Bucks Uniformed Youth (Charity Number 1183685) Annual General Meeting and Trustees’ Report 2023/2024
Bucks Uniformed Youth
(Charity Number 1183685)
Annual General Meeting
Monday 15[th] July 2024 at 7.30pm Via Microsoft Teams
Agenda
1. Welcome
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Election of Chair
4. Election of Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Event Officer and Transport Officer
5. Draft Minutes of the Last Annual General Meeting held on 17[th] July 2023
6. Reports & Accounts (1[st] April 2023 - 31[st] March 2024)
7. Approval of Minutes & Acceptance of Audited Accounts
8. Appointment of Auditor & Setting Level of Fees
9. Re-appointment of Trustees
10. Re-approval of Safeguarding Policy
11. Members’ Resolutions (if any)
12. Any Other Business
Bucks Uniformed Youth
(Charity Number 1183685)
Draft Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 17[th] July 2023
Present
President - Peter Kara; Chair - Jerry Davies; Vice-Chair - Alan Holder; Secretary - Rex Stevens; Treasurer - Joe Bradshaw; Charlie Jones - Communications Officer; Trustees; Representatives of Member Organisations; and Guests.
Welcome
Jerry Davies opened the Meeting, welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending. He was particularly pleased that Steve Lambert, Mayor of Aylesbury and Luke Baker were present.
Apologies for Absence
Rex Stevens informed the Meeting of those six people who had sent their Apologies.
Election of Chair
Alan Holder proposed Jerry Davies, who was seconded by Rex Stevens and elected unanimously.
Election of Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer and Event & Transport Officer
Jerry Davies proposed that these current post holders in those respective roles be reappointed, and they were seconded and approved en bloc by the Meeting.
Approval of the Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting on 6[th] July 2022
The Meeting approved the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on 6[th] July 2022.
Reports & Accounts (1[st] April 2022 – 31[st] March 2023)
Reports by the President, Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer and Events & Transport Officer together with the Accounts for this period that had been circulated and were briefly commented on.
Approval of Reports and Acceptance of Audited Accounts
These were unanimously Approved and Accepted.
Re-appointment of Auditor & Setting Level of Fees
Joe Bradshaw proposed and Jerry Davies seconded the re-appointment of Jonathan Stansfield as Auditor and authorisation of the Trustees to set his fees which the Meeting unanimously approved.
Re-appointment of Trustees
The Meeting re-appointed Sheila Beales, Joe Bradshaw, Steve Elcock, Phill Mould, James Palin, Rex Stevens, Hilary Walker and Simon Williams as Trustees of Bucks Uniformed Youth.
Members’ Resolutions
There were none.
Any Other Business
Jerry Davies invited all those present to share achievements that had occurred during the current report year which many did, including changes that had taken place within Member Organisations and initiatives planned for the new one. Rex Stevens referred to Charity Commission rules that now required a division of existing composite “Ordinary” Meetings between “Trustees’ Meetings” and “Operations Meetings”. Consideration of the initiatives and best means of achieving the most effective implementation of the new rules will take place at the next [& last] Ordinary Meeting in its present form on 18[th] September 2023.
Reference and Administratve Informaton
Bucks Uniformed Youth
Charity Number: 1183685
Address: Bucks Uniformed Youth, Town Hall, 5 Church Street, Aylesbury, HP20 2QP Tel: 01296 655386
Email: secretary.buy@gmail.com
Website: www.bucksuniformedyouth.com
Bankers: NatWest plc, 22 Market Square, Aylesbury HP20 1SJ
Auditor: Jonathan Stansfield
President: Peter Kara
Vice-Presidents: Amanda Nicholson & James Palin
Trustees: Peter Kara, James Palin, Jerry Davies, Alan Holder, Rex Stevens, Joe Bradshaw, Charlotte Jones, Sue Carpenter, Steve Elcock, Phill Mould, Hilary Walker, Simon Williams.
Objects: The promotion of the efficiency and effectiveness and the effective use of charitable resources of youth organisations whose members wear uniforms in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes for the benefit of the public but not exclusively by:
1. Providing and co-ordinating the effective use of equipment, assets and training activities;
2. The provision of such grants and other items of assistance, including assistance with fundraising as shall be thought fit;
3. Co-ordinating attendance at local events and raising the profile of the Member Organisations as appropriate;
4. Maximising opportunities offered to young people who are members of the Member Organisations, especially from those who are disadvantaged and crime vulnerable, resulting from its Member Organisations working closely together for best mutual benefit
BUY Numbers of its 19 Member Organisations – 31[st] March 2024
| Organisaton | Young People | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| Britsh Red Cross Youth | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| Bucks ArmyCadet Force | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| Bucks Fire & Rescue Cadets | 0 | 1 |
| Bucks Scouts | 8199 | 2298 |
| Chesham Girl’s Band | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| First Burnham Girl’s Brigade | 24 | 5 |
| GirlguidingBucks | 4781 | 1290 |
| Thames ValleyAir Cadets | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| Oxon & Bucks including Milton Keynes Sea Cadets |
280 | 187 |
| RBL Youth | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| RGS High Wycombe CCF Army RAF |
||
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Sir Thomas Freemantle School CCF | 30 |
5 |
| St John Ambulance Cadets | Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided |
| Stowe School CCF Army RAF Royal Navy |
||
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| TVPA Cadets Aylesbury High Wycombe Milton Keynes |
||
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Notyetprovided | Notyetprovided | |
| Total [As of 31st March 2024] | 13,314 | 3,786 |
– President Peter Kara
The two highlights of the current year for me were attending the Bucks County show in August last year and the second Annual Bucks First Aid challenge held at the ARC last month.
The BUY Village at the Bucks County Show was a tremendous success with us occupying the largest plot and having more Member Organisations participating than ever before. Many of the organisations reported that both children and adults had been recruited on the day.
The Annual Bucks First Aid challenge provided a wonderful opportunity for uniformed youth to gain practical skills in first aid under realistic conditions recreated with great artistic expertise and professional experience by a committed group of volunteers who put teams of four young people through their paces in a competitive environment. It was a day of learning and fun and my gratitude to the organisers and volunteers for their time and effort.
Our support to Bucks Council & Aylesbury Town Council initiatives continues with attendance at different civic events in Aylesbury such as the Remembrance & St George’s Day Parade and Carol Service, and we remain committed to supporting the Lord Lieutenant and the new High Sheriff whenever required.
None of this would be possible without the commitment and cooperation of our Member Organisations and the people therein, and I express my sincere thanks to you all.
– Chair Jerry Davies
Welcome all our Member Organisations [MOs] to the 2023/24 AGM.
For BUY it has been another very busy reporting year with cadets and young people supporting a large number of civic events including the Lord Lieutenant's Awards, Aylesbury Mayor’s Remembrance Service, Heart of Bucks Annual Reception, Christmas on the Cobbles in Aylesbury, High Sheriff's Reception, & Aylesbury Mayor’s Carol Service together with their own programmes of training and events. BUY now supports more than 13,000 young people and more than 3,600 adult staff within its current 19 MO's across the traditional county (including Milton Keynes).
We were also very pleased that during the Report year another two organisations have recently joined us - these being the Aylesbury Girls' Brigade and the Aylesbury Boys' Brigade and a third organisation is currently in the pipeline for 2024/25.
Although technically in the 2024/25 report year, the 2024 multi-agency BUY Challenge competition in May, held courtesy of Commandant Bucks ACF, was again a great hit with all those units attending. My sincere thanks and appreciation go to our President, Peter Kara for his kind donation of the awards; Captain Amanda Hodges, OC E Company ACF and her team for planning & implementing such a great event; and to those from Bucks Fire and Two Shires Ambulance Services for their wonderful support, teaching and 'Equity' strength roleplaying throughout the day. My thanks are also extended to both Lieutenant Colonel Simon Wilkinson (Retd) DL representing the Lord Lieutenant and for presenting the awards at the end of the day; and to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Lyndon Robinson, Chair of Buckinghamshire Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for being able to join us. Here's to another successful competition next year with hopefully some more teams from the various other MO's.
I am very pleased that we have been able to keep both minibuses on the road again for 2024/25 even though we had a steep rise in our insurance premiums. That said, with both vehicles being out and in continued heavy use over the coming summer months to support our MO's, we should again break even on the accounts - which is all we seek to do.
As we look forward to some summer sun, our next and main awareness event for the year will be at Bucks County Show on 29th August where we will again see the BUY marquee and the whip flags out in support of the ever-expanding BUY Youth Village. By us all being seen in the public domain, this further helps to strengthen the close relationships that we have within our communities and MO’s.
In conclusion, and having had the privilege like many others to have attended the National D-Day Commemorations in Portsmouth on 5th June, one cannot but watch and listen in awe with a tear in the eye for those brave men & women who are still alive to tell of the horrors they endured on the beaches of Normandy and during the long march to Berlin in supporting the liberation of Europe. So many left our shores and fell, never to return and now have a sacred place in a foreign field - 'we will remember them'.
– Secretary Rex Stevens
The 2023/24 Report Year has been an interesting one for Bucks Uniformed Youth and its Member Organisations (MOs). Although the restrictions imposed by Covid have been lifted, its aftermath remains particularly around mental health. BUY did sign up to a project sponsored jointly by Bucks Mind & Bucks Council but regrettably no MO’s took advantage of it when it was offered to them at the time.
Young people across Bucks & Milton Keynes are once again keen to join our MOs and waiting lists are growing but the lack of Leaders means they cannot be accepted, which is a great pity. Each MO is working hard to recruit them. The annual BUY Village at Bucks County Show not only provides a focus for all MOs who wish to be there but also, as young people take part in the activities on offer, a great recruitment opportunity which has usually resulted in an influx of them and adults.
Changes made by the Charity Commission for every charity and CIO - BUY is the latter - which came into effect during the Report Year have meant greater control by BUY’s Trustees who are responsible for its overall management, ensuring it fulfills the Objects it was created for (which met twice); and Operations Meetings, attended by MOs’ Representatives & BUY’s Officers, who look after its ongoing operation (which met 3 times). These were in addition to the Annual General Meeting.
Besides the BUY Village at the County Show and numerous other individual local events which it is always pleased to support, its Annual Challenge - in 2024 held on 11th May - and based on something which all MOs include in their programmes [first aid] is a great success but needs more teams of 4 young people from a wider range of them to make it even more enjoyable & competitive.
We continue to be indebted to everyone connected to BUY for their ongoing stalwart commitment and encouragement.
Treasurer - Joe Bradshaw MVO
Once again it is my great pleasure to report that the finances of Bucks Uniformed Youth continue to be in a very healthy state. Having withdrawn our second minibus from service in 2022 we have been able to keep both of our vehicles operational and keep the running costs down whilst being able to keep the deficit at the end of the financial year down to £321.57.
We have been able to approve grants totalling £100 during the financial year despite our best efforts to provide our umbrella organisations access to our small grants scheme. Following discussions with the Grants Officer at Community Impact Bucks we transferred £10,000 to our liquidity manager account (reserve account) which will be used to cover any major vehicle repair costs for Minibus 1. It has also generated £197.18 in interest since we transferred it on 20 September 2023. This may allow us to apply for grants from organisations in the future; given that we will have significantly less funds in our business account but we will need demonstrate that this money is held in reserve for that eventuality.
In 2024 we will continue to attempt to distribute grants of up to £100 to groups within our umbrella organisations. A total sum of £1400 remains “ringfenced” within the accounts for this purpose given that these are donations received from Just Giving in memory of our late Chairman. Grants will be available through the “Lt Col John Williams Small Grants Scheme”.
Jonathan Stansfield was appointed Auditor at the 2020 Annual General Meeting and has expressed his willingness to continue in that capacity. Jonathan has asked me to include a statement to be included within my report “In my opinion the accounts. give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31[st] March 2024; and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; they have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
Mr Joe Bradshaw MVO
Bucks Uniformed Youth Income and Ex enditure Account for the ear ended 31 March 2024 2022.23 2023.24 INCOME Donations (Xher Income £11.196 42 £0.00 £4.038 19 £0.00 TOTAL INCOME £11,1%.42 £4,038.19 EXPENDITURE Insurance Vehicle Maintenance Other vehicle costs Refuelling OfficelPrintintylCT Grants Misc cost5 £1.078.74 £1,29100 £ 19875 £ 10DOO £ 22262 £5.420.00 £1,47959 £ 2.335.72 £ 28840 330.00 £ 20823 100.00 £ 1.097.41 Excludes transfer lo Liquidity Manager Kcount TOTAL EXPENDITURE £9,190.10 £4.359.76 SuiplUD8fiC1I th8 yeai £7.405.T2 -£32151 D&btors I Paymetrts In A(fvance Bank B&l&nces'. Current Account Liquidrty Manager Account Tot21 Cash at Bank Value of Fixed Ats MiniS linc deweciationl TOTAL ASSETS £0.00 £000 £24.668.92 £0.00 £14.347.35 £10.197.18 f24,668.00 £24.5U.53 £15.800.00 £40,468.00 £14 900 00 see note £39.444.53 Note- value of ¥ehieles min1iS 1 Mini$ 2 £13.900 00 £ 1.000.00
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Communicatons Ofcer - Charlie Jones
It has been a good year on the Communications side of BUY. We’ve had lots of interest in our Facebook page and our website. We had great feedback from the Christmas quiz I organised, and the winner received an Amazon voucher. This is a good way of getting interactions from our viewers along with other event photos we put on there throughout the year.
I also gave the BUY website an upgrade which makes it look more inviting and easier to navigate. Since putting the minibus contact form on there, more organisations have been getting in touch. The minibus bookings are working well, when a submission comes through, I then forward this onto Sue which she promptly replies to them. I hope to take some professional photos to show case our amazing minibuses.
Comparing last year to this year, we have had a massive rise in visitors to the website (Shown in Figure 1 and 2):
Figure 1 Last Year Analytics
Figure 2 This year
I have started designing a pop-up banner which we can use at events such as Bucks County Show and I hope to get this printed very soon. Along with the sweets which I created for last year. I will also be working on updating the email addresses to have bucksuniformedyouth.com domain which looks more professional.
Event and Transport Ofcer – Sue Carpenter
Following on from the previous year, this year has been a busy and productive one for the attendance at events for member organisations.
St George’s Day Parade, 22 April in Aylesbury’s market square saw many local youth organisations taking part in the parade to celebrate St George. This is an annual event for all uniformed youth to attend. Representation from the Army, Air and Sea cadets alongside scouting and guiding organisations.
Bucks First Aid Challenge, organised by Captain Hodges at ACF, Viney House The 2[nd] Annual First Aid Competition held at Viney house. Cadets from various organisations took part in major incident scenarios, giving the opportunity for cadets to practice and master their first aid skills and learn from others.
Aylesbury Live in the Park – Participation in the community involvement area, to promote their organisations and encourage new members.
Bucks County Show held on the 29 August. BUY were again pleased to be in attendance at the show, alongside the Explorer Scouts, Thames Valley RAFAC, I Company Army Cadets, who were a fantastic support to the show organisers over 2 days, which included the setting up on the day before the show and on the day, arriving in the early hours to set up the main show ring and presidents tent and also assisting during the day with trophy and results running for the different classes of events taking place. I Company also brought along with them the climbing wall and laser tag which was very popular with the public, despite the rain and overcast day. We were also pleased to have other organisations in attendance, include Trefoil Guild, Girl Guiding County team
Heart of Bucks Annual Reception was held on October with South Bucks Police Cadets who supported the organisers on the day.
Remembrance Services : In November, many organisations turned out for their own Remembrance services including the events in Aylesbury. The Mayor of Aylesbury was pleased to be supported at his Remembrance Service with cadets from the local Sea, Army and Air companies attending and supporting with readings as part of the service, assisting with the collection and seating guests.
Transport Report March 2023 – April 2024:
From March 2023 to April 2024 the two minibuses has been on loan to member organisations, totaling 109 days in total.
These have been to the following member organisations:
2049 Halton Sq RAFAC Bucks ACF Chesham All Girls Band RAF OS Gondolier Scouts
1[st] Halton Scouts 28[th] Wycombe Scouts RAF Halton Beavers Burnham Girls Matric Explorer Scouts Grendon Underwood Scout 9[th] Aylesbury Scouts
Interest in both buses have increased over the year, and unfortunately, we have had to turn down some MO’s due to the non-availability of the vehicles, due to previous bookings.
We give thanks to Bucks Rifles at the Army Reserve Unit, Viney House for letting us use the car park for these to be kept safely whilst not in use.