Trustees Annual Report For the period September 2023 to June 2024. Kingswood District Scouts, Registered Charity 302142 Trustees:
Robert Sellar Chair elected Sept 23 – June 24 Robert Luckett elected Sep t 23 – June 24 Simon Budd elected Sep t 23 – June 24 Philip Lawson ex officio Sept 23 – April 24 Joy Redfern Treasurer elected Sept 23 – June 24 Kim Vickery Secretary elected Sept 23 – June 24 Sammy Shellard co-opted Feb 24 – June 24 Eileen Rands President co-opted Sept 23 – June 24 Emily Masters Youth Commissioner ex oficio Sept 23 - June 24
The District's governing documents are those of the 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 of The Scout Association.
The District is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts
The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.
The Scout Association has introduced a range of measures to change the way in which Counties, Districts and Groups are organised and administered. This includes, not least, moving to a Trustee Board, the members of which are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout District, which is an educational charity. As charity 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 7 Trustees (including 2 Ex Officio Trustees, and 2 co-opted Trustees, and meets every 3 months.
Members of the Trustee Board complete ‘Being a Scouts Trustee’ learning within the first 6 months of joining the Board.
Meeting the objective of the Trustee Board. The District meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings. This Trustee Board exists to make sure the charity is wellmanaged, 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 give young people skills for life.
At our AGM in September 2023, Kingswood District moved to the new structure by electing a Trustee board. Since then, progress has been made to establish the individuals and teams to oversee and advise on all aspects of Scouting across the District. Work is ongoing and further volunteers continue to be sought.
All Groups in the District are required to follow a similar course of action and should by now have adopted the change, or have plans in place to do so at their 2024 AGMs.
Risks and internal controls. The District Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the District is exposed. These have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are: -Trustees may not have the desired skills to carry out their roles
-The TB does not meet at regular intervals
-The Scout Council does not meet at regular intervals or is denied involvement in --District business
-The District TB becomes disconnected from Group TBs
-Possibility of TB being influenced by one individual or a number of individuals
-District Groups operate without adequate District oversight
-Volunteers operate outside of their levels of approval/authority
-Inadequate insurance for people, property and equipment
-Failure to comply with POR including Volunteers not completing mandatory -training and Disclosure Checks
-Activities in the District are not conducted iaw POR
-Data Protection Rules are not followed
- -Security of paper based and electronic data is secure and properly protected
-Fraudulent use of District Funds
-
-Criminal prosecution of adults or young people whether related to scouting or not.
-
-District sponsored events have inadequate oversight
-
-Insufficient funds are held to support District programmes or events
The District has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include 2 signatories for all payments and a comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.
The Purpose of Scouting . Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. The Values of Scouting 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 at udes.
Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we cooperate with others and make friends. The Scout Method. Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of Scouting and:
-
enjoy what they are doing and have fun - take part in activities indoors and outdoors
-
learn by doing - share in spiritual reflection
-
take responsibility and make choices
-
undertake new and challenging activities
-
make and live by their Promise.
The District TB intends to form a closer relationship with Group TBs and Group Teams as we move forward to continue to grow Scouts in the District. The District has a Change Manager to advise and
assist with all aspects of the transformation programme and he stands ready to assist any Groups requiring advice
Groups in the District actively seek to recruit new volunteers. Changes are inevitable and need constant attention in particular to ensure that DBS checks are completed within the timelines of the Scout Association. Over the last year:
| Scout Associaton. Over the last year: | |
|---|---|
| New Leaders |
18 |
| Change of Roles |
27 |
| Secton Assistants |
22 |
| Occasional Helpers/Supporters/Administrators/SAS etc. |
10 |
| Group Executve |
23 |
| There have also been 60 leavers this year. Numbers at the 2024 Census were 341 adults and 1017 | |
| young people. |
We are now beginning to operate under a new system for recruitment and where possible will be visiting leaders at their Group. . We are aware that new volunteers are still a problem. We ask Group Team Leads to ensure that all new volunteers complete their mandatory training.
Activities in the District . The Ten Tors Team successfully entered three teams 2 x 35 and 1 x 45 in the event in May 23 and are training 18 young people again for the event on Dartmoor in 2024. The district entered four teams into Rickard Shield in March.
Most groups are arranging a Nights Away experience of some sort for their young people and as a result we are seeing a sizable number of Nights Away renewals.
From the number of Activity Notifications, we receive it is obvious that groups are organising a varied program packed with lots of fun activities for the young people. We are proud to have four Explorer Scout Units in the District: 229, Avo, Marvel, and Mystery. During the 2024 census, we reported 84 Explorers in the District, including Young Leaders, a small increase from 83 in 2023. All units run robust programs, including various activities such as fire lighting, pioneering, cooking, crafts, gliding, sailing, climbing, rocket making, scuba diving, animation, and murder mystery. Additionally, our units collaborate closely to organize joint activities. For instance, 41 Explorers attended the Roller Disco, which everyone enjoyed.
Following the coroner's report into the Great Orm tragedy there has been a renewed focus on Mandatory Training being up to date. At time of this report, all volunteers in Kingswood are up to date with their renewal of Safety and Safeguarding and most are up to date with their First Aid
The Board offers financial support to District or other events. In particular grants have been made to District Scouts selected to attend the 2023 World jamboree, to purchase Tee Shirts for a District camp and to manage the accounts for other Groups established in the District prior to them obtaining their own bank accounts. Additionally the District Board also seeks assurance that good safety and safeguarding practice is maintained by reviewing recognized risks periodically throughout the year and by ensuring that awards for meritorious or long service are being recognised
Reserves Policy The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the District should income and fundraising activities fall short. The District Trustee Board considers that the District should hold a minimum of £5,000.
The District held reserves of approximately £14K against this at year end. This is above the level required for operating expenses. However this can be explained by holding funds to support future events.
The District does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments and has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies. The Trustee Board regularly monitors the levels of bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure it obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements. Occasionally this may involve using an account that requires a period of notice before funds may be withdrawn, before doing so the Trustee Board considers the cash flow requirements.
The trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above . Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s): Full name(s): R Sellar R Luckett Position: Board Chair Lead Volunteer Programme
Date : 8 June 2024
Kingswood District Scout Council Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2024
| District | Explorers | Ten Tors | Consolidation | Total | Total | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | Adjustment | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||
| Income | ||||||||||||||||
| Capitation Fee from Units | £ | 56,669.00 |
||||||||||||||
| Less: Paid to County | £ | 50,850.00 |
||||||||||||||
| Capitation Income | £ | 5,819.00 |
-£ | 4,837.00 |
£ | 982.00 |
-£ | 554.00 |
£ | 2,564.00 |
||||||
| Troop Closure | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| World Jamboree | £ | 930.25 |
£ | 930.25 |
£ | 4,266.00 |
£ | 400.00 |
||||||||
| Legacies Received | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Badge Net Income | £ | 115.89 |
£ | 115.89 |
-£ | 591.94 |
£ | 142.16 |
||||||||
| Necker Net Income | -£ | 113.15 |
||||||||||||||
| Badge Day | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| 100 Year Birthday Party | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Fees and Subs | £ | 12,750.79 |
£ | 2,220.00 |
£ | 14,970.79 |
£ | 10,675.46 |
£ | 10,602.42 |
||||||
| Income towards activities | £ | 10,454.50 |
£ | 98.20 |
£ | 10,552.70 |
£ | 8,296.40 |
£ | 2,412.25 |
||||||
| Camps | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Uniform sales | £ | 414.23 |
£ | 518.25 |
£ | 932.48 |
£ | 731.77 |
£ | 749.20 |
||||||
| Badge sales | £ | 163.08 |
||||||||||||||
| Jamboree | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Duke of Edinburgh activities | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 1,685.00 |
||||||||
| Gift Aid received | £ | 673.52 |
£ | 1,129.61 |
£ | 382.93 |
-£ | 673.52 |
£ | 1,512.54 |
£ | 1,710.18 |
£ | - |
||
| Fund raising efforts | £ | 269.29 |
£ | 2,990.15 |
£ | 3,259.44 |
£ | 2,691.12 |
£ | 804.95 |
||||||
| Donations received | £ | 101.00 |
£ | - |
£ | 101.00 |
£ | 4,390.00 |
£ | 1,771.99 |
||||||
| Release of provisions | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Lyde Green | £ | 4,460.00 |
£ | 4,460.00 |
£ | 3,080.00 |
£ | 980.00 |
||||||||
| 46th Kingswood | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 7,278.37 |
£ | 11,212.00 |
||||||||
| Ten Tors | £ | 258.20 |
-£ | 258.20 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Sundry income | £ | 48.54 |
£ | 203.40 |
£ | 263.91 |
£ | 515.85 |
£ | 804.45 |
£ | 417.50 |
||||
| Total Income | £ | 12,192.25 |
£ | 25,485.90 |
£ | 6,473.44 |
-£ | 5,768.72 |
£ | 38,332.94 |
£ | 42,777.81 |
£ | 33,741.47 |
||
| Expenditure | ||||||||||||||||
| Rent | £ | - |
£ | 2,027.00 |
£ | 99.00 |
£ | 2,126.00 |
£ | 2,293.65 |
£ | 1,200.00 |
||||
| Postage and sundries | £ | 45.30 |
£ | 448.31 |
£ | 493.61 |
£ | 383.17 |
£ | 167.91 |
||||||
| Insurance | £ | 167.64 |
£ | 167.64 |
£ | 200.64 |
£ | 384.52 |
||||||||
| Officers' Expenses | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Training Expenses | £ | 285.62 |
£ | - |
£ | 511.26 |
£ | 796.88 |
£ | 887.74 |
£ | 949.00 |
||||
| MPLC Licence | £ | 452.38 |
£ | 452.38 |
£ | 410.88 |
£ | 354.20 |
||||||||
| Gift Aid to Units | £ | 673.52 |
-£ | 673.52 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Website | £ | 180.00 |
£ | 180.00 |
£ | 176.40 |
£ | 86.40 |
||||||||
| Grants | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 1,090.05 |
||||||||
| Bank charges | £ | 60.00 |
£ | 60.00 |
£ | 92.78 |
£ | 43.20 |
||||||||
| T-shirts | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Consumables | £ | 699.33 |
£ | 699.33 |
£ | 1,007.55 |
£ | 1,018.95 |
||||||||
| Uniform purchases | £ | - |
£ | 1,099.55 |
£ | 471.98 |
£ | 1,571.53 |
£ | 1,751.73 |
£ | 1,835.41 |
||||
| Purchase of badges | £ | 564.42 |
£ | 564.42 |
£ | 240.12 |
£ | 40.00 |
||||||||
| Equipment | £ | 398.74 |
£ | 1,846.27 |
£ | 1,326.99 |
£ | 3,572.00 |
£ | 551.77 |
£ | 878.49 |
||||
| Entry fees | £ | 37.00 |
£ | 684.00 |
£ | 721.00 |
£ | 766.77 |
£ | - |
||||||
| Camping | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Awards | £ | 307.73 |
£ | 307.73 |
£ | 253.06 |
£ | 95.05 |
||||||||
| Trips and Activities | £ | 17,852.81 |
£ | 2,226.39 |
£ | 20,079.20 |
£ | 15,743.06 |
£ | 7,293.73 |
||||||
| Duke of Edinburgh activities | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 1,602.75 |
||||||||
| 100 Year Birthday Party | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Jamboree | £ | 1,831.25 |
£ | 1,831.25 |
£ | 6,210.00 |
£ | 600.00 |
||||||||
| World Jamboree | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||
| Subs Refund | £ | 130.00 |
£ | 130.00 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Lyde Green | £ | 4,316.88 |
£ | 4,316.88 |
£ | 2,107.97 |
||||||||||
| 46th Kingswood | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | 16,627.23 |
£ | 5,209.13 |
||||||||
| Ten Tors | £ | 881.20 |
-£ | 881.20 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| To District | ||||||||||||||||
| Capitation | £ | 4,837.00 |
-£ | 4,837.00 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||
| Total Expenditure | £ | 9,600.26 |
£ | 28,712.36 |
£ | 6,148.95 |
-£ | 6,391.72 |
£ | 38,069.85 |
£ | 49,704.52 |
£ | 22,848.79 |
||
| Net Surplus / (Deficit) | £ | 2,591.99 |
-£ | 3,226.46 |
£ | 324.49 |
£ | 623.00 |
£ | 313.02 |
-£ | 7,289.78 |
£ | 7,747.77 |
||
| Bank balance brought forward | £ | 16,203.82 |
£ | 13,622.80 |
£ | 7,957.09 |
-£ | 623.00 |
£ | 37,160.71 |
£ | 44,450.49 |
£ | 35,386.06 |
||
| Bank balance carried forward | £ | 18,795.81 |
£ | 10,396.34 |
£ | 8,281.58 |
£ | - |
£ | 37,473.73 |
£ | 37,160.71 |
£ | 44,450.49 |
||
| Check | £ | 0.00 |
-£ | 0.00 |
-£ | 0.00 |
£ | - |
-£ | 0.00 |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||
| Check vs Balance Sheet | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
||||||||||
| Check opening vs closing | £ | - |
£ | - |
£ | - |
I CHARITY COMMISSION J FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Report to the trusteesl members of lQngswcth District Scwi Cwncil On accourrts for the year ended 31°, March 29èt -LLT I Ir Charity no (rf any) 302142 Set out on pages I reF(Wt to the trustees my examinati¢rn of the accounts of the above chartty (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended l i u 3 t As the charity's trustees. you are reswnsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charibes Act 2011 (the Acr). Responsibilities and basis of report I rewrt in ret of my examinaticYt of the Trust's acCntS carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicabte Directbons given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent -trh8chari examinerfs statement Udek8 exaTrMnat Juuahfiett7TTWmlier oTTinse name I have comrAeled my examination. I c¢Jnfimi that no material matters have ccyne to rny attenti in connection with Ihe examination (gtheF4 e1whICh gNes me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in acccfdance wtth seclion 130 of the Chartiies Ac( or the aGc¢)unts did nd accord wth the accounting records., or the accounts did not compty with the apICable requirements conceming the forrn and content of accounts set out in the Chartties (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the acccAJnts give a Xnje and fairf view which is riot a matter considered as part of an indeFendent examination. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examinats'on to whiGh attenlion should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delele the wonys in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: s/oO12cfe Name". Cirlff1S L4lLLIS Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): c44 (c io<? IER Oct 2018
Address." qo C6Lin 1215 /dL S{1 lo) Section B Disc105ure Only complete if the examiner needs Lo highlight material matters of Concern (see CC32. IndeFendent examinati of charity accounts: directions and guidance examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018