## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** ## **Group Lead Volunteer’s Report** I remain pleased with the progress we are making across the Group. There have been some challenges, but overall, it is great to see young people across all sections enjoying safe and fun Scouting. Here are some of my highlights from the last 12 months. ## **Volunteer Team** We have added volunteers across all sections and at our Trustee Board in the past 12 months and there is now a good blend of experienced and new volunteers, working with and supporting each other. A warm welcome to: Louisa Turner, Chris Goodier, Richard Wish and Felicity Wing We have also had some resignations from their primary role in the Group and I would like to thank these volunteers for their work and commitment: Neil Cobb, Tamzin Snow. The Scout Association has introduced its new volunteer system as part of its digital transformation in this last year. I would like to thank the volunteers for embracing this change which has unfortunately not been a distraction and added little to the experience of volunteering with Scouts. ## **Awards** It was a real highlight to see Roy Snell awarded the Silver Wolf at the District camp in June. This is the highest award a volunteer can achieve in Scouting and is very much deserved. Roy has been instrumental in Scouting across Biggleswade and District and further afield for more than 40 years, and most recently for Potton Scout Group he has led the way in re-establishing our Drake Scout Troop. Roy deserves our congratulations and admiration. Well done, Roy. It was good to see Becky Perry and Louise Esposito receive their Wood Badges and other notable awards include Emma Westmoreland (15 years) and Alasdair Perrin (5 years). ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** I have also had the pleasure of presenting a Badger Award this year to Lewis Glennister to recognise his support of the Group. One final award traditionally presented at the AGM is for 'Services to the Hut.' There is a clear winner with …………. this year for continued contribution to keeping the grounds looking great and being a real asset the Group. ## **Safety & Safeguarding** There has been continued focus from the Scout Association on safety and safeguarding and as a Group we are carrying this through into our programmes and activities. We are also doing well in ensuring our volunteers are up to date with the mandatory training requirements. ## **Sections** All the sections have been busy this year, running a full and varied programme for our young people. There are reports from the Section Leaders to follow, but I wish to reiterate my sincere thanks to all our Group volunteers for their dedication to providing an excellent Scouting experience in Potton. Whether they have worn a uniform and run a weekly section, served tea and cakes at the St George’s Day Parade, or walked with us as we proudly support the Remembrance parade, or helped to keep our facilities clean and tidy, we simply couldn’t do it without the whole team pulling together. We must also remember the vital work done by the Trustee Board. While they may be less visible and smaller in number, their work is important to the success of the Group. ## **Waiting List** Our waiting list keeps growing and we have more than 80 young people waiting to join the Group. This speaks volumes for the quality of the Scouting provided. ## **New Equipment** The Group has made a big investment this year in acquiring equipment for kayaking and canoeing. This adds another exciting adventurous activity we can offer to our ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** young people across most sections and my thanks go to Peter White, Lewis French and Michael Smith from Raleigh Troop for leading on this initiative. It was very rewarding to see the first sessions with the Raleigh Troop members in June. Andy Bargery Group Lead Volunteer ## **Hazelnut Squirrels Dray – Section Update** Presented by Charlotte Chalkley aka Mouse Team Leader ## **Woodland Beaver Colony – Section Update** This year has been a busy, adventurous, and rewarding one for the Woodland Beavers. We currently have 16 invested Beavers in the colony and continue to provide a fun, varied, and engaging program for the children of Potton and surrounding areas. Over the past year, we’ve enjoyed a fantastic variety of activities including: - A **Wild West Adventure Day** - Taking part in the **Remembrance Parade** - A joint **Movie Night with Riverbank Beavers** - Exploring the local area in Potton and Sutton, with a **scavenger hunt** splashing in the **Ford** , and lots of outdoor fun - A **Teddy Bears Picnic** - Meeting a **real-life barn owl** - An exciting **visit to the fire station** - Plus all the usual Beaver fun of **campfires, knots, games** , and of ## course — **lots of running around!** Since September, an incredible **209 badges** have been awarded to our Beavers, including **8 Chief Scout Bronze Awards** , which is a real testament to their enthusiasm and commitment. These awards reflect not just the children’s achievements, but also the hard work and dedication of our team of volunteers. It has also been a challenging year behind the scenes. I originally planned to step down last July, but when our previous Section Lead Volunteer stepped away ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** unexpectedly, I agreed to stay on “until Christmas.” One year later, I’m still here! However, this summer marks the end of my time as Section Lead Volunteer. Recruiting new volunteers has continued to be difficult, but we’ve recently had a couple of new people start helping out, which brings hope for the colony’s future. I sincerely hope that **Woodland Beavers** continues to grow — in both volunteers and young people — and continues to offer the same energy, adventure, and support that it has this year. ## **Thank You** A massive thank you goes to: - **Weasel (Louisa)** and **King Louie (Neil)** for their consistent support - and presence each week - **Buck (Leigh)** for stepping in when work allowed - **Newt (Becky)** from Riverbank Beavers for help with the programme - and her ongoing support - And of course, to all the **parents** — thank you for your patience, - flexibility, and willingness to help when extra hands are needed! It has been a genuine pleasure to see the Beavers grow in confidence, skills, and friendship over the past year. I’m incredibly proud of everything the colony has achieved and feel privileged to have played a part in their scouting journey. Yours in Scouting, Jess Cobb aka Ratty Team Leader ## **Riverbank Beaver Colony – Section Update** Riverbank Colony has been kept busy this year with a programme incorporating adventure and learning, wrapped up with lots of fun. We have crept up in size and typically have around 20-24 young people in the section at any one time, (compares to 18 last year). During the year we have had relatively few changes in the Colony, welcoming 7 Squirrels and swimming 5 young people up to Cubs. Included in this has been the original founding Squirrels who are now reaching Cub age. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** Our programme has been put together to be varied, making best use of the outdoors space we have access to, light and weather. It incorporates suggestions and requests from the Beavers who have an opportunity each term to help shape what we do. During the year we have awarded 229 challenge, activity and staged badges and had 7 young people achieve their Bronze Chief Scout Award. We have this year had a much closer relationship between Riverbank and Woodland Colonies, with joint programme planning and a number of young people moving between the two Colonies. We also hosted a joint Beaver and Squirrel movie night at the Hut. This was popular and for many of the Beavers was their first night away with us. It was a great confidence booster in the run up to Group Camp where we were offsite and under canvas – a first for Riverbank in the 3 years I’ve been involved. I want to thank those that have given generously with their time, ideas, patience and support in running the Colony, be these other leaders or parent helpers. Whilst we have a great team, Riverbank are desperately short of uniformed leaders, having to rely on leaders from other sections when running events outside of the weekly meeting. We would very much like to recruit a second uniformed leader dedicated to Riverbank Colony. Becky Perry aka Newt Team Leader ## **Leopards Cub Pack – Section Update** So Leopard Cubs have had a busy year, many badges presented since the start of term. We currently have 20 young people, having recently moved 3 along to Scouts and 3 other older Cubs are also shared to Drake Scouts and will leave us at the end of the term. We are in a great position with leaders now, with Toni Meyer (Raksha) Alex Hollyman (Chill) Luke Savage (Baloo) Emma Westmorland (Kaa) attending very regularly and sharing their own individual skills. We also have 2 Young Leaders – Lauren and Rory both working through their D of E and helping at Cubs most weeks. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** The Group recently attended the Group / District Camp at Boyd , I was on holiday so left that to both Raksha and Chill ; I hear that it went well and the Cubs enjoyed taking part. With more adult volunteers we are able to cover and complete more badges and have recently presented several Silver Awards; I have one YP , Roberta Mason, attending the County Awards ceremony this year. A sum up of what we have done over the year; We’ve done Several fire drills, wide games, Hikes, visited the circus, a Halloween evening, most of the section attended the Potton Remembrance day parade, we have enjoyed Fire lighting and Backwoods cooking. In December we took the Cubs on the Ivel Sprinter buses to the Milton Keynes Snowdome for a tobogganing evening. This was funded by the Exec. Thankyou – they had a great time. We also had a Christmas bake off and the Cubs made mince pies – “Mary Berry” AKA Jane Leonard was our judge and a prize apron was presented to Joanna, the competition winner. This year we have done a litter pick, hiked to Gamlingay, had an archery evening and we are about to complete our Cyclist badge by riding from Sandy to Willington. On Tuesday this week we have taken part in a Tennis try-out session at Potton and next week they are doing raft-building at Shuttleworth college. We plan to take part in the Sixer and Seconder camp in September and have a District day at Grafham in July as well as the trip to the National Space Centre in October. It is great to be able to offer the Cubs opportunities that they might not otherwise have and they are all very enthusiastic to “give it a go” Well done Cubs and thanks to my Leader team Jan May aka Akela Team Leader ## **Panthers Cub Pack – Section Update** A year gone by and Panthers Cub Pack remains lively and full of accomplishment, with high attendance and membership consistently maintained within the range of 24 to 28. This is a testament to the enthusiasm and commitment of our young members and their families. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** In terms of activities, the year has been packed with engaging meetings and events. Our gatherings saw a variety of themes, including quirky sessions such as "Water water everywhere" and "Bonfire Guys!" Each meeting provided opportunities for growth, learning, and fun while fostering camaraderie among the children. Notable sessions included two "Tent Pitching" meetings, which prepared our Cubs for their outdoor adventures, and a "Panto Practice" series leading up to a much-anticipated performance. Our events throughout the year were equally remarkable. The "I'm a Panther get me stuck in here" camp was a memorable three-day experience, filled with activities that brought everyone closer together and to nature, or at least the taste of some of it. We also participated in the District Cub Camp, where our Cubs engaged in teamwork and outdoor skills. Other highlights included the exciting "John Lawson Circus," the community-focused "Potton Town Litter Pick," and the annual "St. Georges Day Parade." Our Cubs also had the pleasure of being involved in competitions and activities that encouraged creativity and skill, such as the "Karting" event and the "District Competitions." Allowing our Cubs to learn new skills and to enjoy each other’s company in a fun and active setting. Throughout the year, we were proud to present eight Chief Scout Awards, recognising the dedication of our members in achieving this prestigious honour. These awards reflect the hard work and commitment displayed by our Cubs over the years and mark a significant accomplishment in their Scouting journey. Looking forward, our Cubs are on track to reach their Silver Award, which prepares them to transition into Scouts, opening up new adventures and opportunities for personal development. This is an exciting time for everyone involved, and we look forward to seeing how our Cubs progress as they take on new challenges. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our leaders for their continuous hard work and dedication in providing a nurturing environment for our Cubs to thrive and grow. Special mention to Louise for gaining her wood beads at the “Big Group Camp @ The Bigg Weekender”. As we reflect on the past year, we also wish to express our gratitude to the families for their ongoing support and to all the volunteers who help run the group behind the scenes. The joy that our children bring to our gatherings is a reminder of why ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** we do what we do. We look forward to another lovely year of Scouting, with more memories to create and challenges to overcome together. ## **Raleigh Scout Troop - Section Update** Every year is different, and we set off this last year looking to re-establish our culture as an ambitious troop with a disciplined but gentle and welcoming atmosphere. That has been achieved and will stand us in good stead as we grow the troop again. We have undertaken a number of activities over the year including the usual fire lighting, saw, knife and axe work, navigation and map reading, day and night hikes, full load carrying, cooking on fires, wide games, gutting fish, group camp* (at the Bigg Weekender) and more. [*Thanks to the organising team who did so well.] For Remembrance Day we hiked to the former SoE airfield barn (WWII ‘departure lounge’ for spies of the Special Operations Executive) at Gibraltar Farm, had a good number of Scouts for the community parade to the cemetery, and for St George’s Day. In the winter we looked at matters related to the emergency services, and had representatives from the fire, ambulance services and one of our own Police officers. Training in each area led up to our ‘disaster night’ with a mock incident with fire fighting and first aid scenarios. Huge thanks to Carlton for providing a ‘crashed’ car, Alex, and Cameron for bringing an emergency ambulance, and Carl P for being our Police officer attending the incident. Summer term started with a first for us: Scout-led cardboard armour making and a historic battle wide game. We will finish the term with archery, thanks to Alasdair. The purchase of kayaks from Boyd Campsite is a big win for the future. And the gift of some larger kayaks from Priory Sailing Club in Bedford (where Michael and his family sail). Raleigh have done a couple of trial sessions at Priory Sailing Club as we began to explore how to use them and start the process of putting in place the right safety equipment and practices. Grants have been applied for to get them up to condition and for buoyancy aids. Lewis and Michael have been key to getting these in order and establishing safe procedures and practices. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** One of our lessons so far has been the benefit of having canoes in addition to kayaks. That makes the activity safer (with a canoe as a rescue boat) and more inclusive, and significantly increases the number of Scouts that can be on the water within permit holder ratios. It assists in the 1-2-1 requirement for non-swimmers, with Scouts less confident or capable on the water, and will help get larger leaders on the water. Carl Sturges, our Quartermaster has very generously bought a large canoe for the group. Raleigh Troop has donated all its running money and together with Peter & Jill White has bought another one. These will be a huge resource to the group, and we look forward to seeing more canoe and kayak permit holders trained (leaders, parents & trustees). Summer Camp this year will be a joint one with Drake Troop to Dorset, including Brownsea Island – to the site of the first ever Scout Camp by Baden Powell. We plan to run the camp the lines he did and have 20 Scouts and 6-9 leaders attending. Roy has already bought the bugle horn! Huge thanks to those who help and support to make these camps possible (and at the accessible cost we provide them). That goes to the Raleigh and Drake leaders attending, but also to the Reeds for loan of a van, Newnham Middle School for a minibus, Ivel Valley School for MiDAS training for minibus drivers, Carlton & Grahame for driving everything down and bringing it back as we take the Scouts into the island for the last 3 days, and Carl for catering for us all. We have 5 Scouts capable of completing their Gold Chief Scouts award this year, and up to 7 who may go on to Explorers. We will keep a couple of Scouts on the books until October to allow those Scouts to gain their Expedition Challenge Award (and Gold CSA). As the last large year group leaves, the pre-Drake Troop year group imbalances will end, and we will have smaller numbers in September, building up gradually with a healthy range of numbers in each age group. Smaller numbers this year have enabled us to take some older young people directly from the waiting list. Peter White Team Leader ## **Drake Scout Troop - Section Update** Well 17 months on from the reopening of Drake Scout Troop. We ended the year with a hot pot evening, a train ride with a hike. And Remembrance Day parade. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** Closing the year with the Ice skating. We started off the year with the fire safety, Skills badges. We put on a Scout Skills Survival weekend with 16 scouts attending and surviving a minus 4 ½ degrees in Northill. Around 150 badges have been gained, we are proud to announce that two scouts are about to gain their gold award. And we have a leader that had been awarded the Silver Wolf Roy. WE have grown Steadily with now 21 scouts and three more to join soon. Welcome to Drake leadership team is Chris Goodier joined us at the end of May and now Richard that has joined us in June. This now gives Drake a very strong Leadership team of 4 Drake leaders and 3 valuable cub leaders supporting the troop each week. June, we attended the Big Weekend at Boyd field campsite in Henlow. Great time had by all. Thanks to the Potton team. We have taken part in a few sponsored fund-raising events. At the end of July 6 Drake scouts will be joining Raleigh Troop on a joint scout summer camp to Dorset and spending two nights on Brownsea Island. I would like to thank all the Drake team for their support and dedication over the past year. Roy Snell Team Leader ## **Treasurer’s Report** I would firstly like to thank everyone for keeping in touch with me regarding activities and payments to be expected and new members. These emails really do help J. For the tax year ending 31 March 2025, unfortunately the Scout Group has made a loss of £2443.95, as you will see from the spreadsheet screenshot below. Although it is great that the higher rate of subs has really increased our income, the Capitation invoice was larger and the grants we received were £4000 lower than the previous tax year. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** We have spent nearly £4000 more on activities than the activity payments we received in. Unfortunately, I have not had time to analyse the spreadsheet in order to ascertain the reason for the difference. While it’s wonderful that our young members have access to such a wide range of experiences, this imbalance isn’t sustainable in the long term, therefore going forward it would be good if the incoming payments and outgoing expenses could be closer aligned. Now for more positive news! We have gained a lot of bank interest, due to changing bank accounts. Unfortunately, rates have dropped lately but at least we are still getting something! We have received quite a few more Gift Aid declarations on OSM. Which is really good, and every penny helps! So, if all Leaders could continue to encourage parents/guardians to complete the Gift Aid declaration, it would be appreciated. I will shortly be submitting the Gift Aid claim for the 24/25 tax year. The money received from Fund-Raising was from Party on Potton and the Burns Night event. For this new tax year, we have had a parent who is helping with fundraising so it will be great to have extra income here. This concludes the Treasurer’s Report J. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** Julia Smith Treasurer ## **Fundraising Secretary Report** We do not currently have a Fundraising Secretary. However, our dedicated team of volunteers has been very active raising funds for the Group. Events included our regular Burns Night, which returned to pre-Covid levels of success, selling burgers at Party on Potton, and supporting the Potton Playhouse in hosting a very successful evening at the HQ. Plans for a quiz night have also been suggested. I hope we can appoint a new Fundraising Secretary to support us during the next year and continue to contribute to our Group’s development and keeping costs for our members affordable and accessible for all. Andy Bargery Group Scout Leader ## **Quartermaster’s Report** Well what a year it's been, with lots of kit being used across all sections. After our buying spree last year, bell tents etc. we've not had a huge amount to buy, until very recently. The group have always been very keen to get our young people on the water, to date we've always relied on Luton Sea Scouts and their brilliant water activity days or using equipment borrowed and hired from third parties. Thanks to the sterling efforts of Peter, Lewis and Michael we now have our own kayaks, paddles and various safety kit. There's been hours of work gone into making this possible, deals made and favours cashed in. It should be noted that we had a very kind donation of 8 kayaks from Bedford sailing club, thanks in the main to Michael who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Only this week we purchased a couple of canoes for use as safety boats, Peter went and collected one from Solihull the other evening, so thank you for that. ## **1[st] Potton Scout Group AGM 2025** Other purchases were a couple of collapsible trolleys for our trip to Brownsea Island this summer camp. Here's to the next 12 months, let's make it a good one! Carl Sturges Quartermaster ## **Booking Secretary’s Report** Booking continue to come in, several regular and returning hirers. It’s all good! Jess Cobb Booking Secretary ## **1st Potton Scout Group Accounts for tax year ending 31st March 2025** |**Income**
Subscriptions
Gift Aid
Donations
Grants
Activities
Fund Raising
Hut Hire
Bank Interest
Miscellaneous/Uniform/Badges
Excess of Expenditure over Income
**Bank Reconciliation**
Current Account
Instant Access Savings Account
95-Day Notice Savings Account
Surplus/(Loss) for year|2024/25|2023/24| |---|---|---| ||15,555.00|12,111.00| ||1,659.51|1,200.86| ||15.00|230.00| ||2,850.00|6,800.00| ||10,863.49|6,882.41| ||2,202.02|2,460.99| ||2,952.00|3,907.00| ||929.18|0.00| ||158.50|144.00| |||N/A| ||37,184.70
33,736.26|| |||| ||3/31/2025|3/31/2024| ||4,156.33|29,349.77| ||10,157.93|25,695.87| ||40,541.01|N/A| ||(2,443.95)|1,796.87| ||52,411.32
56,842.51|| |**out Group**
**ing 31st March 2025**||| |---|---|---| |**Expenditure**
Capitation
Termly Floats (prev. Section Expenses
Premises - Services
Premises - Other
Activities
New equipment
Scout Hut Improvements
Administration and Training
Miscellaneous/Uniform/Badges
Excess of Income over Expenditure|2024/25|2023/24| ||8,003.00|6,896.00| ||3,598.00|2,512.00| ||5,176.86|5,946.82| ||1,715.13|1,268.51| ||14,641.39|8,644.95| ||5,243.42|3,241.30| ||11.98|1,759.14| ||723.07|658.97| ||515.80|1,011.70| ||N/A|1,796.87| ||39,628.65
33,736.26|| : Accounts for CC Return ## **Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the 1[st ] Potton Scout Group (the 'Group')** I report on the accounts of the Group for the year ended 31 March 2025. ## **Respective responsibilities of the trustees and Independent Examiner** The Group's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts for the Group. The Group's trustees consider that neither an audit nor an independent examination is required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the '2011 Act') but have opted to have an independent examination. It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; and - to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and - state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## **Basis of independent examiner's report** My examination was carried in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Group and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## **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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or - the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or • the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of 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 have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signature: Name: Mr Ian West Relevant professional qualification or body: CIMA (1-FVX1L) Address: 156 Folly Lane, St Albans, AL3 5JG Date: 26[th] June 2025.