## **Selsley Scout Group – Trustees Annual Report** ## **For the period 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025** This document is issued to demonstrate compliance with the Charities Act 2011 in demonstrating our purpose and activities as being for the public benefit and that the trustees have demonstrated regard to the commission’s guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. ~~a~~ **Section A Reference and Administration Details Charity Name Selsley Scout Group Registered Charity No. 302118 HQ Registration No. 10012148 Charity Address The Old Forge, Selsley Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 5LB** ## **Trustees for the period** |**Name**|**Role**|**Dates acted (if not entire period)**| |---|---|---| |Tim Crane|Group Chair (ex-officio)|| |Steve Jackson|Group Scout Leader (ex-officio)|| |Debbie Battrick|Group Treasurer (ex-officio)|22 October 2024 to present| |Sarah Bennie|Group Secretary (ex-officio)|| |Andrew Wasley|Cub Scout Leader (ex-officio)|| |Roger Mills|Quartermaster & Elected member|| |Alex Hathway|Elected member|| |Helena Gauterin|Elected member|| |Richard Hartle|Elected member|| |Martyn Price|Elected member|22 October 2024 to present| ## **Names of Advisors** |**Names of Advisors**|| |---|---| |**Type of Advisor**|**Name**| |Independent Examiner|Aimee Hodgson| |Group Administrator|Laurie Hall| ## **Section B Structure, Governance and Management** SS ## **Governance and Management** The Group’s governing documents are those of 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 (POR) of the Scout Association. The Group is a trust established under these rules which are common to all Scout Groups. The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the POR of the Scout Association. The Scout Group is managed as an educational charity by the Group Trustee Board, the members of which are the charity trustees. As 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. The Trustee Board consists of the Chair, Treasurer and 8 other Trustees (including 3 ex-officio Trustees) and meets every 2 months. Members of the Trustee Board complete the Scout Association 1 online Trustee Induction training course within 6 months of joining the Board. They also are required to hold an in-date DBS certificate. The Trustee Board exists to ensure that 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. ## **Risks and Internal Controls** The Trustee Board has identified and periodically reviews and monitors the main risks to which they believe the Group is exposed. The main risks include: - **Damage to the Scout Group Building, Property and Equipment** . The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss. - **Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members** . The Group, through the annual membership fee, contributes to the Scout Association’s national accident insurance policy. We provide accident and injury insurance for all adult helpers who are not uniformed leaders. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities. - **Reduced Income from Fundraising** . The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and hall rental. A substantial fall in hall rental income may necessitate an increase in subscriptions. - **Reduction or loss of adult volunteers** . The Group relies entirely on volunteers to run and administer the activities of the Group. Importantly, we need a certain number of uniformed leaders to be able to continue to operate the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts Sections. Many of the volunteers are drawn from the parents of the young people who join the Group. The commitment required is significant, and understandably, leaders often wish to move on or stand down after a few years. If we are unable to maintain the necessary level of uniformed leaders, we would have to consider reducing the size of a section or closing it altogether. - **Reduction or loss of members** . We currently have sufficient numbers of young people to justify one Beaver Colony, a Cub pack and 2 Scout troops. Many of our young people have worked their way up through the Sections and our catchment area is reasonably large due to the quality of programme we offer. However, if there was a significant reduction in the membership of a Section, then we would need to consider reducing the size of the Section of closing it altogether. The Group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. All unbudgeted expenditure requires approval from 2 designated signatories. Emergency payments will be approved retrospectively by the Trustee Board. The Group has comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered. ## **Section C Objectives and Activities** The purpose of Scouting is to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. 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 cooperate with others and make friends. 2 Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the above values, and: - take part in activities indoors and outdoors; - Undertake new and challenging activities; - Learn by doing; - Share in spiritual reflection; take responsibility and make choices; - enjoy what they are doing and have fun. The Scout group arranges a programme of weekly meetings during school term times, with indoor or outdoor activities and challenges for young people of all ages between 6 and 18. The Group also organises weekend and holiday activities that include camps, hikes, visits and other adventure activities. The Group also participates in events that are organised at District, County or National level. Young people in Scouting can earn badges in recognition of skills learned, challenges met and activities carried out. Our regular programmes and other activities such as camps, are designed to meet the badge requirements. If young people complete enough activities and challenges they will earn their Chief scout’s Award. To help young people in their personal development, if and when our leaders judge that they are ready for the challenge, they may be given a position of responsibility. For example, a sixer or seconder with the Cub section, Patrol Leader or Assistant Patrol Leader with the scout troop or Young Leader, assisting the adult volunteers in the planning and running of programmes for a younger Section. ## **Public Benefit Statement** Selsley Scout Group meets the Charity Commission’s public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings. Subscriptions are set at a level that covers only the immediate running costs of the Group and the annual membership fees to the Scout Association, thus ensuring they remain as low as possible and do not unduly restrict membership. The Group have a hardship policy and a process to support access to Scouting. We admit members primarily from the local community in the immediate area around Selsley. ## **Section D Achievements and Performance** During the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, Selsley Scout Group continued to provide a full range of scouting activities, including overnight, weekend and multi-day camps, for young people of all ages from 6 – 17 years. Our membership numbers grew slightly as a result of an increase in all Sections. The highlights of the year included: - The Scout Troop attended several camps including: Strategy Camp in June, Operation Bald Eagle Camp in October and a Winter camp to Woodhouse Park in December 2024. - The Scouts also joined Randwick and the Stanley’s Scout Troops to participate in the Essex International Jamboree. This camp attracted over 8000 participants and was held in Chelmsford in August 2024. - The Cub Pack attended the Evolution Camp in June and an Autumn camp at Penn Wood in October. - The Scouts enjoyed a visit to Gloucester for a scavenger hunt and also visited BBC Radio Gloucestershire. The Cubs took part in the Farriers Challenge and visited Ninja Warrior and the Soldiers Museum in Gloucester and the Bristol Aquarium. They also undertook rifle shooting at Cranham - The Beavers took part in a Summer Camp at Penn Wood in July 2024 and visited Wootton Under Edge Outdoor Swimming Pool and Air Hop Bristol. 3 During the period, we recruited a couple of new adult volunteers into the Beavers Section and one volunteer into the Cubs Section. Each Section has a healthy number of Young Leaders to support the programme. Tim Crane continues to be the Group Chair and a number of new volunteers stepped forward in Autumn 2024 to help the Group as Trustees. Our new Treasurer, Debbie Battrick, joined the Trustees in October 2024. ## **Section E Financial Review** ## **Reserves Policy** The Group’s policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the Group, or at the very least, to conduct an orderly wind-down of the group, should income and hall rental activities fall short. The Group Trustee board considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to at least 12 months of essential running costs, including insurance, utilities, equipment and maintenance costs, but excluding membership fees as these are covered directly from subscriptions. The Group held cash reserves of £33,488.95 as at 31[st] March 2025 (Group £22,063.87; Scouts £5,649.34; Cubs £4245.57; and Beavers £1530.17). ## **Investment Policy** The Group has adopted a low-risk strategy to the investment of its funds and currently, all funds are held in cash, using a mainstream bank (Cooperative bank). At present, the Group has 4 bank accounts: one for each Section and a Group account. All funds are held in accounts with instant access to funds. The Group Trustee Board regularly monitors the levels of the bank balances to ensure the Group obtains maximum value from its banking arrangements. In the new FY, the Group will be placing some funds into an investment account. ## **Section F Other Information and Future Plans** The immediate priority for the Group is to consolidate a new leadership team for the Beaver Colony and ensure they are supported in running a high-quality programme. In the future, we would be keen to integrate a Squirrels Section into the Group but this would require a new team of volunteers to run it. In late 2024, the UK Scouts Transformation programme came into effect and this has had an impact on leader training, the Disclosures process and welcoming new volunteers. ## **Section G Declaration** The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above. Signed on behalf of the trustees: Tim Crane, Chair June 2025 4 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A ., '