2025-03-31-accounts

Biggleswade Scout Group Trustees Report and Annual Review 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

Registered in England and Wales Charity No 300444

Contact Details

Group Scout Leader — Sue Doyle Tel [phone]

Email [e-mail]

Group Chairperson — Leigh Wood Tel [phone]

Email [e-mail]

Group Treasurer — Helen Kingerley Email [e-mail]

www.biggleswadescouts.org.uk

Trustees’ Annual Report

for the Period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

Charity Trustees

Chairman Leigh Wood Group Lead Volunteers Sue Doyle & Chris Wells Treasurer Helen Kingerley Secretary Lorraine Bennetts Neptune Cub Leader Eddie Fuller Armstrong Scout Leader Brian Lawson Irwin Scout Leader Jerome Doyle Explorer Scout Leader Beverley Lattimer Mercury Beaver Leader Jane Thompson Jupiter Cub Leader Clare Peacock Executive Committee Members Alan Dansey Neptune Asst Cub Leader Nick Gurney

Charity Number 300444 Principal Address The Scout Headquarters London Road Biggleswade SG18 8EL

Structure, Governance and Management

Biggleswade Scout Group is a registered charity governed by its Constitution, Declaration of Trust dated 17 April 1962, and the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association (April 2022).

The Group Council—comprising all adult volunteers, supporters, and parents/guardians of youth members—serves as the electoral body supporting Scouting within the Group. It holds the Group Trustee Board accountable.

The Group Trustee Board, whose members serve as the charity’s trustees, is elected and appointed from within the Group Council. It supports the Group Scout Leader in fulfilling their responsibilities, which include:

• Maintaining the Group’s property and equipment

• Fundraising and financial management

• Arranging appropriate insurance coverage

• Supporting leader recruitment and adult volunteer engagement

All new trustees complete the mandatory training set by The Scout Association.

The trustees regularly review key risks and are currently implementing a programme of upgrades to maintain and enhance the Biggleswade Scouts Headquarters. They continue to engage with local politicians and stakeholders to secure long-term access to the site—and to explore opportunities for potential relocation to ensure the sustainability of Scouting in Biggleswade for the next 20–30 years.

The Group is part of The Scout Association and receives guidance and support from the local district (Biggleswade and District), county (Bedfordshire), regional, and national teams. Trustees also take into account the guidance and best practices issued by the Charity Commission.

Objectives and Activities

Our charitable purpose is to support young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual potential as individuals, responsible citizens, and members of their local, national, and global communities.

We meet the Charity Commission’s public benefit requirements under both the advancement of education and the promotion of citizenship and community development.

In 2024, membership grew slightly from 188 to 191.

The Group currently offers:

• 3 Beaver Colonies (ages 6–8)

• 3 Cub Packs (ages 8–10½)

• 2 Scout Troops (ages 10½–14)

We also work in partnership with Phoenix Explorers (ages 14–18), a District-led Explorer Scout Unit.

Together with Phoenix we provide a developmental programme for over 200 young people in and around Biggleswade, through:

• Weekly term-time meetings

• Day trips throughout the year

• Opportunities to participate in residential experiences

This programme is built around three key themes:

• Outdoors and Adventure

• World

• Skills

The Group is run entirely by dedicated volunteers.

Achievements and Performance

Scouting remains vibrant in Biggleswade, with all sections operating at or near capacity. Our Beaver Colonies continue to be in high demand: 9 young people are eligible to join but are awaiting places, and over 52 more are registered on our waiting list for future years.

Across all sections, the Group delivered over 540 hours of activity throughout the year—translating to more than 120,000 hours of personal development delivered to local young people.

Achievement was evident in the large number of Chief Scout Awards presented across all age sections, reflecting the commitment of both our youth and volunteers.

Fundraising Events

• East Anglia Air Ambulance - £2200 fundraised by Irwin Scouts

• Easy Fundraising - £232.73 to group funds

• Online Giving - £0.07 to group funds

As Biggleswade continues to expand, with new housing and school developments on the east and north sides of town, our Group faces the ongoing challenge of scaling up provision to meet growing demand.

The trustees would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all our Leaders, helpers, parents, guardians, and—most importantly—our young people for their energy, time, and dedication throughout the year.

Receipts and Payments Accounts

For financial year ended 31 March 2025

Receipts Membership Subscriptions Residential Experiences and Trips Activities Bank Interest Fundraising ( Incl Donations) Rent Gift Aid Other Total Receipts Payments Scout Association Capitation Residential Experiences and Trips Activities Fundraising Costs Headquarters -Utilities Headquarters-Maintenance and Cleaning Headquarters Improvements Leader Uniform Insurance Rent Equipment Resources (including Badges) Volunteer Expenses Donations Other Total Payments Net Receipts/Payments Cash Funds Last year end Cash Funds this year end Statement of Assets and Liabilities For financial year ended 31 March 2025 Monetary Assets Bank Current Accounts Bank Deposit Accounts Cash in Hand Total	31 Mar 25 27,093.28 24,969.88 0.00 1,395.07 2,840.67 504.00 4,403.64 242.50 61,449.04 31 Mar 25 12,852.00 25,980.19 6,621.07 0.00 2,017.21 2,636.94 4,589.21 518.09 2,496.31 991 1,116.94 2,191.84 0.00 2,220 685.24 64,916.04 (3,467.00) 78,370.15 74,903.15 31 Mar 25 27,590.08 47,217.09 95.98 74,903.15	31 Mar 24 26,804.48 27,400.73 0.00 531.42 3,059.57 252.00 3,356.48 385.20 61,789.88
		31 Mar 24 12,825.00 29,336.65 2,991.18 744.50 1,374.21 1,027.49 0.00 439.70 52.00 968.00 610.72 2,095.90 0.00 20.00 2757.37 55,242.72
		6,547.16 71,822.99
		78,370.15
		31 Mar 24 61,926.26 16,348.01 95.88
		71,822.99

Notes to the Accounts

For Financial Year ended on 31 March 2025

This was another successful year for the Group. We had a small deficit this year, mainly down to last year’s annual insurance being paid late and coming into this financial year and headquarters improvements approved by the Trustees, paid out of the reserves built up from previous year’s fundraising. We continue to have a very healthy balance at the end of the year.

Receipts

Membership subscriptions – the main source of income for the Group. Up this year due to an increase in the subscriptions rate agreed by the Executive Committee.

Residential Experiences and Trips – Additional money collected from the members for the purposes of paying for specific camps and trips. Usually these take the form of day or weekend activities.

Activities—Additional money collected from the members to pay for activities that take place as part of the weekly programme.

Bank Interest – interest earned in all of the Scout Group accounts.

Fundraising – Only small amounts of fundraising this year for the Scout Group. This figure also includes fundraising by Irwin Scout Troop for East Anglian Air Ambulance of £2,188.45.

Rent – Rent received from Rainbows for using our Headquarters. This includes £108 payment for last year’s rent, which was received this financial year.

Gift Aid – As a registered charity we are able to claim Gift Aid on donations and our membership subscriptions qualify as a donation for these purposes. We submitted a claim for 2023-24 this year.

Other—other income—this consisted of a number of items that did not fall into any other category.

Payments

Scout Association Capitation – Annual payment made to the Scout Association based on the number of members within the Group. For 2023/24 this was £12,825 which is slightly more than it was in 2022/23 due to an increase in the Capitation Fee.

Residential Experiences and Trips – Money spent on providing specific camps and trips for our members.

Activities – Money spent on providing activities for our members as part of our weekly meetings.

Fundraising Costs – costs incurred in the course of raising funds, this is zero as we have not actively undertaken any fundraising activities this year, due to a shortage of volunteers.

Headquarters Utilities – Expenditure on Electricity, Gas, Water and Refuse collections for the Scout Group Headquarters.

Headquarters – Maintenance and Cleaning – costs incurred in maintaining the Group’s Headquarters and its grounds. Higher this year due to a small increase in cleaning costs and some urgent maintenance tasks to replace the rear fire door and replace the garage door. These were both imperative from a safety and security perspective.

Headquarters Improvements - Money invested in making improvements to our Headquarters building. Projects completed this year were acoustic panels fitted to the ceiling to reduce noise and improve the quality of meetings; and a complete re-configure/re-fit of the back stores, improving safety and

inventory/stock control, bringing section resources together into a single group store.

Leader Uniform – cost of uniform for the Group’s volunteers and provision of Group Neckers and Group Badges.

Insurance – Costs of providing insurance for the Scout Group HQ and all camping equipment owned by the Scout Group. Due to the proximity of the renewal date to the end of financial year, 2 annual payments were receipted into this financial year.

Rent – cost to the Group of renting rooms at Trinity Methodist Church to accommodate Neptune Cub Pack. This also included various rents for other adhoc events.

Equipment – Capital expenditure on group equipment. This year it included some racking and storage boxes for group equipment as well as section purchases from donations received.

Resources (including badges) – Resource items purchased for use e.g. paper, glue, paint etc. Purchase of Activity and Challenge Badges to present to the young people.

Volunteer expenses – costs incurred by volunteers in the course of their volunteer work which are reimbursed to them. None claimed.

Donations ‐ donations made by the Group or Sections to other Charities. This year it included the donation from Irwin Scout Troop to East Anglian Air Ambulance of £2,188.45.

Other—other expenditure—this consisted of a number of items that did not fall into any other category.

Assets

Bank Current Accounts—includes the Groups central Current accounts as well as the individual section current accounts.

Bank Deposit Accounts — Includes the Group Savings accounts, an Armstrong Scout Troop savings account and a very small amount in a Neptune Cub Pack savings account.

Cash in Hand – Includes a Group float for fundraising events and small amounts of cash In Neptune and Jupiter Cub Packs.

In addition to the current assets, the Group owns the HQ building along with the land and a considerable quantity of camping equipment. These have not been formally valued and so are not included in the accounts.

Liabilities

As at 31 March 2025, the Scout Group had no liabilities.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

Signed on behalf of the Charity Trustees

Signature

Full name Leigh Wood

Position Group Chairperson

Date 24 June 2025

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Biggleswade Scout Group

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on page 6.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to

• examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;

• follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act;

• state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 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

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:

2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and

3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act;

4. have not been met; or

5. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date: 08/12/2025

Name: Kim Clegg FCMA CGMA

Address: 1 Meadowsweet Close, Lower Cambourne, CB23 6ET

Apollo Beavers Annual Report

Thank you!

Many thanks to everyone who’s helped and to the Beavers themselves who have been fantastic!

Thanks to all the volunteer leaders and helpers who have assisted us this year.

If anyone has any time they can volunteer to help at our Section, please let us know.

Badges

6 Beaver achieved Bronze Award

Challenge Badges: 4 Adventure, 7 Outdoors, 7 Personal, 1 Skills, 11 Teamwork, 3 World

Activity Badges: Animal Friend, Builder, Collector, Communicator

Staged Badges: Air Activities, Digital Citizen, Nights Away, Swimmer

April 2024

District St Georges Day Event at Boyd Field Campsite. Air Activities and Guiness World Records.

May 2024

District Teddy Bears Picnic. Forest Bathing at Deepdale.

June 2024

November 2024

Autumn Leaves, Remembrance and started Creative Activity Badges

December 2024

Finished Creative Activity Badge and celebrated Christmas.

Raft Racing and Fishing at Moggerhanger.

January 2025

July 2024

Burns Night

Group Beaver Camp at Screen’s Activity Park. Baulk Wood, Music Evening with Ukuleles and Water Games Night.

September 2024

Paralympics, Outdoor Games and Treasurer Hunt

October 2024

February 2025

Digital Citizen and Photographer

March 2025

Space Sleepover at Haverings with Gemini. Football, Skills Challenge, Gardener and visit to Biggleswade Library.

District Wild West Fun Day. Communicator Activity badge. Visit to Biggleswade Fire Station

Gemini Beavers Annual Report

Badges

The Gemini Beaver Colony has had a fantastic year filled with creativity, adventure, and teamwork. From science experiments and outdoor hikes to festive crafts and community visits, our Beavers have embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and curiosity.

4 Beavers achieved Bronze Award Challenge Badges : Adventure, Outdoors, Skills, Personal, Teamwork, World Activity Badges ;, Bookreader; Builder; Camp Craft; Creative; Experiment; Explore; Faith; Gardener; Health and Fitness; Hobbies; International; Photographer; Safety; Sports; Space; Staged Badges : Emergency Aid; Navigator; Nights Away 241 Badges have been awarded

Huge thanks to our parent volunteers and local partners — your support made it all possible. If you’d like to help next year, we’d love to welcome you. Come join the fun!

April 2024

Let’s All Laugh – Joke sharing, Guinness World Records, and fun facts; Plant, Plant, Plant – Exploring seeds and growing things; St Georges Day Celebrations .

Halloween Craft Night – Spooky costumes and crafts; Wild West Adventure Day

November 2024

May 2024

Mexican Food Night – Tasting and learning about Mexican cuisine; Walk and Explore – Local adventure from Saxon Gate; Community Gardening – Hands-on session with Biggleswade Gardening Group; Let’s Get Creative – Arts and crafts; Teddy Bears Picnic with our District friends

June 2024

Here and Abroad – Exploring cultures and geography; Church Visit – Tour of Biggleswade Baptist Church; Better Safe Than Sorry – Safety awareness session

July 2024

Build It Strong and High – Construction challenge; Games Night – Early start for group games; Out of This World – Space-themed fun

Biggleswade Scout Group Beaver Camp - fun with all the colonies!

Tae Kwon Do Visit – Martial arts introduction; Task Night – Fun puzzles and challenges; Activities at the Hut – Indoor games and crafts; Remembrance Parade - so proud of how good they were

December 2024

Help Help Help – Learning to ask for help; Crazy Christmas Cooking – Festive treats; Christmas Party – Celebration in full festive dress; Christmas Panto - Snow White and the seven witches

January 2025

Fencing Fun – Introduction to fencing; Police Visit – Community safety; Let’s Think Food – Healthy choices

February 2025

Children’s Mental Health Week – Wellbeing activities; Star Gazing & Hike – Nature and wonder; Science Night – Experiments and discovery

September 2024

Welcome Back Fun – Reconnecting through games; Treasure Chest Hunt – Outdoor challenge at Kings Reach; Let’s Get Creative (Part 1) – Planning and preparation; Let’s Get Creative (Part 2) – Building and show & tell

October 2024

March 2025

Let’s Play – Games from across the UK; Campfire Cooking – Outdoor cooking and fire safety; Let’s Keep It Clean – Hygiene and environmental care; Mother’s Day Crafts – Handmade gifts for loved ones; Space Themed Sleepover - was out of this world!

Navigator – Map skills and direction-finding; Blow My Mind – Surprising facts and challenges; Team Challenges – Communication and cooperation;

Mercury Beavers Annual Report

Badges

8 Beaver achieved Bronze Award

Challenge Badges: 10 Adventure, 9 Outdoors, 8 Personal, 7 Skills, 8 Teamwork, 12 World

Activity Badges: Book Reader, Camp, craft, Cook, Cyclist, Disability Awareness Experiment, Explore, Hobbies, Sports, Space,

Staged Badges: Emergency Aid, Nautical Skills, Navigator, Paddle Sports, Sailing, Time on water, Swimmer, Hikes, Nights Away

Many thanks to everyone who’s helped and to the Beavers themselves who have been fantastic! Thanks to all the volunteer leaders, young leaders and parent helpers who have assisted us this year. If anyone has any time they can volunteer to help at our section please let us know.

April 2024

We participated in the District St Georges Day Event aBoyd. We made Paper mache Piñata’s and had real Mexican food cooked by a Beavers visiting “Abulita” Granny in Spanish, who shared her culture with us.

May 2024

We had our 1st Indoor Castaway sleepover of the year at Bromham Lodge. We joined in the Districts Teddy Bears Picnic. We took part in climbing and Soft Axe throwing at Boyd.

June 2024

We learnt to put up tents, 2nd part of climbing and axe throwing and a Young Leader led a design and build night.

October 2024

We had a fun Experiment night, Disability Awareness and Faith Badge work.

November 2024

Some more faith badge work. We took part in the Remembrance Parade. We had our 2nd Indoor Sleepover of the year at Little Wymonley. The theme was Space camp and Bronze award work. We had great fun at Laser tag and celebrated St Andrews Day.

December 2024

We did some more Disability Awareness badge work and had Christmas craft fun and our Party.

January 2025

Bird feeders made, Chinese New year and food tasting.

July 2024

We learnt fencing and became pirates and had a fun Games night with Gemini Beavers.

February 2025

A Young Leader, led the cooking night. We had pancake fun and taste test them too,

September 2024

We took part in a Water Activity day. Learned to cycle, and built marbles runs from recycling.

March 2025

We celebrated the 6 nations rugby and built a robot out of recycling, learnt knots and how to light a fire with a flint and steel.

Jupiter Cubs Annual Report

Badges

5 Chiefs Scouts Silvers Awards

Challenge Badges: 9 Adventure, 18 Outdoors, 10 Personal, 8 Skills 1 Team Leader, 5 Teamwork and 14 World

Activity Animal Carer, Artist, Backwoods Cooking, Chef, Gardener, International

Staged Time on the Water, Nights away, Paddle sports

Thank you!

Many thanks to everyone who’s helped and to all the cubs for making it a fantastic year. April 2024: The cubs were welcomed back for the November 2024: summer term, and enjoyed a hike at Baulk Wood. Plus the district visit to Whipsnade Zoo.

November 2024: The cubs finished off their animal carer badge making posters and tried lots of interesting foods at an international food night. started their science badge and went on the annual trip to the pantomime in Stevenage. The cubs were also present at the Remembrance Day Parade.

May 2024: The cubs started May with a sports day towards their athletics badge, then got green fingered gardening, before a campfire to finish the half term.

December 2024: Christmas was celebrated well, with an evening making Norwegian Christmas decorations and the traditional Christmas party to finish the year.

June 2024: The months started with water activity day – which all thoroughly. The cubs then got active, having a go at climbing, tomahawks and pedalkarting at Boyd. A visit to Dunton Community Garden was also made to find more out about what they do. The cubs finished month by taking part in the Group Cub Camp.

January 2025: The cubs took part in the annual Jupiter Bowling Competition and took their annual trip to the pantomime in Stevenage. The cubs learnt about how astronauts live and celebrated Chinese New Year.

July 2024: The cubs had a go at rafting and finished the term pond dipping at Stotfold mill.

February 2025: The cubs spent February undertaking their chef’s badge and learning more about stars and space.,. They also had loads of fun on Frosty Camp at Bromham and had a go at gokarting at the district event.

September 2024: The cubs had a go at rifle shooting and competed against their friends with a conkers night. They finished the month at the District Cub Camp.

March 2025: March started with pancake night, before learning more about satellites and going on a night hike at Baulk Wood.

October 2024: The cub shared presentations for their personal challenges and visited pets at home to learn about their animals. They also learnt about the day of the dead for their international badge.

Neptune Cubs Annual Report

I would like to thank Nick, Lucy, Lorraine and Harry for their involvement and support with running the pack during the last twelve months. Eddie Fuller (Akela)

Badges

3 Chiefs Scouts Silvers Awards

Challenge Badges: 5 Adventure, 11 Outdoors, 18 Personal, 4 Skills 2 Team Leader, 3 Teamwork and 6 World

Activity: Artist, Athletics, Backwoods Cooking, Chef, Cyclist, Disability Awareness, DIY, Entertainer, Gardener, Hobbies, Local Knowledge, Money Skills

Staged: Community Impact, Emergency Aid, Hikes, Nights away, Swimmer

April 2024: Cubs and Leaders took part in a night hike starting in Langford and walking to Henlow before returning to Langford. Our Young Leader organised a challenge night.

May 2024: We paid a visit to Dunton Community Garden where Cubs were given a tour and learnt about the various plants growing. A fitness night was held with the Cubs doing various activities to help with fitness. Preparations were made for a camp. We made a visit to “Pets at Home” in Bedford where the Cubs were able to see various pets and talk to staff about keeping them. June 2024: A number of Cubs and leaders attended a camp at the Phasels Wood campsite and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We had our annual “Float the Boats” evening on the River Ivel, before which, Cubs had to make boats using any materials at their disposal. We visited Penrose Court and had a campfire sing-along with the residents and staff.

July 2024: Cubs spent an evening of activity earning their athletics badge. A visit was made to Boyd Field and the Cubs had an evening Paddle Boarding. We had an evening of Ten Pin Bowling at Eat’n bowl for Cubs and family members. September 2024: We worked on personal and skills challenge badges for two evenings this month. A camp for parents and Cubs was held at the Leslie Sell Activity Centre in Bromham. October 2024: Cubs and parents took part in a hike. We visited St Andrew’s Parish Church where Cubs were told about various items in the Church and what they were used for. We held a

thanksgiving evening. An evening was devoted to working towards earning badges relating to Fire Safety and First Aid.

November 2024: Our annual fireworks evening was held where Cubs were instructed on safety, and we had a firework display. Armstrong Scouts visited the pack and organised an evening of various activities. One evening was spent brushing up on First Aid Skills. The pack took part in the town’s Remembrance Day Parade and Service. December 2024: We spent time preparing for a visit to Penrose Court to present a Christmas Carol evening. This was enjoyed by all. We had our annual Christmas Party with games and eats. January 2025: An evening of learning various knots, what they were used for and how to tie them took place. We had a cooking night during which the Cubs had to prepare ingredients and then cook and eat them. Working for a Digital Citizen Badge, we had an evening of talking and learning about on-line safety.

February 2025: We spent time learning about Home Safety, carrying out various tasks and discussing the consequences of certain things happening. Two evenings were spent with the theme of money skills. Things learnt included how to exchange currency and how to avoid trouble. March 2025: By popular request we had another cooking night where Cubs had to prepare, cook and eat the meal as well as doing the washing up. We celebrated a Hindu Festival. A night hike was held, and we made gifts for Mothering Sunday.

Saturn Cubs Annual Report

What a year it’s been! Our Cubs have run, climbed, cooked, explored, paddled, and laughed their way through another action-packed twelve months.

Enormous thanks to our incredible Cub leaders, tireless volunteers, supportive families, and of course—our awesome Cubs! You’ve made every moment magical. "I loved the rafting and the Hogwarts Camp—it was like a real adventure!" – Cub Scout

If you'd like to get involved next year, we’d love to welcome new helpers—especially a Cub Team Leader. Drop us a message and join the fun!

Badges

2 Cubs achieved Silver Award

2 Scottish Thistle Award

Challenge Badges : Adventure, Outdoors, Skills, World Activity Badges ;, Artist, Collector, Entertainer, Sports Enthusiast, World Faiths, Disability Awareness; Digital Citizen;

Staged Badges : Hikes; Nights Away; Paddle Sports; Swimmer;

157 Badges have been awarded !

October 2024 – Circus & Celebrations

April 2024 – Nature & Community

Nature Night at Priory Park Town Centre Neighbourhood Quiz Visit to Whipsnade Zoo St George’s Day Celebrations

May 2024 – Into the Wild

Backwoods cooking at Boyd (who knew Cubs could toast marshmallows like pros?; Hike at Baulk Wood with boots, maps, and muddy knees!

June 2024 – Outdoor Games & Camp

Cricket and Cave Bus fun

Giant Bubble Wands Fishing Taster Session ; Summer Cub Camp for all cub sections

July 2024 – Splash & Dash

Olympic-style Athletics Night Rafting at Boyd—soaked but smiling! The “Krypton Factor” challenge finale Water day at Grafton Water

September 2024 – Food & Fire Alarms!

International Food Night (so many flavours!) “Getting to Know You” for our newest Cubs Visit to Stotfold Mill… complete with a surprise fire alarm District Cub Camp with friends

Trip to the Circus “Chippy Tea” night Day of the Dead crafts & colour Biggleswade Fire Station visit

November 2024 – Sparks & Service

Campfire Night at Boyd Collectors Badge Challenge Rifle Shooting Participating proudly in Remembrance Day

December 2024 – Festive Fun

Night Hike beneath the stars Christmas Crafts End-of-year Party

January 2025 – Starry-eyed Adventures

Stargazing with Cambridge Astronomers Skills Night

Chinese New Year Celebrations Peter Pan Pantomime (oh yes we did!)

February 2025 – Magic & Momentum

Hogwarts Camp Problem Solving Night Astronomer Part 1 Go-Karting Success – Saturn Cub Team placed top 3!

March 2025 – Egg-cellent Endings

Pancake Flipping Madness Night Hike #2 Astronomer Part 2 Mother’s Day Crafts Easter Egg Fun at Boyd

Armstrong Scouts Annual Report

April 24 Took advantage of the better weather to practice tent pitching and how to make different shaped shelters with a tarpaulin. World badge

volunteering at Boyd by tree planting. May 24 Looked at the importance of different food types and the effect of additives to processed foods. Developed a health balanced menu for camp. Completed the Metrologist badge looking at weather patterns and learning cloud shapes. June 24 Inter patrol team cooking challenge. Had a quiz evening and drew up posters to advertise for new leaders. Rubbish challenge evening where

theme was “Forts” and defending them from attacking patrols.

July 24 Climbing evening at Boyd. Final bash games evening and BBQ at Boyd including a very hotly contested Scouts vs adults tug of war. Joint Summer Camp with Irwin which was brilliant. September 24 Lots of team building with our new scouts and challenges to develop our new patrol leaders. Scout lead troop forum to discuss behaviours and responsibilities. Looked at kit for camp and food hygiene and preparation plus some cooking on stoves.

October 24 Gold award scouts lead and evenings demonstrating camp kit selection, rucksack packing and tent pitching. Developed skills with maps and route plotting. Had a great evening on Digital Citizen badge and how to be internet aware and joined Scouts UK on the Jamboree On The Internet where we contacted 22 different countries.

Badges (total 169)

Gold Award 5

Challenge Badges : 3 Adventure, 5 Creative, 5 Expedition, 5 Outdoors, 4 Personal, 6 Skills, 5 Team Leader, 3 Teamwork, 5 World

Activity and staged badges total 128: Climber, Craft, Entertainer, Fundraising, Local knowledge, Meteorologist, Emergency Aid, Hikes, Nautical Skills, Nights Away, Paddle Sports, Time on the water

November 24 Had an interesting evening learning what happened on Armistice Day and attended Remembrance Parade. The troop visited Neptune Cubs for the evening where we had some great games and then the scouts instructed the cubs in setting up camp stoves.

December 24 Studied Survival skills and how to keep dry. Practical evening on survival first aid. Final bash Karting and final evening eating Pizza. January 25 Great time at Frosty Camp with 27 Scouts!! Lots of fun activities and a film night. Had a games evening and Forum. Practical evening on the Creative challenge badge building mini camp sites. Out and about around Biggleswade with a local

knowledge quiz.

February 25 Started the Personal and Leaders challenges and had a decorative pancake competition. Had evenings on the countryside code and how to navigate without maps.

March 25 Brilliant month doing Scientists badge, teamwork challenges and getting lost around Biggleswade (with parent help!). The scouts had a great quiz evening walking round Sandy.

Irwin Scouts Annual Report

Badges

7 Scouts achieved Gold Award

Challenge Badges: 2 Adventure, 23 Creative, 6 Expedition, 2 Outdoors, 5 Personal, 5 Skills, 7 Team Leader, 11 Teamwork, 17 World

Activity Badges: Outdoor in 24, YouShape Award, Climber, Entertainer, Fundraiser, Local Knowledge, Master at Arms, Media Relations, Musician,

Staged Badges: Hikes, Musician Nights Away, Time on the Water.

Irwin has had another busy year, with 423 badges being awarded over this period. One highlight to mention that Scouts should be particularly proud of themselves with is their fundraising efforts this year. We raised an incredible £2,200 for East Anglian Air Ambulance after several nights of prep then being given the challenge over summer to raise a tenner each! Well done! The team would like to thank parents for their support, Sue T for admin, Helen for badgework and our strong Young Leader team (Dylan, James, Laila & Neve). who are an integral part of Irwin.

Jerome, Big D, David, Faraz, Oliver & Pete – Irwin Leadership team

April 2024: Young Leader Dylan gave us a whistle-stop tour of all the badges Squirrels could earn, some orienteering and learning about Bedfordshire. We camped with District Scouts for their St Georges Day fun weekend.

May 2024: A great night at Fit4OCR obstacle course near Baldock and a night getting to know the Irwin Scouts and leaders.

June 2024: Our Patrol Leaders ran a night on their own, we learned about Eid and sampled some food as well as a incident hike from Dunton. We also joined Phoenix and Sandy at Box End Aqua park for inflatable fun.

July 2024: A community night at Boyd doing jobs such as painting and cleaning, as well as end of term fun Go-karting at Letchworth.

Summer 2024: Joined with Armstrong Scouts for a joint Summer Camp in Thriftwood Essex. SUPs, Climbing, inflatables and minigolf. A day to Southend beach, Sealife & the roller coasters and a day in London to the Twist Museum, a river cruise and A-Z tourist quiz.

September 2024: Rafting in the dark, tent pitching and pioneering. We came 2[nd] in the District Raft Race.

October 2024: We welcomed the EAAA charity volunteers to an evening of first aid and presentations, awarding some prizes for some super fundraising.

November 2024: Cooking at Boyd, Knife skills as well as our Irwin-at-Arms competition of Shooting and Axe Throwing. We also joined Armstrong at The Bigg Theatre to watch the Summer camp video. We also had our Gold camp, 5 Scouts took part over 20 miles, getting stuck in a swamp and needing rescuing!

December 2024: Completing the Biggleswade Monopoly Run, as well as creating Christmas Crafts and a xmas party. End of year fun was with parents watching the MK Ice Hockey game. We also congratulated Pete and Young Leader James for both receiving a Commendation Award from District Lead Tracey for their hard work at Scouts.

January 2025: A 2-week cooking challenge, as well as continuing to work on our World badge and have a troop forum for the year plans. Our Frosty camp was music themed, making instruments, Boomwackers, Podcasting, band t-shirts, as well as a silent DISCO and snow fight! February 2025: This month was themed around Skills, including morse code and shelter building. We ran a Minigold camp for a few of our Scouts.

March 2025: A challenge night in town, as well as important chip shop survey research! We had a Challenge Camp where they brought their food and a gift for the leader, before getting on the train to setup and cook. We also welcomed Oliver to the leadership team.