1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Annual Reports & Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 Charity Commission Registered Number: 303417 1 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## CONTENTS ||Page| |---|---| |AGM Agenda|3| |Trustee Board|4| |General Scout Leader Report|5| |Financial Report|6| |Beaver Secton Report|7| |Cub Secton Report|8| |Scout Secton Report|9| |Explorers Secton Report|10| |Accounts to 31stMarch 2024|11 – 14| |(including Independent Examiner’s Report)|| |Minutes of AGM 23rdJanuary 2024|15 - 16| 2 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) ## FRIDAY 4[th] OCTOBER 2024 ## AGENDA 1. Welcome and Apologies 2. Approve Minutes of 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group AGM 23/01/2024 3. Annual report by Treasurer and Adoption of Accounts 4. Group Section Reports 5. Adoption of Constitution as per POR 5.4 6. Nomination and Election of members to Trustee Board (Group Scout Leader / Deputy Group Scout Lead / Section Leaders) 7. Nomination and Election of Group Chair 8. Nomination and Election of Group Treasurer 9. Nomination and Election of Group Secretary 10. Nomination, Election and Approval of other members to the Group Trustee Board (e.g. fundraiser etc) 11. Approval of the Independent Examiner 12. Youth Investment Fund 13. Close 3 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## TRUSTEE BOARD Group Lead Volunteer Bob Kingsman Deputy Group Lead Volunteer Richard Phillpot Chairperson Ben Goult (resigned 23[rd] January 2024) Vacant Treasurer Samantha Stanton Secretary Samantha David Explorers Leader Warren Forster Scout Leader Jon Jackson (resigned 8[th] May 2024) Cub Scout Leader Daniel LeCorney Beaver Scout Leader Brigette Watson Maintenance Leader Matthew Randall (appointed 23[rd] January 2024) 4 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## GENERAL SCOUT LEADER REPORT 2023/24 I recommend that you take the time to read all the section reports to appreciate the great activities that are provided by our team of volunteers throughout the year. We have had an interesting time since our last AGM whilst the refurbishment work has been going on at the hut which was out of action for a number of weeks. Meetings carried on at various venues to ensure scouting carried on in Birchington, thanks to all volunteers who went the extra mile to make this happen. Scouting nationally is implementing new systems and initiatives to make it more accessible for anyone to volunteer and enjoy more support with a team based approach to Scouting, now is a great time to get involved! Once again thank you to all parents who help on an occasional basis, and especially when we go camping and on trips. We now have a building which is fresh and warm with updated safety features thanks to a generous grant from the youth investment fund, this has been completed thanks to the efforts of Richard Phillpott( assistant GLV), Sam Stanton (treasurer) and Matt Randell (Bagheera). Special thanks to Matt who spent many hours at the hut sorting the electrics, cctv and fire protection. We have young people waiting to join our group due to a shortage of leaders/helpers so please consider coming forward to help if you can spare a couple of hours a week. We also need a new chairman and fundraising team so plenty of opportunities to step up and help your young people. _Please check messages on social media to ensure your young people are at the right place, at the right tme._ Bob (Mowgli) 1st Birchington Air Scouts : Preparing young people with skills for life 5 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## FINANCIAL REPORT 2023/24 The opening cash balance was £17,111 and the closing cash balance was £16,589, as a result of a net payment of £522 over the financial year. Funds received from subscriptions and activities were £8,553, with £7,425 being spent on the Youth Programme and activities for the Beaver, Cubs and Scouts during the year. Highlights on these have been discussed in the section reports. We were able to claim Gift Aid of £853 on the subscriptions. Due to the hard work from Richard and Bob £74,021 of funding was secured from the Youth Investment Fund to replace the roof on the Scout Hut. With the support of Matt the majority of this work was complete by the end of March. A further amount, £10,123 has been received since the year end, to support with the completion of this project. I would like to say thank you to all those involved, the benefits for the scouting community in Birchington will be seen for many years to come. Community groups are still using the hut and this generated income of £1,749 in 2023/24. There were two street collections and with the activities that were held in the hut during these we raised £1,795, which helps support the running costs of the Group. With ongoing costs, such as utilities, cleaning, insurance and purchasing new equipment these funds are essential to help support the Group’s activities. During the year we also set up a new higher interest bank account to help generate additional income for the Group. I’m looking forward to seeing what exciting activities will happen in 2024/5 for the sections, thank you to everyone for their hard work this year. Samantha Stanton, Treasurer 6 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## BEAVER SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Since our last AGM beavers have been busy getting out and about doing badges and activities. We have made volcanoes on the beach, had custard cream stacking competitions, and thrown tomahawks with visitors at the hut. Beavers have completed eight badges including taking photos of the village, growing sunflowers and beans, and learning morse code. We have also completed some staged activity badges visiting the Manston air museum and learning the phonetic alphabet. And every week we complete bits of the challenge badges learning to tie knots, light candles and learning a song in British sign language. Beavers have helped in the village selling poppies with the British Legion, dressing as elves in the Christmas lights event and litter picking in Crispe Park. At the time of writing this report we are looking forward to an Olympic sleepover and hoping that Vicky will be assessed for her nights away permit. We have another booked for October at Marshside. We currently have thirteen beavers with three going up to cubs in September. We still only have two leaders with Mary still helping regularly for us. We have had a new helper in Steve who helps when work allows. Unfortunately, he will not be able to stay with us past autumn half-term so won't get to complete any training. So, we are still looking out for regular helpers who may turn into leaders! We have said a beaver thank you to the Baptist Church for lending us their space while the scout hut had its new roof work. We couldn't have kept the activities going without their support. And as always, I have a huge thank you to say to Vicky and Mary and all the parents who have been able to help and keep our colony doing the fun scouting activities we all enjoy. Birch. Brigete Watson, Beaver Team Leader. 7 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## CUBS SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Hi, welcome to the section of the annual report where I try to cram a year’s worth of Cub activities into one side of A4. In the spring and summer terms I like to get the Cubs outdoors as much as possible - weather permitting - so we managed to get outside for evenings at Crispe Park (tracking), the rec (navigation) and Minnis Bay (crabbing and water rockets). Across the country, Scouts were encouraged to take part in a ‘big help out’ in the community to mark the King’s coronation. The Cubs partnered up with the Birchington Anti-litter Group and used their litter pickers to carry out a tidy up of rubbish around the village. Finally, as an end of term treat, we had a great evening at Nelson Park, riding and grooming horses. (Not at the same time.) A weekend camp was held at Ross Woods in June to give our newer Cubs a camping experience ahead of the highlight of the year. This was our summer camp, five days and four nights at Broadstone Warren in the Ashdown Forest. 12 Cubs, 9 leaders/helpers, 2 other young people and 1 dog took part. Upon arrival there was a downpour of rain which lasted non-stop for 18 hours… and so Bagheera and Mowgli became VERY familiar with the local launderette. Despite this, I did not hear one word of complaint from the Cubs. So what did they get up to? Climbing, abseiling, zip wiring, artificial tunneling, rafted canoeing, McFlurry and Domino’s eating, washing up-ing, visiting Hundred Acre Wood and pooh sticks bridge from the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Bluebell steam railway journeying. Yes, I think that is enough to give you a taste. In the autumn term we completed the communicator and astronomer badges, visited the Powell-Cotton Museum as part of the Kent Scouts LionAid challenge and enjoyed a sunny October hike in the Stodmarsh nature reserve. In November we spent a night underground trying to sleep at the Ramsgate Tunnels, using the basic beds and washing facilities which were used when people sheltered down there during the Second World War. This was a unique experience and we had great fun exploring the old railway tunnels. Our last meeting before Christmas was a visit to the ice-skating rink at Quex Park. The result? Not quite Torvill and Dean, but it wasn’t Bambi on ice either. The first three months of the year are always pretty gloomy, weather- and Scouting-wise, and we spent a month meeting elsewhere while work was going on at the scout hut. Still, we put together a decent programme, making airfix model Spitfires and swimming at Birchington Vale and some German, Spanish and Holi activities for the international badge - or should that be the eating-lots-of-foreign-food-andmaking-a-mess-with-coloured-powder badge? At the very end of March, we started a series of visits to Monkton Nature Reserve as part of the naturalist (got to make sure I’ve got that word right) badge which is being completed later in the summer months of 2024. A couple of shout outs: Henry and Toby for earning their Chief Scout Silver awards; Bagheera, Kim, Hathi, Chil, Mowgli and Willow for their time helping the Cubs this year; and a big BRAVO to Ella, Gareth and Sue, who have generously provided the catering for our camps and sleepovers since 2019 (by a rough count I think they have done this on 9 different events) and have now understandably decided it’s time to take a break from this responsibility. Finally, well done to all the Cubs for everything you’ve achieved this year, it means a lot to me and the other leaders ## Daniel (Rama) 8 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## SCOUTS SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Over the past year, our scout section has had a remarkable year in growth, adventure and achievements. Despite the natural ebb and flow of scouts ageing out of the section, we have successfully maintained our numbers. This stability is largely thanks to the enthusiasm of our current scouts, as well as the leadership team. It’s always sad to lose scouts, but we are immensely proud of those who have successfully completed their chief scout gold award. This achievement reflects the hard work, commitment they have put in and we are immensely proud of them. Additionally, we have several scouts on track to complete their chief scout award soon, although we will be losing some of these dedicated members due to age. This year our scouts have had the opportunity to experience a variety of exciting activities, each one bringing its own set of challenges and fun. Climbing and abseiling at revolution skate park brought about some significant challenges for our scout troop. It takes a lot of courage and trust, but the scouts had a thrilling time pushing their limits and building confidence. Our scouts also had a truly unique experience sleeping underground in Margate Caves, getting up close with the local wildlife...Slugs. Over the course of our building renovations, the Scouts were lucky enough to call the RAF Manston History Museum home. This allowed them to explore aviation history in more depth, learning valuable lessons from the past. Coming up, we have an eagerly awaited overnight trip to Ramsgate Tunnels, where the scouts will sleep in bunks reminiscent of those used in World War II. It promises to be both educational and a fun experience for everyone. This year also saw changes to our leadership team. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to one of our leaders who started the scout section back up at 1st Birchington, it was a heartfelt loss to the section. However, we were fortunate to gain a new leader, Sara, whose enthusiasm has made her a fantastic addition to our hardworking team. That being said, our need for more adult leaders remains a priority in order to expand our section and offer even more opportunities to current and future scouts. As we head into the next year, we are filled with optimism and excitement for what’s to come. With our current scouts achieving great things and plenty of awesome activities on the horizon, the future for our troop looks bright. To ensure we continues to thrive, we will be focusing on the growth of the troop, both adult leaders and scouts, while maintaining the enthusiasm that makes our troop so awesome. Thank you to both Sara and Toby for all the work they put into your ‘two hours a week’. Our section would not run without either of them giving all they’re hard work. Lastly, our troop would be in dire straits without our young leaders, they are the glue that holds it altogether. They have worked incredibly hard this year helping us adults to make each night run smoothly and keeping us oldies current within the world of teenagers. Thank you guys! ## Jody (Hobbit) 9 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## EXPLORERS LEADER REPORT 2023/24 Having grown quite quickly in the last couple of years, our numbers are now holding at around 19, sadly saying goodbye to some members as they turn 18 and regularly enrolling Scouts from Minster and Westgate as well as Birchington. We still meet every other week which seems to fit in around the Adult Volunteers work commitments and the Explorers own commitments, whether they are for part time jobs or for helping out as Young Leaders, which we encourage new Explorers to sign up for as many use it to tick off their volunteering requirement of their DofE award. The Explorers programme is guided by them and we encourage them to make the most of their last couple of years in Scouting as Young People and the emphasis is always on fun and stress busting, especially around those dreaded exams. Planning and completing hikes, Pumpkin Carving, Pioneering at the Dip, Escape rooms, Karaoke, Quiz nights, Movie nights and recreating The Traitors and Squid Game (don’t worry, no Explorers were harmed and it was sweets hanging from the rafters as the prize) were some of our personal favourites from this past year. We aim to bring every opportunity to our Explorers which includes national and international events such as the Kent Scouts Rollercoaster Madness, London Monopoly Run or International Jamborees. Although some of them have enjoyed or signed up to these events, as the programme is tailored by them, we feel they would enjoy a camp that is just theirs which we have unfortunately been unable to offer as none of our leadership team currently has the necessary training. So we are looking to make amends and myself and Joe will finally be receiving training next month and will hopefully be assessed and ready to plan a proper Summer camp for the Explorers in 2025 and generally have more nights under canvas beyond that, finally getting to put the EXPLORE in Explorers! I have to say that although our programme has been great over the past 12 months, we have been severely limited in what we can do as our funds were locked away in our GoCardless and we were unable to access them, whilst we transferred our banking to 1st Birchington’s account. After a lot of back and forths and with the help of Sam (our treasurer) we are finally able to access our funds once again. Although, sadly, we have lost a key member of our leadership team as Hannah has decided to take a step back from Scouting for the foreseeable future and I would like to thank her for keeping our Unit as one of her many spinning plates for so long. She has been a fantastic Leader, an inspiration to our Explorers and we hope that she’ll find a way back to Scouting at some point. However, Joe has joined us full time from Westgate and we’ll be joined regularly by Ryan, another of our former Explorers. But as our Unit grows and we look for more opportunities for camping further afield, we would love to hear from any potential leaders or helpers so that we can offer our fantastic group of Explorers as much Scouting as possible. Warren, Explorer Team Leader. 10 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 2023.24 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the**
**year from**|**1st April 2023**|**To**|**31st March 2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Receipts and payments**||||| |**Receipts**||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**5,558**
**2,079**
**853**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**| |**Donations, legacies and similar**
**income**||||| |Membershipsubscriptions||**5,558**||**5,090**| |Donations||**2,079**||**3,020**| |Gift Aid||**853**||**927**| |**Sub total**||**8,490**||**9,037**| |**Grants**||||| |Youth Investment Fund Grant||**74,021**||**-**| |**Sub total**||**74,021**||**-**| |**Fundraising events (gross)**||||| |Street Collections||**1,795**||**527**| |Beaver/Cub/Scout activities||**2,995**||**599**| |**Sub total**||**4,790**||**1,126**| |**Investment income**||||| |Bank interest||**241**||**18**| |**Sub total**||**241**||**18**| |**_Total Gross Income_**
**Asset and investment sales, etc.**
**_Total receipts_**||||| |||**87,542**||**10,181**| |||**-**||| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**87,542**||**10,181**| 11 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the**
**year from**|**1st April 2023**|**To**|**31st March 2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Receipts and payments**||||| |**Payments**||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**2,334**
**7,425**
**73,021**
**218**
**919**
**759**
**598**
**706**
**1,055**
**65**
**549**
**215**
**28**
**172**
**88,064**
**88,064**
**(522)**
**17,111**
**16,589**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted funds**
**£**| |**Charitable Payments**||||| |Membership subscriptions paid on
(National/County/Area/District)||**2,334**||**2,172**| |Youthprogramme and activities||**7,425**||**4,150**| |Youth Investment Grant Expenditure||**73,021**||**-**| |Water and Sewerage||**218**||**182**| |Electricityand Gas||**919**||**2,266**| |Insurance||**759**||**694**| |Repairs and Renewals||**598**||**1,134**| |Materials and equipment||**706**||**1,388**| |Uniforms||**1,055**||**76**| |Council tax||**65**||**138**| |Cleaning||**549**||**507**| |Groupexpenses||**215**||**283**| |Donations||**28**||**19**| |Bank Charges||**172**||**115**| |**Sub total**||**88,064**||**13,124**| |**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||| |||||**13,124**| |||||| |||**(522)**||**(2,943)**| |||**17,111**||**20,054**| |||**16,589**||**17,111**| 12 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the year from**|**1st April**
**2023**|**To**|**31st March**
**2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year**||||| |||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**1,751**
**14,838**
**-**
**16,589**
ok
**16,589**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**| |**Cash funds**||||| |Bank current account||**1,751**||**6,601**| |Bank deposit account||**14,838**||**10,510**| |Cash/Floats||**-**||**-**| |**Total cash funds**||**16,589**||**17,111**| |(agree balances with receipts and payments account)||||ok| |**Total net assets**||**16,589**||**17,111**| **The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on __________________2024 (the date of the Trustee Board meeting that approved the accounts) and signed on their behalf by** |Signature|Print Name| |---|---| ||Chair| ||Treasurer| 13 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS 14 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ||1stBirchington Air Scout Group
Annual General Meetng (AGM)
23rdJanuary 2024
Venue: Scout Hut Birchington|1stBirchington Air Scout Group
Annual General Meetng (AGM)
23rdJanuary 2024
Venue: Scout Hut Birchington| |---|---|---| |Attendees|Ben Goult (Chair)
Bob Kingsman (Group Scout leader)
Richard Philpott (Deputy Group Scout Leader)
Samantha Stanton (Treasurer)
Samantha David (Secretary)
Warren Forster (Explorers Leader)
Jon Jackson (Scout Leader)
Daniel Le Corney (Cub Leader)
Bridgette Watson (Beaver Leader)
District Team Leaders:
Gemma Lambeth
Catherine Hodges
Also present were cubs and their parents / carers.|| |Apologies|Matthew Randall|| |**Agenda Item**|**Discussion**|**Action**| |Minutes of previous
meeting|Minutes from previous AGM – x1 amendment
to spelling error in name
Minutes approved – see embed.
Confirmed AGM
Minutes 100922.docx|| |Annual report by
treasurer and adoption of
accounts|Copies made available for all.
1stApproved: Bridgette Watson
2ndApproved: Jon Jackson
Please see below.
1st Birchington Air
Scout Group AGM Rep|All leaders to
encourage Gift Aid
forms to be
completed| |Group section reports|Bob Kingsman read overall summary
Reports approved.
1st Birchington Air
Scout Group AGM Rep|| 15 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 |Year Ended 31stMarch 2024||| |---|---|---| |Adoption of constitution
as per POR 5.4|New policy organisation / rules for scouting.
Previously members were executive
committee and now Trustee Board
Adopted bythegroup|| |Election of members to
the Trustee Board|Following positions were nominated and
approved.
Vacant (Chair)
Bob Kingsman (Group Lead Volunteer)
Richard Phillpott (Deputy Group Lead
Volunteer)
Samantha Stanton (Treasurer)
Samantha David (Secretary)
Warren Forster (Explorer Leader)
Jon Jackson (Scout Leader)
Daniel LeCorney (Cub Leader)
Bridgette Watson (Beaver Leader)
Matthew Randall (Maintenance lead)|| |Chair vacancy|The group passed on their thanks to Ben Goult
who has held the position of chair for a
number ofyears. Thisposition is now vacant.|| |Parent Representative|There are currently vacancies for parent
representatives in the following groups:
Beavers
Cubs
Scouts
Explorers|Parents were asked
to consider
volunteering for this| |Independent Assessor of
Accounts|Samantha Stanton explained that Alison Blake
will independently assess the accounts in line
with charity requirements.
Groupapproved this nomination|| |Youth Investment Fund|The 1stBirchington group has been successful
in obtaining a grant for maintenance to the
hut. This will include; roof being replaced /
cavity insulation / rendering / electrical
update and CCTV if money allows. A new
boiler has also been installed.
Thanks were given to Richard Phillpott for all
of his work / time in applying for the grant
and Matthew Randall for technical support /
advice.|| |AOB|None|| |Date of next meeting|tbc|| 16 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Annual Reports & Accounts Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 Charity Commission Registered Number: 303417 1 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## CONTENTS ||Page| |---|---| |AGM Agenda|3| |Trustee Board|4| |General Scout Leader Report|5| |Financial Report|6| |Beaver Secton Report|7| |Cub Secton Report|8| |Scout Secton Report|9| |Explorers Secton Report|10| |Accounts to 31stMarch 2024|11 – 14| |(including Independent Examiner’s Report)|| |Minutes of AGM 23rdJanuary 2024|15 - 16| 2 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) ## FRIDAY 4[th] OCTOBER 2024 ## AGENDA 1. Welcome and Apologies 2. Approve Minutes of 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group AGM 23/01/2024 3. Annual report by Treasurer and Adoption of Accounts 4. Group Section Reports 5. Adoption of Constitution as per POR 5.4 6. Nomination and Election of members to Trustee Board (Group Scout Leader / Deputy Group Scout Lead / Section Leaders) 7. Nomination and Election of Group Chair 8. Nomination and Election of Group Treasurer 9. Nomination and Election of Group Secretary 10. Nomination, Election and Approval of other members to the Group Trustee Board (e.g. fundraiser etc) 11. Approval of the Independent Examiner 12. Youth Investment Fund 13. Close 3 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## TRUSTEE BOARD Group Lead Volunteer Bob Kingsman Deputy Group Lead Volunteer Richard Phillpot Chairperson Ben Goult (resigned 23[rd] January 2024) Vacant Treasurer Samantha Stanton Secretary Samantha David Explorers Leader Warren Forster Scout Leader Jon Jackson (resigned 8[th] May 2024) Cub Scout Leader Daniel LeCorney Beaver Scout Leader Brigette Watson Maintenance Leader Matthew Randall (appointed 23[rd] January 2024) 4 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## GENERAL SCOUT LEADER REPORT 2023/24 I recommend that you take the time to read all the section reports to appreciate the great activities that are provided by our team of volunteers throughout the year. We have had an interesting time since our last AGM whilst the refurbishment work has been going on at the hut which was out of action for a number of weeks. Meetings carried on at various venues to ensure scouting carried on in Birchington, thanks to all volunteers who went the extra mile to make this happen. Scouting nationally is implementing new systems and initiatives to make it more accessible for anyone to volunteer and enjoy more support with a team based approach to Scouting, now is a great time to get involved! Once again thank you to all parents who help on an occasional basis, and especially when we go camping and on trips. We now have a building which is fresh and warm with updated safety features thanks to a generous grant from the youth investment fund, this has been completed thanks to the efforts of Richard Phillpott( assistant GLV), Sam Stanton (treasurer) and Matt Randell (Bagheera). Special thanks to Matt who spent many hours at the hut sorting the electrics, cctv and fire protection. We have young people waiting to join our group due to a shortage of leaders/helpers so please consider coming forward to help if you can spare a couple of hours a week. We also need a new chairman and fundraising team so plenty of opportunities to step up and help your young people. _Please check messages on social media to ensure your young people are at the right place, at the right tme._ Bob (Mowgli) 1st Birchington Air Scouts : Preparing young people with skills for life 5 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## FINANCIAL REPORT 2023/24 The opening cash balance was £17,111 and the closing cash balance was £16,589, as a result of a net payment of £522 over the financial year. Funds received from subscriptions and activities were £8,553, with £7,425 being spent on the Youth Programme and activities for the Beaver, Cubs and Scouts during the year. Highlights on these have been discussed in the section reports. We were able to claim Gift Aid of £853 on the subscriptions. Due to the hard work from Richard and Bob £74,021 of funding was secured from the Youth Investment Fund to replace the roof on the Scout Hut. With the support of Matt the majority of this work was complete by the end of March. A further amount, £10,123 has been received since the year end, to support with the completion of this project. I would like to say thank you to all those involved, the benefits for the scouting community in Birchington will be seen for many years to come. Community groups are still using the hut and this generated income of £1,749 in 2023/24. There were two street collections and with the activities that were held in the hut during these we raised £1,795, which helps support the running costs of the Group. With ongoing costs, such as utilities, cleaning, insurance and purchasing new equipment these funds are essential to help support the Group’s activities. During the year we also set up a new higher interest bank account to help generate additional income for the Group. I’m looking forward to seeing what exciting activities will happen in 2024/5 for the sections, thank you to everyone for their hard work this year. Samantha Stanton, Treasurer 6 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## BEAVER SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Since our last AGM beavers have been busy getting out and about doing badges and activities. We have made volcanoes on the beach, had custard cream stacking competitions, and thrown tomahawks with visitors at the hut. Beavers have completed eight badges including taking photos of the village, growing sunflowers and beans, and learning morse code. We have also completed some staged activity badges visiting the Manston air museum and learning the phonetic alphabet. And every week we complete bits of the challenge badges learning to tie knots, light candles and learning a song in British sign language. Beavers have helped in the village selling poppies with the British Legion, dressing as elves in the Christmas lights event and litter picking in Crispe Park. At the time of writing this report we are looking forward to an Olympic sleepover and hoping that Vicky will be assessed for her nights away permit. We have another booked for October at Marshside. We currently have thirteen beavers with three going up to cubs in September. We still only have two leaders with Mary still helping regularly for us. We have had a new helper in Steve who helps when work allows. Unfortunately, he will not be able to stay with us past autumn half-term so won't get to complete any training. So, we are still looking out for regular helpers who may turn into leaders! We have said a beaver thank you to the Baptist Church for lending us their space while the scout hut had its new roof work. We couldn't have kept the activities going without their support. And as always, I have a huge thank you to say to Vicky and Mary and all the parents who have been able to help and keep our colony doing the fun scouting activities we all enjoy. Birch. Brigete Watson, Beaver Team Leader. 7 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## CUBS SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Hi, welcome to the section of the annual report where I try to cram a year’s worth of Cub activities into one side of A4. In the spring and summer terms I like to get the Cubs outdoors as much as possible - weather permitting - so we managed to get outside for evenings at Crispe Park (tracking), the rec (navigation) and Minnis Bay (crabbing and water rockets). Across the country, Scouts were encouraged to take part in a ‘big help out’ in the community to mark the King’s coronation. The Cubs partnered up with the Birchington Anti-litter Group and used their litter pickers to carry out a tidy up of rubbish around the village. Finally, as an end of term treat, we had a great evening at Nelson Park, riding and grooming horses. (Not at the same time.) A weekend camp was held at Ross Woods in June to give our newer Cubs a camping experience ahead of the highlight of the year. This was our summer camp, five days and four nights at Broadstone Warren in the Ashdown Forest. 12 Cubs, 9 leaders/helpers, 2 other young people and 1 dog took part. Upon arrival there was a downpour of rain which lasted non-stop for 18 hours… and so Bagheera and Mowgli became VERY familiar with the local launderette. Despite this, I did not hear one word of complaint from the Cubs. So what did they get up to? Climbing, abseiling, zip wiring, artificial tunneling, rafted canoeing, McFlurry and Domino’s eating, washing up-ing, visiting Hundred Acre Wood and pooh sticks bridge from the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Bluebell steam railway journeying. Yes, I think that is enough to give you a taste. In the autumn term we completed the communicator and astronomer badges, visited the Powell-Cotton Museum as part of the Kent Scouts LionAid challenge and enjoyed a sunny October hike in the Stodmarsh nature reserve. In November we spent a night underground trying to sleep at the Ramsgate Tunnels, using the basic beds and washing facilities which were used when people sheltered down there during the Second World War. This was a unique experience and we had great fun exploring the old railway tunnels. Our last meeting before Christmas was a visit to the ice-skating rink at Quex Park. The result? Not quite Torvill and Dean, but it wasn’t Bambi on ice either. The first three months of the year are always pretty gloomy, weather- and Scouting-wise, and we spent a month meeting elsewhere while work was going on at the scout hut. Still, we put together a decent programme, making airfix model Spitfires and swimming at Birchington Vale and some German, Spanish and Holi activities for the international badge - or should that be the eating-lots-of-foreign-food-andmaking-a-mess-with-coloured-powder badge? At the very end of March, we started a series of visits to Monkton Nature Reserve as part of the naturalist (got to make sure I’ve got that word right) badge which is being completed later in the summer months of 2024. A couple of shout outs: Henry and Toby for earning their Chief Scout Silver awards; Bagheera, Kim, Hathi, Chil, Mowgli and Willow for their time helping the Cubs this year; and a big BRAVO to Ella, Gareth and Sue, who have generously provided the catering for our camps and sleepovers since 2019 (by a rough count I think they have done this on 9 different events) and have now understandably decided it’s time to take a break from this responsibility. Finally, well done to all the Cubs for everything you’ve achieved this year, it means a lot to me and the other leaders ## Daniel (Rama) 8 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## SCOUTS SECTION REPORT 2023/24 Over the past year, our scout section has had a remarkable year in growth, adventure and achievements. Despite the natural ebb and flow of scouts ageing out of the section, we have successfully maintained our numbers. This stability is largely thanks to the enthusiasm of our current scouts, as well as the leadership team. It’s always sad to lose scouts, but we are immensely proud of those who have successfully completed their chief scout gold award. This achievement reflects the hard work, commitment they have put in and we are immensely proud of them. Additionally, we have several scouts on track to complete their chief scout award soon, although we will be losing some of these dedicated members due to age. This year our scouts have had the opportunity to experience a variety of exciting activities, each one bringing its own set of challenges and fun. Climbing and abseiling at revolution skate park brought about some significant challenges for our scout troop. It takes a lot of courage and trust, but the scouts had a thrilling time pushing their limits and building confidence. Our scouts also had a truly unique experience sleeping underground in Margate Caves, getting up close with the local wildlife...Slugs. Over the course of our building renovations, the Scouts were lucky enough to call the RAF Manston History Museum home. This allowed them to explore aviation history in more depth, learning valuable lessons from the past. Coming up, we have an eagerly awaited overnight trip to Ramsgate Tunnels, where the scouts will sleep in bunks reminiscent of those used in World War II. It promises to be both educational and a fun experience for everyone. This year also saw changes to our leadership team. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to one of our leaders who started the scout section back up at 1st Birchington, it was a heartfelt loss to the section. However, we were fortunate to gain a new leader, Sara, whose enthusiasm has made her a fantastic addition to our hardworking team. That being said, our need for more adult leaders remains a priority in order to expand our section and offer even more opportunities to current and future scouts. As we head into the next year, we are filled with optimism and excitement for what’s to come. With our current scouts achieving great things and plenty of awesome activities on the horizon, the future for our troop looks bright. To ensure we continues to thrive, we will be focusing on the growth of the troop, both adult leaders and scouts, while maintaining the enthusiasm that makes our troop so awesome. Thank you to both Sara and Toby for all the work they put into your ‘two hours a week’. Our section would not run without either of them giving all they’re hard work. Lastly, our troop would be in dire straits without our young leaders, they are the glue that holds it altogether. They have worked incredibly hard this year helping us adults to make each night run smoothly and keeping us oldies current within the world of teenagers. Thank you guys! ## Jody (Hobbit) 9 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## EXPLORERS LEADER REPORT 2023/24 Having grown quite quickly in the last couple of years, our numbers are now holding at around 19, sadly saying goodbye to some members as they turn 18 and regularly enrolling Scouts from Minster and Westgate as well as Birchington. We still meet every other week which seems to fit in around the Adult Volunteers work commitments and the Explorers own commitments, whether they are for part time jobs or for helping out as Young Leaders, which we encourage new Explorers to sign up for as many use it to tick off their volunteering requirement of their DofE award. The Explorers programme is guided by them and we encourage them to make the most of their last couple of years in Scouting as Young People and the emphasis is always on fun and stress busting, especially around those dreaded exams. Planning and completing hikes, Pumpkin Carving, Pioneering at the Dip, Escape rooms, Karaoke, Quiz nights, Movie nights and recreating The Traitors and Squid Game (don’t worry, no Explorers were harmed and it was sweets hanging from the rafters as the prize) were some of our personal favourites from this past year. We aim to bring every opportunity to our Explorers which includes national and international events such as the Kent Scouts Rollercoaster Madness, London Monopoly Run or International Jamborees. Although some of them have enjoyed or signed up to these events, as the programme is tailored by them, we feel they would enjoy a camp that is just theirs which we have unfortunately been unable to offer as none of our leadership team currently has the necessary training. So we are looking to make amends and myself and Joe will finally be receiving training next month and will hopefully be assessed and ready to plan a proper Summer camp for the Explorers in 2025 and generally have more nights under canvas beyond that, finally getting to put the EXPLORE in Explorers! I have to say that although our programme has been great over the past 12 months, we have been severely limited in what we can do as our funds were locked away in our GoCardless and we were unable to access them, whilst we transferred our banking to 1st Birchington’s account. After a lot of back and forths and with the help of Sam (our treasurer) we are finally able to access our funds once again. Although, sadly, we have lost a key member of our leadership team as Hannah has decided to take a step back from Scouting for the foreseeable future and I would like to thank her for keeping our Unit as one of her many spinning plates for so long. She has been a fantastic Leader, an inspiration to our Explorers and we hope that she’ll find a way back to Scouting at some point. However, Joe has joined us full time from Westgate and we’ll be joined regularly by Ryan, another of our former Explorers. But as our Unit grows and we look for more opportunities for camping further afield, we would love to hear from any potential leaders or helpers so that we can offer our fantastic group of Explorers as much Scouting as possible. Warren, Explorer Team Leader. 10 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 2023.24 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the**
**year from**|**1st April 2023**|**To**|**31st March 2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Receipts and payments**||||| |**Receipts**||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**5,558**
**2,079**
**853**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**| |**Donations, legacies and similar**
**income**||||| |Membershipsubscriptions||**5,558**||**5,090**| |Donations||**2,079**||**3,020**| |Gift Aid||**853**||**927**| |**Sub total**||**8,490**||**9,037**| |**Grants**||||| |Youth Investment Fund Grant||**74,021**||**-**| |**Sub total**||**74,021**||**-**| |**Fundraising events (gross)**||||| |Street Collections||**1,795**||**527**| |Beaver/Cub/Scout activities||**2,995**||**599**| |**Sub total**||**4,790**||**1,126**| |**Investment income**||||| |Bank interest||**241**||**18**| |**Sub total**||**241**||**18**| |**_Total Gross Income_**
**Asset and investment sales, etc.**
**_Total receipts_**||||| |||**87,542**||**10,181**| |||**-**||| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**87,542**||**10,181**| 11 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the**
**year from**|**1st April 2023**|**To**|**31st March 2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Receipts and payments**||||| |**Payments**||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**2,334**
**7,425**
**73,021**
**218**
**919**
**759**
**598**
**706**
**1,055**
**65**
**549**
**215**
**28**
**172**
**88,064**
**88,064**
**(522)**
**17,111**
**16,589**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted funds**
**£**| |**Charitable Payments**||||| |Membership subscriptions paid on
(National/County/Area/District)||**2,334**||**2,172**| |Youthprogramme and activities||**7,425**||**4,150**| |Youth Investment Grant Expenditure||**73,021**||**-**| |Water and Sewerage||**218**||**182**| |Electricityand Gas||**919**||**2,266**| |Insurance||**759**||**694**| |Repairs and Renewals||**598**||**1,134**| |Materials and equipment||**706**||**1,388**| |Uniforms||**1,055**||**76**| |Council tax||**65**||**138**| |Cleaning||**549**||**507**| |Groupexpenses||**215**||**283**| |Donations||**28**||**19**| |Bank Charges||**172**||**115**| |**Sub total**||**88,064**||**13,124**| |**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||| |||||**13,124**| |||||| |||**(522)**||**(2,943)**| |||**17,111**||**20,054**| |||**16,589**||**17,111**| 12 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## **1st Birchington Air Scout Group (Charity no. 303417) Receipts and payments account** ||**For the year from**|**1st April**
**2023**|**To**|**31st March**
**2024**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year**||||| |||**2023/24**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**1,751**
**14,838**
**-**
**16,589**
ok
**16,589**||**2022/23**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**| |**Cash funds**||||| |Bank current account||**1,751**||**6,601**| |Bank deposit account||**14,838**||**10,510**| |Cash/Floats||**-**||**-**| |**Total cash funds**||**16,589**||**17,111**| |(agree balances with receipts and payments account)||||ok| |**Total net assets**||**16,589**||**17,111**| **The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities were approved by the Trustees on __________________2024 (the date of the Trustee Board meeting that approved the accounts) and signed on their behalf by** |Signature|Print Name| |---|---| ||Chair| ||Treasurer| 13 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS 14 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 ||1stBirchington Air Scout Group
Annual General Meetng (AGM)
23rdJanuary 2024
Venue: Scout Hut Birchington|1stBirchington Air Scout Group
Annual General Meetng (AGM)
23rdJanuary 2024
Venue: Scout Hut Birchington| |---|---|---| |Attendees|Ben Goult (Chair)
Bob Kingsman (Group Scout leader)
Richard Philpott (Deputy Group Scout Leader)
Samantha Stanton (Treasurer)
Samantha David (Secretary)
Warren Forster (Explorers Leader)
Jon Jackson (Scout Leader)
Daniel Le Corney (Cub Leader)
Bridgette Watson (Beaver Leader)
District Team Leaders:
Gemma Lambeth
Catherine Hodges
Also present were cubs and their parents / carers.|| |Apologies|Matthew Randall|| |**Agenda Item**|**Discussion**|**Action**| |Minutes of previous
meeting|Minutes from previous AGM – x1 amendment
to spelling error in name
Minutes approved – see embed.
Confirmed AGM
Minutes 100922.docx|| |Annual report by
treasurer and adoption of
accounts|Copies made available for all.
1stApproved: Bridgette Watson
2ndApproved: Jon Jackson
Please see below.
1st Birchington Air
Scout Group AGM Rep|All leaders to
encourage Gift Aid
forms to be
completed| |Group section reports|Bob Kingsman read overall summary
Reports approved.
1st Birchington Air
Scout Group AGM Rep|| 15 | P a g e 1[st] Birchington Air Scout Group Year Ended 31[st] March 2024 |Year Ended 31stMarch 2024||| |---|---|---| |Adoption of constitution
as per POR 5.4|New policy organisation / rules for scouting.
Previously members were executive
committee and now Trustee Board
Adopted bythegroup|| |Election of members to
the Trustee Board|Following positions were nominated and
approved.
Vacant (Chair)
Bob Kingsman (Group Lead Volunteer)
Richard Phillpott (Deputy Group Lead
Volunteer)
Samantha Stanton (Treasurer)
Samantha David (Secretary)
Warren Forster (Explorer Leader)
Jon Jackson (Scout Leader)
Daniel LeCorney (Cub Leader)
Bridgette Watson (Beaver Leader)
Matthew Randall (Maintenance lead)|| |Chair vacancy|The group passed on their thanks to Ben Goult
who has held the position of chair for a
number ofyears. Thisposition is now vacant.|| |Parent Representative|There are currently vacancies for parent
representatives in the following groups:
Beavers
Cubs
Scouts
Explorers|Parents were asked
to consider
volunteering for this| |Independent Assessor of
Accounts|Samantha Stanton explained that Alison Blake
will independently assess the accounts in line
with charity requirements.
Groupapproved this nomination|| |Youth Investment Fund|The 1stBirchington group has been successful
in obtaining a grant for maintenance to the
hut. This will include; roof being replaced /
cavity insulation / rendering / electrical
update and CCTV if money allows. A new
boiler has also been installed.
Thanks were given to Richard Phillpott for all
of his work / time in applying for the grant
and Matthew Randall for technical support /
advice.|| |AOB|None|| |Date of next meeting|tbc|| 16 | P a g e utsuO> DC c o rJ J