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2022-12-31-accounts

Charity Registration Number 300458

Biggleswade District Scout Council

Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2022

Biggleswade District Scout Council

Contents
Administrative Details 3
District Membership 4
Charity Information 5
Role of Honour 6
Trustees Report 7
GOVERNANCE 7
STRUCTURE 7
MANAGEMENT 7
ORGANISATION 8
APPOINTMENT OFTRUSTEES 8
RISKMANAGEMENT 8
RESERVES POLICY 8
INVESTMENT POLICY 9
Objectives and Activities 9
OURPURPOSE 9
OUR VALUES 9
OURMETHOD 9
Achievements and performance 10
Plans for future periods 10
THESCOUTASSOCIATION“SKILLS FORLIFE” 10
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FORBIGGLESWADEDISTRICTSCOUTCOUNCIL? 10
Financial Review 11
STATEMENT OFFINANCIALACTIVITIES 11
REMUNERATION OFTRUSTEES 11

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Administrative Details

Charity Registration No: 300458

PRINCIPAL ADDRESS:

Boyd Scout Campsite & Activity Centre Church Road Henlow Bedfordshire SG16 6AN

E-mail: info@biggleswadedistrictscouts.org.uk Website: www.biggleswadedistrictscouts.org.uk

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER: Andrea Daniels 16 Water Lane Melbourn Royston Hertfordshire SG8 6AY PRINCIPAL BANKER: Barclays Bank Leicester LE87 2BB SCOUT ASSOCIATION The Scout Association MEMBERSHIP Gilwell Park The Biggleswade District Scout Chingford Council is registered with London The Scout Association E4 7QW (No 10001376)

Incorporated by Royal Charter

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

District Membership

As at 31[st] January 2023

Membership Number (cf. 2022)
Squirrel Scouts 16 (+16)
Beaver Scouts 393 (+37)
Cub Scouts 478 (+45)
Scouts 361 (+48)
Explorers (including Young Leaders) 108 (+7)
Scout Network 12 (-1)
1368 (+152)
Active Support Roles 4 (+3)
Leadership Roles 275 (+32)
Management Roles 16 (-1)
Support Roles 23 (-5)
Governance Roles 74 (-)
392 (+29)
Young Leaders 31 (-5)
Units
Groups 14 (-1)
Squirrel Dreys 2 (+2)
Beaver Colonies 21 (-)
Cub Packs 23 (+1)
Scout Troops 17 (+0)
Explorer Scout Units (including YL Unit) 9 (-)
Scout Network Units 1 (-)
Scout Active Support Units 2 (+1)

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Charity Information

Names of the Charity Trustees who managed the Charity:

Trustee Name Primary Scouting Appointment Dates acted if not for
wholeyear		 Trustee Type
David Bridges District Badge Secretary Elected Trustee
Scott Butler Campsite Sub-Committee Chair Until 5thOctober 2022 Nominated Trustee
(Until 29thJune 2022)
Ex-Officio
(From 29thJune 2022)
Peter Cheney District Chairman Ex-Officio
Sarah Colley District Appointments Chair Nominated Trustee
Lucy Cox Deputy District Commissioner Elected Trustee
(Until 29thJune 2022)
Nominated Trustee
(From 29thJune 2022)
Christopher Dodds District Explorer Scout Commissioner Ex-Officio
Mark Harris District Youth Commissioner Until 31stAugust 2022 Ex-Officio
BarryJefferd Cub Scout Leader Elected Trustee
Neil Ludlow Assistant District Commissioner(Scouts) Until 29thJune 2022 Nominated Trustee
Tracey Murrell Assistant District Commissioner (Beaver
Scouts)		 Nominated Trustee
Christopher Panton District Network Scout Commissioner Until 29thJune 2022 Ex-Officio
Anne Porter District Treasurer Ex-Officio
Robert Pullinger District Commissioner Ex-Officio
Jane Thompson Local TrainingManager Elected Trustee
Graham Thorpe Group Scout Leader Co-opted Trustee
(Until 29thJune 2022)
Elected Trustee
(From 29thJune 2022)
Ben Whittle GroupScout Leader From 29thJune 2022 Nominated Trustee

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Role of Honour

For the year ending 31[st] December 2022

Silver Acorn

Maggie Harris

1[st] Potton

Bar to the Award for Merit

John Turner 1[st] Fairfield Park

Award for Merit

Elise Allen Darren Collinson Philip Hough Robert Pullinger

Sandy Sandy Gamlingay & Gransden District Commissioner

Deana Costin Sandy Sonya Evans Sandy Leah Martin 1[st] Haynes & Wilstead Alexandra Maycock Shefford Jayne Sweatman Sandy Paul Trustam 1[st] Haynes & Wilstead

Commissioner’s Commendation

Jayden Constable John Gibson

1[st] Arlesey Henlow / Clifton

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Trustees Report

For the year ending 31[st] December 2022

The members of the District Executive Committee (The Trustees of Biggleswade District Scout Council) present their report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2022. The financial statements have been prepared on a payments and receipts basis and comply with the charity’s governing document and the Charities Act 2011.

Governance

The Charity’s governing document is the Royal Charter granted by King George V to the “Boy Scouts Association” on 16 December 1911. Its name has since been changed to the “Scout Association”. This Charter has been supplemented by further Charters granted by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. These Charters give authority to the Bye Laws of the Association, which are approved by His Majesty’s Privy Council. The Bye Laws, in turn, authorise the making of rules for the regulation of the Association’s affairs and thereby give authority for the Rules known as “Policy, Organisation and Rules” which are located at www.scouts.org.uk/por.

The Biggleswade District Scout Council was first registered as a Charity in 1966.

The Charity is aware of the Code of Governance for the Voluntary and Community Sector and its six key principles and will continue to critically review its approach to governance and assess how effective it is against these principles in 2023.

Structure

This report and accounts cover the activities directly controlled by Biggleswade District Scout Council which is an autonomous organisation admitting people to membership subject to the policy and rules of The Scout Association. The activities of the Scout Groups in Biggleswade are not reflected in the report and accounts. These bodies are autonomous charities affiliated to Biggleswade District Scout Council that together form Scouting in the area of operation of the District.

Biggleswade District Scouts were led by Rob Pullinger, the District Commissioner, and managed by an Executive Committee. They are accountable to the Biggleswade District Scout Council for the satisfactory running of Scouting in the District. Rob Pullinger stood down from the role as District Commissioner from the end of 2022, and was succeeded by Tracey Murrell.

Management

The management of the business of the District Scout Council is vested in the District Executive Committee. The District Executive Committee (Trustees of the Charity) is appointed in accordance with Policy, Organisation, and Rules of the Scout Association.

The District Executive Committee met six times during the year to manage the affairs of the Charity. The Trustees will continue to meet regularly in 2023.

The District Executive Committee is responsible for policy making but delegates some operational decisions to its sub committees, which may also recommend policies for the consideration of the District Executive Committee. The District Executive Committee appoints Chairmen and members of sub-committees annually.

There are two sub-committees for the Charity:

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

The Boyd Campsite & Activity Centre Committee and Appointments Advisory Committee met regularly in 2022. The Terms of Reference of the Boyd Campsite & Activity Centre Committee were reviewed during 2021 and the committee has some delegated authority so decisions can be made quickly and without added bureaucracy.

Organisation

The District is led by the District Commissioner and he is assisted and supported by:

Appointment of Trustees

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

Trustees and newly appointed Trustees are invited to attend HQ Executive Training and completion is monitored by the District Commissioner.

Risk Management

The Trustees have a risk management strategy which includes:

Risk assessments have been completed for all activities and facilities at the Activity Centre and are now available on the website. These are reviewed regularly. When unacceptable risks are identified actions are taken on an on-going basis to mitigate them.

A key element in the management of financial risk is the regular review of the adequacy of insurance coverage and investment and reserves policies by the trustees.

Reserves policy

The policy has been established to protect the Charity and its charitable programme by providing time to adjust to changing financial circumstances. It also provides parameters for future budgeting and strategic plans and contributes towards decision making.

The Charity’s reserves policy establishes an appropriate target range for the level of general reserves. The range is based on a risk assessment of the probability and likely impact on the Charity’s activities that might be caused by a decline in income, an inability to meet financial obligations, or an inability to reduce expenditure in the immediate short term. The policy ensures a balance between spending the maximum amount of income raised as soon as possible after receipt, while maintaining the appropriate level of reserves to ensure uninterrupted operation. The policy

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

and target range will be reviewed annually to reassess the risks and reflect changes in the Charity’s income, financial obligations and expenditure. The charity’s reserves policy is to hold reserves approximately equivalent to 6 months’ expenditure. At the end of December 2022 the total free reserves amounted to approximately £29,000. In addition, the Charity manages a hardship fund to support Groups and individuals in need throughout the District. The Trustees have plans to invest the surplus reserves into improvements at the District Campsite.

Investment policy

Due to the relatively low level of funds, the District’s policy is to hold funds in standard bank accounts with FSCS protection at balances less than £85,000.

Objectives and Activities

Our Purpose

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

Our values

As Scouts we are guided by these values:

Our Method

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

The Charity Trustees have a duty to report on their public benefit in their Annual Report. We have assessed our aims, activities, and charitable objectives which are:

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

We believe we have met the Charity Commission’s public benefit criteria for both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development.

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Achievements and performance

All of the decisions made by the Trustees and sub-Committees have been in the interests of young people and adult volunteers and we hope that everybody in Scouting in Biggleswade District will have benefitted from them.

Plans for future periods

The Scout Association “Skills for Life”

This is the seven year plan for the Scout Association (Due to the impact of Covid-19, this has now been extended from 2023 to 2025)

Our vision

By 2025 we will have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing leaders delivering an inspiring programme.

We will be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities.

Our objectives

In 2016 we asked volunteers what should be prioritised in the next strategic plan and the majority of volunteers said we should keep working towards the same four strategic objectives.

What does this mean for Biggleswade District Scout Council?

Growth – We are redeveloping the District Development Plan to achieve our growth goals and support Groups. As part of this plan, the District has restructured the District Team to better support Groups. Further changes will be implemented in 2024 as a result of the headquarters-driven Transformation process.

Inclusivity – We will support development work to ensure that Scouting is reaching all sectors of our community. This includes through the provision of grants through the District Hardship and Development fund.

Youth shaped – Ensure that young people are at the heart of our strategies and represented on key committees. The District has been successful in including Young People on committees. Community Impact – The District has established a Hardship and Development Fund to support new projects which might otherwise not have gone ahead or have been more poorly resourced to have greater positive community impact, particularly where this alleviates hardship or promotes the

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

development of Scouting. This, together with the continued running of and improvements to Boyd Scout Campsite and Activity Centre, offers valuable opportunities to the community.

Financial Review

Statement of Financial Activities

The overall result for the year was a loss of £22,213 (2021: £2,690 deficit). This was primarily driven by a significant increase in expenditure at Boyd Scout Campsite & Activity Centre in relation to ongoing remediation and improvement works, in particular the purchase of a new lawnmower. Looking ahead, the investment is expected to stabilise and be supported by increased revenues from the Campsite & Activity Centre.

Remuneration of Trustees

All Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration or other material benefits from their services to the Charity.

Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by Trustees in promoting the purposes of the Charity are reimbursed at cost.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the Trustees on 18 June 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Peter Cheney District Chairman District Executive Committee

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Biggleswade District Scout Council

Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts

Report to the Trustees of Biggleswade District Scout Council on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022 set out on pages 13 to 21

Responsibilities and Basis of the Report

As the charity trustees 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 Charity’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 Trust 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 report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date: 18 June 2023

Andrea Daniels 16 Water Lane Melbourn Royston Hertfordshire SG8 6AY

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