Annual Report and Unaudited Accounts For the Year period from 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025 **5[th] Littlehampton Sea Scout AGM** ## **Wednesday 17[th] of September 2025** **The Gordon Hall, Lineside Way, Littlehampton. Guests are requested to be seated by 6.55pm.** ## **AGENDA** ## **1. Welcome and introduction** ## **2. Apologies for Absence** ## **3. Governance Topics** a. Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 21st September 2024. - b. Adopt the model Constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR 5.4) - c. Note 5[th] Littlehampton Sea Scouts Financial Year - d. Approve appointed and community members of the Group Scout Council - e. Agree the number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board - f. Agree the quorum for future meetings of the Group Scout Council (excluding this AGM). ## **4. Review of the Previous Year** - a. The Group Lead Volunteer’s review of Scouting in 5[th] Littlehampton Sea Scouts b. To receive and consider the Annual Report of the Group Trustee Board including the Annual Statement of Accounts. ## **5. Making Appointments** a. Appoint the Group Chair, following recommendation from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board. b. Appoint the Group Treasurer, following recommendation from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board. c. Appoint members of the Group Trustee Board, following recommendations from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board. e. Appoint the Independent Examiner ## **6. Closing Remarks** ## **7. Presentations** ## **8. Closure of the Annual General Meeting** ## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REVIEW** ## **for the period 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025** ## **Reference and administration details** Charity Name: 5th Littlehampton Sea Scout Group Registered Charity Number: 267357 HQ Registration Number: 1528 Principle Address: The Gordon Hall Lineside Way Littlehampton West Sussex BN17 7EH ## **Structure, governance and management** The Group's governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Byelaws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. The Group is a Trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts. The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. The Group is managed by the Trustee Board, the members of which are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout Group which is an educational charity. As charity trustees, they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate. The Trustee Board exists to support the Group Lead Volunteer in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment and is responsible for the maintenance of Group property, the raising of funds and the administration of the Group finance, the insurance of persons, property and equipment as appropriate within the Group. Group public occasions, assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support, appointing any subcommittees that may be required, appointing Group administrators and advisors other than those who are elected. Members of the Trustee Board must act as charity trustees of the Scout Group and in the best interests of its members. Listed below are the Trustees of the 5[th] Littlehampton Sea Scouts as of 31[st] March 2025 and during the Financial Year 2024/2025 |**Trustees Name**|**Ofice Held**| |---|---| |Rachel Mary Kerwick|Chair| |Sophie-Marie Dymock|Group Lead Volunteer| |Sarah Louise Mann|Trustee Member-Treasurer| |Alistair John Dymock|Trustee Member| |Patricia Webb|Trustee Board Administrator| |Laura Stoddart|Trustee Member| |Gary Robert Silverson|Trustee Member| |Rhianna Stoddart|Trustee Member| Advisors: THL Accountancy Ltd, 303 Goring Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN12 4NX Banking Details: 5th Littlehampton Sea Scouts holds three bank accounts, Primary, Savings and a Camp Account with Lloyds. ## **Risk and Internal Control** The Board of Trustees has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed, these have been reviewed, and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are: ## Damage to the building, property and equipment. The Group would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations such as the church, community centre and other Scout Groups. Similar reciprocal arrangements exist with these organisations. The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss. Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members. The Group through the capitation fees contributes to the Scout Associations national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities. Reduced income from fundraising. The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The group does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Board could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the group on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently. ## Reduction or loss of leaders. The Group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the group. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a section or the group then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario the complete closure of the Group. ## Reduction or loss of members. The Group provides activities for all young people aged 6 to 14. If there was a reduction in membership in a section or the group then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario the complete closure of the Group. The Group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments and a comprehensive insurance policy to ensure that insurable risks are covered. ## **Objectives and activities** ## **The Purpose of Scouting** Scouting exists 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 co-operate 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. As a Sea Scout Group, our purpose is to deliver Scouting to young people aged 6 to 14 with an emphasis on water-based activities. By engaging with our young people, we design and deliver a programme of activities that will engage, entertain and stimulate. Taking full advantage of our location, we ensure that water and outside activities dominate our programme where possible and practical. Principle activities include kayaking, canoeing, powerboating, paddle boarding, camping, hiking and first aid. All designed to deliver lifelong skills and progress our young people towards their Chief Scouts Awards and to maintaining an ongoing and lifelong interest in Scouting. ## **Achievements and performance** Our Group numbers are settled at a comfortable level, but we are still accepting new members to all sections. The ability of the Group to attract new members is a testament to the quality of the programme provided by the Leadership team. However, all sections are struggling with the number of Leaders they have, and we are in great need of more volunteers, who will be able to give their time to attend meetings as well as camps and or weekend activities. Also, if you have a skill, occupation or hobby that could be shared with our young people, please speak to your child’s section leader. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts continue to achieve Chief Scout Awards and make the Leaders very proud with their participation and determination in all that they do. We continue to provide camps, sleepovers and unique experiences, with water activities being at the forefront of our programmes. This year we have been able to return to Mewsbrook Park lake, which is our usual venue for water activity, and have been able to provide our young people with kayaking sessions during the summer term. There was little increase in income for the Group in this financial year compared to the previous year, and due to increases in subscriptions, at some if not all Scouting levels, it is likely that our monthly subscriptions are going to require an increase next year. ## **Fundraising** We are once again selling Christmas trees this year and orders need to be with us by the first week of October, and we will need to look at further fundraising opportunities in the coming year and would love to have input from parents and carers for fundraising ideas and organisation. While it would be useful, whether or not you have experience of organising events and fundraising, please speak to us. The Trustee Board will endeavour to ensure the financial prospects of the Group continue to improve and will make prudent financial provision for any "rainy day" situations. We also need parent representation on our Trustee Board, so if you think that you may be able to volunteer a small amount of your time to help us, please let us know. We meet every 3 months for a couple of hours, and our usual meeting place is the Arun View! ## **Sophie Dymock – Group Lead Volunteer** ## **Reviews of the Year from Section Leaders:** ## **Laura Stoddart – Team Leader Beaver Section** This year has been another exciting and busy one for our Beaver Colony. We welcomed lots of new Beavers and currently have 20 members, supported by 5 leaders and 1 young leader. The colony continues to be lively, curious, and enthusiastic about learning new skills and making friends. Our programme highlights have included: Group Camp, Angel Star throwing, Indoor Caving, learning basic first aid and outdoor skills; as well as visiting fire stations and power boating. Many of our Beavers earned their Chief Scout’s Bronze Award, and all Beavers gained confidence, teamwork, and independence throughout the year A huge thank you to the leadership team for their dedication and creativity. After half term, we will be saying goodbye to two of our leaders: Tic-Tac and Baloo. They have contributed so much to Scouting and we will miss them very much! They have made an impact on so many young people's lives and some of us leaders too. We also want to thank all our parents and carers for their support with events, transport, and sewing badges! Most importantly though, the Beavers, for their boundless energy, curiosity, and fun! We look forward to another exciting year ahead, with plans to run more outdoor adventure activities and sleepovers while continuing to develop skills for life and preparing Beavers for Cubs. ## **Sophie Dymock – Team Leader Cub Section** The Cub Pack has continued to steadily grow and now has 30 members. We have great leaders and 3 young Leaders. The Cubs show great humour, enthusiasm and determination in all of the activities they take part in and are always willing to ‘have a go’ This year’s activities have included hikes, first aid, fire station and RNLI visits, crabbing, powerboating, grass sledging, swimming and so much more! Some of our Cubs achieved their Chief Scout Silver award, and we will have at least another two achieve this in the next year. The 11 Cubs who joined us for Group Camp really enjoyed taking part in the activities and worked exceptionally well with both the younger and older sections. Looking forward, we would like to organise sleepovers, days out and camps as well as lots more exciting programme activities. ## **Clare Frostick - Team Leader Scout Section** This year the Scout Section has continued to thrive, with a steady membership of 30 Scouts throughout the year. We are proud to have delivered a youth-shaped, exciting, and interest-led programme, ensuring that the Scouts have remained at the centre of their Scouting journey. ## **Programme Highlights** Our Scouts have taken part in an incredible range of activities over the past year, including: - Hikes and orienteering - Murder mysteries - Cooking and craft - Wide games - Making and using firelighters - Map reading and first aid - Shooting and swimming - Powerboating and kayaking - Tent pitching - Beach art - Grass sledging Each activity has helped the Scouts build confidence, develop new skills, and strengthen friendships, all while having a huge amount of fun. ## **Autumn Term** Our Young Leader (YL) made a fantastic contribution this year by completing one of his YL missions. He created, planned, and led an incident hike, which was brilliantly organised and very well received by the Scouts. We look forward to the upcoming terms when, he again, will continue to run activities to complete him YL training. ## **Chief Scout’s Gold Award** In February, for the first time since before COVID, a group of four Scouts set out on their Gold Expedition - a two-day hike with an overnight camp. Despite the cold, damp weather, a lost shoe, and a few blisters, their determination never wavered. Their motivation and dedication were outstanding, and we are proud to say they will be the first Scouts in our group to achieve the Chief Scout’s Gold Award. Congratulations to them all! ## **Camps** We’ve been delighted be camping again this year, with two fantastic opportunities for our Scouts: · Group Camp – Our first as a group, with 15 Scouts camping for two nights under canvas. They enjoyed activities such as indoor caving, orienteering, and stand up paddleboarding (including a very competitive game of handball with a giant inflatable ball!). They also worked alongside and supported the younger sections, showing true leadership and teamwork. · Summer Camp – Our final official activity of the summer took 16 Scouts to Petersham and Ham Scout Site in Richmond, London. This camp was full of firsts: a kayaking river trip, bell boating, canoeing, and a damp but memorable walk through the deer park, where we got incredibly close to beautiful fallow deer. A real highlight was 23 of us travelling by red London bus and tube into the city for a day at the Natural History Museum. With fantastic weather, a brilliant programme, and an amazing group of Scouts, this was without doubt one of our best camps yet! ## **Looking Ahead** As we look to the year ahead, our numbers remain strong with 30 Scouts. We wish 7 of our Scouts good luck as they move up to Explorers, and we are excited to support another Gold Expedition in the near future. We are also delighted to welcome a second Young Leader to our team, who will bring even more energy and support to our Scouts. With another youthshaped programme planned, we are confident that the coming year will be just as exciting, rewarding, and memorable. ## **Volunteers** We are always on the lookout for more volunteers to join our amazing team and help support these fabulous young people. You don’t need any specific skills - just a positive, “can-do” attitude and a willingness to get involved. If you are interested in finding out more, please let me know Clare@5lss.co.uk or 077966 57183. Yours in Sea Scouting Skipper, Old Skip, Bosun, Midi, Rigger, Mungo, Surgeon & Wings ## **Financial Review** ## **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 Board of Trustees considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months running costs, circa £14,500. ## **Investment Policy** The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in long term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk-averse strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies. ## **Other Operational Information** As the Group continues to grow there is an ongoing demand for additional equipment and financial resources. We will continue to balance the need for financial prudence with the demands of the sections to provide an active and engaging programme of Scouting. Where we identify surplus assets, these will be liquidated in order to facilitate the purchase of equipment that will be used on a more regular basis. ## **Declaration** The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above. 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