st l Rustington Scout Group Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024
Chalmlan's Re rt IYS that time again to reflett on the past year of Scouting at 1st Rustington and the achievements of the Group. Fundraising is an integral part of the'behind the scenes. work and sUPPOrt for the Trustee Board. This year we held two very successful Street Collertions which raised over £2(JXI for group funds. November saw another well supported Comedy Night at The Woodlands Centre. whKh agaln brought in vitiil funds. A big thank you to Martin Richardson and the GSL team for. once again. organising and running this event. St Georges Day Parade in Awndel saw. as always, an amazing turnout from all settions of the Group. which was repeated in November for Rustingion's Remembrance Sunday Parade. I have the privilege of being part of this event and l am alWW so proud to see all the sections on parade in our local community. 1st Rustington has always been aut belng part of the community and following on from the success of the previous year we once again joined with the Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul for our Carol Service. Natalie. Laura and Gill always make us 50 welcome and iys a lovely way to all come together to start the build up to Christmas. Once again my thanks to Gill for working wtth the Sections to produce an amazin8 piece of artworkthat was displayed in the Church. As part of the Carol SeNce we decided that. rather than having a trnditlonal collection, we would encourage everyone attending to bring along a doltiOn to ' The Pantrf . our local food bank supported and run by the Church community. The response was incredible and we ended up wlth five full crates of donations; a very proartive way of 'thinking of others before ourselves,. Scouting is about being part of a famiv and everyone in the Group has a part to play in this. Nikki Cooke. has, for the past few years been administering our successful IC(J Club. however she has now decided to step down from this role and I would like to tske this opportunity to say a massive thank you to her for everything she has done. Jon Harris has kindly agreed to 'pick up the baton. and l am very grateful. l started by reflerting on the sucoss of the past year and I would like to end by looklng forward. We. as a Trustee 8oard will continue to learn and adapt. l am just one of a dedicated team of Trustees and as always my thanks goes to Caroline, Sally. Mary. Sandy & Nicky for their continued dedication, hardwork and support. To the GSL team. leaders and volunteers I want to say thank you for your continued commitment to providing the best of kouting at tst Rustington. Here's to the next twelve months..... Sarah Greig Chairman- 1st Rustingion Board Of Trustees
Another busy 12 months has flown by and after two and a half years of laying the foundations for the lon8 term stability of the group whilst embraun8 the change of the Scout Association. l am pleased to Say that we are still riding high with membership hitting capacity eèrfier in the year with all sectlons full. Rustin8ton continue to offer an enjoyable, Satisfying and fulfilling programme to all our young people and as we contlnue to modemise and develop our Leadership team. we can all be proud that on again we have wren a further fantastic chapter in the Group's hlstory tryy)k. Our numbers and reputation for offering fantastic Scouting opportunities are testament to the tireless effort5 of all our leaders. Their dedication is second to none and always goe5 that extra mile. We sadly sald 8oodbye to Gary Cooke from Pioneer Scouts this year who ha5 moved on to new challenges at Distritt. A big thank you for all you have done and don't be a stranger. Accordingly, Ploneer5 has been left in the very capable hands of Andy and Amy who are picking up the reigns brllllantly. The weekly programme provided to all section5 continues to amaze and showcase the creativity of the team. This year we are particularly proud that all our sertions have offered nights away opportunities as well as some exciting activity days. The strong praise and appreciation from parents on the WhatsApp group echo our thank5 and the great job you are all doing. HQcontlnues to be a hub of the communitywith growing numberof Hall Hirers. There are plans afoot to refurbish the toilets and in time the kitchen. We continue to build an increased social media presence and have replaced and renewed many items of equipment that enable the group to run the programmes that we do so well. The website remains very interactive allowing uniform sale5. hall hlre, new joiners, enquiries and even donations to be managed at the touch of a button or two. There has been a greater foojs on our sections and camps this year alongside the usual District & County Events we once again held a wonderful Christmas Carol Concert in St Peter & St Pauls Church with just shy of 2LXI group mernbers and their famity attending. Fundraising events have included two '. very successful Comedy nights, Street Collertions as well as securing the Top Tesco Community Award voted by the local community. Our Trustee board steered by Sarah have continued to SUPPOrt us in all we ask for and they are incredibly committed to helping us give our young people the best scouting experience we can. We have some 'big ticket item< on the wish list coming up and their consideration and acceptance for what we quest is always gratefully reIVed." We look forward to another prosperou5 year. At this point I would like to highlight a few individuals whose contribution has been key to the success of the group this year. Firstly Peter Bunce for all his help in the upkeep of the hall. Chelsea for her dedication in growing our hall hirers. And Jon Harris for his continue support to the GSL Team and taking on the ICLJ club. Thank you one and all. The indlvidual section reports this year are available on the webslte, and will tell you what the sections have been up to throughout the past 12 months. Thank YOU to the Distritt team for their support under lan's guidan and finally a huge thank you to all our own leaders. explorers helpers, friends and supporters. Your generosity and commitment make 1st Rustin8ton is what it is. Leys make this coming year equally successful and enjoyable offering the best Scoutin8 we can with lots of fun alon8 the way. Thank you, Dan, Martin, James, Matt
Rustin on E lorer Unlt Re Rustington Explorers has continued to operdte a dynamic programme throughout the last year. Leader5 and Explorers alike have showed great resilience and commitment throughout this perfod. AttNitie5 in the summer term included campsite wide games, beach ni8hts, challenges at the rec, sports day, mini golf and foot go. tent pitchin& volley ball. and orienteering. Once again we returned to the Peak District. Despite the weather it was a thoroughly enjoyable week. Explorers undertook their Duke of Edinburgh Award5 as well as Rock Climbing. Archery, Battle Field Live and the obligatory trip to Alton Towers. Leaders and Explorers showed great spirit to make the trip happen but demonstrated how camping is such an important part ofour programme. Wlnter months again provided a twist on many of our usual winter programme attwities but on again a full programme operated during this time. We welcomed February wlth Green status and allowin8 Scouting to operate without restrictions. One of our best nights this year wa5 called Splash & Chat where a former Explorer of some 20 years, provided each Explorer with an easel. a canvas, various paints and brushes and showed them all how to paint a mountain scene. The results were fantastic! Other nights this year have Included Taskmaster. a night hike. firstaid trainin& a visitto Flyin8 Fortress, backwards cooking at the campsite and much more. As well as the Tuesday night programme a number of Explorers help out at the various sertions of Ru5tington Scout Group as part of their awards prowding a valuable resource and support to these units. The Explorer Unit continues to be a success and a fundamental part of Scouting in Rustington. Thls is down to the excellent leadership team of Daniel. Cobby, James, Jon and Chelsea who make the unit so popular and appealing. Never more so has their spirit and commitment shone through. Our sustained numbers are testsment to all their hard work Thanks. rnust also go to the continual support reiVed from the Group and Committee. the Unit would not be what it is Wtthout you.
r Scouts Re ort Another year of progress. The Frontier Scout section has 32 Scouts. We are projected to recelve more Scouts over the next 6 months from both Kingfisher and Pathfinders and thank the leadershlps team in both groups for their support in helping us grow. Wlth the influx of Scouts. we needed more leadership help. Tom Weedon decided that he would turn to Scouts after a two year absence. He has settled in really well and has been a massive help with the wealth of experien he brings to the role. Summer Camp 2023 was held in Bristol and was a joint camp with Pioneer Scouts. This year Frontiers took 12 Scouts. which is double the amount we have taken the previous two years. Thls is a posltive step in the right dirertion. The Scouts enjoyed taking part in Canyonin& Surfln& Hiking and Shooting along with many other artiNities. This year has seen the Frontier Scouts complete the following actNities, archery, swimming, Scalextrfc racing, building and racing chariots and cooking pancakes. We have completed the code breaklng badge. a night hike across Angmering park and built fires and cooked campfire donuts. Sadly Tom Wilkins left the Frontier Scout in March 2024. This was due to having other commitments. His leadership and skill set will be greatly missed by the group. Tom joined Frontiers just after Covid at an extremely difficult time for the Eroup and helped us Erow quickly into the group we have today. We thank Tom for all his hard work and help over the past 3 years. However, in Tom's place we have recrutted Ben GittU5, vtho was fornally a Scout with Frontiers. He brings fresh ideas and a younger perspective. which we hope will help the 8roup grow further in the future. Welcome Ben! As we move forward, we acknowledge that we do need to recruit another leader to support the team moving forward over the coming years. We will be discussing this as a leadership team and will hopefully find someone soon. As a leadership team we would like to thank the Committee and GLV for their continued help and support in making Rustington the Group that it15. I would like to personaltythankTom C, Tom W.Tom W and Benfortheirsupport and help in running Frontiers. We have had a difficult few years, but our efftirts are now paying off. That is clearly evident In how far the group has come in such a short Spa of tirne. I look forward to growing the 8roup further with you In the coming year. Thank you.
Ploneer S¢ou A year in the life of Pioneersl April saw a very successful expeditlon challenge for 2 groups. They set off across the north downs for a 2 day expedition that the group5 planned and navlgated themsefves. They atso had to cook for themselves and pitch their own tents. We had the most fantastic evenin8 Put together by our young leaders seeing the scouts racing around Rustington and Llttlehampton in their patrols. We also had our homeless sleepover. The scouts nStrUcted shelters and slept out in the church hall carpark after visiting a local soup kitchen. In May we visited Woodhouse Park in Bristol with Frontiers for our summer camp. We had an action- packed week including surfin& canyonin& hiknng and of course the scout Olympics! The summer tenn saw the Pioneers making san¢k35tles, bike riding and hiklng and finishing it all off with a summer partyon the beach. The autumn tem included a vislt to Littlehampton fire statlon followed by further work at the hall towards their fire Safety badge. We had a troop forum allowing the scouts to feedback ideas for what they would like to see in their programme forthe next term. In Ortober we set off on another campl We visited Broadstone Warren Whe the scouts undertook crate stacking and archery followed by hikin8 and orienteering and a how well do you know your leader5 quiz. We created our own version of cluedo that was played live in the hall. As well as a firework hike and more badge based evenings. The Pioneers also entered 2 teams Into the district cooking competition and won first place bringing home the Battered Billy Trophy. Christmas saw us preparing for our Christmas party making Christmas crackers. 5nowAakes and paper chains. We said a sad goodbye to 2 of our leader5 Ade and Rebecca at our fancy dress Christmas party. We also had a few visitor5 from county to join the lebratIOnS. Ploneers welcomed 2024 and stsrted work on our you shaped badges. We had a 4 week rotstlon where each group enjoyed an evening of cookin& air rifie shooting, navigation and planning their own nights. Each patrol hosted their own night over the next 4 weeks where they got to be leaders for an evening. They were so imaginative and a lot of funl Congratulations Pioneers. we have had a fantsstic year handing out 8 gold awards and a whopping 265 badgesl
ub Seout Re Our Summer terms are always filled-tO•the-brim with u5 being outside as much a5 possiblel During this term. we Went on a night hike. earnt many different badge5, wslted the Scout campslte twice, and the highli8ht of the temi was our Monopoly themed'incident walv. The Cubs walked between lots of different Monopoly locations. where additional volunteers were mannlng themed base5. and completed a range of activities based on each Monopoly destination! They had to plug the buf5t Water pipes at the Water Works, complete a 'Don't Buzz the Wire. at the Elettric Companyi 'Read all about iv at Fleet Street, and even exape from Jail! Along the way, the received Chance and Community Chest Cards. where they completed additional tssks on route to their next base. to earn even more moneyl We had our annual joint camp with Pathfinder Cubs at the beginning of the Summer holldays, which was ourfir5t camp vthere we were ableto fully return to campin& With the children staying overnight for the full duration. In Autumn term. we had lots more evenings of earning badges, to include completing the chefs badge, where the Cubs put thelr culinary skills to the test and made a Cottage Pie and a frult crumble for puddingl We had a blast atourGhostbuskrsthemed evenin& a5 we made the marshmallowwe completed our First Aid badge. pioneerin& athletics badge. and had a Christmas party at Flying Fortres5, as well as having one at the Scout Hall. and completing xime Christmas crafts. Our Spring term saw us do some crazy scbence experiments. visit the l¢xal fire station. celebrate Shrove Tuesday lon Ash Wednesdayll. and complete our Astronomerfs badge at the Chichester Planetarium. We did a three-way rotation of artivities across three weeks. whereby we did some climbing at Out of Bounds. made a bird feeder plarfom for our DIY badge, and had the Distrirt in to supervise us with some rifie shootingl All In all, as always, Kingfishers have invested numerous new Cubs. said goodbye to our eldest Cubs as the(ve gained their Silver Awards and moved on up to Scouts. and gained oodles of badges! However. it must be noted that none of this exciting programme could be achieved without the leadership team, so a huge thanks must go to Jo, Andy. Rohan and Will. and to our Scout and Explorer helpers Eamonn, Charlie. Michael, Jacob and Graciel We also extend our thank5 to the Group Lead Volunteers for their support and guidance. Jemma Lecuyer Kingfisher Cubs Akela
Pathfinder Cu IVS been another great year at Pathfinderfsl In the spring and summer, we held a lot of our meetings outdoors. We went on a hike up to Highdown Hill. we played 5wrts at Woodland's recreation ground and spent an evening on Littlehampton beach. We also spent several of our meetings up at the district campsite in Angmering. During our time there, we played lots of wide games and practised some outdoor skills, including pitching tents. fire lighting and backwoods cooking. In June, the Cubs enjoyed a session of alp and Cllmb at Out of Bounds. At the start of the summer holidays. we went on our annual camp with Kingfisherfs to Lodge Hill near Pulborough. Our therne this year was Disney and there were lots of artivities and games organised over the 4 days. We also took the Cubs on a hike and went swimming with them. Luckily the weather wasgood enough for usto have sorne campfires in the eveningstoo. A bi8thank you to all the leaders and volunteers who help us each year. We would not be able to run our summer camps without you. During the Autumn and Winter months, we were back at the hall, learnin8 new skills, playing games, and having lots of fun. We have completed lots of different badges during the year, includlng Disability Awarene55. Emergenry Aid, kientist. Chef, Pioneer. Digital Maker and International, as well as working towards the Challenge badges. Five of our Cubs achieved their Chief Scout Silver awards, and in total we gave out 194 badges. As an early Christmas trea( we joined Kingfisherfs for an evening at the 'FEying Fortres< in November. S¢out Re In December, The Cubs used their artistic skills to help design the decoration for the annual Christmas Carol Servlce at St Peter and St Paufs. Nigel and I continue to run the pack and we hope that we will be able to recruit some more volunteers very soon. In the meantime. we re on our Explorer young leaders. who give up thelr time each week to help us provide a fun and varied Programme for the Cubs. We would also like to thank all the parents who have helped during the year. Finally, thanks to all those who work tlreSe5sly behind the sne5 to support our Scout Group and make It the success it Is. We look forward to another great year at Cubs! Manythanks Akela Steve
rest Beaver Scout R This year has continued to be full of exciting experien and programmes for our beaver. We have Continued to support our Beavers with a great team of leaders and Young Leaders wtthout whom this Wouldn't be possie, and I would Sike to thank them all for their support and en8agement within the settion. Our Young Leaders continued to grow and develop their leadership ski115 alongside our other leader5. and it has been great to see their confidence grow across the year. We thank them for their time With us as they have both since moved on to other sections. We are currently full at 28 Beavers with a strong attendance each session. This year the Beavers have been working really hard at home as well as at our sessions and they have eamt a total of 498 badges at home and during our sessions well done to you and thank you to our parentslcarer's engagement with thls. The Beavers have worked really hard during our sessions working on a variety of badges includin8: intematlonal. money skills (which is a new badge for us all). dtsabilty awareness and health and fitness. Our year has been filled with a variety of experience5 for our young people. In the summer of last year. we held our own Jamboree on the Trail (Jom walk which is an intematlonal event with groLSPS from across the world joining in with walks or hikes. We also went for a visit to Broadstone Warren. a scout adventure centre, where the Beavers enjoyed activÈties Including low ropes. tunnelling and pedal karts. Much fun was had by all who attended. We held our sleepover in Selsey last year with a magical theme to entice the Beavers as well as visit to the local RSP8 stte to explore the area and learn about the different animals and creatures that call it home. In February of this year, the Beavers went to dip and climb which they did amazingly well whilst Magpie watched from below admiring their confidence and climbing ability whllst keeping my feet firmly on the ground. The 8eavers have also enjoyed joining in with district events including a sandcastle competition. flying fortress and St George's Day in Amndel. Last year, some of our 8eavers joined in with the celebrations for St George's Day during our time as duty group. A total of 10 Beavers achieved their a)ief Scout Bronze award which is a fantastic achievement for those Beavers. Lots of 8eavers are continuing to attend sessions and are getting close to achieving theirs as well. We currentty have a lot of younger children who are also on their way to achieving their bronze awards, 50 we are lookin8 forward to seeing what the upcomlngyear ha5 to bring. I would Slke to end by thanking the young people and thelr families that make Forest Beaver5 what it is and the amazing team of volunteers without whom we couldn't run and provide the amazing experienos for our wonderful Beavers. Daniel Mccann Beaver Scout Leader
Woodland Beaver Seout Re ort Another fil-On year of Fun and badges has gone by at Wo¢ylland BeaveA3. The year stthd with 20 beavers on parade for St Georges Day looking smart as always. It is always hard to get a s¢ at thc campsite, but we were lucky to bave several dates thts yegr to enjoy fim and marsbmallows over the campfire. We looked at telling si(Y1 and book reading which helped us launch the conununity Trk library outside the hall for everyone to exchange books in. Every week we saw beavers exchang¢ a book or 2. Good old biscuit decorating was on the agenda with lots of wdzy designs with lots of icing and too many sweets for some. This evening was followed by some bike maintenanc¢ ready for our s)nsored event a few weeks laler. 21 Beavers soon attended Go Beavers 23 event at Blacklond8 Farni. we covered boulder1 low ropes, Imnnels, a night line. archery and much more. Th¢ journry home saw 24 McFlurrys being ordered and demolished in the buses on the last part of our journey home. Beavcrs undertook their NavigatOTS stsge I badge lookin8 at routes and wing arrows and symbols to show directions. Endanged anirnals wete loose in the h811 one evening and finding out about other animals were loose in the campsite the following week. Our sponsored evenL a Roller Darby was held on the Littlehampton Sea fronL beavers s¢ooted or rode their bikes up and down thc prom to raise money for their Sleever. In SePtrynb 17 beavers join us for an animal themed sleepover with a day trip to see live Beavers at DnlIla'S Park A day out followed by & sl¢¢pov¢r at the Scout Hall. they finai]y wer¢ asleep at midnighL Beavers madc crocodil¢s the following Tuesday as part of the animal friends badge to look after and tell tales of what they got up to. St Peter and St Paul'g Church invited us to visit and learn about faith and join in with their harvest f¢stival. A very special four-legged visitor joitied the gang for her very 1° visit in a group. Milly the 8uid¢ do8 puppy taught us how she will be trained and what she will do for those in the future. This helped us look al our disability awareness badge. We paid a visit trj Littlehampton Lifeboats and had a competition to see who could be dressed up the quickesL We s(M)n looked at computer saf¢ty and invented machines that could help thos¢ who can't do things easily. Some eat minds these Beav¢TS have. For Mother's Day we decided to make peppermint Crea what a mess! We flew airplanes and done some experiments. this was also followed by presenting our hobbies to each other. Beavers learnt about looking after their teeth and had a visit for a Dental nur5¢ and a hygienist to explain the role of a d¢ntisL World thinking day we looked at ways we could do our best and help others. we decided to go on a ni8ht hike to the park and ended the terni at the hall as th¢ weather let us down. Beavers hunted for eggs and made a Sentence to receive their Easler Eggs. A total of 573 badges had been Iwid¢d out ov¢r the year and 10 of these were their highest award th¢ Bronzc award. Many beavers have swun up to cubs and new beavers hav¢ Start I'm sute you can see all beavers and leaders have worked hard to achieve $0 much. Thank you for the support of KaL Farley, Ben. Isaac, Finn and Emilia who hav¢ me up with 8reat ideas to support the Beaveis. l also want lo Thank the parents for their Sup[ to evenings when I have had to stsy late at work and need ¢xtra pairs of hands. Wc are now ]kg frrtivard to another amaring year ahead
cL81MG 8AIANCEAT 314AR44 Curmt Accounts £ 5.636.81 ReseTve Account £ 28,461.15 Day Nolice A¢count £ 14.347.15 ReseThe Account. HSBC £ 0.37 Pètty Cash 55.63 Individual Sections £ 26,.41 The end of year closlng balance for the entire Group is £7S,L3.s42, of which £48,501.11 is for the Trustee Account. Trustee Accounts:. Total Income for the year was £35.079.67- Expenditure £37.609.96. This left a defiat of £2.530.29, meaning that money was required from the previous yearfs reserves to support the Group. The previous financial year12022-20231 showed an increase in funds of £517.86. £14.347.15 is Set aside in a 35-Day Notice Account in antiapation of purchasing a much needed minibus. Thi5 is being added to when possible. when fundraising allows. £34.153.96 is in the general fund. towards- Everyday expenditure in maintsining the Scout Hall1£12,808.041 Minibuses13.828.98) Programme Support lincl Membership Fees11£16.611.151 Leader Support and Training1£517.971 Main Income: Regular: Hall Hire- £3,621.50 100 Club- £483.50 Fund Raising: Comedy Night- £2,440.23 Street Collertions- £1.973.09 The Group, also, received £4,357.21 in Donations and Grdnts the majority of which was from:. Tendercare Ltd - £l,SC#).r Sussex Masonic Charitable Foundation Iminlbus Don3tionl- £500.(KI Howard Lodge of Brotherly Love IFMI (Minibus Donationl- £500.(Y) Membership Fees paid by each Section. once District had been pald. provided the Group wtth £3,248. toward5 its running costs of £20.818.34 There has been fundraising efforts made duringthe last Ilnandal year. towards a new rninibus and hall renovations buL sadly these were turned down.
To help maintain our funds, and save towards a new minibus, fundraising is essential. If participatlon is not forth¢ornin& may be the Group will have to look at iaSed Membership Fees as the way forward. This is not what we want but. we cannot run at a1055. $0, is the need to be able to reclaim Gift Aid on our Membership Fees. Please can you help by ensuring that you have authorisation from parents to enable this to be claimed. Caroline Harris S September 2024
1 I31?3)1 £ IOS491 £ a41.15 £ 21x12 t 4111.01 t 4144 É 11MISJ £ 1JlO ¢X•J 757AI t i(M6J)7 t 1.74291 21TffjI £ 11435 t lJ77.11 t IX127 £ &7X•5