CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Rayleigh & Castle Point Divisions {Guidewoods) On ac¢ounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Charity no Ilf any 302071 Set out on pages I report to the truslees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 1.the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect. accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no Concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not appty. Signed: Date: 0310412025 Name". Angela Jones Relevant professional qualificationls} or body Ilf any): Address: 63 Linden Road Benfleet, Essex SS7 4BA IER October 2018
WE P15CQVE. WEGIIQW Girlguiding Rayleigh & Castle Point DivisTons - Guidewoods Account 01 January 2024 to 31 DK•mbeT 2024 Last ye4r CP & Ray Di54(¥15 Outside Gmps Grant5 495Z.25 lo,3.) 5,984.( 8.764.70 Z.505.44 416.00 120.(KJ FOG 8reaka4e5 Le Bf REPAYhNY Donarion ANE Detalls 12 l)etsi15 13 Detaib 14 Detai15 15 Znd bank accwnt Imanuall Tota15 25. s80.1 io.ow. 320.fM) .53 25.010.78:" 28,ii08.24:" Expenditurtout Cwncll Tax TepE I HMorarlurnS Events 280.69 675.97 750.00 46.48 326.41 43Q.37 1,775.(X) Eitttricity CleanlngAIAterfaL% de #aterfa15 6,378.3Q 139.61 6.549.60 4.861.91 109.01 204.18 E Jl 216.81 6.707.43 SkwiBad4e5 Insurance 0eiai1512 patlflrelelectrlc41 maifitenae Water 2nd barl( aCCjnI {manuall T¥tsL% 1.430.15 1.539.83 558.78 9,312.29 309.84 1,58i.w 26,828.521 18.702.50:' rpLus or {deflcltl for theyear -1,817.74,, 9.305.74', nces bght 8ank I ank2 57,921.35 57,921.35.. balance5 In hand at year end Bank 1 Bank 2 .lQ3.61 57.921.3% 56.103.61'. 57.921.35:. Assetsarxl Ilabllft". In adthtkn tothe cath baiantes ttrt unlt has etylwtto ihevalue of a[ thEre are no other a55et5or liabilTtie5. Prepared by: 25 Reewes(ertIf1CaLe'. Ihe akne SLaternents agree th the recordsand C Raylèlgh & Castl• Polnt Dlvlslons. ld001dkn¢7al year enw 31 December 2024 Sllnrtwe thnd d&t'. 02]LJ/J)S- Prlva tEllert)r trswal infwmatkn In LYO¥to pre$S ywrapense daimsarKlfulfll legal cbligatlrs. For further1n1Malforn on trthYandwe uyow pS1d3ta. Includingh VR keepit, r rithtg Whts share it th.and can cty)tstt u% please read wr full rthry nDttre t.. 8irtgu1thQukIVlyaLY.I¥A7CY1 ¢Thè GL4dèAswts8bon
JOINT CHAIRS, REPORT AGM 2025 This report compiled by Sharon Lacey, Castle Point Division and Carol Roberts Rayleigh Division covers the financial period January 1" 2024 to December 31° 2024. We would like to apologise firstly for the late confirmation of the date of this AGM and the fact that signed copies of the accounts were not available earlier, due to circumstances beyond our control. It is pleasing to note that du ring 2024 we have seen returning groups although disappointing that several of the traditional school holi(tays and 12 weekends have been empty. Feedback and comments on both the site and the Lodge have been favourable and complimentary. The site continues to require constant maintenance and upkeep to ensure it is pleasant and safe for the young people and our committed team have tidied, weeded and constantly removed wood from the stream and endeavoured to keep the ditch regularly cleared of debris to help with the flow of water. Storms in the early part ofyear brought down some trees and itwas necessaryto get 8rborealists in to make these safe. Branches were cut into logs and these are now stored Dn pallets and covered over to dry out in the hope that we might raise money by selling them for outside fire pits. Much wood burning has taken place and the wood piles now have tarpaulin overthem to keepthe fire wood dry. Large dfums have been introduced to help when burning woodlleaves to keep the ash from blowingaround the site. Our camp fire site with the new seating and painted pathway is very popular together with the water butts for added fire protection and safety of the children. However. experience has now shown that these need to be made squirrel proof l The shed erecte(J previously to house fire extinguishers and sancf acts as further safety precautions. Visitors to the site have included the Woodland Trust who provided guidance on caring for our ancientwoodland and the Essex and Suffolkwaterboard who helped tremendously witttin the grounds, fence painting, cutting down trees, cutting logs, reducing foliage on the roadway, cleaning the guttering, mending potholes. plus general maintenance around the site and their help was really appreciated. Duringthe yearwe were reminded again how much leadersvalue the resources and accommodation we have at Guidewoods and thiswas reiterated when a Councillof from
Rochford District Council presented u5 Wlth a Certificate confirming their grant towards the cost of new mattresses for allthe bunk beds. She had no idea whatwe had to offerand was really impressed. It is urnfortunate that we did run at a slight1058 this year. but given the number of'one-off. expenses we felt that this might be the case. so it is crucial that we all try to ensure every weekend an(J school holiday is booked up next year. Following numerous attempts to locate a'continuing'back up, problem with the toilets. Ashwaste had to rep18ce damaged piping via excavation in the grounds which thankfully appears to have solved the matter, althoLsgh of course. at a cost. An additional'one-off, financial outlay this year was the cost of repair to the entrance driveway which was nearing collapse over the ditch through constant traffic over the past 20years. Concerns over the temperature of the water in the disabled toilet shower also needed attention so plumbers had to be called in to fix this. At the same time repairs were also made to the floorir)g between all bedrooms and toilets as this had become very worn and was a safety hazard. In addition, 'Fingersafe' were called in to replace the split 'finger guards, on all toilet and fire doors. Fiegular checks have been made on the water system within the lodge for legionella and a Risk Asessment was completed. This highlighted some work that needed to be done which has been implemented, but there are still some issues around the storage of water which require ftjrther investigation. Towards the end of the year it was found that two of the timber posts on the trim trail were rotting and we were fortunate that this equipment was stilljvst under'warranty, so 'Playdale' arranged for new uprights to be sent to us . although we did have to pay for the postage from Cumbria. I Of course the annual maintenance of 'servicing' and maintaining m8jor kitchen equipment. utilities. buil(Jing insurance. fire Certificatior), Extinguishers. pest control, the Defibrilator. and PAT testing etc. has continued as we are obliged to do. Of particular conceln is the Cost of our heating and this is something which is of major importance going forward . and will form part of in depth discussions to see if other alternatives can be installed and where economies can be found. As mentioned in last year's 2023 Report. we were involved in legal controversy regarding the builders of new properties in Woodside Road leading to us receiving £10,000 in compensation. Unfortunately. during this year there h8s been controversy r8garding
resident in Bullwood Approach encroaching on our r08dway which has necessitated discussions with the Trust Corporation, their Solicitor and Land Survey experts. Land Registry documents have also had to be called for and as with most legal matters it is still ongoing. Our volunteer cleaners Alex and Steve continue to do sterlingwork each week and we would like to thank them for all their time and effort in (Joing so. We would like to thank all ourwon(Jerful volunteers who have given up theirvaluable time yet again this year to maintain the site and the lodge it is very much appreciated. Occasionally there are zhings which are missed or don't work . but a simple phone call to Carol or Sharon will ensure these are dealt with as soon as possible- usuallywithin 24 hrs. CAROL R08ERTSAND SHARON LACEYJUNE 2025.