2024-03-31-accounts

2023

2024

ANNUAL REPORT

1st January 2023 to 31st March 2024

11th Folkestone (St. John’s) Scout Group Reg. Charity No. 285558 Scout Reg. No. 10010299

Annual General Meeting for the financial year: 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2024 AGENDA

1. Introduction and welcome

2. Apologies for absence

3. Governance

4. a. Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 25th July 2023

5. b. Adopt the model constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) c. Note the Group’s financial year

6. d. Approve appointed and community members of the Group Scout Council

7. e. Agree the number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board

8. f. Agree the quorum for future meetings of the Group Scout Council (excluding this AGM)

9. Review of the year

10. a. The Group Lead Volunteer’s review of the year

11. b. Receive and consider the Annual Report of the Group Trustee Board, including the annual Statement of the Accounts

12. Making appointments

13. a. Appoint the Group Chair, following recommendation from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board

14. b. Appoint the Group Treasurer, following recommendation from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board

15. c. Appoint members of the Group Trustee Board, following recommendations from the open selection process initiated by the Group Trustee Board

16. d. Appoint the Independent Examiner

17. Closing remarks

02

MINUTES 2023

1. Welcome and introductions from the deputy chair, Amanda Sutton. Amanda explained who the group council are and how almost anyone with a connection to the group can join in with the process, vote and make a difference. All documents are available on the website, limited paper copies available tonight.

2. Group trustees for previous year

3. District Commissioner: Tony Hogben

4. Apologies for absence Pete Woodsford David Sutton Abby Sutton 3. Acceptance of the minutes from the Proposed: Steve Fairfax previous meeting. Seconded: Craig Ward 4. Receive & adopt the annual report Proposed: Steve Fairfax Seconded: Ted Hogben 5. Receive & adopt the financial report Proposed: Maite Last Seconded: Steve Fairfax 6. Approve the resolution of the Trustee Proposed: Steve Fairfax Seconded: Craig Ward Board concerning membership subscriptions from September 2023 – to increase membership subscriptions to £15 per month, excluding August. An annual fee of £165

All the above resolutions were passed unanimously (3 - 6)

Following from the last resolution, Craig introduced the Penticost fund and explained why it is there. Presentations to retiring trustees - Sarah Marshall – 9 yrs service. Maite Last – 12 yrs service.

1. Receive and adopt the 2023 Constitution for the Group. Proposed: Steve Fairfax, seconded: Karen Ingelbrecht

2. Approve the resolution of the 2.2.4 Conduct of meetings section of the Group Governance document (concerning quorums of official meetings – p.4) – Agreed Scout Council quorum: 10 (ten) members plus the Group Scout Leader or their nominee.

3. Agreed Trustee Board and sub-committee quorum: half plus one of the membership of the Trustee Board

4. -- or Sub-Committee (total membership, not those in attendance)

5. • Proposed: Steve Fairfax, Seconded: Karen Ingelbrecht At this point all trustees retired from their posts. GSL assumed the chair.

6. Approval of the GSL’s nomination for Trustee board chair. Steve Fairfax -nominated by GSL – approved. Chair reappointed resumes chair of AGM

ANNUAL REPORT

10i Election of Group Officers: (Treasurer) No nominations Proposed: 10ii. Election of Group Officers: Seconded: Karen Ingelbrecht (Secretary) Proposed: Craig Ward 10iii Election of Group Trustees: Seconded: Alistair Sutton Amanda Sutton – Deputy Chair Proposed: Craig Ward Pete Woodsford Seconded: Alistair Sutton Deputy Chair took back charing of the meeting 10iv Election of Group trustees: Section Leaders who have opted in: Rebecca Ingelbrecht (Squirrels) Ian Marshall (Cubs) Kate Ward (Scouts) Ex-officio trustees were confirmed. 10v Election of group trustee: Ted Hogben – nominated by Craig Ward GSL 11. Appointment of Independent Examiner (scrutineer): Proposed: Amanda Sutton Amanda Campbell Bookkeeping Services, Seconded: Alistair Sutton Folkestone All of the above were confirmed unanimously. Business section of the evening concluded. 12. Presentation of Awards. Group Scout Leader lead the presentation of awards. Before each Section presented the yearly awards a video compilation of each of the sections activities for the year was shown. 12i. District Commissioner words: DC led applause for Group Leadership. Out of the 9 groups in the district this was the 7th AGM attended and he commented on the great turnout. He thanked the group for another good year. Length of Service awards to be presented – Karen Goldsack – 5yrs Ian Marshall – 10 yrs David Sutton – 10 yrs Training award- wood badge Kate Ward – Assistant County Commissioner for Squirrel Scouts New Formation – GSL to become Group Lead Volunteer, DC to become District Lead Volunteer. He Congratulated the Group on once again growing numbers and announced that we were the biggest growing group in the District for both 2022 and 2023. To support growth for next year the county was not going to charge county fee for new members. Group Chair congratulated all on their achievements and thanked all for attending. AGM Closed

Charity Details:

Charity Registration Number: 285558

Registered Address: The Shepway Close Centre Shepway Close Folkestone, Kent, CT19 5SJ Bankers: Barclays Bank PLC

ANNUAL REPORT

05

TRUSTEES 2023/24

Steve Fairfax Chair

Craig Ward Group Scout Leader

Alistair Sutton Deputy Group Scout Leader

Amanda Sutton Deputy Chair

Karen Ingelbrecht Secretary

Pete Woodsford Trustee

Beckie Ingelbrecht Squirrel Leader

Ian Marshall Cub Leader

Kate Ward Scout Leader

ANNUAL REPORT

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

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

The Group is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts.

The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

The Group is managed by the Group Trustee Board, the members of which are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout Group which is an educational charity. As charity trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

Members of the Trustee Board complete Being a Scouts Trustee learning within the first 5 months of joining the Board. This Group Trustee Board exists to make sure the charity is well-managed, risks are assessed and mitigated, buildings and equipment are in good working order, and everyone follows legal requirements and the organisation's policies and rules. Their support helps other volunteers run high-quality and safe programmes that gives young people skills for life.

Risk and Internal Control

The group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include, but are not limited to, two signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

Objectives and activities

The Purpose of Scouting

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

The Values of Scouting

As Scouts we are guided by these values:

Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others

Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes

Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

The Scout Method

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

enjoy what they are doing and have fun

take part in activities indoors and outdoors

learn by doing

share in spiritual reflection

take responsibility and make choices

• undertake new and challenging activities

make and live by their Promise.

Public Benefit Statement

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

Financial review

Reserves Policy

The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the group should income and fundraising activities fall short.

The Group Trustee Board considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 12 months basic running costs, circa £4000.

The Group held reserves of £4057.40 against this at year end in the ‘reserves’ account, with approximately £2000 in the current account, held as unrestricted funds. This is above the level required for operating expenses. However this can be explained as general funds held for the running of the Group and building up a balance ready for membership fees/other annual costs to ensure our cashflow can be maintained. All other balances of accounts are held as designated funds for particular projects or budgeted activities/events/programmes in the following financial year.

Investment Policy

The Group Trustee Board regularly monitors the levels of bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure the group obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements. Occasionally this may involve using an account that requires a period of notice before funds may be withdrawn, before doing so the Group Trustee Board considers the cash flow requirements.

The Group does not hold sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using mainstream banks and approved financial institutions.

See our annual review films

CHAIR’S REPORT

Welcome to another AGM and celebration of Scouting in Folkestone. As always, when reflecting on the past year I am impressed with what has been achieved by the Group and am grateful to all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

This report marks the final time I will be reporting on the work of the Trustee Board (previously called the Group Executive Committee) in its current form. From this AGM onwards, the role of the Trustee Board changes considerably. Exciting times ahead!

Firstly, a thank you to all out trustees, past and present, for all their work in supporting, developing and growing our Group. When I took over as chair of the Executive Committee 19 years ago this month, the Group’s governance was lacking and this was showing in the quality of Scouting being offered. Over those years, many trustees have come and gone and helped ‘right the ship’ to get us to where we are today. Thank you to them and of course, thank you to the current outgoing trustees who have worked tirelessly to make this new ‘transformation’ programme a success for our Group and lay the foundations for the new Trustee Board to be able to fulfil its new purpose.

Other than preparing for the new Scout rules, the trustees have been focused on maintenance for the past year. We have had certain spaces in the centre repainted and refreshed, worked on securing a new cleaning service to maintain standards of hygiene, completed some maintenance tasks on the minibuses and worked with leaders to ensure they had the funds they needed to continue to offer excellent Scouting. The Trustee Board has also made plans for some major maintenance work to the older part of the decking to be completed in the coming financial year (as that section of decking is now approaching 14 years of age!).

I’m looking forward to the future and the changes the Scout Association have made to how we volunteer and work in our Groups and I hope to report on great things this time next year!

Steve Fairfax

Group Chair

ANNUAL REPORT

A YEAR IN REVIEW

This set of accounts covers the period 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2024 (15 months) as the Trustee Board decided to align our financial year with the more traditional financial year and to allow the AGM to take place in September rather than July as had been for the past 10 years.

Key points to note:

• This period takes in two sets of annual membership fee payments Two sets of insurances were paid for the minibuses and centre within this period Membership fees income and the costs of collection (GoCardless fees) cover the full 15 month period so comparison between 2022 and the period of these accounts is not clear

ANNUAL REPORT

Amanda Campbell Bookkeeping Services th 11 Folkestone Scouts The Scouting Centre Shepway Close Folkestone Kent 19 5SJ Bo¢kk•Wng Payroll S•Nc•• Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of 11 Folkestone (St Johns) SCO￿ Group. I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2024. The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's trustees have requested an independent examination of the accounts. It is my responsibllity to.. Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act To follow the procedures laid down In the general Dlrections given by the Charity Commisslon under section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity 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 explanatlons from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evidence that would be requlred in an audit and consequently no opinion Is 8lven as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair vlew, and the report is Ilmited to those matters set out in the statement below. In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my èttentlon: IIIWhich 8ives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accountin8 requirements of the 2011 Act. have not been met. Amanda Campbell FICB PM Dip 9 Charles Crescent, Folkestone, Kent cr19 4NF 06 September 2024 Propfietor.. M15ArnBnda CampbEII FICB PM.Dip 9 Ch4rlc5 Cresrpnt. FdkEstonp Kert CT194I4F Tele.. 01303 647674 Licen5¢d re8ulaied bythe Instilule ol Cerlified 8wkkeepErs IICBI. arml Suwrvised uThdÈr the m￿e¥ LauThlerifi8 Re8ulatiOrnS 1(K17 THF. INSTITL.TE OF CLK1'1fr1LD Re8lsiered Pr3dlce 13055

SECTION REVIEWS

This year, rather than me waffling on, I thought I’d leave it up to our fantastic programme team to share all the amazing activities and opportunities to develop skills for life that have been going on over the past year - hold on tight... there have been loads!

Craig Group lead volunteer

ANNUAL REPORT

Wow! What a fantastic year it’s been for our Squirrels section! Our 4 and 5- year-olds have had an incredible time exploring, learning, and having fun, and they've achieved so much over the past year.

We’ve had the chance to dive into so many exciting topics. The Squirrels have celebrated festivals from different countries, which gave them a glimpse into various cultures and traditions. We’ve also explored new and creative ways to make art, sparking their imaginations while building on important skills for life.

This year, we took part in two amazing county events. First, we attended the annual Magic Christmas Trail at Lower Grange Farm, which was full of festive wonder and excitement. Then, we had a fantastic day out at the Squirrels Takeover of Rare Breeds Farm, where our little ones got up close with animals and enjoyed a fun-filled day exploring the countryside.

At Squirrels, we love getting down with nature! Our Squirrels went on a few exciting forest trips and worked towards earning their nature-themed badges. From building bug hotels to even saving a hedgehog, they’ve truly been superheroes when it comes to caring for our natural environment.

A huge well done to all our Squirrels for their enthusiasm and hard work this year! We wish the very best of luck to those who are moving up to Beavers— you’re going to be amazing!

Here’s to another year of fun, friendship, and adventure!

(Wednesday)

We started our year with 30 beavers. Unfortunately, this still left a great many Young People on our waiting list. This is quite a large number of very diverse young people and we are grateful that some parents have stepped up to offer support as and when required. During the term there were discussions about starting an additional Beaver colony and after a month of taster sessions the new colony came to fruition and took away the majority of the waiting list. So we now have Beavers meeting on a Monday night as well as our colony on a Wednesday night. Both sections take from the Squirrels coming up to Beavers and both sections take from the waiting list when space allows.

...continued

We started our year with ‘Save our Seas’ – the problem with plastic! In order to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution in our oceans. We carried on the term with a nautical theme including Pirates when we also had the opportunity to learn about knots and lashings. We moved onto elements of the Navigators badge and maps and map reading. In the run up to Christmas we took part in Remembrance Day, sections of our Cook’s badge, a Community project and Christmas craft and fun including decorating a gingerbread reindeer. It was great to see the Beavers attending the Remembrance Day service and all behaved impeccably and were a credit to the group

.

The first half of the Spring Term was focused on communication with an emphasis on following instructions! We also learned about the phonetic alphabet and used it to crack codes and send messages. We had great fun meeting Jasper as part of our Animal Friends badge. Jasper was very well behaved, friendly and very patient with the children and several children who were a little afraid of dogs conquered their fears and were able to sit quietly by Jasper for a while. The Beavers had a fun time fulfilling the requirements of the Experiments badge which included making moving pictures with sharpie pens in water, milk art and the ever popular skittles rainbows. They finished the session by making armpit fudge which gave them a good upper body workout as well as lots of laughter at the noises they were making! We also did a session on Festivals which occur at this time of year. The second half of the term started with ‘Water, water everywhere’ and we looked at the importance of water and linked this with Water Aid. This was followed by sessions about space which included discovering what happens on the International Space station and looking at a broadcast from Tim Peake (Scout Ambassador) about his work on the ISS and some of the fun things you can do when there is no gravity! We also covered our Health and Fitness badge and had fun making healthy shakes using milk and fresh fruit. There was also a joint hike which all the Beavers enjoyed.

At the end of May, we joined with the Monday Beaver group and 1st Cheriton Beavers to have an overnight camp under canvas. For some of the young people this was the first time for camping. The weather held for most of the time so lots of camp craft activities were covered as well as archery and camp fire songs which the Beavers loved. Some Beavers also attended the District event at Samphire Hoe entitled Coastal Chaos.

The summer term saw our numbers go down slightly as some YP had changes to days/times for their other interests/clubs and sadly left us. However, we got very involved with Child Safety week and began some of the elements of a brand new Scouting badge called Planet Champions, which the Beavers have really enjoyed. They designed and made undersea dioramas which they completed with great patience and a real understanding of the dangers to our ocean wildlife and habitats. We also had a mini Olympics night and then finished the year with an opportunity to try the snow rings and foot golf at the Sports Centre!

We have had three Young People who have achieved their Chief Scout Bronze Awards this year and they should be rightly proud of those achievements. Between them they have gained seventy badges in order to achieve the highest Beaver award. All our badges require multi elements which have to be covered, practised and understood before they are awarded. Not every week is a badge work week as we like to have fun and games too whilst working on our team spirit, interpersonal and communication skills!

A final thank you to those people in the Beaver volunteer team for giving up your time so freely in order to support our Beavers and ensure that our programme is diverse, fun and ensures that we are giving our young people those all-important ‘skills for life’. A big thank-you too to all those parents who also volunteer to help out, as required, as some things would not be possible without those better ratios of adults to children.

(Monday)

The Beaver colony currently has 18 Beaver Scouts, with 7 new starting this September and 3 just moved up to the Cub section.

We started this new colonly from scratch in January of this year and I am proud to say, that over the past 9 months, our Beaver Scouts have been working so hard and been busy with their badge work. There has been a total of 125 badges issued, So well done Beavers for all your hard work!

We have had various hikes out, a joint camp with 1st Cheriton beavers, joined in the Kent Scouts event Coastal Chaos to Samphire Hoe event and adventurous activities at the Folkestone sports centre and most of all had loads of fun!

We already have loads planned for the next year, including a trip to Hever castle, Christmas panto, a winter walk at Brockhill park and loads more!

To the wonderful leaders, Trevor, Alice and Abby, and to the amazing parents who have supported our beaver scout meetings and events, we couldn’t have made this new colony work without all your hard work and support, a massive thank you to you all.

What a year, it’s been for Cubs!!

We’ve had another exciting year of activities and fun, whilst working towards various badges. We’ve been hiking, we’ve built shelters in the woods, challenged ourselves and learnt some new skills, including how to sew on a badge so parents don’t have to. We even had a visit to the Fire station, thanks to one of our parents who is a Firefighter and volunteered to take the Cubs through their Fire Safety badge!

For a lot of our Cubs there have been several firsts over the last year…. First time at camp by going to Cuboree last September and making new friends with Cubs from across Kent (as well as having fun!) …. First time doing a climbing activity at Clip n Climb as our Christmas treat …. First time sleeping in a tent at Cub camp in May! For some, Cuboree and Cub Camp were the first time they had been away from mum and day and all their home comforts.

Cubs is also about learning things and earning badges, with the aim of achieving the Chief Scout Silver Award. This last year alone, we have awarded 350 badges across the three badge areas (Challenge, Staged and Activity) and 9 Cubs have achieved their Chief Scout Silver Award. Well done to all the Cubs!!

Finally, some of the activities the Cub Leadership Team plan couldn’t go ahead without the support of parents. Your support for the leaders, willingness to come out on a hike and other activities, really is appreciated. Thank You!

The past year has been an exciting and action-packed one for our Scouts, filled with adventure, creativity, and new skills. Our Scouts have taken part in a variety of activities, giving them the chance to learn, explore, and have fun in a wide range of settings.

One of the highlights of the year was our Skills Camp, where the Scouts learned essential camping skills. They mastered how to put up tents and got hands-on experience cooking meals over an open fire. Shelter building was another valuable skill they developed, as they worked together to construct safe and sturdy shelters in the wild.

We were fortunate to have a visit from local beekeepers, where the Scouts learned all about the importance of bees and the threats posed by the invasive Asian hornet. This was a fascinating and educational experience that brought awareness to environmental issues.

Leadership and teamwork were also a strong focus this year. We are thrilled to have new patrol leaders and assistant patrol leaders (APLs) who have shown great leadership and teamwork, guiding their patrols through various challenges and activities with enthusiasm and dedication.

The Scouts had the opportunity to try their hand at archery, improving their skills and precision. They also enjoyed a day at Chaos Cards, where they played Warhammer and other tabletop games, engaging their strategic thinking and having a lot of fun in the process.

A visit to a local supermarket gave the Scouts the chance to learn about menu planning and budgeting. This was a valuable life skill, as they worked through how to plan nutritious meals while staying within a budget, preparing them for future campouts and beyond.

The year has also been filled with fun outings and creative projects. The Scouts visited the beach, where they enjoyed outdoor activities, and they also explored the Battle of Britain Memorial, learning about a significant chapter in history. Back at our base, the Scouts got creative with T-shirt painting and decorating plant pots, showcasing their artistic talents.

One of the more unusual but enjoyable evenings involved making tea and sampling a variety of biscuits before voting on their favourites. It was a light-hearted and record-breaking evening that the Scouts thoroughly enjoyed. They also tried their hand at making their own rocky road treats, which were a delicious success.

In addition, we had a special visit from a bagpiper, introducing the Scouts to the unique and stirring sound of traditional Scottish music.

On the skills front, the Scouts learned the phonetic alphabet, experimented with writing in invisible ink, and created their own secret codes, testing their creativity and problem-solving abilities. In the spirit of giving, they also wrapped over 300 Christmas gifts, which were later distributed to younger members at a Christmas county event—a great way to end the year.

Looking ahead, we are all very excited about the upcoming year, especially as we prepare for the Kent International Jamboree. It promises to be another incredible year full of adventure, learning, and fun!

Here's to another great year in Scouting