I# BERNWOOD FORESTSCOUT GROUP
REPORT & ACCOUNTS for the year ending 31 March 2025
TRUSTEES
Gr¢>up Cha
Member Seuetsry
Treasurer
Group Scout Leader
Leader Representatlve
M Dann
R (Ycomor
C•therine Kemp
M Summerhayes
EGrny
Cwted members
R Smith
BANKERS
Bank
Butler Place Branch
Thame
Oxford5hire
cHAR￿y REGISTrATION NUMBER
288739
CONTACT NAME &ADDRESS

Trustee annual report for the year ended 31 Marth 2025
L Group Sc(Mrt Leaderfs Report
l Bernwood Forest Scout Group has continued to thrive as a group. maintslnlng both membershlp
of young people as well as the continued support of our aduftvolunteers.
a group we expanded and enhanced our programme to help develop skills for Ilfe for ouryoung
scoutin8 family with the launch of the first Squirrel Drey. talled Magpies, in the Chlltern Vale distrkL
Our Beavers. Cubs and Scouts sections continue to run thanks to ourvolunteer leadership tearn of
23 leaders1202&25) acro￿ Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts that work tirelessly, week-ln, week-
¢)ut, leadlng and guiding our athrytses. Wrthout them. scouting ¥￿Uld not be possible.
Our annual census retum for 2025 (taken everyjanuary), showed that ¢)ur overall number of young
people tsking advantsge of regular scoutin8 was 110. similarto the previous yearof 116.
Squlrrels (age 4 to 6): We launched our Squirrel drey. called Ma8pie5 and had 11 young people join,
Is a 8ieat starL We have 18 YOU￿ people on the waitlng listtopln.
Beavers (age 6 to 8): Our two beaver colonles, Kestrel and Osprey. continued to thrivewith 25
youn8 people. The waitin8 I￿t for Beavers has dropped wlth 8 Beavef age chlldren.
Cubs {a8e 8 to age 10.5): Our Cub Packs. Eagles and Hawks. maintsined their numbers at 36.
The waiting list for eubs was 26.
Scouts (age 10.5 to ￿5). As is wldely recognlsed, there 15 a naturdl drop off as children reach their
teen years; the Scout Packs arethe last section, young people bewme part ofknthich rneans on
average, approximatety 80% of children move on from Cubs into Scouts. This is something we see
regularly see in 1st Bernwood. Scout numbers for year was 38 scouts, with 10 on the walting fisL
We continued to work actNety recruiting new adult volunteers with regular s¢¢lal media updates, a
farnily experfence day and also re8ular reach outs.
As a group, we continue to run a balanced programme a¢r055 all sections as well as Wow events
{SrThllone & aimb Quest) as well as carnps- Cubs Summef Camp. Cubs Winter Camp. Scouts Camp
and Beaver sleep overs. In addition. we competed in the county Endurance 10 event for Cubs and
the natlonal Monopoly Run even In London for Scouts and Guldes.
OSM & Gocaidless." finally. we moved our mllection ofsubsulptions (called subs) from the le8acy•
rnanual approach managed bythe treasurer, to leveragingthe tapabilities of Online Scout Manager
IOSM), and Gocardless. This was to:. simplrfy the subs collertmin process, automate the remlnders
that are sent to parents, capture those that are exempt (leader children & hardship cases) and
enable future automation of Grft Ald-which we have not collected this year. A5 Part of the process
of setting UP the new prottsses, an exerdse was undertaken to 80 bock throL4h all prNx
subxrfptlons (from SpTin8 2022 through to Summer 2024): contart all the outstanding payees lover
3(Kl emalb sent out) and request paymenL As a result over £3.510 was cfjllected. a 8reat resulL
As we move forward, thls automated process, vknitst wstlng a srnall percentsge of the subscriptions
fee (£1.27 of the £65 subs feel; will signifKanty reduce the ￿￿rklOad of the exec, as well as reduce
the level of bad debt ProvisK￿ and preventthe sarne historKal tssue fmrn o¢¢urring again.

2. Group Chalrfs Rep(Yt
Overall the group Is busy and continue5 to thrive. The key leadershlp and trustee roles wlthln the
group continue to be filled by capable and comrnttted individuals providing a sense of stability wlthin
the or8anisatlon.
We have seen consistent nurnbers of young people within the group despite ongoing challenge5 In
rttruiting adult leaders and helpers and the dernand for children's places across all age groups
contlnues to outstrip availabilty.
3. Group Tr￿S￿re￿S Rewt
Thls year ha5 been financiaify Stable for the group, with careful management of income and
expenditure ensuring we remain in a sound financial position. Our accounts hève been prepared In
line with the 8uidance issued by The Scout As%Kiation and reflect all income and expenditure durin8
the perlod.
At year end, the Group held totsl funds of £51,400.74 compared with £47,631.33 at the end of the
previous financial year.
3.1 Income
Total income for the year was £31,263.99 derived from the folk)wing main source5:
Membershlp subscriptions
Comps and activltie5 incorne
Bank interest
Subs¢ription incorne remains our prirnary source of regularfunding and continues to cover essentlal
running costs. Our camps and artEvities efforts this year were exceptional and I would like to thank
all our leaders, parents and young people that contributed.
3.2 Expendlture
Total expenditure for the yearwas £27,49458. Keyareas of spending included:
Capitation fees
Insurance and utilitie5
Activities and camps
Sundries
Equipment
The largest singte outgoing remains Captstion.
3.3 ￿lpluS
The Group recorded a SUTplus of £3,769.41 for the year. This sury)Ius strengthens our reserves and
places the Group in a secure flnincial position moving Intothe next financial year.

3.4 Reserves
At year end, unrestrlcted reserves stood at £51.4LK).74. The Trustees contlnues to maintain reserves
in line with our agreed polky to ensure:
Continuty of scoutlng activities
Ability to replace essential equipment
Protectton against unexperted costs
3.5 Flnandal Contrds
The Group continues to operate approwiate financial controls, includi￿.
Independent Examinatk)n of the accounts
Clear $egregat￿n of restricted and unrestricted funds
Dual swiatories on payrnents
3.6 Looklng ahead
In the coming year, we anticipate:
Equipment purchases- upgrade of the tents
Hall improvements
Continued focus on maintsining acce55ible subscription levels while ensuring Sustainability.
Acknowledgements
l Y￿uld like to thank the Trustee5 and all the volunteef5 for their continued support and responsible
SteV￿rdship of Group fvnds. Special thank5 0150 go to our parents and supporter5 for their ongoing
contributions.
Summa￿.
The Group remains financialfy sound and well p05itM>ned to continue defNering hi8h44uality scouting
experiences for our YOU￿ people.
The Trustees are responsible for maintsining proper accounting records which disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial positTron of 1st Bemwood Forest Scout Group and to
enable them to ensure that the financial Statements meet the requirements of the Scout A5soclation
and Charty Commission.
The Trustee5 are also responsible for safeguardlng the assets of the l Bern¥￿0d Forest Scout
Group and hence for tsking reasonable steps to prevention and detectlon of fraud and other
Irregutarlties.
l BernvA>od Forest Scout Group is a Charfty e5tsblished under whkh rule5 that are cornmon to and
are part of The Scout Association.
The Accounts have been drawn up on the Receipts and Payments basis and prepared in accordan¢e
with the Ststement of recommended Prartice-Accounting and Reporting by Charities

Summary of Accounts and Tn￿ Approv•l-Yew endlnl 31 Marth 2025
Receipts & Payments Surnmary for the year ended 31 March 2025
This year
PTe¥ious year
Totsl receipts for the year
Totsl payments for the year
23,745.99
19.976.58
3,769.41
14.704.38
14,167.53
536.85
C•sh, banK and simllar funds brought foThvard
47.631.33
47.094.48
Cash, banK and similar funds carried forward
5L4(K>.74
47.631.33
Approved by the Trustees on 20'_ Ft6 'Z6 and signed on thelr behalf by
Group Scout Leader
Chairm•n
Treasurer

1ST BERPIWOOD FOREsrscour GROUP
11157.60
si.Iw)
6.547.50
5ffi1.1
so
.51800
IL377.n
L•s•p•ldlO Ll#rtcVCwnty
Bank lrtw•st
951.38
951.38
CubsSummwCWry.￿q2l
14M.
LW.
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LC CthChrfstmuC•mp23
CuhChthknwsCany24
s¢(￿￿¢•￿¥s•pI23
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9.
io•.Iw)
7.lyj
EfithJr•FK• 10 24
Erthr8nc• 10 2W25
Bea￿lsH1nD￿￿1l 2024
IU39.
7.904.Th)
OTHERINCOME
GIftNJd r•c•bpr•d
Ili¢olHQ
Sc¢wJtPL¢w•lthl
160.00
14.704.38

74
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477107
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.53

51Aa74
J20

I# BERNWOOD FORESTSCOUT GROUP
REPORT & ACCOUNTS for the year ending 31 March 2025
TRUSTEES
Gr¢>up Cha
Member Seuetsry
Treasurer
Group Scout Leader
Leader Representatlve
M Dann
R (Ycomor
C•therine Kemp
M Summerhayes
EGrny
Cwted members
R Smith
BANKERS
Bank
Butler Place Branch
Thame
Oxford5hire
cHAR￿y REGISTrATION NUMBER
288739
CONTACT NAME &ADDRESS

Trustee annual report for the year ended 31 Marth 2025
L Group Sc(Mrt Leaderfs Report
l Bernwood Forest Scout Group has continued to thrive as a group. maintslnlng both membershlp
of young people as well as the continued support of our aduftvolunteers.
a group we expanded and enhanced our programme to help develop skills for Ilfe for ouryoung
scoutin8 family with the launch of the first Squirrel Drey. talled Magpies, in the Chlltern Vale distrkL
Our Beavers. Cubs and Scouts sections continue to run thanks to ourvolunteer leadership tearn of
23 leaders1202&25) acro￿ Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts that work tirelessly, week-ln, week-
¢)ut, leadlng and guiding our athrytses. Wrthout them. scouting ¥￿Uld not be possible.
Our annual census retum for 2025 (taken everyjanuary), showed that ¢)ur overall number of young
people tsking advantsge of regular scoutin8 was 110. similarto the previous yearof 116.
Squlrrels (age 4 to 6): We launched our Squirrel drey. called Ma8pie5 and had 11 young people join,
Is a 8ieat starL We have 18 YOU￿ people on the waitlng listtopln.
Beavers (age 6 to 8): Our two beaver colonles, Kestrel and Osprey. continued to thrivewith 25
youn8 people. The waitin8 I￿t for Beavers has dropped wlth 8 Beavef age chlldren.
Cubs {a8e 8 to age 10.5): Our Cub Packs. Eagles and Hawks. maintsined their numbers at 36.
The waiting list for eubs was 26.
Scouts (age 10.5 to ￿5). As is wldely recognlsed, there 15 a naturdl drop off as children reach their
teen years; the Scout Packs arethe last section, young people bewme part ofknthich rneans on
average, approximatety 80% of children move on from Cubs into Scouts. This is something we see
regularly see in 1st Bernwood. Scout numbers for year was 38 scouts, with 10 on the walting fisL
We continued to work actNety recruiting new adult volunteers with regular s¢¢lal media updates, a
farnily experfence day and also re8ular reach outs.
As a group, we continue to run a balanced programme a¢r055 all sections as well as Wow events
{SrThllone & aimb Quest) as well as carnps- Cubs Summef Camp. Cubs Winter Camp. Scouts Camp
and Beaver sleep overs. In addition. we competed in the county Endurance 10 event for Cubs and
the natlonal Monopoly Run even In London for Scouts and Guldes.
OSM & Gocaidless." finally. we moved our mllection ofsubsulptions (called subs) from the le8acy•
rnanual approach managed bythe treasurer, to leveragingthe tapabilities of Online Scout Manager
IOSM), and Gocardless. This was to:. simplrfy the subs collertmin process, automate the remlnders
that are sent to parents, capture those that are exempt (leader children & hardship cases) and
enable future automation of Grft Ald-which we have not collected this year. A5 Part of the process
of setting UP the new prottsses, an exerdse was undertaken to 80 bock throL4h all prNx
subxrfptlons (from SpTin8 2022 through to Summer 2024): contart all the outstanding payees lover
3(Kl emalb sent out) and request paymenL As a result over £3.510 was cfjllected. a 8reat resulL
As we move forward, thls automated process, vknitst wstlng a srnall percentsge of the subscriptions
fee (£1.27 of the £65 subs feel; will signifKanty reduce the ￿￿rklOad of the exec, as well as reduce
the level of bad debt ProvisK￿ and preventthe sarne historKal tssue fmrn o¢¢urring again.

2. Group Chalrfs Rep(Yt
Overall the group Is busy and continue5 to thrive. The key leadershlp and trustee roles wlthln the
group continue to be filled by capable and comrnttted individuals providing a sense of stability wlthin
the or8anisatlon.
We have seen consistent nurnbers of young people within the group despite ongoing challenge5 In
rttruiting adult leaders and helpers and the dernand for children's places across all age groups
contlnues to outstrip availabilty.
3. Group Tr￿S￿re￿S Rewt
Thls year ha5 been financiaify Stable for the group, with careful management of income and
expenditure ensuring we remain in a sound financial position. Our accounts hève been prepared In
line with the 8uidance issued by The Scout As%Kiation and reflect all income and expenditure durin8
the perlod.
At year end, the Group held totsl funds of £51,400.74 compared with £47,631.33 at the end of the
previous financial year.
3.1 Income
Total income for the year was £31,263.99 derived from the folk)wing main source5:
Membershlp subscriptions
Comps and activltie5 incorne
Bank interest
Subs¢ription incorne remains our prirnary source of regularfunding and continues to cover essentlal
running costs. Our camps and artEvities efforts this year were exceptional and I would like to thank
all our leaders, parents and young people that contributed.
3.2 Expendlture
Total expenditure for the yearwas £27,49458. Keyareas of spending included:
Capitation fees
Insurance and utilitie5
Activities and camps
Sundries
Equipment
The largest singte outgoing remains Captstion.
3.3 ￿lpluS
The Group recorded a SUTplus of £3,769.41 for the year. This sury)Ius strengthens our reserves and
places the Group in a secure flnincial position moving Intothe next financial year.

3.4 Reserves
At year end, unrestrlcted reserves stood at £51.4LK).74. The Trustees contlnues to maintain reserves
in line with our agreed polky to ensure:
Continuty of scoutlng activities
Ability to replace essential equipment
Protectton against unexperted costs
3.5 Flnandal Contrds
The Group continues to operate approwiate financial controls, includi￿.
Independent Examinatk)n of the accounts
Clear $egregat￿n of restricted and unrestricted funds
Dual swiatories on payrnents
3.6 Looklng ahead
In the coming year, we anticipate:
Equipment purchases- upgrade of the tents
Hall improvements
Continued focus on maintsining acce55ible subscription levels while ensuring Sustainability.
Acknowledgements
l Y￿uld like to thank the Trustee5 and all the volunteef5 for their continued support and responsible
SteV￿rdship of Group fvnds. Special thank5 0150 go to our parents and supporter5 for their ongoing
contributions.
Summa￿.
The Group remains financialfy sound and well p05itM>ned to continue defNering hi8h44uality scouting
experiences for our YOU￿ people.
The Trustees are responsible for maintsining proper accounting records which disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial positTron of 1st Bemwood Forest Scout Group and to
enable them to ensure that the financial Statements meet the requirements of the Scout A5soclation
and Charty Commission.
The Trustee5 are also responsible for safeguardlng the assets of the l Bern¥￿0d Forest Scout
Group and hence for tsking reasonable steps to prevention and detectlon of fraud and other
Irregutarlties.
l BernvA>od Forest Scout Group is a Charfty e5tsblished under whkh rule5 that are cornmon to and
are part of The Scout Association.
The Accounts have been drawn up on the Receipts and Payments basis and prepared in accordan¢e
with the Ststement of recommended Prartice-Accounting and Reporting by Charities

Summary of Accounts and Tn￿ Approv•l-Yew endlnl 31 Marth 2025
Receipts & Payments Surnmary for the year ended 31 March 2025
This year
PTe¥ious year
Totsl receipts for the year
Totsl payments for the year
23,745.99
19.976.58
3,769.41
14.704.38
14,167.53
536.85
C•sh, banK and simllar funds brought foThvard
47.631.33
47.094.48
Cash, banK and similar funds carried forward
5L4(K>.74
47.631.33
Approved by the Trustees on 20'_ Ft6 'Z6 and signed on thelr behalf by
Group Scout Leader
Chairm•n
Treasurer

1ST BERPIWOOD FOREsrscour GROUP
11157.60
si.Iw)
6.547.50
5ffi1.1
so
.51800
IL377.n
L•s•p•ldlO Ll#rtcVCwnty
Bank lrtw•st
951.38
951.38
CubsSummwCWry.￿q2l
14M.
LW.
¢asJuM24 wffffi•rc•f
LC CthChrfstmuC•mp23
CuhChthknwsCany24
s¢(￿￿¢•￿¥s•pI23
180.Tr)I
1118.(K*
4705.fy)
5r￿On•25
MonopDty 24
iio.
21.1>)
52&fy)
9.
io•.Iw)
7.lyj
EfithJr•FK• 10 24
Erthr8nc• 10 2W25
Bea￿lsH1nD￿￿1l 2024
IU39.
7.904.Th)
OTHERINCOME
GIftNJd r•c•bpr•d
Ili¢olHQ
Sc¢wJtPL¢w•lthl
160.00
14.704.38

74
LlX*.tKI
477107
97&ro
rnn
w•x• 1024
7Z
$3
57X
2rn
2TLiO
.53

51Aa74
J20

## **Independent Examiner’s report to the Executive Committee of the 1[st] Bernwood Forest Scout Group** 

I report to the trustees on the accounts of the 1[st] Bernwood Forest Scout Group for the year ended 31 March 2025. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the charity trustees of the Scout Group, 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 Scout Group’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the 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: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Scout Group as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the accounts do not accord with those records. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this respect in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

Signed: 


Name: Suzanne Rose 

Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any):   ACA (ICAEW) Address: 15 Chesterfield Close, Stone, Bucks. HP17 8PY. Date: 4 March 2026