REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 274225
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022 FOR HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 to 2 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 3 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 4 |
| Balance Sheet | 5 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 6 to 13 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 14 to 15 |
| County Treasurer’s Report | 16 |
| Report of the County Commissioner | 17 to 26 |
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective January 2019).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and Aims
Hertfordshire County Guide Association known as Girlguiding Hertfordshire is registered with the Charity Commission (No: 274225) and is governed by Royal Charter dated 14 December 1922. As a Charity it is committed to promote Guiding within the County. Gilguiding Hertfordshire adhere to the aims and objectives of The Guide Association as set out in the Policy Statement. The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities.
Girlguiding - Policy Statement
Girlguiding Hertfordshire is an operating name of the Hertfordshire County Guide Association and is part of Girlguiding, the operating name of The Guide Association.
Statement of Purpose
Girlguiding enables girls and young women to develop their potential and to make a difference to the world.
Aim of Guiding
Guiding offers girls and young women opportunities to:
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be challenged by new adventures and experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment
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develop self-awareness, self-respect and self-confidence
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develop a personal faith and values to give life meaning and direction
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think for themselves, govern themselves and make their own decisions
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make friends and have fun in the family of Guiding
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develop a sense of tolerance, justice, kindness and honour
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learn teamwork and acquire leadership skills, working with and for others to appreciate the environment and how to live in it
-
understand about the world, its people and cultures
Method
There are five interlinking principles that run throughout our programme. These are known as the five essentials:
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working together in small groups
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encouraging self-government and decision making
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a balanced and varied programme which is girl-led
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caring for the individual
-
sharing a commitment to a common standard
Membership
Girlguiding is open and inclusive for girls and women from all faiths, cultures and races. The extensive, balanced and varied programme in all sections of Guiding, cover the five outcomes outlined in 'Every Child Matters'.
The Sections
Guiding takes place in four sections: Rainbows: from fourth birthday Brownies: from seventh Birthday Guides: from tenth birthday Rangers: from fourteenth to nineteenth birthday
Page 1
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes an unincorporated charity.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
Potential new Trustees are nominated by members of Girlguiding Hertfordshire to the County Commissioner whose duties include the appointment of new Trustees. Before making an appointment, consultation with senior members of the Association is undertaken. The nominee is then approached to ascertain their willingness to become a Trustee and the role and importance of the position is explained. Upon acceptance of the appointment, the nominee is offered training.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity number 274225
Principal address
County Office Hertfordshire Guide Centre Cottered Buntingford Hertfordshire SG9 9QP
Trustees
Mrs J Maskrey Mrs A Johns Mrs L O'Bryan Mrs J Smith Mrs S Sayce Mrs J Wheeler (resigned 1 September 2022) Miss K Hunter Mrs R Ashdown Mrs S Settle Mrs C Hildrop Ms S Hill Miss E Wilson Mrs J Eavis Mrs J Bushe Ms N Weisfeld Ms V Richards (appointed 1 September 2022, resigned December 2022)
Independent examiner
Mercer & Hole Accountants 72 London Road St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 1NS
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 28 June 2023 and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs J Maskrey - Trustee
Page 2
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Hertfordshire County Guide Association
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Hertfordshire County Guide Association (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2022.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act;
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content
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accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Steve Robinson FCA
Mercer & Hole Chartered Accountants
72 London Road St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 1NS
Date: 26 July 2023
Page 3
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total funds | Total funds | ||
| Funds | funds | ||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 3,115 | 17,500 | 20,615 | 55,319 | |
| Charitable activities | |||||
| Direct charitable activities | - | 13,141 | 13,141 | 10,817 | |
| Other charitable activities | 75,238 | 60 | 75,298 | 58,388 | |
| Other trading activities | 2 | 46,926 | - | 46,926 | 31,912 |
| Investment income | 3 | 5,395 | - | 5,395 | 106 |
| Total | 130,674 | 30,701 | 161,375 | 156,542 | |
| EXPENDITURE ON | |||||
| Charitable activities | |||||
| Direct charitable activities | - | 8,448 | 8,448 | 27,549 | |
| Other charitable activities | 125,001 | 13,077 | 138,078 | 110,563 | |
| Other | 2,896 | - | 2,896 | 1,467 | |
| Total | 127,897 | 21,525 | 149,422 | 139,370 | |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | 2,777 | 9,176 | 11,953 | 17,172 | |
| Transfers between funds | (30,000) | 30,000 | - | - | |
| Net movement in funds | (27,223) | 39,176 | 11,953 | 17,172 | |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | |||||
| As previously reported | 460,699 | 30,437 | 491,136 | 473,964 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 433,476 | 69,613 | 503,089 | 491,136 |
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 4
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 2022 Notes £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 8 197,613 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 9 - Cash at bank 327,581 327,581 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 10 (22,105) NET CURRENT ASSETS 305,476 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 503,089 NET ASSETS 503,089 FUNDS 12 Unrestricted funds: General Fund 348,681 Designated International Camp Fund 3,967 Designated Disabilities Fund 9,122 Designated Building Equipment Fund - Designated Activity Fund 71,706 433,476 Restricted funds: Flexible guiding Fund 3,684 Sustainability Fund - Restricted donations 508 International Fund 17,939 Buildings Fund 47,482 69,613 TOTAL FUNDS 503,089 |
2021 £ 190,605 1,571 302,495 304,066 (3,535) 300,531 491,136 491,136 377,274 3,967 9,122 - 70,091 460,454 4,760 8,448 508 7,673 9,293 30,682 491,136 |
|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 28 June 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:
Mrs J Maskrey -Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 5
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective January 2019), Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Financial reporting standard 102 - reduced disclosure exemptions
The charity has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemptions in preparing these financial statements, as permitted by FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland':
-
the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows; - the requirement of Section 3 Financial Statement Presentation paragraph 3.17(d); the requirements of Section 11 Financial Instruments paragraphs 11.41(b), 11.41(c), 11.41(e), 11.41(f), 11.42, 11.44,11.45, 11.47, 11.48(a)(iii), 11.48(a)(iv), 11.48(b) and 11.48(c);
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the requirement of Section 33 Related Party Disclosure paragraph 33.7.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Income from grants is recognised on a receivable basis.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Freehold property - 2% on cost Fixtures and fittings - 20% on cost
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Page 6
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charity's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
Grants
Expenditure on grants is recorded once the Charity has made an unconditional commitment to pay the grant and this has been communicated to the beneficiary or the grant has been paid, whichever is the earlier. The Charity has not made any commitments of more than one year.
2. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
3.
| OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Training | 360 | 744 |
| County Centre | 18,608 | 10,320 |
| Activities for members | 17,632 | 2,180 |
| Badges | 9,890 | 3,136 |
| Other merchandise | 436 | - |
| 46,926 | 31,912 | |
| INVESTMENT INCOME | ||
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Interest received | 5,395 | 106 |
4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
Three trustees received remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 December 2022 totalling £7,039 (2021: £350).
Trustees' expenses
15 (2021 - 20) Trustees were reimbursed during the year for directly incurred expenditure totalling £2,495 (2021 - £6,726).
5. STAFF COSTS
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting and secretarial | 4 | 4 |
| No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000. |
6. INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS' FEE
The fee for the independent examination was £3,300 (2021: £3,000).
Page 7
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
7. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total funds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | ||
| £ | £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | |||
| Donations and legacies | 37,988 | 17,331 | 55,319 |
| Charitable activities | |||
| Direct charitable activities | - | 10,817 | 10,817 |
| Other charitable activities | 58,388 | - | 58,388 |
| Other trading activities | 31,912 | - | 31,912 |
| Investment income | 106 | - | 106 |
| Total | 128,394 | 28,148 | 156,542 |
| EXPENDITURE ON | |||
| Charitable activities | |||
| Direct charitable activities | - | 27,549 | 27,549 |
| Other charitable activities | 103,499 | 6,855 | 110,563 |
| Other | 1,467 | - | 1,467 |
| Total | 104,966 | 34,404 | 139,370 |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | 23,428 | (6,256) | 17,172 |
| Transfers between funds | 7,277 | (7,277) | - |
| Net movement in funds | 30,705 | (13,533) | 17,172 |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | |||
| Total funds brought forward | 429,994 | 43,970 | 473,964 |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 460,699 | 30,437 | 491,136 |
Page 8
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Freehold Fixtures and property fittings £ £ COST At 1 January 2022 339,703 40,534 Additions 15,831 - At 31 December 2022 355,534 40,534 DEPRECIATION At 1 January 2022 151,585 38,047 Charge for year 7,781 1,042 At 31 December 2022 159,366 39,089 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2022 196,168 1,445 At 31 December 2021 188,112 2,487 |
Totals £ 379,913 15,831 396,068 |
|
189,632 8,823 198,455 |
||
197,613 190,604 |
97,613 |
Included in cost or valuation of land and buildings is freehold land of £24,500 (2021 - £24,500) which is not depreciated.
Ownership of the County Centre at Cottered shown under the heading Freehold Land & Buildings above is registered with Guide Association Trust Corporation who hold the title as Custodian or Holding Trustees for the Hertfordshire County Guides or the Trusts of the Guide Association 1938 Trust Deed.
Page 9
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
9. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| 2022 Other debtors - Prepayments and accrued income - - |
2021 - 1,571 1,571 |
|---|---|
10. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| 2022 Deferred income 17,755 Accrued expenses 4,351 22,105 |
2021 - 3,535 3,535 |
|---|---|
11. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
| 2022 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total funds | Total | |
| Funds | funds | funds | ||
| Fixed assets | 183,365 | 14,248 | 197,613 | 190,605 |
| Current assets | 255,896 | 71,685 | 327,581 | 304,066 |
| Current liabilities | (5,785) | (16,320) | (22,105) | (3,535) |
| 433,476 | 69,613 | 503,089 | 491,136 |
Page 10
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
| MOVEMENT IN FUNDS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Transfers | |||
| movement | between | |||
| in funds | funds | At 31.12.22 | ||
| 1.1.22 | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | ||||
| General Fund | 377,518 | 1,163 | (30,000) | 348,681 |
| Designated International | ||||
| Camp Fund | 3,967 | - | - | 3,967 |
| Designated Disabilities | ||||
| Fund | 9,122 | - | - | 9,122 |
| Designated Activity Fund | 70,092 | 1,614 | - | 71,706 |
| 460,699 | 2,777 | (30,000) | 433,476 | |
| Restricted funds | ||||
| Restricted donations | 508 | - | 508 | |
| International Fund | 7,428 | 10,510 | - | 17,938 |
| Flexible Guiding Fund | 4,760 | (1,075) | - | 3,685 |
| Sustainability Fund | 8,448 | (8,448) | - | - |
| Buildings Fund | 9,293 | 8,189 | 30,000 | 47,482 |
| 30,437 | 9,176 | 30,000 | 69,613 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 491,136 | 11,953 | - | 503,089 |
| Net movement in funds, included in the above | are as follows: | |||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | ||
| resources | expended | in funds | ||
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Unrestricted funds | ||||
| General Fund | 128,973 | (127,810) | 1,163 | |
| Designated Activity Fund | 1,701 | (87) | 1,614 | |
| 130,674 | (127,897) | 2,777 | ||
| Restricted funds | ||||
| International Fund | 13,141 | (2,631) | 10,510 | |
| Flexible Guiding Fund | 60 | (1,135) | (1,075) | |
| Sustainability Fund | - | (8,448) | (8,448) | |
| Buildings Fund | 17,500 | (9,311) | 8,189 | |
| 30,701 | (21,525) | 9,176 | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 161,375 | (149,422) | 11,953 |
Page 11
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Comparatives for movement in funds
| Net | Transfers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movement | between | |||
| At | in funds | funds | At 31.12.21 | |
| 1.1.21 | ||||
| Unrestricted Funds | ||||
| General Fund | 352,331 | 23,158 | 2,029 | 377,518 |
| Designated International Camp Fund | 3,967 |
- | - | 3,967 |
| Designated Disabilities Fund | 9,122 | - | - | 9,122 |
| Designated Activity Fund | 64,574 | 270 | 5,248 | 70,092 |
| 429,994 | 23,428 | 7,277 | 460,699 | |
| Restricted Funds | ||||
| Restricted donations | 508 | - | - | 508 |
| International Fund | 9,051 | 5,654 | (7,277) | 7,428 |
| Growing Guides | - | - | - | - |
| Training Fund | - | - | - | - |
| Flexible Guiding Fund | 4,460 | 300 | - | 4,760 |
| Sustainability Fund | 20,658 | (12,210) | - | 8,448 |
| Buildings Fund | 9,293 | - | - | 9,293 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 442,123 | 31,841 | - | 473,964 |
| Comparative net movement in funds, | included in the | above are as follows: | ||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | ||
| resources | expended | in funds | ||
| Unrestricted funds | ||||
| General Fund | 127,524 | (104,366) | 23,158 | |
| Designated Activity Fund | 870 | (600) | 270 | |
| 128,394 | (104,966) | 23,428 | ||
| Restricted funds | ||||
| International Fund | 12,446 | (6,355) | 6,091 | |
| Flexible Guiding Fund | 500 | (200) | 300 | |
| Sustainability Fund | 15,202 | (27,849) | (12,647) | |
| Buildings Fund | - | - | - | |
| 28,148 | (34,404) | (6,256) | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 156,542 | (132,637) | 17,172 |
|
| Page 12 |
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
The Buildings Fund is represented by capitalised expenditure and the International, Flexible Guiding and Sustainability Funds by bank balances.
13. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 December 2022.
Page 13
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | ||
| Donations and legacies | ||
| Legacies | - | - |
| Grants | 15,200 | 34,222 |
| Donations | 5,415 | 23,097 |
| 20,615 | 55,319 | |
| Other trading activities | ||
| Training | 360 | 745 |
| County Centre | 18,608 | 10,320 |
| Activities for members | 17,632 | 2,180 |
| Badges | 9,890 | 15,532 |
| Other merchandise | 436 | 3,136 |
| 46,926 | 31,912 | |
| Investment income | ||
| Interest received | 5,395 | 106 |
| Charitable activities | ||
| Subscriptions | 73,935 | 56,979 |
| 200 Club | 1,363 | 1,409 |
| International trip income | 13,141 | 10,817 |
| 88,439 | 69,205 | |
| Total incoming resources | 161,375 | 158,542 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Charitable activities | ||
| Training | 2,860 | 2,491 |
| Members events | 10,074 | 975 |
| County centre | 24,122 | 23,182 |
| Professional fees | 7,728 | - |
| Travelling | 15,157 | 1,669 |
| Postage, telephone, printing and stationery | 3,316 | 3,527 |
| Website and internet costs | 644 | 1,953 |
| Share magazine | 4,615 | 4,068 |
| Commissioners and Queens guide grants | 499 | 80 |
| Carried forward | 69,015 | 37,945 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Page 14
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 2022 £ Charitable activities Brought forward 69,015 Grants 12,149 Presentations and awards 560 New programme costs - Sundry expenditure 3,504 International trip expenses 2,631 Badges 14,246 Depreciation 8,823 110,928 Support costs Governance costs Wages 29,886 Social security 554 Pensions 205 Insurance 1,653 Independent examiner's fee 3,300 Secretarial and accounting 2,896 38,494 Total resources expended 149,422 Net income/(expenditure) 11,953 |
2021 £ 37,945 30,569 3,088 948 5,385 6,555 14,215 8,898 107,605 25,288 335 179 1,498 3,000 1,467 31,765 139,370 17,172~~_~~ |
|---|---|
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
Page 15
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
COUNTY TREASURER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
The accounts show a net surplus of £11,953 for the year compared to a net surplus in 2021 of £17,172.
INCOME
Net subscription income was up at £73,935 compared to 2021 (£56,979) due to an increase in the per member subscription from £7.30 to £8.50 as well as an increase in total membership.
Other trading activities were higher at £46,926 compared to 2021 (£31,912) largely due to an increase in the income from the County Centre and Members Events.
EXPENDITURE
Major expenses during 2022 were:-
-
£24,122 (£23,182 in 2021) for the Hertfordshire Guide Centre at Cottered;
-
£7,728 (£nil in 2021) for professional fees in relation to a potential refurbishment to the Hertfordshire Guide Centre at Cottered;
-
£29,886 (£25,288 in 2021) on Staff costs — largely due to inflationary pay rises;
-
£4,615 (£4,068 in 2021) for SHARE magazine.
-
£3,316 (£3,527 in 2021) for Postage, Telephone, printing & stationery. The decrease is largely due to a decrease in the volume of items sent by post;
-
£2,860 (£2,491 in 2021) for Training.
The Balance Sheet shows Girlguiding Hertfordshire's current worth as £503,089 an increase from 2021 (£491,136). Fixed assets increased by £7,008 due to additions for a Camp shelter of £15,831 less depreciation charged in the year of £8,823. The cash element of Current Assets increased while Debtors decreased. Creditors increased due to an increase in deferred income. This resulted in Net Current Assets of £305,476 up £4,945 on 2021. Within the Unrestricted Funds the General Fund decreased by £28,593 while other funds increased by £1,615. The decrease in the General Fund is partly due to a transfer of £30,000 to restricted funds. The Restricted Funds increased from £30,682 in 2021 to £69,613 due for the most part on the transfer from the General fund and donations into the Buildings Fund.
Page 16
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY GUIDE ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Our county in numbers
| Divisions | Districts | Units | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 46 | 458 | |||
| Comparison to 2021 | |||||
| Young Members | 7486 | é | 512 | ||
| Volunteer Members | 1930 | é | 182 | ||
| Rainbows | 1736 | é | 199 | ||
| Brownies | 3644 | é | 239 | ||
| Guides | 1807 | é | 27 | ||
| Rangers | 299 | é | 47 |
Mission
We work in alignment with the mission statements from both Girlguiding UK and Girlguiding Anglia and strive to ensure our members receive the best guiding experience possible. By working collaboratively and having such a wide range of knowledge and skills within the county team, we are able to achieve this.
Our Values
We strive to always be inclusive, caring and inspirational; key guiding values which ensure our girls and members feel supported, valued, free to be themselves and in turn get the most out of their guiding experience.
Girlguiding Themes
Access
Provide more girls and adults with the opportunity to access guiding and benefit from what we do.
Excellence
Providing more support to our volunteers to enable them to deliver great guiding
Voice
Improving the way we listen to and promote our girls’ and volunteers’ voices
Capacity
Enabling a better guiding experience to be delivered by working collaboratively to improve our structures, processes and capacity.
2022 Aims and Objectives
Hertfordshire county aims to deliver a varied programme of fun and adventure for young members. We aim to enhance the experience for volunteers to encourage more and retain existing.
Many lead adviser roles came to an end during 2022 and the county plans to encourage applications rather than individuals being approached. This is to enable everyone to have an opportunity to take on new challenges and learn new skills, rather than it be members who are already known. It is hoped that younger adult members will see the benefits of holding roles in guiding to enhance their careers and wellbeing.
Structure
Ensuring our county teams are represented at a division level is something that we have continued to work towards, to ensure two-way communication and cascading of information/ideas is as effective as possible; as well as sharing the load and considering the impact of activities across the breadth of the county.
We have been looking to recruit successors to some county team lead adviser roles, which will bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm, and enable us to continue to offer our girls and volunteers exciting opportunities.
The creation of a new, paid Growth and Retention Coordinator role will ensure new volunteer enquiries are dealt with more effectively and efficiently, and new volunteers will be moved from the enquiry stage into a unit quickly. There is also an expectation that this role will help us retain volunteers by keeping in touch and checking in regularly.
Supporting the Community
Members of all sections have been out in the community litter picking with Stevenage Division organising a Community Litter Pick around Thinking Day to help all the girls understand the importance of looking after the environment.
Members from across the county took part in Remembrance Day parades, laying wreaths, and several Brownie units from Harpenden and Redbourn division made their own wreath to lay. A Young Leader from 5[th] St Albans Guides paraded the flag and 2 Young Leaders from 24[th] St Albans Brownies, one of whom is a Syrian refuge who joined guiding nearly 5 years ago, laid their wreath.
1[st] Watton-at-Stone Guides had a collection for the local food bank, took part in the Coats for Kids collection and organised a bingo night, raising £100 for the the Kanyike Project in Uganda.
1[st] Grovehill Brownies and Guides spent an evening donating food and other items to DENS – Helping Rebuild Lives. Each was given £1 to buy something non-perishable and put in the food donation point at Sainsburys.
Radlett district’s Project Winter Tree was a wonderful example of community outreach. Volunteers took unused wooden pallets and reshaped them into Christmas trees, which were given out to units and local community groups with an invitation to decorate and display the ‘tree’ in any way they chose. The trees were placed in various locations around Radlett and Shenley for everyone to enjoy.
Rainbows from South East division made poppies out of plastic bottles and planted them at a new development for their community project.
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Girls across all sections have achieved their Bronze, Silver and Gold awards and enjoying taking part in activities at unit meetings and working towards various Interest badges.
Two Rainbow units within Harpenden & Redbourn division held their first sleepover. The first time there has been a Rainbow overnight stay in the division.
As part of the Region’s Super Rainbows event in October, over 60 Rainbows from Stevenage division attended a special day at the county centre where they took part in crafts and activities from the Super Rainbows event box, such as creating your own ‘Super Cape’, lots of games and toasting marshmallows for s’mores. A Rainbow from 1[st] Woodhall Farm Rainbow unit was one of the winners of the Region’s Super Rainbow badge competition.
In May, a Tweet from a Rainbow’s Dad went viral with over 100,000 likes, his daughter had come home clutching a St Albans Girlguiding Chippy Hike badge. The division was inundated with requests to buy the badge and following existing stock selling out, a further 3,000 badges were ordered, which also sold out! Badges went to Rainbow, Brownie, Guide and Ranger units across the UK from Inverness to Bodmin and further afield to Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Brownies from Potters Bar district did crafts, cooking and outdoor activities during an overnight stay at Morven.
8[th] Rickmansworth Brownies won the prize for the best window display in the local church’s annual ‘decorate a window’ competition. The theme was pantomimes and they created a gingerbread house and gingerbread characters depicting the story of Hansel and Gretel.
Guides and Rangers from Potters Bar district and Guides from Radlett district attended the 3-night Wellies and Wristband event in August, and Guides from both St Albans North and St Albans South districts attended the 2022 Poachers camp during the summer, with many experiencing their first large scale event.
Guides and Rangers from Radlett district went to Scotland, with the trip focusing on outdoor activities and Scottish culture.
Rangers from Stevenage Pin Green district and West division have successfully completed their Bronze DofE Expedition.
A number of Rangers from East division attended selection days for international trips and were chosen to travel to Lorne and the Azores in the summer of 2023.
More fun…
There have been trips to Cadbury World in Birmingham, ESSA, Porters Park Golf Club, Jump, Standalone Farm, the Snow Centre, the theatre, the cinema to watch Matilda, HMS Belfast and the Tower of London.
Holidays, camps and sleepovers have taken place across the county with themes such as our county Book Challenge, Anglia Outdoors and Around the World in 80 Days. St Albans South district Rangers had an overnight trip to London and Brownies and Guides from Hatfield district had an adventure weekend at Paccar Scout Camp in Buckinghamshire.
Celebrating Thinking Day
South West division, in conjunction with the Scouts wrote to every primary and junior school in the area requesting that members could wear their uniform to school on 22 February. Thinking Day was a great opportunity for girls to tell everyone about the fun they have and a way to show the wider community that Guiding is relevant to young people today. Girls and adults went to school in uniform, raising the profile of Guiding and creating conversations and publicity.
Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The Platinum Jubilee was of great important to Girlguiding and lots of Jubilee celebrations took place across the county. 24 Rangers and Guides from Potters Bar district attended a Jubilee Jamboree camp for 2 nights in May and many units within Stevenage division organised their own Jubilee parties and celebrations.
Districts within South West division celebrated with outdoor activities at a local campsite and schools. Cakes were decorated, photos taken in a photo booth with a life size picture of the former Queen, union jacks decorated and a visit from the Chief Guide who was treated to an alternative version of the Brownie bells.
89 entries were received for the county Jubilee badge design competition with the final badge being a combination of two wonderful designs submitted by young members. East division team created their own Jubilee badge and held a pudding competition, where girls entered recipes within their units and each unit’s winner was included in a recipe book, which was then printed for people to purchase. Ware district also produced a Platinum Jubilee Pudding recipe book with the featured recipes being the winning entries from a competition held by each unit within the district.
1[st] St Albans Brownies hosted a Jubilee afternoon tea and invited volunteers from a local Dementia Café to be treated to tea and cakes at their Brownie meeting. They chose to invite these guests as they run a free drop in café for anyone affected by Dementia and bake and serve the refreshments. The Brownies thought the volunteers deserved an afternoon tea themselves! Everyone enjoyed thanking other volunteers in our community.
Over 40 hedgerow trees were planted by members of all ages, along with Trefoil Guild members, at our county centre in Cottered, to support the Queen’s Green Canopy.
Hertfordshire county was chosen to light one of Girlguiding 70 fires across the UK, at a special celebration campfire in June.
Following a special invitation, the County Commissioner and one of the county’s Assistant County Commissioners, along with 5 young members attended the Trooping of the Colour in London. 4[th] Borehamwood Guides and Brownies were selected by the Ceremonial Team of the Metropolitan Police Service to attend the parade as well. Everyone had an excellent view of the parade, the Royal family and watched the fly past.
An edition of our county Share magazine was dedicated to our former Patron and contains wonderful stories of Platinum celebrations taking place across the county.
Visits from the community
Rainbows from West division received superhero training from a children’s self-defence instructor. 4[th] Harpenden Guides were visited by the MP for Hitchin and Harpenden as part of their Parliament Week activities.
Some units have been fortunate to have both in person and virtual visits this year from PCSOs, Laughter Yoga, Hornbeam Hedgehog Society, Manic Ceramics, Guide Dogs, reptiles and beekeepers.
We were excited to have a local author speak about her life as an author during an online Meet the Author event held as part of the county’s Book Challenge badge. Girls were given the opportunity to share their own story or writing experience as well as ask questions.
The 5[th] Potters Bar Guides had an outdoor session with the retired GB Olympics team manager learning about the games and doing sport challenges.
Guiding Development
The training team has been involved in organising Anglia region A Safe Space Levels 1-4 trainings, Anglia LEAP and many county 1[st] Response courses, and one member of the Training team achieved their Region Trainer Qualification.
All training sessions are set up to be totally inclusive allowing all volunteers to gain the most out of the session. The team play their part in ensuring girls have an exceptional guiding experience by training leaders to be the best that they can, ensuring they have the tools and confidence to deliver the Girlguiding Programme and empowering them as volunteers.
Outdoor Activities
It was wonderful to see outdoor events fully recommencing this year, with the Walking team busy holding regular monthly social walks which have included Batford Springs and Preston, as well as walking weekends including a trip to the black Mountains in March, Walking Scheme training and mountain experience weekends. These have provided an opportunity for new friendships and a joy of nature and Hertfordshire to be formed for Rangers and Leaders of all ages. Numbers attending are increasing, and using the county monthly newsletters and social media posts to advertise events will hopefully encourage more members to attend.
The Walking team have also offered their services to our units teaching geocaching skills to enable our leaders and girls to venture out and enjoy the fun activity.
Two county outdoor activity days have been held, the first in April at Lees Wood Scout and Guide Activity Centre, which was attended by 44 units. The second activity day took place in September at Tolmers Activity
Centre. Rainbows took part in a Sensory Safari and activities earning a Challenge badge and their Nature Badge with Brownies and Guides Treasure Hunting as part of their Explore Level 3 Skills Builder and earning an additional Challenge badge.
The Introduction to the Hills camping weekend in the Peak District for Hertfordshire Guides and Scouts aged 11-14, took place for the first time since the pandemic, and was a great success with demand exceeding places! The leadership baton on this event was handed over of this year.
Our Duke of Edinburgh Award Adviser has been busy promoting completing DofE within guiding as well as running sessions for Rangers. Several DofE expeditions and practice/training weekends are being organised for next year.
It is hoped that the water events for Brownies and Guides which were postponed due to the pandemic will soon take place and we continue to expand our outdoor offerings to members across all sections.
Residential
This year has seen a huge increase in residential activities taking place with girls enjoying trips, holidays, camps and sleepovers across the country. Our county Residential advisers continued to provide support and advice to our leaders to ensure they are confident their events are well planned. Our current advisers’ terms are coming to an end and recruitment is underway to find their successors.
International
Two very successful International Opportunities days (INTOPS) were held at the beginning of April, and as a result we were pleased to be able to offer two trips; one for the older girls to the Azores and a UK based experience to the Guide Centre at Lorne, Northern Ireland for the younger members.
Our International Day, postponed from 2020, was held in St. Albans and was attended by 114 Guides and Brownies accompanied by their Leaders. The girls explored the 5 WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) regions and we ran workshops doing Bollywood dancing, African drumming and chocolate lolly making, plus a visit from a vintage Routemaster bus.
Our INTOPS weekend allowed girls to meet others from around the county and enables us to offer the opportunity to travel Internationally as a member of Girlguiding.
The team wants to help those without International qualifications gain the experience needed, and to work with leaders new to them from around the county, and are keen for younger members to be given the opportunity to take on a leadership role and have one member on each International trip who will have just turned 18.
It is great to see that International is back on the map after a long break.
Youth Opportunities
Whilst the lead advisers continue to be experts in their field for leaders and commissioners to refer to, the team continue to be very busy supporting the county. Our Young Leaders in particular are very much appreciated in all the support they give to the unit leadership teams and the girls on a weekly basis.
The Rangers have been active, joining in events and opportunities throughout the county, often involving the Walking team or alongside the Duke of Edinburgh unit.
Our Queens Guide adviser changed this year, and the smooth handover allowed the girls to have seamless support in this Award. However, the Award that has been again very popular, is the Commonwealth Award, which can be achieved whilst a Guide or Ranger/Young Leader and it has been a pleasure visiting units all around the county speaking with them, seeing all their work and sharing their learning on this subject.
The postponed Youth Challenge Day for our 13+ age group will now take place in 2023 and plans are in full swing for an amazing day in Welwyn Garden City.
Inspire
The end of the year saw the existing joint county Inspire Coordinators roles coming to an end and two enthusiastic young members appointed to share the role going into 2023.
The Inspire community, for members aged 18-30, plays a vital role within Girlguiding providing an age group, which is typically undergoing a lot of change in their life and often results in young women leaving the organisation, with flexible opportunities enabling them to remain a part of guiding and have fun.
As Inspire is not a Girlguiding ‘section’ a challenge the county had to overcome was finding a way to identify members who fall within the relevant age range on the Girlguiding membership database, which then enables communications specific to the community to be sent.
Trefoil Guild
This year saw the 21 Guilds across the county back to meeting regularly although some members were still hesitant about mixing with large groups. We have had a number of new members join including some who have transferred from different parts of the country.
Guilds have enjoyed a full and active programme, and these have included speakers on a variety of subjects, often about charities of other community groups including dog training as well as getting out and about visiting gardens, gardens centres, having lunches and teas out. A number of members have joined the county Walking team for some of their walks.
Our Annual Review, with a cream tea, took place in April with entertainment provided by Disco Duo. Members appreciated the relaxed atmosphere of the afternoon and the chance to get together and chat. In September we held a Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies event at the County Centre with meditation and mindfulness, Pilates, a 2-hour walk, circle dancing and meditative collage followed by tea and cake and a campfire. In December we held a Carol Service.
Most Guilds use the STARS challenge to loosely base their programmes on, which means that at the end of the year members have gained a badge whilst learning something new and having fun.
Donations to charities continued and the amount of money raised by Guilds has been amazing, amounting to well in excess of £1500 in total with one Guild raising over £530 for MacMillan, and another £275 for Music for Dementia. Donations have also been made to WAGGGS, the William Low Trust and food banks.
A number of Guilds supported local churches with their Christmas Trees Festivals and decorated trees in a variety of ways. One Guilds theme was ‘It’s Good to talk” with speech bubbles asking a question which got visitors talking.
Guilds have continued to support their local units and districts, helping out at a variety of events, and have enjoyed their continued link with the young people.
A number of members have been working towards their Voyage Award with some gaining Bronze, Silver or Gold during the year.
A challenge to Guilds was to plant trees for the Queens Green Canopy and we are delighted that a number of members and Guilds took up the challenge. Some members also helped at the county working party day.
Inclusion
The Inclusion team have supported leaders to offer Guiding to members with additional needs, ensuring a quality guiding experience for young members at a level they can access.
Members of the team run and support our SEN units offering a variety of experiences for our young members. A new SEN unit has been opened in St Albans to offer more support to members with additional needs.
The team have helped leaders with queries about autistic members and supporting young LGBTQ+ members.
The Inclusions team attended Herts Pride in Watford in August, which was a great opportunity to engage with the LGBTQ+ community and promote Girlguiding as an inclusive and safe space. Lots of positive conversations were had with attendees and awareness of our organisation was raised.
Membership Support
Training on GO administration has been offered to all commissioners and has been carried out on Zoom, enabling the training to be targeted to a commissioner’s own data. The LQ Coordinator has trained all new mentors.
The Membership Systems Coordinator has been involved with development of a region training for Commissioners and is currently part of a group of LIT and LQ Coordinators, looking at future training for Leaders in Training on the Leader Development Programme. The Membership Systems Coordinator is also involved with an HQ advisory group revising GO help files.
The Membership Systems Coordinator and the LQ coordinator have attended webinars and joined various groups to further their knowledge of the introduction of the new Leader Development Programme as it starts to replace the old Leadership Qualification.
Long Service awards, including the higher 30, 40, 50 and 60-year awards that were previously held back for an annual awards evening, have been awarded on a termly basis. Distribution has reverted to these being passed initially to division commissioners for presentation, or onward distribution to district commissioners where appropriate.
Total Awards for the year are as follows: 5 year = 47, 10 year = 25, 20 year = 14, 30 year = 7, 40 year = 7, 50 year = 2, 60 year = 1
The Membership Systems team aims to maintain a professional approach to dealing with all queries, responding in a timely manner, using a variety of communication methods.
The main aim is to maintain the integrity of the county’s membership database, by giving help, wherever needed, particularly with GO, Safe Practice, girl and volunteer enquiries and enabling the training of new leaders by the appointment of mentors and verification of Leadership Qualifications.
The team has endeavoured to help other volunteers across the county with their queries regarding GO, recruitment checks and general policy issues, giving guidance and helping to resolve problems wherever possible and coordinating any that needed further help from HQ.
The LQ and LiT Coordinators have embraced the introduction of the new Leader Development Programme, communicating with commissioners, mentors and mentees about the changes and new requirements for the programme.
Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Safeguarding is the thread that runs through all of Guiding. Ensuring guiding is accessible, safe and inclusive is the responsibility of all members, but as the adviser responding to all enquiries and concerns quickly, proportionality and with the best interests of the members in mind is vital.
Safeguarding training is supervised by the relevant commissioners and our team are supportive and reactive, responding to safeguarding concerns as they arise in a swift and proportionate manner. This allows girls to continue Guiding with suitable support.
PR Team
The PR team shared a total of 28 recruitment posts on Facebook and 28 on Instagram during the volunteer recruitment campaign, which took place over two 7-week periods, one in January and the second in September. The aim was to capture people’s attention by ensuring there was variation to the posts. The team also created more ‘Meet the Leader’ posts. The Facebook recruitment campaigns reached an audience of 161,875 and 74,944 respectively with engagement of 4,496 and 2,781.
Prior to the second campaign a series of posts were published informing people how to proactively share campaign posts within their districts and encouraging them to do so.
PR team members attend various events throughout the county taking photos for publicity purposes. This year this included the two county activity days, the County Show, Jubilee tree planting, beacon lighting and county awards. In the absence of a member attending an event the team have ensured it is still given publicity by liaising with those who do attend and requesting photos, obtaining quotes and a short write up.
Members of the PR team worked with the Book Challenge badge team to help with the Challenge pack and plan a campaign to promote it on social media platforms. The set of 4 badges were designed by one of the PR team members.
Past and present members of the PR team were delighted to each be awarded a Good Service Brooch and Certificate at the county awards event, in recognition of their contribution over the past three years.
The team share useful ideas and resources to make planning sessions easier, encourage and enable sharing of what others have enjoyed or found works well, promote trainings and opportunities which provide support, additional learning and information sharing across the county and beyond. We support the other county teams helping them to devise posts and promotional materials as necessary.
We celebrate what our wonderful volunteers do by sharing well-earned achievements, from new appointments to long service awards.
The team ensures it is inclusive by gathering together and posting a series of Girlguiding inspired blogs across a range of inclusion topics, sharing the Brownie Promise, Brownie Bells and Brownie song in Ukrainian, publishing regular Mental Health Awareness posts, LGBT+ promoting the message guiding is for all.
Growth and Retention
An amazing 112 enquiries were received as a result of the New Year recruitment drive, which the PR team and all our volunteers who helped to reshare the recruitment posts played a huge part in. As part of the campaign the Growth and Retention team hosted welcome events for new volunteers and previous enquiries.
The Growth and Retention team organised the county participating in the Hertfordshire County Show, which was a success as we had volunteers supporting the show on the main gates and younger members helping in the horse show arena. This helped remind members of the public that Girlguiding Hertfordshire was still present and strong in Hertfordshire. The main stand was based on one-minute challenges which allowed families to participate in an activity as a group and also gave volunteers the opportunity to speak to parents/adults about volunteering.
Over the year we have seen a large increase in number of events/fetes that units, districts and divisions have been able to attend. Volunteers from across the county have given up their time to help make sure Girlguiding Hertfordshire has been present at a variety of events. We look forward to seeing an even higher presence at a variety of events in 2023.
Our Flexible units continue to run and the girls from the Flexible Brownie unit have all been placed within units. The Rangers and Guides have been running throughout the year over Zoom and some members attended the County Activity Day as well as joining local district and division events, including Jubilee celebrations, Thinking Day, outdoor activity days, growth events and Remembrance Day.
One of our team was fortunate to help with the planning and running of the Anglia Super Rainbow event, which was a huge success reaching over 5000 members, but also included reaching out to young members on waiting lists across the region. This gave the parents of the girls the opportunity to purchase boxes and take part at home.
The team has noticed there is a gap within our volunteer enquiries for volunteers that are below 18, therefore a main task for 2023 will be finding ways to help these volunteers get engaged and finding appropriate roles for these enquiries.
Awards
We were delighted that, for the first time since the pandemic, we were able to hold our awards event in person. This year the celebrations took place at our county centre in Cottered. The awards were presented by one of the Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire and the 50 and 60 year Long Service awards were presented to those recipients in attendance by our region Deputy Chief Commissioner.
Our County Commissioner was presented with a Hero Award on behalf of the Region Chief Commissioners team for being an outstanding County Commissioner and in recognition of her leadership during the pandemic.
Member and Long Service Brooch
60 years - 1 50 years – 2 40 years – 9 30 years – 13
County Thanks Certificate
2
County Good Service Certificate
1
Good Service Brooch and Certificate
11
Hertfordshire Good Guiding Badge and Certificate
8
This year we have been looking at making the nominations process easier to encourage more nominations in future, and have been working on a new online form, which we hope will go live in 2023.
Archives
Anglia Archivists met for a weekend at Hautbois in October. Much was discussed and the Norfolk ARC (Archive Resource Centre) was visited to see their Royal Exhibition and Quiz.
The Cotton Reel Challenge, connected with Remembrance Day and with different activities for each section, was trialled. The new Anglia badge book for the Guide section was made available for proof-reading over the weekend and it is hoped that this may be published next year. Other sections are in progress and will follow in due course.
Uniform has been loaned for display including a competition for Guides. Handling boxes for use by units are in the process of being assembled and self-led activities to accompany these are being developed.
Covid-19 and consideration for personal safety again had an impact on the inclusion of others, but jobs are now being ear-marked that can be undertaken by interested volunteers when an archive event can be organised.
All items are reviewed as new donations arrive and need to be compared for condition and quality. A good start has been made on sorting documents and other items relating to specific areas, with division and some district boxes created. Between visits much work is done at home assessing donations received, researching and conserving items. There is constant contact with other archivists within Anglia, and elsewhere, to enable the exchange of knowledge and information. This group is invaluable in helping with preservation and conservation techniques, and with accurate identification of items.
Badges and Depots
We have continued to make sure that there are multiple ways for people to obtain badges whether that be by collection, drop offs if we are travelling nearby, posting, allowing collection by others as well as joint orders to help keep costs down where possible.
Awards are delivered in a timely manner, and orders for other teams are placed promptly. This means things such as the Long Service awards reach the relevant person as soon as possible, and can be given out to volunteers.
A new online form to make the process of ordering Bronze, Silver and Gold awards easier for our members is in the process of being set up and we are hoping this will go live in 2023.
Conclusion
This year has seen both highs and lows in the guiding world, seeing wonderful celebrations throughout the county for the Platinum Jubilee, followed later in the year by the sad passing of our former patron.
Outside of these two important events, guiding returned to a more ‘normal’ experience following the pandemic, with unrestricted face to face meetings, events and training. Our volunteers continue to work tirelessly to ensure the girls have an exceptional guiding experience.
Recruitment and retention of girls and volunteers has continued to be a focus for us this year at all levels. Social media posts have again proved invaluable in volunteer recruitment, and we were lucky enough to have a stand at the 2022 Hertfordshire County Show in May. Following the creation of a template recruitment letter by the East division commissioner, around 20 new volunteers have been recruited within the division, with a large number starting their Leadership Qualification. West division are creating posters and online awareness to help boost Ranger numbers throughout the area. Rickmansworth and Chorleywood district had a stand at a canal festival in May with free craft for children and a 6 foot penguin for selfies, which created lots of interest and encouraged girls and adults to consider joining Girlguiding. Leaders from Stevenage and St Albans district represented Girlguiding at the Herts Pride event in Watford in August, with a stand in the wellbeing tent located next to main area. Everyone had to pass by on their way in, so it was a perfect recruitment opportunity. It has been a real team effort to get the word out there as to how great Girlguiding is.
We look forward to an exciting 2023!