2025-03-31-accounts - Ash Green Scout Group

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Ash Green Scout Group Trustees' Annual Report

For the Financial Year ending 31[st] March 2025 and covering the period 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2025

1 Reference and Administration Details

Charity Name: Charity Number: Principal Address:

Correspondence Address:

Ash Green Scout Group

1199314

New Ash Green Youth Centre, Ash Road, New Ash Green, Longfield, Kent DA3 8JY

100 Punch Croft, New Ash Green, Kent. DA3 8HS

1.1 Trustees

Louise Banks Chair Michael Gordon Banks Group Lead Volunteer Clare Hambleton Secretary Casey Hughes Treasurer Mark Jennings Quartermaster Mollie Louise Burr Trustee Donald Peter Lewis Trustee Gillian Lewis Trustee Alice Baker Trustee

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

2 Structure, Governance and Management

2.1 Governing Document

' The Group s governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and the Policy, Organisation and Rules (P.O.R) of the Scout Association.

2.2 Constitution

Ash Green Scout Group is a trust established under the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association (P.O.R.). It has a constitution agreed by the Group Scout Council, but which is subservient to its governing documents.

2.3 Group Scout Council

The Group Scout Council is the electoral body to which the Group Trustee Board is accountable. It has a governance role for the charity and makes Group Trustee Board appointments other than ex officio and co-opted appointments (see P.O.R. Rule 5.4.5.2.c).

Membership of the Group Scout Council does not provide any membership status of the Scouts.
The Group Scout Council has no Trustee responsibilities.

2.4 Group Trustee Board

The Group Trustee Board is a team of volunteers who work together, as Charity Trustees, to make sure the Group is run safely and legally. At the heart of their role is a focus on strategy, performance and assurance. Although the Group Trustee Board is responsible for the charity, it is accountable to the Group Scout Council.

The Group Trustee Board exists to support the Group Lead Volunteer in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment.

The Group Trustee Board must act in the charity’s best interests, acting with reasonable care and skill and take steps to be confident that:

a) The charity is:
well managed
carrying out its purposes for the public benefit
complying with the charity’s governing document and the law
managing the charity’s resources responsibly
b) the charity is operating compliant with P.O.R and the charity regulator, including effective management of each of the Key Policies listed in Chapter 2 of The Scout Association Policy, Organisation and Rules (P.O.R.) .
c) young people are meaningfully involved in decision making at all levels.
d) the Group has sufficient resources (funds, people, property and equipment) available to meet the planned work of the Group including delivery of the high-quality programme and resource requirements of the training programme (Rule 4.2.2 of The Scout Association Policy, Organisation and Rules).

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

2.5 Trustee Selection

The trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association (Rule 5.4.7 of The Scout Association Policy, Organisation and Rules).

2.6 Risk and Internal Control

The Group Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed. These are:

2.6.1 Injury to Volunteer Leaders, Helpers, Supporters or Members

The Group supports compliance with the Safety Policy and ensures appropriate risk assessment; elimination, reduction and control measures are taken to reduce the likelihood of any injuries.

In addition, through membership fees, the Group contributes to the Scout Association's national accident insurance policy.

2.6.2 Damage to Buildings, Property or Equipment

The Group would request the use of property and equipment from other local Scout Groups and organisations. The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.

2.6.3 Reduced Income from Subscriptions and Fund Raising

The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fund-raising. The Group holds adequate reserves to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The committee could also raise the value of subscriptions to increase the Group income, either temporarily or permanently.

2.6.4 Reduction or Loss of Volunteer Leaders

The Group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the Group. If there were a reduction in the number of volunteers to an unacceptable level, then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of activities or sections.

2.6.5 Reduction or Loss of Members

If there were a reduction in membership of a particular section or the Group as a whole, then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation, or closure of a section.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

3 Objectives and Activities

The primary objective of the Group is that of the Scout Association generally, namely:

'to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.'

The Values of Scouting

As Scouts we are guided by these values:

Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others.
Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.
Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we cooperate with others and make friends.

The Scout Method

Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of Scouting and:

enjoy what they are doing and have fun.
take part in activities indoors and outdoors.
learn by doing.
share in spiritual reflection.
take responsibility and make choices.
undertake new and challenging activities.
make and live by their Promise.

The activities of the Group are:

The provision of the Scouting programme for 6 to14 year old members.

4 Achievements and Performance

Please see the Trustees’ Annual Review document below.

4.1 Public benefit statement

The Group meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

5 Financial Review

5.1 Reserves Policy

The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Group Trustee Board considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 12 months’ running costs, circa £23,000.

The Group held reserves of approximately £28,650 against this at year end.

5.2 Investment Policy

The Group Trustee Board considers that the Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longerterm investments such as stocks and shares. The Group has therefore adopted a low-risk strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies. Currently, our sole Bankers are Lloyds Bank, Gravesend, Kent.

6 Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved this Trustees Report . Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees:

Signature:

Full Name: Michael Gordon Banks Position: Group Lead Volunteer Date of Signature: 08/07/2025

Signature:

Full Name: Louise Banks Position: Group Chair

Date of Signature: 08/07/2025

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Statement of Assets & Liabilities for the Year Ending 31st March 2025

Balance of Gen A/c at 1/4/2024 Gen A/c Expenditure Gen A/c Income Internal Transfers Gen A/c Carried Forward to 2025/26 Balance of F/R A/c at 1/4/2024 F/R A/c Expenditure F/R A/c Income Internal Transfers Fund Raising A/c Carried Forward to 2025/26 Balance of Savings A/c at 1/4/2024 Savings A/c Deposits Savings A/c Gross Interest received Internal Transfers Cash A/c Balance at 31 Mar 2024 Cash Expenditure Cash Income Cash Internal Transfers Cash Held at 31/3/25 Totals Freehold Property (Garage) Insurance Valuation Equipment at est. insurance value- Garage Equipment at est. insurance value- Ash Equipment at est. insurance value- YC Vehicle LD----X at 2023 Purchase cost less 20%	Out £ In £ £ 9,751.01 £ 32,656.37 £ 31,934.66 £ - £ 994.90 ------------------- --------------- £ 102.23 £ - £ 72.51 £ 274.74 £ - ------------------- --------------- £ 7,515.78 £ - £ 195.39 £ - £ - ------------------- --------------- £ 645.30 £ 629.66 £ 1,315.64 £ 720.16 £ -	C/fwd. to 25/26 £10,024.20 £ 300.00 £17,711.17 £611.12 £28,646.49 £19,126.00 £23,540.00 £7,650.00 £11,700.00 £15,600.00 £106,262.49
	£ 34,280.93 £ 2,927.42

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Income & Expenditure Summary (All Accounts)

2024-2025

2023-2024

£ 7,315 £ 3,349 £ 103 £ 808 £ - £ 4,769 £ 1,341 £ 5,913 £ 3,950 £ 560 £ 1,651 £ 943 £ 21 £ 51 £ 173 £ 167 £ 33 £ 1,484 £ 520 £ 30 £ 995 £ 105	19,500 155 0 4,319 5,101 696 1,736 1,686 995 100 430 195 0	£ 6,350 £ 3,245 £ 69 £ 1,382 £ - £ 3,001 £ 1,627 £ 3,481 £ - £ 90 £ 1,461 £ 1,150 £ 11 £ 70 £ 113 £ 302 £ 29 £ 21,267 £ 496 £ 314 £ 45	£ 19,035 £ 230 £ 8 £ 4,332 £ - £ 1,616 £ 979 £ 2,145 £ 8,751 £ 563 £ 192 £ 230 £ -
	£ 34,913 £ 34,281		£ 29,329 £ 44,501
£ 34,281		£ 44,501
	£ 632		-£15,171

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Key financial highlights are:

There has been a substantial increase in the amount of camp fees which have been paid into our Bank Accounts, due to the impending Kent International Jamboree in 2025.
Section Budgets were given a further boost to enable increased Section spending.
There has been a significant increase in the Section spending on activities, which is good to see.
We have a very good level of equipment, so we spent very little on new equipment in the year.
Membership fees to the Scout Association increased significantly, although there was no substantial increase in Group membership numbers.
The very significant fall in motor expenses is a result of having purchased a replacement vehicle last year – a cost which has not been repeated in the current financial period.
A marginal overall surplus of £632 has occurred in the current financial year.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Ash Green Scout Group Independent Scrutineer’s Report for the year ending 31 March 2025

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Trustees’ Annual Report – Ash Green Scout Group

Group Structure

The group has fully adopted the new scouting framework introduced in 2024. With the formation of a new Trustee Board, new role titles and team structures also came into force, in line with the changes to our Constitution which also took place last year.

The biggest change this year has been the stepping down of Peter and Gill Lewis (Group Scout Leader and Treasurer) after nearly 10 years at the helm. Peter has worked tirelessly in that time, ensuring the group is in a strong position. We remain the largest group in Swanley District and the fourth largest in Kent. Casey Hughes joined us to take over the role as Treasurer and she has been working with Gill (out-going Treasurer) over the past couple of months learning the ropes. The Board would like to offer Casey a very warm welcome into the Group.

Charity Commission Reporting

We filed our Charities Commission Report and Accounts for the last (2023-2024) year on time.

Governance

Our Trustee Board has increased to nine members, all of whom work tirelessly in the background handling the finances, administration and governance of the Group. The Trustee Board also ensures that the Group remains compliant in all respects.

Safeguarding and Safety

There have been no reported incidents throughout the year. All of our volunteer adults have maintained up to date Safety and Safeguarding training, and they all have current enhanced DBS checks in place.

Group Membership & the Leadership Team

The Group has remained strong, with currently 128 young people across the youth sections and a further 16 young people in our affiliated Explorer unit. Our strength in numbers is purely down to our amazing leader team, running fun, exciting meetings, camps and activities. We currently have 20 uniformed volunteers and 2 Young Leaders working together at our different sections.

We have welcomed a new member to our Beaver Leaders team - Rhiannon Harrod-Reid. We also have a Duke of Edinburgh volunteer, from a local school, helping out in out Cub Sections. The Trustee Board and the Leadership Team are continually looking to recruit more adult volunteers, so that we can provide the best Scouting experiences for our young people.

Financials

The group finances remain in good order, with Gill, our former Treasurer, having done an amazing job as always. The Group’s main source of income is from monthly subscriptions, topped up by Gift Aid. The Trustees have agreed to keep subscription levels unchanged this year to help the families in our community, but if our expenses continue to rise, we may have to re-visit that decision.

Monthly subscriptions for our youth members have remained at the current level since September 2017. Our biggest single expense is the annual membership of the Scout Association. That has risen by £9 per young person this year, bringing our annual membership costs to £7,315!

Waiting List

The waiting list of young people currently stands at 29. Most of the children on that list are waiting to get into Beavers - with the youngest being only 4 months old! Local demand for places at Ash Green Scout Group is consistently very high.

Section Activities

All sections have had busy meeting programmes this year with a wide verity of activities including visits to our local Police and Fire Services, and a local pottery workshop. We had a visit from a local owl sanctuary and also from the RNLI. Those visits were in addition to all the ‘normal’ activities expected of a Scout Group.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS

Youth Achievement

Individual youth achievement is recognised by their progression through the Chief Scout Awards system. We have awarded 8 Bronze, 7 Silver and 8 Gold during the year. One of our Explorers was awarded the Chief Scout Platinum Award - only the second time the award has been made in Swanley Scout District history.

Group Activities and Community support

This year has remained busy, and almost all sections have either been on camp or at sleepovers. This year, our Scout sections are attending the Kent International Jamboree in August – an international event which happens every four years and has an overall attendance of around 8,500 Scouts and Guides. This week-long camp is packed full of activities and entertainment and is a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for our Scouts.

The Group took part in the St Georges Fun Day arranged by Swanley Scouts District again this year, with a short parade and lots of activities for the young people during the day. We provided, and ran, an Archery range and Zorb football matches at the Fun Day.

We again supported the Royal British Legion by selling Remembrance poppies etc. from a stall in our village, and a large contingent of the Group took part in the annual Remembrance Parade at Ash Church. We also supported Ash Church and our Parish Council with the VE Day Beacon lighting by providing and running the BBQ.

All proceeds from the BBQ went to the Ellenor hospice, in memory of the Group Lead Volunteer’s Mother, who was a big supporter of the Group but sadly she passed away quite suddenly.

We continue to support our Village Day and other local fetes etc. and we derive some welcome additional funds from those activities. Fund-raising aside, Group sections have continued our support of our community with various litter picks around the local neighbourhoods. We also attended a couple of ‘working days’ of the Village Woodlands Group, where we helped to clear out and cut back the village orchard. The Group’s Scout sections are looking to get more involved in future helping the Woodlands Group.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY NUMBER 1199314

ASH GREEN SCOUTS