Scouts Hitchin Hitchin District Scouts Review to 31 March 2021 1SEhVEI Hitchin District Scouts Membership
1300
1100
900
700
500
Youth total Total Membership
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## **2021** |**of 31 January**
**2021**|| |---|---| |Beavers|241| |Cubs|277| |Scouts|220| |Explorers & Young Leaders|76| |Network|29| |**Total Young People**|**843**| |Adult Leadership|139| |Adult Support|87| |**Total District membership**|**1069**| ## **Groups and Units in Hitchin District** ## **Scout Groups** 2[nd] Hitchin (Air Scouts) 3[rd] Hitchin (Walsworth Road Baptist) 4[th] Hitchin (St. Ippolytts) 5[th] Hitchin (St. Mark’s) **Explorer Scout Units (ESUs)** 1[st] Hitchin (Boys’ School) ESU BEAR ESU DORA ESU HYDRUS Young Leader ESU 6[th] Hitchin (Priory) 7[th] Hitchin (Our Lady’s) **Network Scout Unit** 2 Hitchin District Network 8[th] Hitchin (Oughton) 9[th] Hitchin (1[st] Ickleford) 11[th] Hitchin (Christchurch) 12[th] Hitchin (St. Mary’s and Holy Saviour) **Active Support Unit** Hitchin ASU 15[th] Hitchin (Holwell and Pirton) 16[th] Hitchin (St. Faiths) 17[th] Hitchin (St. Michael’s) 3 ## **Hitchin District Scouts** ## **District Support Team** District Commissioner Deputy District Commissioner District Youth Commissioner District Explorer Scout Commissioner District Network Scout Commissioner ADC Beavers ADC Cubs ADC Scouts ADC Activities, Nights Away Advisor ADC International ADC Volunteers District Beaver Leader District Scout Leader Active Support Unit Manager Tony Hankin Derek Gilfillan Henry Harrison Matt Smith (to 17/01/2021) Henry Harrison (from 18/01/2021) Vacant Alison Rickels Janette Innes Christian Frisch Kevin Hankin Sam Hankin Tina Hay Nikee Edwards Lowell Metcalf Gill Matthews ## **District Scout Shop** Manager Treasurer Denise Wells Jen Clarke ## **Other Appointments** Appointments Advisory Committee Chair Appointments Secretary District Website Manager Social Media Manager PR Advisor Sailing contact Kayaking contact Jeff Hann Anna Wilson Geoff Eyles Vacant Vacant Andrew Henton Pusey Julie Henton Pusey 4 ## **Awards and Achievements 2020/21** **Chief Scout’s Award & Belts** 2 Platinum CSA 13 Gold CSA 57 Silver CSA 74 Bronze CSA ## **Chief Scout's Commendation for Meritorious Conduct** Sam Hankin Assistant District Commissioner, International ## **Bar to the Award for Merit** Hazel Beadle Group Scout Leader, 8[th] Hitchin & Beaver Leader, 11[th] Hitchin ## **Award for Merit** Richard Cox District President Derek Gilfillan Deputy District Commissioner Alison Rickels Assistant District Commissioner, Beavers Peter Woolston Group Scout Leader, 17[th] Hitchin **Chief Scout’s Commendation** Ian Buck Group Scout Leader, 7[th] Hitchin **County Commissioner’s Commendation** Anna Pargeter District Treasurer Anna Wilson District Appointments Secretary **Chief Scout’s 30 Years’ Service Award** Kevin Hankin Assistant District Commissioner, Activities **Chief Scout’s 20 Years’ Service Award** Richard Cox District President Paul Pinkstone Cub Scout Leader, 4[th] Hitchin Ian White Assistant Cub Scout Leader, 11[th] Hitchin **Chief Scout’s 10 Years’ Service Award** Catherine Condon Assistant Scout Leader, 11[th] Hitchin Hayley Cross Section Assistant, 11[th] Hitchin Kate Gilfillan Beaver Scout Leader, 8[th] Hitchin Janette Innes Assistant District Commissioner, Cubs Keith McEwen District Vice President 5 **Chief Scout’s 5 Years’ Service Award** Lee Baxter Assistant Scout Leader, 12[th] Hitchin Kirsty Duffy Cub Scout Leader, 8[th] Hitchin Matt Dormer Cub Scout Leader, 3[rd] Hitchin Geraint Edwards District Executive Committee Member Richard Holloway Group Chair, 5[th] Hitchin Kate Parker Group Treasurer, 11[th] Hitchin Rebecca Smith Section Assistant, 11[th] Hitchin Chris Speed Assistant Scout Leader, 12[h] Hitchin Kamal Uddin Group Treasurer, 6[th] Hitchin Anna Wilson Group Scout Leader, 12[th] Hitchin & District Appointments Secretary 6 ## **District President** What an amazing year it's been. This time last year I wasn’t aware as to what ZOOM was! Now we are dab hands at using it and enjoying the benefits it brings. It's been a difficult year for you all and I offer my hearty congratulations for the way you have taken onboard all the technical changes. Thanks to your hard endeavours, our numbers are still remarkably good. Hopefully, we can now see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and you’ll be able to soon resume normal activities. The youngsters I have spoken to have really missed contact with their peers. Please pass on our appreciation to their parents for their support and maybe suggest they continue to help! Many thanks indeed to our most able D.C., Tony, and all his team who have guided us through these difficult times. Onwards and upwards! Richard. R A Cox. President, Hitchin District Scouts. ## **District Chairman** This is my first report as District Chairman however those of you with long memories will know that this is my second time in this role. A little over 12 months ago I learnt some new phrases :- Furlough, Zoom, Go to meetings and Teams. In my occupation it has never been necessary to use any virtual 7 platform. Now we are using them most weeks. In fact, there are several members of the executive committee that I am yet to meet in person. However, I hope that will not be for much longer. It is a testament to Scouting and the commitment of our Volunteers that we have all adopted this technology so quickly. We can see from the other reports in this newsletter how inventive our groups and young leaders have been in adapting their programmes to run virtually and make them interesting at the same time. I think this is clearly reflected in the number of badges my wife Denise has been giving out from the Scout Shop. I would like to say a huge thank you to all our volunteers, you are all AMAZING. Mike Wells District Chair 8 ## **District Treasurer** **2020 End of Year Treasurer’s Report** The District has had a quiet year financially due to the pandemic, our rate of spending has been lower than in normal years due to the lack of events and scouting activity. As our costs for the year were already budgeted for, we have not been badly impacted by the pandemic in our 2020 finances. It is the year ahead that we expect to be more challenging due to the following: - Reduced income from Scout shop - Reduced income from Annual Membership Fees - Possible lower membership numbers - Groups requiring additional financial support. To help us counter these expected challenges we applied for and received a small business Covid Grant which will help support the District’s Covid related costs. This grant has enabled us to lower the cost of the District subscriptions for all groups this year and support them and parents at this difficult time. Other points of note from the accounts: - Training and Activities Grant – We were grateful to receive a £4,970 grant from the Hitchin Youth Trust at the beginning of the year to support Adult Training, permits and adventurous activities. Unfortunately the training has not yet been able to take place, but the money is set aside ready to be used as soon the planned courses can recommence. - Gift Aid - Payment of 2 gift aid claims fell into this financial year, totalling £2,360 mainly for the benefit of the Explorers. - Lochearnhead – A significant amount of money was collected for the planned Lochearnhead expedition. This money has now all been refunded, thank you to Craig Wilson for managing this process so smoothly. - Scout Shop – our thanks go to Denise Wells and Treasurer Jen Clarke for adapting and continuing to run the shop as much as possible through click and collect orders. The Scout Shop was unable to make its usual donation to District funds this year due to the extended closure, but funds from the Covid grant have helped us cover the overhead costs. Our thanks go to Rachael Larner, our Independent Examiner who has once again examined and approved the accounts in accordance with the Charities Commission guidelines. ## Anna Pargeter ## District Treasurer 9 ## **District Commissioner** I started my report in last year’s review by referring to the previous 12 months as ‘amazing’. This year, I think I can only refer to the past 12 months of scouting in Hitchin as ‘very unusual’. This annual review is slightly shorter than usual, but stills give a great overview of all that has happened. We have all been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic in different ways, and I’d like to start by expressing my sympathies to anyone who has lost a loved one during this time and to those who have been ill with Covid-19. I would also like to thank all those who have been working on the front line and especially those who have still found time to continue volunteering and supporting Scouting. Looking back, although the year has been different to usual, Hitchin Scouting has still been very active. Things have changed, we have had to run meetings in different ways – online or sometimes in small groups outdoors. The creativity of leaders, parents and young people in coming up with ideas for online activities and then joining in and making them work has been amazing. We haven’t been able to camp together but have held a virtual Beaver sleepover, a virtual Harry Potter themed Cub camp as well as lots of camping in back gardens. Awards and badges have been worked on, individually at home or online together with a wide variety achieved over the past 12 months. The willingness of our volunteers and young people to adapt to different ways of Scouting has been tremendous, thank you to everyone. Our census numbers were, not surprisingly, down this year with 10% fewer young people, but this is still a much better position than many other Districts and Counties. We continue to receive a large number of enquiries each month from parents who want their children to join Beavers and, unfortunately, still cannot accommodate everyone who wants to join. With so many young people wanting to join Hitchin Scouting, I am sure our numbers will start to rise again as we move out of lockdown. The impact of the past year has had an effect on the number of people who volunteer their time and our volunteer numbers have reduced. I’d would like to thank everyone who has stood down from a role. Your support and the time you have given to Scouting whether for just a few years or many is much appreciated. This does mean we need to intensify our effort to find new volunteers, with parents the most obvious source. I hope that many parents will appreciate what Scouting has offered their children during the past year and will be willing to become more involved. They may be reluctant to come forward and a direct request to get involved with a specific task or activity often works best. If you are reading this and not already involved with Scouting but want to know more, please do ask. Finally, a huge thank you from me to all volunteers in Hitchin Scouting. Thank you for the time you give, the opportunities you provide and the skills you help our young people to learn. Tony Tony Hankin District Commissioner @DCHitchinScouts 10 ## **Deputy District Commissioner** ## Awards As Scouts, we pride ourselves on 'Being Prepared' and dealing unfazed with things as they crop up. The ways leaders and young people quickly continued to find novel ways to achieve badges and top Scouting awards was awe-inspiring. A phenomenal 148 top awards was achieved by the end of January 2021, that's nearly 40% more than the whole of 2015 - what an achievement! We are patiently waiting to see how Government restrictions relax and whether an alternative Celebration Event will be possible. A big thank you to leaders for continuing to support young people reach their top awards. We still need to ensure that all young people in the District get the opportunity to achieve a top award especially in these trying times Support to deliver top awards is available from the District Team, specifically the sectional ADCs, the section Facebook groups or from peer leaders. ## Programme and Section Support The peer support between groups and leaders over the last year has been humbling. Programme ideas and activity details and visitor contacts have been freely and openly shared to make the programme as exciting and engaging as possible in the circumstances. The section meetings have and continue to be a safe space to ask for support, share programme ideas that have been a hit, ask that 'coming out of lockdown' question and give feedback to District. The ADCs share section meeting feedback at each District Team meeting to see where the District can be of support, run an event and fill a gap. ## Derek Gilfillan Deputy District Commissioner @DeputyDCHitchin ## **District Youth Commissioner** Young Leaders in Hitchin have proved to be just as valuable virtually as during regular times. Hearing about them continuing to log in weekly, running games, competitions and activities, really shows how committed our Young Leaders are to giving back their time. This year, we delivered all of the Young Leader training modules via zoom including an escape room social evening. I believe that this was successful and, in some ways, increased the interactivity of the modules for the Young Leaders attending. We now have 44 active Young Leaders in Hitchin who have all attended the module A training. 42 of them have also attended at least 1 additional training module. As well as moving the training online, Young Leaders can now tick off their training missions online using google forms. This has allowed 2 Young Leaders to earn their Young Leader Belt award this year. The award demonstrates a huge commitment and is even more difficult to earn virtually. The final requirement, running an activity over multiple nights, is difficult enough at the best of times. It is great that 2 of our young people have managed to do this via zoom. Back in the summer, the HYPE youth forum organised, ran and judged our first virtual district cooking competition. We had entries from scout groups and explorer units and were impressed with the overall high standard of entries. In the end, we awarded 17th 1st place and Bear and 5th joint 2nd place. Hopefully we will be able to hold a cooking competition where we can taste the results in the near future, although it is nice to be socially distant from the scout washing up process! 11 Sadly, I am now coming up to 26 years old, meaning that the Scout Association no longer class me as a young person. However, I am pleased to pass on the role of Youth Commissioner to Tom Hankin. It will be very exciting to see how he develops the role of DYC. It is still quite a new role within Hitchin and I know that he has plenty of ideas for getting young people of all ages involved in making decisions. Henry Harrison District Youth Commissioner ## **Beavers** This years’ report has been based on a summary of comments made by some of the Beaver Leaders in the District, as their comments and activities are echoed by many of the Colonies. Although it is no substitute for meeting face to face, we had a really active group joining our Zoom calls every week. The Beavers took control, telling us what they wanted to do, which badges they thought we should work towards and even setting and running their own quizzes. It was great to get back together in the autumn even though it wasn't for long. It gave us a chance to catch up with our members who understandably weren't that keen on Zoom and it was surprising how 'normal' scouting was given that everybody had to stay 2 metres apart. The leaders have adapted to what activities were allowed during the year. When restrictions allowed St. Ippolyts organised a photo treasure hunt around the village, which encouraged everyone to get out for a nice walk and introduced some parents to footpaths and places they didn’t know were there! 6[th ] spent an evening on our local nature reserve racing paper boats, doing a scavenger hunt and learning how to use a bat detector and trail camera. One of the funniest activities was when St Ippolyts carried out their version of BGT (Beavers' Got Talent). The Beavers got to show off their various skills and talents. There was some amazing singing and dancing, however the image of the Beaver who belched the entire alphabet will live with Steve (BSL) forever. In January, we embarked on our first virtual sleepover. With over 80 Young People signed up we delivered a full afternoon and evening of Pirate themed activities, and were delighted with 60+ people getting up early on Sunday morning to rejoin on Zoom with the CC and DC. It’s been so good to hear that Beaver Scouting has continued either via zoom, or a mixture of blended meetings, and a massive thanks goes out to all the Leaders who have put so much time and effort into bringing these activities to the Young People. Now, with restrictions easing, we are looking to bring numbers back up within the Beaver Colonies as we have so many Young People on the waiting list still very eager to join the Scout movement. Alison Rickels, ADC Beavers & Nikee Edwards, District Beaver Leader @ADCB_Hitchin 12 ## **Cubs** The past twelve months have been extraordinary. Challenging, but extraordinary. Much of Cubscouting has been executed online, but what an amazing array of opportunities have been offered. From scavenger hunts to escape rooms, online bingo to surprise guests, and it has all been provided by leaders who have been home schooling their own young people and working from home. And the engagement from Cubs has been fantastic. No Cub will have missed out on their badge opportunities, as they have participated in a diverse virtual programme. Let’s face it we have all had the opportunity of upgrading our tech skills and Zoom screen sharing, video chats and creating breakout rooms are now second nature to most of us. ## Harry Potter Cub Camp Under the direction of ‘Bagrid’ (Barry Dickinson) and Professor ‘Janetterus’ Snape, we were able to welcome nearly 100 Cubs to our amazing weekend of witchcraft and wizardry at ‘Hitchwarts’. Our young people were supported by their leaders in breakout rooms online and made hats, a marauder’s map with moving footsteps, decorated biscuits with Harry Potter characters, built their own wizarding den, were able to virtually meet real owls, listen to a bed time story and more. Their overnight stay will count toward one of their three nights away and their Silver Chief Scout Award. Fantastically well done everyone. As with everyone else, I have found this year particularly challenging, but it has been Scouting which has kept me going. I have been involved for around 16 years now and began in a role as a parent helper. This support network has played an important role in maintaining my usual positivity and enthusiasm. I have made many friends in the movement and would recommend volunteering to everyone. The results are so rewarding. With the resumption of face-to-face Scouting once more, Hitchin Cubs have so many events in the pipeline and we look forward to seeing everyone at one of these in the future, including an interactive session with visiting owls and outdoor cinema. So watch this space. Janette Innes ADC Cubs @ADCC_Hitchin 13 ## **Scouts** Scouts have enjoyed the opportunity over the last year to explore some of the different aspects of scouting and learn skills that are quite difficult to learn in the usual meeting venue. They have enjoyed activities ranging from cooking competitions in their own kitchens and Personal Trainer sessions in the garden, all the way to guest speakers and international socialising with Scout troops in the USA. Kahoot quizzes, Crystal Maze challenges, Escape Rooms, online badgework, virtual hikes, debates and games are just some of the other activities that scouts have engaged in. And when outdoor meetings have been possible, there have been hikes, tent pitching, firelighting, pioneering, first aid, cycle maintenance and wide games. Scouts and leaders have very much appreciated the times that they have been able to get back together and are looking forward to getting outdoors and doing some camping and other adventurous activities. Some of the sessions already planned are various watersports activities, rocket/satellite building and plenty of games nights. I have been very proud of the Scouts continued engagement with the varying programmes throughout the year and their leader’s willingness to adapt to changes. ## Christian Frisch, ADC Scouts & Lowell Metcalf, District Scout Leader @ADCS_Hitchin ## **Explorer Scouts** This year Hitchin has maintained its fantastic Explorer offerings. We still have 4 healthy units offering Explorers Scouting for all in slightly different and complementary ways. It was also nice to see new Explorers joining every Unit virtually and we have also been able to us advertise what each Unit has to offer during a virtual information evening. This year we have awarded 2 Platinum Chief Scout Awards, 2 Gold D of E awards and 2 Young Leader Belt awards. This year DORA had its first anniversary. To celebrate, they held a virtual winter camp, incorporating homelessness as the underlying theme. Explorers slept in tents outside or in dens, trying to put themselves in the mindset of others less fortunate during a global pandemic. County Commissioner, Liz Walker popped along to say hello to everyone. Some Explorers participated in camp@home and managed the whole 30 days with others joining them on the final night to be part of the biggest camp in the world. BEAR and 1st have continued to meet virtually, holding competitions, BINGO and other games via zoom. All units are now returning to face-to-face activities. Henry Harrison District Explorer Scout Commissioner 14 ## **Network** Many of the Network members in the District are involved with Groups and Sections and have been supporting these over the past year. Unfortunately, there have not been any District Network activities but we hope that this will change over the coming months. If anyone is interested in helping to coordinate these, please get in touch. @hitchinnetwork ## **Activities** Activities can adapt so April 2020 saw our first ‘virtual’ district event, St George’s Day. This was held over Zoom and we had young people and leaders renewing their promises. You can rewatch it on the Hitchin Scouts Youtube channel. We have been ‘on hold’ for most of 2020 for our Climbing Wall, Archery, Water Activities and use of Hitchwood. A sailing taster session was squeezed in during October and we are ready to return to all our activities as soon as we can and get our young people being ‘adventurous’ once again. Kevin Hankin ADC Activities ## **Community Involvement** Many groups and sections have links with organisations in our community and these have continued and even been enhanced during lockdown. Last summer District President, Richard Cox announced a challenge for our members. The challenge was for a section or group to communicate with a care home or individuals in the community, especially those that may be isolated or vulnerable, and show concern and support for them. The completion coincided with the Scout Association’s Care for Care Homes campaign. The winners were the 17[th] Hitchin Scout Group where the Cubs and Scouts established contact with a local Care Home, sending them pictures and writing letters. They continued their contact with the Home during the year which included Cubs and Scouts making cards for the home for Christmas. 15 At Christmas, we supported the Town Centre Christmas Tree in the Market Square with five Scouting baubles on display. Some Groups also participated in the Hitchin Christmas Tree Festival Trail. 3rd Hitchin decorated their tree using Race around the World as the theme. 7th Hitchin’s tree had a Scouting Skills for Christmas theme. Well done to both groups for two great trees. 6[th] Hitchin Scout Group have been busy fundraising for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance and raised an amazing £1020. Well done to all involved. ## **Public Relations & Media** A number of our groups use Twitter to promote and celebrate their activities and this has helped to keep Hitchin Scouting visible in the local community. The District website has had a small refresh for 2021. It remains a main reference point for Parents looking for information about Hitchin Scouting and groups and sections and includes the online joining form for those seeking a place or to add a name to waiting lists. Maintaining a strong social media presence helps with awareness of Scouting and the promotion of volunteering opportunities. We are looking to find one or more volunteers to help us with this, building on what is in place and looking for opportunities to advertise and celebrate all we do. If you are able to help with this, or know someone that can help, please get in touch. ## **Volunteers and Appointments** Scouting relies on new volunteers coming forward to help, working with young people or in administrative and Trustee roles. We are grateful to all new volunteers and to those that have taken on new roles over the past year. The Appointments Committee has continued to meet monthly, with sessions held online. 16 Scouts Hitchin #SkillsforLife 17 ## **Hitchin District Scout Council Receipts and Payments Account** **----- Start of picture text -----**
For the year
01/01/2020 To 31/12/2020
from
Receipts
2020 2019
£ £
Subscriptions
Membership subscriptions 43,193 43,194
Less:Membership subscriptions paid on (National/County/Area/District) 38,640 38,540
Net membership subscriptions retained 4,553 4,654
District Operations
Premises 42 460
Administration -
Adult support & training -
Equipment -
Sub total 42 460
District Activities & Groups
District events & activities 9,910 31,572
Jamboree 2019 3,409
Explorers 6,421 2,984
Youth Forum, Young Leaders & Network 1,472
Lochearnhead 18,175
Sub total 34,506 39,436
Donations, legacies and similar income
Private donations 150 2,000
Scout grant for training 1,452
HYT - Donation for training and activities 4,970
Small Business COVID Grant 10,000
Other 158
Sub total 15,278 3,452
Charitable income to pass on
St Georges day - MACs 471
Corporate matched funding passed to specific groups 1,064 2,127
1,064 2,598
Scout Shop
Scout Shop Sales 6,634 17,896
6,633.55 17,896
Investment income
Bank interest 70
Paypal 15
Gift Aid 2,360
Sub total 2,360 85
Total receipts 64,437 68,580
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## **Payments** **----- Start of picture text -----**
2020 2019
£ £
District Operations
Premises 2,275 4,464
Administration 140 824
Adult support & training 925 2,354
Equipment 1,390 1,348
Sub total 4,730 8,990
District Activities & Groups
District events & activities 8,160 41,086
Jamboree 2019 - 8,739
Explorers £6,374 1,035
Youth Forum, Young Leaders & Network - 991
Lochearnhead 180
Sub total 14,714 51,851
Charitable income to pass on
St Georges day - MACs 471
Corporate matched funding passed to specific groups 1,064 2,127
1,064 2,598
Scout Shop
Scout Shop Expenditure 6,188 14,009
6,188 14,009
Total payments 26,696 77,448.33
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Receipts and Payments Accounts Summary
2020 2019
£ £
Total Receipts 64,437 68,580
Total payments 26,696 77,448
Net of receipts/(payments) 37,742 - 8,868
Cash funds last year end 39,412 48,280
Cash funds carried forward 77,154 39,412
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## **Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year** |||**2020**|||**2019**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**£**|||**£**|| |**Cash funds**||||||| |Bank current account|||**31,603**|||**14,386**| |2nd 'Project' account|||**17,995**|||**-**| |The Scout Association Short Term Investment Service|||**11,482**|||**11,482**| |Paypal|||**320**|||**15**| |Explorers|||**10,269**|||**8,491**| |Scout Shop current account|||**3,809**|||**4,604**| |Scout Shop Liability||||||| |Scout shop Cash/Floats|||**25**|||**25**| |Scout shop Debtors|||**1,650**|||**410**| ||**Total cash funds**||**77,154**|||**39,412**| |**The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on**|**The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on**|**The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on**|**The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on**| |---|---|---|---| |Name & Position||Date|Signature| |Mike Wells - District Chairman||22/03/2021|Approved virtually in Exec meeting| |Anna Pargeter - District Treasurer||22/03/2021|Approved virtually in Exec meeting| ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the** ## **HITCHIN DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL** I report on the Accounts of Hitchin District for the year ended 31[st] December 2020. ## **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 43 (2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to-: - examine the Accounts (under Section 43 (3) (a) of the 1993 Act); - to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 43 (7) (b) of the 1993 Act); and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## **Basis of Examiner’s Report: -** My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. 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 the seeking of 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, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. ## **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: - to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 41 of the 1993 Act; and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Name: Rachael Larner Address: 1 Hawthorn Close, Hitchin, Hertfordshire Date: 17[th] March 2021