District Chair particularly as, for most of this time, there was no District Commissioner/District Lead Volunteer. She has clearly left the District in great shape for the future and we wish her well in her new role at Hayfield.
We welcomed a new District Lead Volunteer in 2024. Many of you will already know Martin Berriman very well, so it is fantastic news that he has agreed to take on this very important job after it has been vacant for a considerable time. We were also delighted to welcome a new Youth Commissioner, Rob Wilson: it is very important to have young people involved in decision making at all levels of the movement.
Apart from these changes, the Trustee Board is unchanged since the last AGM. Indeed, some Trustees have been on the Board/Exec Committee for many years and deserve our heartfelt thanks for their many years of service to Scouting in the District. As part of the new rules being rolled out by the Scout Association, we will be electing all appointed Trustees for fixed terms of three years at the 2025 AGM. I hope that this move to fixed terms will mean that more people will feel able to get involved at District and spread the workload a bit. I will leave it to my colleagues to talk about all the wonderful stuff that took place in the District in 2024.
Thank you for your support now and in the future.
Patrick Roberts
Chair, High Peak District
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DISTRICT LEAD VOLUNTEER’S REPORT
It's just over a year since I offered to take on the role of District Commissioner (DC), as it was then, and that year seems to have flown past. More time has been needed to get to grips with the new system IT introduced by Scouting UK than I'd been expecting and it has been a challenge to remain positive with it. However, things are starting to settle down a bit and it feels like we're over the initial pain points so things should get easier from now on. We've got a period of time to add first aid training to all leaders who previously did not have it which is a huge task; thanks to Matt Collins for providing local first aid training courses in the district.
As you will remember, this time last year, a merger was on the cards for High peak Scout District and there seemed to be a lot of concern in the District, which I shared, that it would inevitably cause a lot of upheaval and distraction. One of my main reasons for taking on the DC role therefore was to bring some certainty and stability to the District, to allow all of our wonderful groups to get on with delivering their weekly scouting programmes which help so many young people in the High Peak. It also seemed the right time personally to make a change as both of my boys had moved on to Explorers, having been through all the sections at 1[st] Chinley Scout Group.
On the topic of sections, having started a Squirrels Drey at Chinley Scouts in 2023, I was aware of the positive impact it had on the ability to recruit adults. Knowing that there was still a huge waiting list for people wanting to join Squirrels at Chinley, from all across the district, I was keen to encourage other groups to give it a go. With hindsight, it was probably too much to try and open three new Squirrel sections at the same time but at the time of writing I'm pleased to say we now have new Dreys at 3rd Buxton (Harpur Hill), 1st Taxal and 1st Hayfield, all with teams of new leaders who were not previously involved in Scouting. Some of these leaders are already actively talking about moving up to Beavers when their children move
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up/ With some time and care, we will hopefully have an overall increase in the number of adults across all sections which will help to ease the pressure for all our leaders. Many thanks to everyone at those groups who have helped to make this possible.
Thanks also have to go to all the trustees, leaders and helpers from all groups across the District who freely give however much time they can manage to do something important for the benefit of the young people. We are fortunate and thankful to have a growing number of Young Leaders who provide invaluable help regularly with sections as well as the Paddlesports team and the Gradbach Young Wardens. This team of Young Leaders has been nurtured over the past 6 years through the dedication and persistence of Nic Morton. Nic is moving on this year so we are looking for someone who would be willing to follow in her footsteps; if you know anyone, we'd love to have a chat with them.
The 2024 Wallaboree was another huge success thanks to a remarkably small organising team, producing an event far above that which would normally be expected from a relatively small District. Having organised it for the last 10 years, they are now planning to take a well-earned rest so we are actively looking now for people who'd like to get involved in organising the 2026 Wallaboree; it will only happen if we have people who can help make it happen so if you're keen please do let us know ASAP. Planning needs to start in September in order to get things in place for May.
As a District, we are incredibly lucky to own and have access to Gradbach for camping and events. Sincere thanks must go to everyone who is part of the dedicated team of volunteers who work throughout the year to ensure that the site runs like clockwork, so much so that I'm sure many of us have taken it for granted once or twice over the years. They're even there in January for the Chilly Challenge camping event and on top of that, they also find time to organise and run the annual Border Hike which is no small feat! Well done to 3rd Buxton Scouts for winning the
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Border Hike and also well done to Solomons Explorers for winning the John Bradbury trophy! We are currently looking for someone to take over the role of route planner now that Mary McNaught has decided to hang up her compass after planning the routes for many years. Thank you, Mary!
It was great to see the Cubs, Scouts and Explorers getting creative with recipes for the Ready Steady Cook competition under the theme of sustainability. We're now looking forward to the Taylor Trophy, the High Peak Hex, the Bowden Buffalo and the Beavers Grand Day Out events!
As well as being crucial to their own group’s success, I'd like to encourage all leaders to think of themselves as a much-valued part of the wider High Peak District community of scouters, able to share ideas as well as learn from and support others when and where we can. We all benefit when we share the ideas and knowledge we have built up over the years we've been involved in Scouting. It helps newer leaders to feel less daunted and isolated when they know there's someone they can talk to who's been there and done it before them and who's keen to help. With this in mind, I'm keen to encourage the use of the District WhatsApp community although I realise however there's a fine line between communicating more and communicating too much and I may not always get it right but I'll try my best to be helpful where I can without being annoying.
It's fantastic to see the number of nights away events happening within the district and an increase in the number of leaders wanting to get a Nights Away Permit so they can offer the experience to their section. There's a Nights Away team within the community and any leader wanting to get a permit can join the team and ask how to go about getting assessed. The team there will happily to guide you through the process.
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Looking ahead, I've spoken with quite a few people about the idea of having a Practical Skills team in the district with the idea of helping new leaders to get to grips with the sorts of practical things we do in scouting, many of which can otherwise seem overly daunting. This has been very well received and we're in the process of getting together a team and hope to have something to offer later this year. Additionally, I've been speaking with leaders and parents who are keen climbers with a view to setting up a District Climbing team; since we live in such a climbing hotspot, it seems obvious that we ought to be trying to offer this locally as an activity. It looks like we might have enough people interested and I'm starting to look for funding options; if you'd like to get involved or want to have a chat about it, please do let me know.
Lastly, I'd like to thank our District Trustees who help ensure the district can function and support groups, Peter Bywater for continuing his work with the Scout section as District Programme Lead and also Harry Woodward (Young Leader) for recently taking on the role of District Programme Lead for Squirrels and Beavers! Thanks also to Paul Read who while not actually District Programme Lead for Cubs, organises events and activities for the District Cubs. We do not currently have a District Programme Lead for the Cubs section so I'd very much like to talk to anyone who might be interested in helping with that role.
I hope you enjoy the next scouting year and please do ask me if you need help.
Martin Berriman
District Lead Volunteer
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DISTRICT TREASURER’S REPORT
The main income and expense category for the District was the 2024 Wallaboree. In-year outgoings of over £12,000 and an income of just over £13,000 mean that as well as being a brilliant weekend, financially the Wallaboree was a success.
Fund-raising for the Explorer Roverway Jamboree in Norway 2024 and other international camps in Madagascar and Ghana in 2025 have seen significant fundraising and staged payment activity in the accounts. The fundraising for each of these camps will fully cover the costs for the Explorers involved.
to recover from a small deficit in 2023, to move to having over £1,500 which can be used to help fund the SASU costs and activities in 2025.
The District Membership numbers of young people for the 2024 census was 486. The annual fees were £46.50 per young person so the total paid to the County was £22,599.00. The total District levy was £972 (£2.00 per young person).
The Total Cash Funds for the District at the end of the year was £39,332.71. Please see the following ‘Receipts and Payments Accounts’ and ‘Summary of Cash Balances’.
I would like to thank Ian Potts for auditing the District accounts.
Cath Pitts
Treasurer, High Peak District Scout Council.
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Hlgh Peak Dlstriet Seoutcouncll Receipts and Payments Accounts 0110112024 1 3111212024 Scouts Receipt5 and payments 2024 2023 UnrÈstrlct•d fLnLts Restrktsd funds EnTll1 tur¥ Tièlfv R•c• 122599WI rètsined op IFJSO 11 ee3ts2 13550 DC1-£U .5Q UJ290 W¥lbtye¢ IlQ75QP 918 555UO d5hyFwr4 Sublotsl kntand knv•strrnnt (WJ DlIDn1 49QD 45.D 150.00 8,140.S¥ D>1¢ap Drytyrt.Cuty¥ 2.5Al DrtthÈl.knng L+ad &¥SU 1241.91 5.OW.00 ()¢r Sublthl 252•81 2524aAI Ou•tand knv•stn•nt purchaus. Iseè tab) 2534PII 5X 4.1• 4.19 TrArsfvs lytkls Cashfunds last5arer 34A93.51 3a.332 Fl 3396990 31.325 12 statement of assÈts and IiabilitiÈs at the end of the 2024 eriod 2023 Totsi Uvestrkd ld& R*strthd fun Totsiiunds fvr funds 16k2D.31 pweay ¥ax12 39JttYi Page 9 of 21
HvJh Peak Di4tri¢t Scout council Summary of Cash Balances 011O1r2024 31112r2024 1180750 Scouts Cash balances 2024 2023 Cash funds 214FFJ> IFS514Q PotycTh Tot41(*sh 31JA12 31J32.71 Committed Payment5 ¢fffflMed payrneTrtsWWJ¢heqUl 3JI1211024 ¥knqnlAC Section Fund5 & other Sub-fund5 Sectionfundsand othèrsub-funds ¢urrentfj¢¢•unt& ¢a5h 2024 2023 b&lanE• ChsMI.Cub D¢tyitt.Ewr¢rt PM59 31.91 159L.40 7fjAQ 1.1SqA IL71.71 75& 1&075 12.739B7 t281 I..23 1.582.16 4&SAsu 30A$4 oo 3?.11> Page 10 of 21
Summary of Explorer Scout Unit accounts:
HPDSC - SOLOMONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT
| HPDSC - SOLOMONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - SOLOMONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - SOLOMONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - SOLOMONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening cash funds at the start of the year | £600.07 | ||
| Receipts | £5,800.50 | ||
| Less Expenditure | £4,670.84 | ||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | £1,129.66 | ||
| Closing cash funds at end of year | £1,729.73 |
HPDSC - CRACKEN EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT
| Opening cash funds at the start of the year | £0.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Receipts | £5,352.60 | |
| Less Expenditure | £2,943.21 | |
| Net of receipts/(payments) | £2,409.39 | |
| Closing cash funds at end of year | £2,409.39 | |
| Notes: The use of this account started in March 2024. Prior to that the District current | ||
| account had been used to handle income and expenditure for Cracken ESU. £2,000.00 | ||
| belonging to Cracken ESU has been transferred into this account from the District current | ||
| account during2024. |
HPDSC - TAXAL EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT
| HPDSC - TAXAL EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - TAXAL EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - TAXAL EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT | HPDSC - TAXAL EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening cash funds at the start of the year | £504.22 | ||
| Receipts | £0.00 | ||
| Less Expenditure | £0.00 | ||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | £0.00 | ||
| Closing cash funds at end of year | £504.22 |
HIGH PEAK DISTRICT EXPLORERS
----- Start of picture text -----
Opening cash funds at the start of the year £0.00
Receipts £0.00
Less Expenditure £0.00
Net of receipts/(payments) £0.00
Closing cash funds at end of year £0.00
----- End of picture text -----
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GRADBACH WARDEN’S REPORT
2024 saw the site have another good year with visitor numbers back at normal levels. The site hosted the 42nd Border Hike, our ‘Wallaboree’ District Camp and a number of summer camps. To the end of 2024 we completed bookings, totalling 105 farmhouse nights, 82 cottage nights, 135 camping pod nights and 8768 camping nights.
The year has presented some challenges in managing these numbers and balancing this out with our facilities, our volunteers, neighbourly relations etc and the impact of increased public visitors in the area. To this end we have had to look at capping numbers staying at the site in 2025.
In addition to the usual compliance and servicing works, other maintenance works completed at the site during 2024, included the installation of stairs in the den. Progression of the farmhouse development has temporally stalled whilst we save additional funds to commence work on the project, but slowly we are getting there.
The Duty Warden rota ran from Easter until the end of October and a huge thanks to all our old and new friends who joined us as duty wardens. The feedback we always get from customers is how helpful and friendly our staff are and how clean and tidy the site is.
I would like to thank everyone involved with the site, in particular I would like to mention Mel Babington, our booking secretary who continues to do a sterling job as the first point of contact with our customers. Thanks very much Mel. Also, to Simon Davies for looking after our social media presence and covering for Mel and myself when we are away on our many holidays!
Thanks to our committee, chaired by Mark Babington, to our Treasurer John Pritchard, secretary Simon Davies, to Charlotte Rushworth for taking on the running of our Providore, Will Ingleby for running our website and to our technical
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team of Tony and young John who expertly look after everything ‘technical’. My thanks also go to the Gradbach Committee who continue to play a valuable role in helping guide the site to it becoming a Trustee Board during 2024. Thanks go to Nick Ware who has been a committee member for many years and is stepping down at this AGM. Nick has been the ‘driving force’ behind many of our site development projects over the years and knows he is very welcome at Gradbach anytime.
We continue to be blighted by issues relating to our many trees on site. In addition to the ongoing Ash Dieback issue, we were served with an enforcement notice from the Forestry Commission to remove around a dozen larch trees in our woodland opposite the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust infected woodland. A huge thanks to Pete & Ruth Pollard who have taken the lead on this project and to the staff who then turn it into logs for our wood burners. On the plus side we have yet to purchase timber for our wood burners!
2025 looks like it will be another busy year, with our building bookings looking healthy and a number of summer camps booked in. We have already held another successful ‘Chilly Challenge’ camp, where 140 campers survived near freezing temperatures. We do have to be mindful of the challenges we face as we move forwards, to make sure we recruit the next generation of site staff to run the site for future generations of young people.
Mark Rushworth
Camp Warden
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GRADBACH TREASURER’S REPORT
over payments of £67k (2023: £57k). This was driven by another strong year of camping income of £56k (2023: £58k) being similar to the previous year, and income from the Farmhouse and Cottage increasing on the previous year’s being £36k (2023: £29k) and £16k (2023: £11k) respectively. Total expenditure was £61k (2023: £57k). The main items of expenditure included £18k on remedial maintenance, £6k on the Rover Den stairs project, £15k on energy and fuel being significantly higher than the previous year figure of £9k due to coming out of a fixed term electricity contract. No major capital expenditures took place during the year. Total income for the site was £128k (2023: £114k), with customer income being split 50% camping, 32% Farmhouse, 14% Cottage and 4% Pods. The site started the year with total funds of £272k and ended the year with funds of £339k which gives a solid foundation for the planned Farmhouse extension project.
----- Start of picture text -----
Opening cash funds at the start of the £ 271,571.03
year
Receipts £ 128,220.58
Less Expenditure £ 60,725.13
Net of receipts/(payments) £ 67,495.45
Closing cash funds at end of year £ 339,066.48
----- End of picture text -----
Closing cash funds were made up of the following:
----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
NatWest Current A/C £59,948.10 £46,026.95
CoOp Current A/C £160,846.89 £109,473.50
NatWest Bonus Reserve £38,054.84 £37,510.68
NatWest Liquidity Manager 95 Day Account £10.02 £0.00
Nationwide Instant Saver £79,675.34 £77,965.79
Petty Cash £78.29 £47.11
Providor Float £453.00 £547.00
Total closing cash funds £339,066.48 £271,571.03
----- End of picture text -----
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Total assets for use by Gradbach Scout Camp and belonging to the High Peak District Scout Council is estimated at a value of £2,653k, which consists of; buildings and contents: £2,227k, land: £390k, vehicles: £33k, other: £3k.
The accounts have been independently examined and agreed by Ian Potts approved at Gradbach Scout Camp’s AGM. They will also be presented to the High Peak District Trustee Board.
John Pritchard FCCA
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EXPLORER SCOUTS & NETWORK REPORT
The past 12 months have been a period of growth and challenge for the 14-24 Team at High Peak Scout County. We continue to support over 65 young people, and our units have flourished despite volunteer shortages. The transition to the new team structure has supported and strengthened the existing working practice.
Local policy, processes and bank accounts are close to being in place to meet the team's obligations and ensure continuity and good safety management.
Successes & Achievements
- Strong Units Nearing Capacity
We are proud to report that all three Explorer Scout Units continue to thrive. Membership numbers have steadily increased, and we are approaching full capacity. This growth reflects the enthusiasm and commitment of young people in the district, who benefit from engaging, adventurous opportunities within Scouting.
- Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Programme Delivery
A major milestone this year has been the successful delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. This achievement highlights the dedication of both participants and supporting leaders.
Within the district in 2024, we have completed 2 Bronze awards and 38 expeditions.
3. Opening of Network
We have launched a district Network, providing an opportunity to continue the Scouting journey from 18-25. We currently have 15 members with strong communication and plans to start meeting regularly. This project is being supported by two volunteers.
Challenges & Areas for Improvement
- Volunteer Shortages – Especially at Solomons
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One of the biggest challenges this year has been the ongoing struggle to recruit volunteers. Solomons has been particularly affected, making it difficult to sustain programmes at their full potential. We recognise that volunteer engagement is essential for the success of Scouting and are actively working on strategies to attract and support new leaders.
- Strengthening Support for Expanding Membership
With units nearing capacity, it is vital to ensure that resources and leadership structures can support growing numbers. Future efforts will focus on improving infrastructure, ensuring sustainable leadership models, and enhancing programme delivery to maintain a high-quality experience for all members.
Matt Collins
14-24 Team Lead
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YOUNG LEADERS REPORT
The unit is continuing to grow:
-
There are currently 38 active Young Leaders registered with the District (as of 13/4/25). This is a further increase in numbers from the same time last year.
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11 Young Leaders had completed all the training modules by the end of 2024 and are currently working on their missions. 16 missions were completed and signed off over the year.
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There are currently 4 newly registered Young Leaders awaiting module A training. Module A was delivered on 29[th] March, but they were unable to attend.
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I awarded 4 Young Leader Belts for completion of the award to:
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Josh Chaplin (Solomon’s ESU)
-
Ben Brown (Taxal ESU)
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Charlie Garratt (Taxal ESU)
-
Freddie Baker (Taxal ESU)
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In addition, four Young Leaders turned 18 in 2024 and have stayed on in their sections as adult volunteers.
Nichola Morton
Team Leader (Young Leaders)
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PADDLESPORTS REPORT
We had a very positive season in 2024, taking 362 young people on the water, many for their first experience of paddle sports. This included 72 Beavers, 103 Cubs, 124 Scouts, 30 Explorers, 13 Brownies and 20 Guides. There were 14 kayaking sessions, 14 Canoeing sessions and 3 Raft Building sessions.
Back in March, three of our young leaders completed their Paddlesports Safety Rescue training and their Paddlesports Instructor training courses achieving Nationally recognised qualifications. That means that this season we will be able to use their skills to help run sessions under the supervision of Mark Butland and Martin Berriman while they gain the experience to be assessed for a leadership permit themselves.
We are paddling on a Tuesday evening again at Combs via a renewed agreement with Combs Sailing Club (CSC). Unfortunately, CSC have said that we are not allowed to paddle other evenings this year without seeking individual permission for each session so this will restrict the number of sessions we can run. Additionally, the fees we have to pay CSC have increased by 21% this season meaning we have had to increase the fees we charge significantly just to break even. We would like to replace our kayak fleet but this will rely on finding and applying for funding so if anyone would be interested in helping us with this, we'd be very grateful to have your help.
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We purchased a larger newer trailer in January which is capable of carrying all 8 of our canoes and we plan to sell the older trailer or alternatively use it to store kayaks once there is more outdoor storage space available at CSC.
Looking back at our aims from last year, we did achieve the goal or taking more young people on the water, increasing the number we took out by 10%. We were not able to organise any pool sessions but we'll look at that again later this year. We did take part in the annual waterway clean-up event with a group of enthusiastic scouts from 3rd Buxton. We have continued to encourage more people to get involved and develop their paddling skills to grow what we can offer in the district and we'll continue that this season.
Thank you to all the people who have supported the paddling team during the last year; with your support, we're looking forward to another busy season
Martin Berriman Paddlesports SASU Leader
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HIGH PEAK TRUSTEE BOARD: 2024
Chair:
Patrick Roberts (From October 2024) Cath Chirgwin (Up to October 2024)
Treasurer:
Cath Pitts
District Lead Volunteer:
Youth Commissioner:
Martin Berriman (From May 2024) Sue Harris (Acting DLV up to May 2024) Rob Wilson (from July 2024) George Furness (up to April 2024)
Appointed Members
Mark Rushworth
Martin Berriman (up to May 2024)
Paul Read Paul Pitts
Pete Colling
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