## **SCOUTS** 

## **EALING AND HANWELL** 

# **Ealing and Hanwell Scout District Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25** 

1 



## **EALING AND HANWELL DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL 114th Annual General Meeting Wednesday, 24[th] September 2025 at 7.30pm held at Leighton Hall** 

## **AGENDA** 

## **1. Introduction and welcome** 

## **2. Apologies for absence** 

## **3. Governance topics** 

- a. Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 25[th] September 2024 

- b. Adopt the model constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules 

- c. Note the District’s financial year – 1[st] April to 31[st] March 

- d. Approve appointed and community members of the District Scout Council (refer Page 3) 

- e. Agree the maximum number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board – 9 individuals 

- f. Agree the quorum for future meetings of the District Scout Council. 

   - 15 for AGM 

   - 1/3 +1 for the Trustee Board meetings ( _Either the District Lead Volunteer or the District Chairperson must be present. The District Treasurer must be present to approve any financial decisions.)_ 

## **4. Review of the previous year** 

- a. The District Lead Volunteer’s review of Scouts in Ealing and Hanwell (HJ) 

- b. Receive and consider the Annual Report of the District Trustee Board including the annual Statement of the Accounts (LW) 

## **5. Making appointments** 

The following appointments are proposed by the Trustee board for the approval of the Scout Council. All Trustees will serve for 1 year, unless otherwise stated. 

- a. Appoint the District Chair – Jonathan Bartlett 

- b. Appoint the District Treasurer – Louise Woodward 

- c. Appoint other members of the District Trustee Board – Continuing: Mary Rabey. New:  Charlie Combes. Stepping Down: Heather Jones, Mary Power, Ben Farmer and Jacqueline McKenna. There are 2 ex-officio members of the Trustee Board, Diogene De Souza - District Lead Volunteer and Georgie Horwich - District Youth Lead. 

- d. To note the existing appointments of the District President and Vice-Presidents – President: Anthony Philips. Vice-Presidents: Chris Cosstick, Alan Jeffries, Roy Gosling, John Matthews, Steve Douglas, Malcolm Turner, John Foxwell, Mary Power and Diana Ljubisic.  To approve any new appointments of President or Vice Presidents. 

2 



- e. To appoint the Independent Examiner – Sheila Burt. 

- f. Nominate representatives of the District Scout Council to represent the District on the County Scout Council. 

## **6. County Presentation – Chad Lake** 

**7. President’s Presentation – Anthony Phillips** 

**8. Youth Presentation** 

**9. Awards & Recognition – Heather Jones** 

**10. Any other Business** 

**11. Closing remarks** 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

## **SCOUTS POR: 5b.3.2.5** 

## **Members of the District Scout Council** 

**The following list constitutes members of the District Scout Council and therefore outlines those who hold Voting Rights at today’s Annual General Meeting.** 

- a. all adult members with a District role - see District roles listed in the Chapter 16 Teams Table 

- b. all Group Lead Volunteer members of each Group Leadership Team from the District 

- c. all Group Leadership Team Members of each Group in the District 

- d. all Group Section Team Members of each Group in the District 

- e. all Group Trustee Board Chairs from the District 

- f. all Group Trustee Board Treasurers from the District 

- g. all Explorers (including Young Leaders) in the District 

- h. all members of the Scout Network in the District 

- i. all parents of all Explorers (including Young Leaders) in the District 

- j. ([[NI]] only) Regional Lead Volunteer 

- k. the County ([[NI]] Country) Lead Volunteer 

- l. the County ([[NI]] Country) Chair 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

3 



## **Minutes of the 113[th] Annual General Meeting of Ealing & Hanwell District Scout Council held at Leighton Hall on Wednesday 25[th] September 2024 at 7.30 pm** 

## **1. Introduction and Welcome** 

- Jonathan Bartlett (JB) warmly welcomed everyone to the 113[th] Annual General Meeting of the Ealing and Hanwell District Scout Council and thanked everyone for attending. 

## **2. Apologies for Absence** 

Apologies were received from Steve Douglas, Alan Jefferies, Ben Farmer, Mandy Coombes, Nisha Patel, Caroline Lumb, Holly Smallman and Maggie Ma. 

## **3. Governance Topics** 

a) The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 27[th] September 2023 were **approved** as a true record. **Proposed:** Heather Jones. **Seconded:** John Foxwell 

b) Adopt the model constitution from Policy, Organisation and Rules 

The language of the constitution has changed due to policy changes by Scouting and the Charity Commission. 

**Proposed:** Georgie Horwich **Seconded:** Mark Yates 

c) Note the District’s financial year – 1[st] April to 31[st] March 

d) Approve appointed and community members of the District Scout Council. **Proposed:** Mary Power **Seconded:** Mary Rabey 

John Foxwell asked whether vice-presidents are members of the District Scout Council – the Trustees need to seek clarification on this. HJ proposed that all Vice Presidents be appointed members of the District Scout council. 

**Proposed:** Heather Jones 

## **ALL AGREED** 

e) Agree the maximum number of members that may be appointed to the Trustee Board, the same as last year – 12 individuals can be appointed 

**Proposed:** Diogene De Souza **Seconded:** Jacky McKenna 

f) Agree the quorum for future meetings of the District Scout Council 

15 for AGM and 1/3 +1 for the Trustee Board meetings 

**Proposed:** Nuria Belinchon **Seconded:** Diogene De Souza 

## **4. Review of the Previous Year** 

## **a) The District Lead Volunteer’s review of Scouting in Ealing and Hanwell** 

Heather Jones (HJ) advised that it has been a pretty good year for the District.  The big switch-over to a new digital system (to replace compass) and the transition to new roles and a new District Team Structure is still ongoing but we are working very hard behind the scenes to make it happen.  HJ thanked all the group leaders/GLVs for their help with the tidying up to get ready for when compass is switched off. 

Looking back over the last year it has been a year of considerable challenges – 1[st] Hanwell’s huge challenge with their RAAC issue, 7[th] Hanwell’s amazing efforts to fundraise for the significant improvement of the Warren and supporting 6[th] Ealing who have some uncertainty about the security of their current venue at Pitshanger Methodist church. HJ advised that they are in the process of formalising the role of District Lead Volunteer. Going forward Heather, Mandy and Nisha will be equally District Lead Volunteers. 

4 



HJ apologised that she had forgotten to include the Talent Show in the list of events. It was a charity fund raiser to lift the profile of the charity Ealing Christmas Dinners who wraps Christmas presents for young people in care.  There is a wonderful list of events, but none of these would be possible without the hard work of our program team, in particular Stuart Flaye for Scouts, Francis Buchan for Cubs and the fantastic camporee, and Mandy Cuttler for Beavers.  A huge thanks to the team who look after all our events. 

HJ tried to capture some of the achievements – many of our leaders are working towards their wood badge and getting permits. The health of the district is solid, although total numbers are slightly down on last year, underlying that is a very robust situation across all the groups. We are very conscience of not only the need to recruit but also to retain volunteers. A huge thanks to all group scout leaders across all ten groups.  The District has had some growth successes, particularly at 8[th] Hanwell and the explorers have successfully expanded to a third night. There are the challenges of the waiting lists and the unmet demand. The District team could do with more help at scouting, explorers and at network level. 

Huge thanks to all of our District Core Team over the last year. Here are some of the key Team changes since the last AGM: leaving our team of GLVs this year is Doug Rowe. We welcome Adrian, Sergio and Nuria as the new GLV team for 7[th] Hanwell; Tasneem as co-Lead at 6[th] Ealing, Mandy Cuttler our new Beaver Sub-Team lead; and David Hurley as a Nights Away Adviser. 

HJ thanked a number of people for all their hard work: JB not only as Chair but also as de facto ‘Building Manager at Leighton Hall and managing the kitchen project; Cliff Brooke and Pete Balls who look after our fantastic campsite; and Kathy Paddison for getting the Welcome conversation system up and running. The Welcome conversation team would benefit from being supplemented by more people. 

## **b) To receive and consider the Annual Report of the District Trustee Board including the annual Statement of the Accounts for the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024** 

Louise Woodward (LW) advised that overall, the District is in a healthy position with total funds of £276,000 as at the end of the last financial year. Of that our general funds are £81,000 which is about 8 months of running costs if anything was to go wrong.  There is £177,000 of ring-fenced funds, which include the £153,000 Stoke Poges building fun: £18,000 of fully restricted funds, of that £15,700 is the Gordon Woodhouse hardship fund. Last year we had 10 applications to the hardship fund totalling £1,750, which is £300 higher than the previous year.  A number of large grants were made during the year: £10,000 to 1[st] Hanwell towards the roof repairs; we made a promise of £10,000 to 7[th] Hanwell for the rebuild of the Warren; £500 for 1[st] Hanwell Squirrel section set up and £675 for 1[st] Hanwell’s rent whilst their headquarters are under repair. Because of the large grants in the year there was no allocation to the Stoke Poges building fund as the surplus was used up.  Camping fees for the year were over £39,000 which is higher than any previous year and the District camp showed a surplus of over £5,000.  This year over £21,000 was spent on maintenance and repairs at Leighton Hall including some large costs, a new boiler, the floors were sanded and varnished, and the deposit for the kitchen. At Walter Davies £22,000 was spent on maintenance, repairs and improvements. On the Asset register the explorer trailer needs to be changed to District Trailer.  At last year’s AGM the question was asked about the valuation of the District’s assets for insurance purposes.  JB advised that all the buildings have been revalued and updated accordingly with the insurance company to the correct valuation.  John Foxwell asked about changing the name from hardship fund to assistance fund and as both hardship funds are very healthy to encourage everyone in the district to apply for assistance.  LW advised that the hardship funds are for genuine hardship, not to be used as grants.  The hardship fund is an internally generated fund, primarily from the badge account and this name can be changed.  The Gordon Woodhouse is a donated amount so the name may not be able to be changed but we can refer to it differently. Everything that goes out at district and group level encourages assistance to be applied for if required. HJ advised that it is an ongoing challenge because the Gordon Woodhouse hardship fund is all there is, so will diminish over time and be gone, and the internal fund will no longer be bolstered by badge income as we have switched to the Greenford Scouts shop.  HJ acknowledged that it is a challenge for the trustees going forward how to replenish the Hardship funds – do we start to fundraise, commit to a set amount each year, as it is important that we continue to offer that support to young people who might otherwise miss out on these opportunities. 

JB added that the driveway at Stoke Poges will be asphalted up to the parking lot. Diogene De Souza has been working with Heathrow to have the asphalt donated and we are hoping that the driveway will be in by Christmas. 

5 



## **5. Making appointments** 

The following appointments are proposed by the Trustee board for the approval of the Scout Council. All Trustees will serve for 1 year, unless otherwise stated. 

- a) Appoint the District Chair – Jonathan Bartlett 

- b) Appoint the District Treasurer – Louise Woodward (serve for 2 years) 

- c) Appoint other members of the District Trustee Board – Continuing: Mary Power, Mary Rabey (serve for 2 years), Ben Farmer, Diogene De Souza (serve for 2 years) and Jacqueline McKenna. New: Steve Pound. Stepping Down: Mary Harpley. There are 2 ex-officio members of the Trustee Board, Heather Jones as District Lead Volunteer and Georgie Horwich as the new District Youth Lead. [Jacqueline McKenna is continuing as the secretary of the Trustee Board but also now separately holds the role of Trustee]. 

   - **Proposed:** Mark Yates **Seconded:** Toby Hillman 

- d) To note the existing appointments of the District President and Vice-Presidents – President: Anthony Philips. Vice-Presidents: Chris Cosstick, Alan Jeffries, Roy Gosling, John Matthews, Steve Douglas, Malcolm Turner and John Foxwell.  To approve any new appointments of President or Vice Presidents. Appoint new Vice Presidents Mary Power and Diana Ljubisic. 

- **Appoved:** By all present. 

- e) To appoint the Independent Examiner – Sheila Burt. 

   - **Proposed:** Jacky McKenna **Seconded:** John Foxwell 

- f) Nominate representatives of the District Scout Council to represent the District on the County Scout Council. 

Mary Power and Diana Ljubisic agreed to continue for another year. 

## **6. County Presentation – Cathy Muxlow** 

Cathy acknowledged that it is exciting times with the transformation – changing our computer systems and role names. With changes there are always challenges, and the transformation has been very difficult. The changes will make things easier and be better in the long run so please stick with it.  There are things we need to do differently but it doesn’t change the essence of what we are doing.  HQ want us to change the culture of scouting, be safer, be more welcoming, be more accessible. Ealing and Hanwell scouting is already at the end of that journey, so you do not have massive changes to make like other districts around the country. The district is growing, has introduced Squirrels, network is officially meeting and going to County events, the district lead team is growing. Cathy acknowledged the number of leaders across the county from Ealing and Hanwell and how much the district does so well. Cathy thanked everyone and asked that we keep doing what we are doing and enjoying it. 

John Foxwell asked for more definitive information on the transformation.  Cathy advised that she has been told that we need to get the information on the computers right by the end of the month and that HQ will not be further extending the contract of the team employed to deliver this. HQ have said it will be switched on and being used before Christmas. The new system is not as straightforward as it should be, and the team are working incredibly hard to make it right. The compass freeze will most likely be at the end of October, rather than end of September. Cathy advised they may close down some areas of compass before then so to get everything you can on compass before the 30[th ] .  HJ advised that HQ need a team of us to be trouble shooters who will get to play around with the system before it goes live. The leadership team would like to set up a core support team within the district and she asked for volunteers who would like to have an early play on the dummy system who could then join the trouble shooters team and offer support once the system goes live. 

6 



## **7. President’s Presentation – Anthony Phillips** 

- A big thank you from Anthony and all the Vice-Presidents for all the hard work being put into scouting, it is absolutely superb what you have all achieved.  Thank you to the new appointments, to Steve Douglas, Jenny Foxwell and Alan Jefferies.  Anthony wished everyone the best for the future and once again thank you everyone for all the hard work you put in to make scouting what it is. 

## **8. Youth Presentations** 

Henry Hillman, an explorer scout gave a presentation on his Bronze DofE award.  He has picked up valuable skills through his volunteering and his new skill playing hockey.  He plus 22 other explorers tackled Box Hill, North Downs on their 2-day expedition, which was difficult with huge packs on their backs, staying overnight in a tent in the middle of a field sleeping through a big thunderstorm and not getting washed away. Henry thoroughly enjoyed it. DofE is not just about the expedition but about learning skills which helps you in the future. 

## **9. Awards and Recognition** 

HJ presented the many awards for years of service, wood badges and an award for merit. She presented a Commendation to Christine Upfold for dedication and exceptional work expanding scouting in North Hanwell.  Mary Power was awarded her 40-year award.  Commendations were awarded to Tyler Pierce Scott and Ian Duckworth from 1[st] Hanwell and Diogene De Souza from Explorers. An award for merit was awarded to Jenny Foxwell for her outstanding work.  The full role of honours will be put on the District website. Heather warmly thanked and congratulated everyone who received an award. 

## **10. Any Other Business** 

Ben Douglas asked about capitation for next year, that he had not received information of the District portion. HJ advised that this decision will be made at the November Trustee meeting, and we will get the information out after that. 

## **11. Close** 

Jonathan formally closed the 113[th] AGM and looks forward to seeing everyone in 12 months. 

## **Present** : 40 

Cathy Muxlow, Anthony Phillips, Chris Cosstick, Roy Gosling, Malcolm Turner, John Foxwell, Jenny Foxwell, Mary Power, Diana Ljubisic, Jonathan Barlett, Heather Jones, Louise Woodward, Jacqueline McKenna, Mary Rabey, Diogene De Souza, Georgina Horwich, Kathy Paddison, Pete Balls, Nuria Belinchon,  Frances Buchan, Mike Cowan, Stuart Flaye, Sergio Garrido-Lestache,  William Benson, Missa Lee, Christine Upfold, Cliff Brooke, John Groat, Henry Hillman, Oscar Hillier, Mandi Townsend, Keith Townsend, Stephen Pound, Matt Lee, David Cleverly, Akit Hewitt, Mark Yates , Joanna Levy,  Ben Douglas, Toby Hillman. 

Meeting finished at 9.04 pm. 

**__________________________________________________________________________________________** 

7 



LKI
a> cv
000
000
o ¢0 ¢D
* •J

chnz%rn
Q) ID Q)
'11511illl
CL
10

v) D > U ¢V C) 35 Z
co
LTh
(n O O ￿ O) C4) N)
C+ ￿ a> & o
o w Ln co O Ln
*Y* a
Ln
CT) i7>
00
> CD O C
rD fD O
> Ln ts) O O 0> O
) N)

aj aj tsj co
ox co G) a)
O N) (g
(r) (5) N)
¢7)
o N)
iY•
o K)
¢n O O CO
co a> ¢£1 (
) co
¢J) 0>
12

T mc)T T
ts￿00
0000
0000
uio
oory+
0 0 sy•
00￿￿>
00￿0
Oti(D
000
) ￿ o u)
13

DCIDDCJ
D Cl Cl D
< < < < <
< < <
VJ
) ts rsj f4)
ts)
CO frf)
0000
000
C* Q
01
0000
0000
000
LTJ ts)
ts ID h)
O ¢D UJ
00
14

OC*tsJO
O a 01 Wftso
otiti(ncotiti
OootD￿00
00￿J0￿0￿)
O £11 Ct io
0￿0￿￿00
88¥B￿88
15

NJ ￿ O
XXXXXXXX3J
(D (D <D a* as
it• Q <D <D a* it• O (D
CL CL CL CL
C4)*U
o oa) o
000
000
fv) ts> o
0￿0000￿00-
o in o o o o 00
000000000
CJ) (D Q (4) £¥)
) ts> K) 4
in NJ o i
o rz+ O O h) O OO
o o o o NJ o
16

fX4
Cl IJ D U D D D Cl
J J
a) <D ffj ffj (D (D
CL CL CL
(D CX
ts) ￿ O
0> ti) o o
ts> ￿ O O O CD O
oooocoo
o000￿0
o o o) <5) o o o o
00000000
oooooooo
00000000
00000000
00000000
ts) N) O
* ￿ o
O O fD O
cg 0) ￿ o o ￿ o
ooooiwo
o000￿0
a> o
17

CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examinerfs report on the
accounts
Sectlon A
Independent Examlnerfs Report
Report to the trusteesl
mombers of
Ealing and Hanwell District Scout Council
On accounts for tho yoar
ended
31st March 2025
Charfty no
(ff any)
303622
Sot out on pagos
I report to the Irustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {"the
Trust") for the year ended 31103 12025
Responsibilitiu and basis
of report
As the charitys trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in
accordance with the requirernents of the Charitie5 Act 2011 1.the Acf).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under
section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have followed all
the applicable Direction5 given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)Ibl
of the Act.
Independent examiner's
statement
I have completed my exarnination. I confimi that no material matters have come to
my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below '}
which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect=
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the
Charities Act., or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records" or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the
form and content of accounts sel out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports)
Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true
and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent
examination.
I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with
the examination to which attention should be drawn in this rewrt in order to
enable a prop8r understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Please delete the words in th8 brackets if they do not apply.
Date:
Slgned:
Namo:
Sheila Burt
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body (rf
any):
Address:
7, The Beeches, 193 Boston Rd, Hanwell, London, W7 2JU
18

Trustees, Annual Report
For the period
Ffom{8tsrtdalB
ond dal
EME
Srftlon A
•dmlnl•tr•tlon d•tsll•
Charty nama
Oth•tn8ftkrys h•charty its known by
Regisknr•d charty nurtlef (aany)
HQ r•gi&traknn nunthr
Charty'$ Pfkncpal addr•$s
L•
hbn Hal
Bhofne Park Road
London
P05tcode
NamBS ofth• charty trusts•s wh¢ ryonag• h•¢harty
Tru¥t•• Nin
Offk• {l*Thy)
Oat•• act•d N not lorwhol•
y•ar
Jonatran Bar18tt
H8ahtrr Jonos
Louts8 Woodward
Jac
uekne
Mar Powor
Geor
a HorwKh
Dh)
ene De Souza
B8nedKtKIKhael Farff*r
Har
Rabe
hen Pound
Chatr
o￿tr￿lLea￿ vO￿n￿or
Tr8asur8r
Secrelar
DtstrKtYoutr Lead
DtstrK114-24 Lead
01AJ4r24- 25IJ9r24
25￿9[24- 15L)3Q5
Nam8s ana aaar•ss•s oia4JVts8rs {op*)flaimt*nna￿fl Dui•ncouragea as 0osiprac*•)
19

S•¢tlon B
Stru¢turn. gown1n￿ m•n4•rnnt
0•8cfpknn olth• charty's trus*s
Typèofgovèrning doeum#nt
l•o.trustd••d.consV￿fiOfij
TheD5tr*t'S￿￿n￿8dOCuMtsJetho$eo1 theTheknut ASSOC*t￿n.Th￿C0TrS￿t
of aRoWCh¥iu.whKth • turn •JthorrtytO Ihe8¥*Lavsof theASsoc￿￿Jfi
ThePoIKy.Or￿BatK*n and Rv125 01 Theknut ASSOC￿tI)n.
How th• charty is cons1￿tsd
<•o.trustassociaknn,CQfrpanyl
Th¥ District$ a tru$loslablsh•d undof 15 rulos which ar• ¢offtTh)n b al S¢ouIs.
Tho Trust005 are appo￿ts￿ ￿ 8ccordanc• th• Poky. Organisaknn and
Rules 01Th8 *oulP6socbaknn.
(*4.appoiitsd by.8lbetsd by)
Idlknnal gov•rnanc• Is8U•8
You may ¢h¢oso * ii¢bJdo addlDnal
kntsfmBlon.wh•r• r•l•vanlabout
Th8 managed by kne DtsI7￿ITrU5IBe &)ard.th8 mBrrt)ers 01wh￿h are
th• thaity Trusts•s'ofth• SLoutDi&trKlwhth ts an •ducab)nalchaity.PA
harty truskn¢s they are re$ponsble br wthJBg*lahDnappkablB *J
charfaès.This incknd•s th8 r•gislrak+n,k••p•ig prop•f accounlB and makkng
T•￿mI kn th• Charty Conrnswjn a$ 4PPtopri•l•.
Th• Tru*ts• &)4rd con¥i&ts èffft• Ch*w,Tf•asur•¢ Ind 7 TruilJe* {incbJd•ig 2
•x-okp) Trusts•s PstriclL•ad VobJnlè•r and Districtyouth Leadland 7
•ppoiitsd T¢uits•81 Ind moets •v•ry 3 nM)nth*.
Pokiès and oioc•dur•s adootsd tjf..
al the iiducknn and tra•i•ig oltruslè•s..bl
truslB•' cons￿•r4￿n olmapr riikl #nd th•
Sys￿￿ and proe•dur•$ kn managè fftam
IA• trst6 months olp)iiiig thè Board.
This Distr*tTrn$*• &ard •xis1s bffok•$ur• th•¢harty • W4￿manag1￿.
ri&ks •r•asi•¥i•d and n)*JalBd,bu*ling8 and•quyfrnnl*r• in goodworking
Ofd•r,and ev•ryon• IBgal reguw•n*nls and l)• organisaknn's pok*$
nd rul8s.Th•w supporth•*s oth•r Wo￿n￿•13 run hwjh-quahty and sa*J
pr¢granThos thalgfr4fOS young p¢opl¥ skls
Rlsk ar￿ knt•mal Control
Th• DistrKtTrus*e PLiard has •J•nfl8d th• riik8 b wh￿h th•y b•lbv• th•
D$trict$ fjxpo$gd,th•$fj have been re¥￿Wel and sy$bms hav• been
•slabthsh8d tj iif•Jats againstth•m.Th• main ar•as olconc8rn thalhav• b￿ll
are..
Damage tr) bu*lng.propofty and equyN*ntTh• Di8tr¢twoukl r•qu•sltr•
us• 0lbU￿ng$,Pf0p81ty and tqUVfMnltrom n•¥Jhbouring oigantsakns such
as church.conYrwJnty ¢•ntre 4nd &oulGroup¥. &Ta•r re¢yio¢41
arrang•mèn15 •Jti&tw•A IA•s• Ofganisa&)ns.Th• Dstriclhas surKi8ntbU￿in9s
and conknnts nsur•nco ￿ pl•ce againstp•rmononlk)$S.
knpjry t) 18•dorn.hol>•r8.•upporknr8 and rrnffl)•r8. Tho D*trKlthrough th•
captslon l#•s contrbutss Scoutksociakns nafjona1acc￿Inl11s￿fanC•
poky.RiskPo¥asiments *T• undail#k•n be￿r• 41•cfvths.
Redu¢•d i)eon* tr0mh411o￿gl. Th• Diltrttib prin•rty refjlnlupon iicotrn
tromhal IB1kng$,sub$efy&Jns and carrpiig f#•s.Th• Districldoqs hobj a
r•i•rv• t* •nsur• th• conknuty ofacfvths shouhj th•r• b• 4 m#pr r•ducknn
eom#.The P•Jard fase thè renlal va￿8 offftè pfoperS8s.increas8
canying fD•s or mcr•aso tho Wa￿• olsubscfpknns tl incroas• th•
•groupon anongoffig ba$is.¢th¥rknnyorarty oipermanfjnty.
The Distr¢thas li pl•e• ¥y$l*rn ofinknrnaleontrols thatar• d8$vJn•d t>
PfovKl• f•asonab18 assuranco agaiistmBtsri&l ff•5managom8nlof knss.th•8•
¢￿(1? 2 s¥Jnabrigs alpayrt￿nIS and a ¢04ry*rohonstro i)sur•n¢• poki•s
J onsur• thatinsufablè risks ar• cov8r8d.
20

Soctlon C
Objoctlves and actlvltS
rrrfnary ofthe ab￿Cl5 ¢fth• charty salout
Is go¥•rning docum8fit
oukngextsts tj actsvety •ng4g• and iupporlyoung p•oplJ li th•*p•rson•l
dovek)pmDnLenpow•ring t* m•k•
V•l*s •f S¢¢4rtk
s SKouls w•af• gU￿•d by th•s8 va￿0$..
trrt•wfty- W• actwth in18grty;w8 ar• hon8#(trus&vorthy and loyal.
R••p•ct- W• hgv• s8l&rosp•ctand r•sp•clbr oth•rs.
Car•-W•8UPPQrtoth•r¥ and l#k•car• olth•workl •iwhichw• fv•.
B•lhil-W• expknf• our l#th$.b•6Dfs andal￿des.
Co•owratlDn- Vlo make a posAve dthren¢e:wa ce-op•f*kn an
make triBnd$.
Th• Scout M•thDd
S£ou&ig lakes plac• Whanyo￿n9 ￿0p•&.￿Parth•￿h1JWknadUI5.WOrk
trJg•th•f bas•d on tha
Va￿•3 Of￿0￿￿9 and..
-onpy whalth•y ar• do￿94nd hav•
- lako parlin actrwths indoors and OU￿￿￿¢1
- 18arn by do•ig
- sharo mi spI￿alr0•B¢fljn
- lako resp¢nsb* and mak•¢ho¢•s
- und¢rlak¢n¢w and ¢halsngiiga¢fvI￿S
ufiig •)• yèar
rusts•s havè SUPPOftsd and •ncourag8d th• growth (J
oukng in Eakng and Hanw•l.AsuffffAry ofth8 main acfvths and
ch￿¥•M•n￿ ￿ fo￿￿n bth•¥•obi8cfv•i li •i¢￿d•￿ nth•app•nd•d8•cknn
rrory olth• rroin acfvlbs n r•lak*n
thes• obpcts
dknnald•*•s all1• obiactr4•# and aetr#lh8 {oplonal but•ncourag•d as ￿${pr3e￿OI
You may choo$• b ￿rth•{
$*knmants.wh•ra r•l•vanlabout
' p¢ky ongrant￿7k￿9
' ¢ontrbu&Jn ffkad• by Vo￿n￿tr$
' poky on m¥8skn8nis
The Districldo•$ nothav* Suk*nI￿ndS kn ffiv•$lffi knng•r ￿rrn liv#str￿n1￿.
Th• Dislriclhas IA•r8br• adoptsd a risk av•fS• stratsgy kn th• liv•Str￿n1¢1￿&
ndS.m￿nds ar• h•kl in cash using onty maffistoambanks or bulding
Fljbfjc b•n•lisl•tsmont
The D￿tr￿lM88t$ the Chafty Coffffxssi)n's pubk b8nefitcrfer￿ under both the
advanc•montol8duca&)fi and th• adv4nc•m8ntofcllz•nsh* Of coffrfwnfy
d•v•knpm8nth••diig8.
S•ctlon D
1•4*m•nt• md p•rfomMne•
Durng •)t yeaf kne Trustses hav• supportsd and encouraged th8 growth ol
oukng m Eakng and Hanwel.Asufffflary ofth• mam acfvths and
achiDv•monlB in r•laknn b th•s• obJocfv•s is inc￿d•d app•nd•d s•cknn
repofts.
SJnThiry ¢1th• a¢hi¢v•4Y*n15 01
21

S•ction E
Financial R￿1•￿
ièfs*tsThntolth8 chafty s poky on
R•s•rv•• Poky
Th¢ D*trKfspoky onf¢$¢N¢s hollsu**nl r¢sour¢¢$b ¢ontru¢th•
harfobb acfvlos ol hè Distrtt shoubj ii¢on* and lJndra¢iig acfvles
short Th• D*trKI Trustse bJ4rd ¢onsKlers fft41 kne D$trtl shouhj hokj 4 su
•quiVa￿nIt14 rUfin￿g ¢o¥ts,¢rc8 £31300.
Th• D*tr*lh•hl 9on•r•lr•s•fV•• 01£101 I74AO 4oa•i81th4 8ly•4r•nd whih
sNJnthanty 8bov• th• IBv•l r•qu*•d ljf op•r4kng •xp•ns•i.
Th• Di8￿1 abo ho￿$ £2e.941.90 olRestrK*d roseryts and £178.893.30 0
auanfify and •xpkm any desTrJna4)ns
D¢lats olany ￿fi￿$ rY4bfi•ty li d¢kl
Ici¢un*lances pljs sfops b ekniabl
d•%￿n•*￿ and i•strKknd lJnd* ar• d•thhd •) th• ac¢ounts.Th0¢0 4r8 no
FuthorknanciJlr•vibw dollls lopfionalnknmakjnl
You miychoH• addthna
rmakn,*h•r¢ r•lpvanLabou
Y¥•ilnwnt Poky
The Dtstrtldo•$ nolhave sul¢*nI￿n￿5 l) nv¢sl n bnger *rniknv•str(*n15
The D$tr¢lhas h8r•biv adop*d a rffjk avers• $tra*gy tr) th8 i)ve$kn*nl 0116
nds. Pl ljnds •f• h•ld li cash usffig onty ff*mstre4m banks Of buldwio
soci818s.
• tho ch4rty's prii¢ialsour¢8s olfijnds
I•)¢￿d￿9 any lJndfa*mgl
• how •xp1nd￿¢l has 8upporknd fft• key
obJocfv•s olth• charty
Th• D*tilTrustso 8o•rd rttouthrty Th￿nI￿rI fft• lov•* ofbank ba*n¢•s and
h• inlBi•slfatss rec•w•d tl •nsur• the Dtstriclobl#ins maX￿rnV￿￿• 8nd
iicorn trom* bankffig affangaffofikn.
Th• DibtrKlh46 oponod a Charlbos P•J Foundaftsn savings 4c¢ounlw
awbfooke Bank b pro*c1£85PQO olls cash ba*n¢• th• F￿s
• nv•slThnlpoky and obig¢fv•s".
8￿tIon F
Oth•r Optlonal Infam￿0￿
Flan$ br pemds Idaljls olany
sinkanla¢fvf*s p*nned t+a¢h*v• th•ml
lonG
The trus*•s d•clJr8 thatth•y hav• approved th• *u$ts•$'reportabov•
F•Jn•d on b8h•ifolth• ¢harty's trus*•s
-'Cra
Ful naN*lsl
JONAThAN W. BARTLE
Pos**n189 So¢r•lary.Charl
CHAIR
Da*
22

**______________________________________________________________________** 

## **AGM 2025 Report on the year 2024-25 by District Lead Volunteers** 

Looking back over the last 12 months, it’s clear that Ealing and Hanwell Scout District has had a very successful year - despite the various challenges we have faced. 

This year Heather, Mandy and Nisha have worked closely as a team of three District Lead Volunteers, and we received some helpful induction input from the National team during the early stages of this. 

Since our last AGM, we have been dealing with the switch over to the new digital tools - the replacement for Compass. There have been quite a lot of teething problems, to put it mildly! Some things are certainly improvements, while certain aspects have been irksome or unexpectedly time consuming. 

## **District Events this year** 

Further detail can be found in other reports but, in summary, the District events since our AGM report last September have included: 

Beaver Adventure Days at PACCAR in September 2024, Remembrance Parade 2024, Cubs and Scouts 5-asidefootball, the All-Section Cross-Country Competition in February 2025, the District Beaver Sleepover at SAC in March 2025, St George’s Day Parade 2025, Scouts Totem Camp 2025, our Cub Camporee in July 2025 plus our District’s participation in the GLMW expedition to Kandersteg in August 2025. By the time of this year’s AGM, we will also have very recently held a festival-themed District Camp at Walter Davies. Huge thanks to Cliff and Karen for all their efforts to make this possible (plus the support of lots of other helpers and leaders). 

## **Supporting our Groups and Units** 

The ongoing lack of premises (due to RAAC) for **1[st] Hanwell** has meant that the Scout section (and Monday Explorers) have used Leighton Hall throughout this year. In addition, the District has also continued to cover the Group’s rental outlay for use of alternative venues (provided by St Mary’s) for their other sections. 

This year key supporters within the District team responded when **7[th] Hanwell** was experiencing difficulties in communication with Ealing Council; fortunately, the issues were resolved. We are delighted that 7[th] Hanwell was able to start the first phase of the renovation of their building, The Warren, this summer. (Also worth noting that the relatively new Tuesday provision for Explorers is based at 7[th] Hanwell’s building.) 

We are delighted that **6th Ealing** have found themselves a new base at St Gregory’s School, starting from September 2025. Plus **25th Ealing** and **1st Ealing North** have both had some significant renovation to their Scout premises - helping improve facilities for our young people. 

Thank you to the Group Lead Volunteers and their teams for all their hard work on property projects. 

The **Centralised Waiting List** provides all of our groups with valuable administrative assistance. Both Kate and Nisha have worked incredibly hard this year to streamline things, and more automation is in hand to improve things further … An IT team has been pulled together - Matt (Explorers) and Andy (7H) are working to make significant improvements to the waiting list to automate the process - making it simpler and faster. The team are also supporting a broader range of **IT systems** improvements for the District - thank you everyone. 

## **Census and Growth** 

We all know that Scouting is about so much more than ‘just’ the bald totals. In particular it goes without saying that quality is just as important as quantity. Nonetheless, it is heartwarming to see an increase again this year in 

23 



our overall numbers, showing that we are offering the benefits of scouting to more young people across all the various sections year on year. 

The District’s overall total is 1,129 this year (up 6% on last year’s total of 1,065). Most importantly, our total number of young people this year is 914 (up 6% from 836 last year). This is made up of 11 Squirrels, 227 Beavers (up 10%), 267 Cubs (up 1%), 265 Scouts (up 21%), 118 Explorers (up 25%) and Network 26 (down 41% from 44 last year). 

With regard to our adult members - across all the Groups and the District Sections and Teams - we totalled 215 people this year, down 6% from last year’s adult member total of 229.  However, within that, the number in Leadership roles went up from 134 to 137 this year. The downturn was in support roles, dropping from 34 to 24 this year, while Governance roles went down from 51 to 45. Any dip must of course give us pause, but it seems likely that the transition to the new national adult membership system may have had some impact on who was eligible to be recorded this January. 

Although not yet reflected in the above figures, **1[ST] Ealing North** has just launched its new Squirrel Drey this Autumn with 16 Squirrels, adding to our established Squirrel drey at 1st Hanwell. Thank you to Emily Martin and the GLV team for making this happen and to Katy Bedborough for her knowledge-sharing support. Good luck to the new Squirrels team! 

**8[th] Hanwel** l have put in considerable effort to relaunch their Scout section this year - they are up and running with 16 new Scouts and even took them on a camp in their first term!  And we are also continuing to work with **8th Ealing** to explore re-opening their 2nd Scout section. 

As detailed in the DESC’s report, the **Explorer** Leadership Team continues to sustain 3 nights of provision, but they are still spread somewhat thin and are keen to find more Leaders - in particular to allow the (newest) Tuesday provision to shift from fortnightly to weekly. 

In spite of the great process improvements our **waiting list challenge** remains – particularly for Cub age young people on the District waiting list – many young people cannot be accommodated at all within our sections across the 10 groups. Last year we had north of 400 young people aged over 7 on the waiting list. This year (to manage parents’ expectations) we have had to be stricter on deleting those who do not reply in good time from the Waiting List and being really clear about joining expectations. 

## **District Structure & Team Members** 

All Group Lead Volunteers (GLVs) are District appointments, and we are extremely appreciative of all the hard work done by these crucial Volunteers within and on behalf of each Group; together they also form a crucial part of the District Leadership Team. 

Here are some of the key changes to our District team since the last AGM ... 

## **Departed/departing from the Team** 

Leaving our team of GLVs this year was Spike Power at 9[th] Ealing, having moved away from Ealing. Spike had been the GSL / GLV with 9[th] Ealing for many years and we are hugely grateful for all he had done as both GLV and Scout Leader with the Group. 

In addition, Holly Smallman will be stepping down as GLV for 16[th] Ealing in December after many years of dedication to the Group. Thank you to Holly for her long service at 16th Ealing (and we very much hope that the Group will be successful in their efforts to find a new GLV - or even better a team of 2 - to take over). 

Cliff Brook has recently decided to step back from the Campsite Team Lead role but is kindly going to continue to be involved in a supporting capacity. Since becoming District Centre Manager for Walter Davies in 2021, Cliff’s contribution has been enormous: he has made significant improvements to our campsite, making it a safer place for our young people. Not to mention running 2 amazingly successful District camps! Huge thanks to Cliff. 

24 



Plus, Stuart Flaye will be stepping back as Scout section lead for our District. Stuart’s incredible scouting skills have made him the perfect person to lead events such as Totem - and he’s been the driving force behind a broad range of other scout events too. Thank you very much Stuart. 

And finally - from the date of this year’s AGM 2025, Heather Jones is stepping down as one of the District Lead Volunteers (and hence also stepping down as a District Trustee). Heather will however be remaining on the District Team as the Volunteer Development Team Lead (plus E&H’s District Safety Champion) – and there will also be a transition period with other DLV responsibilities for a few months more. Nisha and Mandy would like to thank Heather for her outstanding contribution to the District as DC / Lead Volunteer; we are incredibly grateful for everything she has done and for her continued support. 

## **Additions to the District Team:** 

Andrew Hirst was appointed as a new co-GLV for 25[th] Ealing, alongside Ali Hall. Tasneem Outten is joining Sarah Mercan as a Co-GLV for 6th Ealing. David Cleverly took on the role of GLV for 9[th] Ealing from April 2025 onwards. 

Stuart Flaye will be taking on a co-GLV role for 5[th] Hanwell alongside Mandy - We are also delighted that Stuart has agreed to be the Team Lead at Walter Davies, with Cliff supporting. 

Ben Douglas has now joined our Nights Away Assessor team, via his County level appointment to this role. Diogene, while remaining as Team Lead for 14-25 has agreed to take on a co-DLV role alongside Nisha and Mandy from January 2026 (with a transition period until December). Congratulations to everyone, and good luck with your new roles. 

## **Other District Team contributions:** 

The District Team as a whole includes all of our Group Lead Volunteers, people with District Team Lead roles, all our Brigantia and Churchill Explorer Leaders and all who contribute as Nights Away Assessors _._ 

In addition, the District Team also includes extra contributions as follows: Stuart Flaye continuing as the District’s parade marshal; Steve Douglas assisting with NAN approvals; Frances Buchan as Cubs Sub-team Lead (with Lior Duby leading Camporee in 2025); Mandy Cuttler as Beaver Sub-team Lead; Georgie Horwich as District Youth Lead, as well as Network Sub-Team Lead and also working with Steve Douglas and John Foxwell on awards; Pete Balls and all those on the Walter Davies team as Crew who (along with the wonderful Waxwell Team) do a fantastic job looking after our Campsite; Kathy Paddison as co-ordinator for Jack Petchy nominations and also co-ordinator of the District’s Welcome Conversation team. Many thanks to them all. 

Like last year, we want to thank Jonathan for the enormous amount of time and effort he has put into both Leighton Hall and the Walter Davies campsite this last year on the operational side - a separate and much valued contribution on top of his work as District Chair. 

All of our successful events and activities across the District are only possible because of the contributions made by all our volunteers. We are lucky to have an amazing team of people in the District team and at Group and Unit level. 

We would like to finish with another heartfelt thank you to everyone. 

## **District Lead Volunteer Team** 

## **Heather Jones, Mandy Combes and Nisha Patel** 

**________________________________________________________________________________** 

25 



1st Hanwell Squirrels has been running for 2 years which is great. The past year we have been very busy. Some of the amazing activities we have been up to are hosting our first camp for our young people which they all really enjoyed, visiting our local Gurdwara to learn all about the Sikh religion, open fire cooking, building bird boxes and a bug hotel for the wildlife, footgolf, lots of crafts and so much more. Our Squirrels are so interested in everything we do and super keen to attend Squirrels. It's brilliant to see that we have inspired another group in Ealing to open another Squirrels group and hopefully more. 

## **Katharine (Katie) Bedborough** 

**__________________________________________________________________________________________** 

**Ealing and Hanwell District Beaver Scout Report - 2024/2025** 

Another outstanding year has concluded for Ealing & Hanwell Beavers. With a strong turnout across all colonies, leaders have consistently delivered an impressive and varied program throughout the year, supported by collaborative idea sharing during our termly district meetings. 

Autumn 2024 commenced with our annual District Adventure Days at Paccar, where approximately 100 Beavers took part in adrenaline inducing activities like zip lining, climbing, crate stacking, and a quick drop. All Beavers in attendance where very brave, and many overcame fears to take part in the adventurous activities! 

26 



In March, 70 Beavers participated in our annual district sleepover at SAC, where we had a space theme, with all Beavers earning their space activity badges; the rocket launch activity was especially well received! The weekend was a resounding success thanks to the leaders who designed and ran the activities, and feedback from the Beavers was very positive. 

This was shortly followed by our annual cross-country event in May, where approximately 60 Beavers hiked through Pear Tree Park, and Perivale Park, with a snack and pooh sticks break. Special thanks to Tasneem for designing the route for us! 

Our St. George's Day celebration in recognised the impressive accomplishment of all Beavers across the district who earned their Bronze Chief Scout Award. We are very proud of them all, and thankful to their leaders who have planned exciting and varied programmes to enable them to achieve the highest Beaver accolade! 

The summer months were also full of activity, with many groups holding camps, sleepovers, and fun days, giving Beavers the opportunity to fully experience the scope of scouting, and the new term brings with it our annual adventure days at PACCAR, which will be taking place next month. 

A huge thank you to all Beaver Leaders, Assistant Beaver Leaders, Sectional Assistants, Parent Helpers, Young Leaders, and everyone who has helped grow and develop the Beaver Colonies across Ealing and Hanwell this year. It's been a fantastic team effort! 

## **Mandy Cuttler** 

## **Beavers Sub-Team Lead** 

27 



## **Ealing and Hanwell District Cubs Report 2024-25** 

Cubs continue to flourish across the district with all groups being full and oversubscribed.  We are fortunate as a district to have very committed Cub Leaders who have developed excellent parent rotas to provide the extra necessary support for each session.  As with any opportunity run by volunteers, places can only be offered if more leaders can come forward. Recruiting from within the parent population and using rotas to support sessions has been very successful and will likely continue to be the model moving forward. 

Cub attendance at district events has been excellent and we were delighted to see so many cubs at the following events: 

- Remembrance Day service November 2024 

- District Football January 2025 

- Cross Country February 2025 

- St Georges Day Parade April 2025 

- Camporee July / August 2025 

Attendance at the newly reinvigorated District Football was brilliant with 10 teams participating. Congratulations to 8[th] Ealing who won the tournament. 

It was really pleasing to see so many cubs attending and receiving silver awards at the Saint Georges Day parade. 67 Cubs received their awards from packs across the district which is indicative of what a vibrant district we are. The main event for cubs is the Annual Camporee which took place at Walter Davies camp site. This year's Camporee saw 77 Cubs join a science-themed extravaganza. From making butter for breakfast to raft racing, from code breaking to fun with chemistry, there was so much to do. The Cubs even manage to make art from sunlight and take over the common for a Scavenging hike. 

For the first time, our amazing volunteers were joined by a group of external volunteers recruited from a local company. Dwayne Fields (Chief Scout) came to check up on this new venture, and Camporee was featured in a recent video to promote the scheme. 

Thank you to everyone who took part. We hope to see you again next year. 

28 



Planning for next summer’s camporee will get underway at our next district cub leaders meeting in October. Although it would be wonderful to return to the more traditional format of a whole week’s camping, the current 2-night format does allow more cubs to attend and requires less planning of activities as sessions can be repeated. 

The different packs have all offered a variety of events and activities including camping, trips on the tube, visits to museums, panto as well as engaging with the local area such as participating in the Ealing Art trail as a venue. 

We hope to plan at least one district event each term, including the annual 5 a side football competition to be held at the end of January 2026 as well as engaging with the wider district events. 

As leaders, we are all looking forward to getting back to face-to-face meetings, where possible, to continue to work together to build our scouting community. 

## YIS 

## **Frances Buchan** 

## **Cubs Sub-Team Lead** 

29 



## **Scouts Section Report 2024-25** 

Across the District, the Scouts section overall maintained healthy numbers with 265 registered members recorded at the most recent census - an increase of 21% from the previous year. 

Getting into the groove first in the cycle of events was Remembrance Day parade at Ealing Green in November. As always, it is one of a couple of occasions throughout the year when the public get to see the strength of Scouting within the area.  Nearly everyone stayed on their feet this time! 

The 5-a-side football competition at Hanwell Community Centre in January looks now as though it is becoming a regular feature of the calendar.  Troops participating were similar to the previous year, with 16E, 25E, 1H, 5H and 7H entering teams.  A round robin format of matches was played, which meant more play time.  The top two finishing teams - 1[st] Hanwell and 25[th] Ealing - went forward to a 'final'.  In a tight match, of 4 minutes each way, it was 25[th] Ealing that squeaked it, winning 1-0. 

The cross-country event took place at the beginning of March around the course of Churchfield Recreation Ground.  Fortunately, the rain held off and a dedicated bunch of 23 Scouts between the two age categories manged to run/jog/walk/drag themselves around. This year it was 5[th] Hanwell that was presented with the overall Scout trophy. 

The annual Celebration of Scouting achievements at St. George’s Day in Walpole Park service, saw 20 Scouts recognised for having completed the Chief Scout Gold Award.  A massive round of applause goes to them for achieving this distinction, and to the leaders that fulfilled their Wood Badge training (sorry, ‘Learning’) and/or received a Length of Service award. 

The start of May means one thing – Totem camp.  Nine patrols entered the feature event and five in the training camp. Groups represented were 1H, 5H, 7H, 16E and 25E.  The contest was of an especially high standard across the board this year.  In the end, 25[th] Ealing (Squirrel patrol) were triumphant in the competition camp with a very impressive performance overall, with 5th Hanwell Eagle patrol in second place, and 1st Hanwell Cobra patrol in third place.  In the training camp (aka ‘leaders’ competition), 7[th] Hanwell came out on top, followed by 1[st] Hanwell and then 7[th] Hanwell. 

Several Groups carted some of their Scouts off to Kandersteg in August – these being 7[th] Hanwell, 25[th] Ealing and 1[st] Ealing North.  I trust all the leaders enjoyed their Holiday in the Alps…?! 

After a period of hibernation, and with some assistance from scouting hierarchy, the Scouts section at 8[th] Hanwell is back up and running.  A lot of effort has gone into making this happen and we hope that the troop progresses with increasing success. 

As well as District organised events, Troops undertaken the usual mix of pursuits including Monopoly Runs, group or section camps, along with an array of other indoor and outdoor activities.  As always, well done Everybody that was involved in putting in the time and effort to organise and run all of this. 

Finally, this is due to be my final report as Programme Lead / ADC (Scouts).  After ten years in the role, it is time for a change of personal. But the beat goes on, and a fresh face should hopefully be announced soon. 

## **Stuart Flaye District Programme Lead** 

30 



## **EALING & HANWELL EXPLORERS REPORT: 2024-2025** 

## **Brigantia Explorer Scout Unit** 

Scouting exists to deliver adventure and challenge to young people and Explorer Scouting delivers that adventure to the 14-18 age group.  We have three nights at Brigantia ESU, which meet on Mondays at 1st Hanwell (temporarily at Leighton Hall), Tuesdays at 7th Hanwell and on Wednesdays at 25th Ealing, serving nearly 100 Explorer Scouts. Our Monday and Wednesday provision run on a weekly basis, while our Tuesday provision, which commenced in early 2024, runs fortnightly. 

Brigantia has continued to deliver a varied programme of activities to our Young People, and the last year has seen us grow our section sizes particularly in the Tuesday group, strengthen our efforts to deliver top awards, and continue to facilitate Youth Shaped scouting, all while re-engaging the community around us to help us facilitate bigger and better activities for our young people. 

A large part of our efforts this year are also directed towards the Kandersteg expedition in August 2025, which promises to be the adventure of a lifetime for our young people. This, of course, comes with lots of checking and buying kit, fundraising, booking activities, and inevitably…paperwork! All well worth it for one of the most incredible experiences we are able to provide our young people - to say we are excited is an understatement. 

We could not do what we do without the support of our community, and upcoming events like Kandersteg just help us build stronger relationships and work better together. We have been very glad to have a number of parents offer support of their own skills and knowledge, whether that be helping to run an evening, offering to discuss their jobs and careers with the Explorers, driving minibuses and trailers, or even cleaning tents and equipment after camps - to quote the phrase, small actions lead to big results! Thank you! 

Our top awards programme was also one of the highlights of the year, with multiple Explorers making progress towards their DofE Bronze Award and Chief Scout’s Platinum Award through our local expedition programme. Furthermore, a number of our Explorers were also able to complete their DofE Silver Expedition through the support of the GLMW County Expedition Programme and will continue working on the other sections of their award in the months to come. We already have registrations from a large number of Explorers who are looking forward to completing their Silver/Gold DofE expeditions in Spring/Summer 2025. 

## **Churchill Explorer Scout Unit: Young Leaders** 

Ealing and Hanwell have a Young Leaders unit, Churchill ESU, that assists younger sections with the delivery of scouting in the district. At present, 61 Young People are assisting various groups with their programmes, with some of the Young Leaders using this experience towards their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. This year saw Churchill come together to help at various District camps such as Totem and Camporee, and assist at regular work days at our Walter Davies Campsite. The leadership team are also working with Section Leaders across the District, to help the Young Leaders develop through completing their challenges and training and being part of the leadership teams in the sections they assist - and this has resulted in the wonderful achievement of 9 young people being awarded with their Young Leader awards! 

. 

We look forward to continuing our contribution to Scouting through the Young Leaders programme and assisting our young people as they further develop their leadership skills. 

## **A Million Thank Yous** 

Explorer Scouting couldn’t happen without our leaders, so we say thank you to all the adults that supported us during a year full of brilliant activities and a lot of growth for the unit. We are immensely grateful for the time, energy, skills, and passion they bring to Explorers, and we know our young people are too. We also say thank you to the parents who have rallied around us and lent us their time, skills, and energy, to help make the incredible 

31 



things we do possible. And most of all, thank you to the young people who have been with us this year and have experienced laughs, tears, trouble, and stories to last a lifetime, and allowed us to be a part of their journey. 

Scouting only works with the support of the community, and you have all been amazing. Last but not least, thank you to 1[st] Hanwell, 7[th] Hanwell and 25[th] Ealing, and the District, for their continued support through the use of halls and equipment. 

## **Keeping in Touch** 

We maintain a presence on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrigantiaESU - please be part of our community, and maybe you will be inspired to join us! 

## **Looking to the Future** 

We have worked hard this year to strengthen our Explorers offering through a varied programme and more YouthShaped activities, as well as continuing our fortnightly Tuesday night offering. With 98 active Explorers, and over 70 on the waiting list, our focus needs to be strengthening our team, so we can deliver a brilliant Explorers programme to as many young people as possible. However, this will require us to recruit more leaders across all our nights, and parents to help with various tasks to support the weekly provision and larger events - if you are interested in being part of our team, please reach out. We look forward to continuing to provide everyday adventure to our young people and equipping them with #SkillsForLife. 

## **Diogene De Souza District 14-24 Lead** 

d.desouza@brigantiaesu.org.uk 

## **______________________________________________________________________** 

## **AGM Report – Network Section Overview** 

## **Membership & Participation:** 

We’ve had another successful year in Network, with our current membership standing at 43. However, it’s important to note that most of our members are currently away at university, which means fewer members are based locally in Ealing. Despite this, we’ve had strong engagement in both national and county events. Specifically, 5 of our members took part in the County Kandersteg trip with Brigantia, and 8+ members assumed leadership roles in other groups. This demonstrates a strong commitment to the wider Scout community, even if many aren’t always around locally. 

## **Awards & Achievements:** 

This year has been one of our best in terms of awards. We’ve celebrated several key milestones, including: 

- **1** Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) completed 

- **1** King’s Scout Award (KSA) completed 

- **1** Scouts of the World Award (SOWA) completed 

- Several other awards are nearing completion 

Additionally, we had several members on the County Gold DofE this year, which is an exciting development and a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by our members. 

32 



## **Top Awards Engagement:** 

We have had further engagement in the Top Awards part of the Network Programme, with 3 separate evening sessions run in conjunction with Explorers to enable more members to start on the path to achieving these prestigious awards. This has been a successful initiative, helping to ensure that our members remain focused and motivated to pursue their goals. 

We’ve also had a Network member complete their Diamond Chief Scout Award. This is a wonderful achievement, so many congratulations to them! We’ve also got a number of members who are nearly completed on their KSA, so hopefully in the next year or so we should have more completions to celebrate. 

## **Events:** 

We also had a landmark achievement this year by hosting the first SOWA Discovery in over 10 years, the first step in completing the award. The event saw 9 participants from outside the district, with 2 members from our Scorpions Network attending. This was a great success and an important milestone for both our district and the wider community. 

While we did hold several pub meetings earlier in the year, unfortunately, they tailed off due to low turnout. This is something we are aware of, and it reflects the trends we’ve observed with other events this year. We will need to review the types of events we’re offering in the future to better engage our members. 

## **Leadership & Volunteer Support:** 

A large number of our members are involved in leadership positions within this district and Thameside Grand Union, which is tremendous. I want to extend a big thank you to them for all the work they are doing in support of young people. Their dedication and efforts in helping others are crucial in maintaining the vibrancy and success of our Network. 

## **Community Engagement:** 

Our members have also been actively involved in community events. We had a presence at both the St George’s Day event and Remembrance Sunday, representing the Network and the wider Scout movement. Additionally, we were invited to participate in the Ealing Green Churches Christmas Celebration, where we had the chance to connect with the local community. They have also extended invitations to us for this year’s Advent Sunday Service and Harvest Festival in October, which we look forward to attending. 

## **Recruitment Efforts:** 

Our membership growth continues to largely come from Explorers aging out and joining Network, but we've struggled to attract interest from the wider community and the local university. A significant factor in this has been a lack of events, which can be traced back to ongoing communication challenges and a relatively low response rate from members. This has made it difficult to maintain a strong, consistent presence in the local area, which in turn impacts recruitment. 

We have also encountered difficulties in engaging with the local university. Despite this, we remain determined to increase our visibility and make Network more accessible to young people while they’re in the area. 

## **Looking Ahead:** 

As I near the age limit for the Network section, I am actively seeking someone to take over the organisation and leadership of the group for the coming year. It would be ideal to have someone from within the Network age group to take on this role, ensuring the section is in good hands with someone who understands the needs and challenges of their peers. It’s crucial for the continuity and sustainability of the section that we identify a successor soon. 

## **Georgie Horwich** 

## **Network Sub-Team Lead** 

33 



**_________________________________________________________________________________________** 

## **AGM Report District Youth Lead** 

One of my main goals as District Youth Lead has been to increase the number of **Top Awards** earned in the Explorer and Network sections. This past year, we've made significant strides. 

To achieve this, I ran several workshops during joint Explorer and Network sessions last autumn and provided individual support at Kandersteg. This allowed me to help young people review their progress, understand what they've already completed, and plan their next steps. 

I'm very proud to report the following achievements so far this year: 

- **1** King's Scout Award signed off, with at least 8 more nearing completion. 

- **3** Diamond Chief Scout Awards 

- **8** Platinum Chief Scout Awards 

- **3** Network members starting their Scouts of the World Award 

This is a significant step forward for our district and the wider county. During my time at Kandersteg, I also had the chance to talk with numerous Explorers and Network members about the different awards and how to earn them. I also spoke with several leaders who were keen to learn how they could better support their young people in achieving these top awards. 

## **Building a Culture of Recognition** 

Another key area I've been working on this year is to ensure that both our adults and young people are recognised for their hard work and commitment to Scouting in Ealing & Hanwell. 

To make this process easier, I've set up a Google Form specifically for two awards that can be approved locally: 

- The **Commendation Award (Purple Badge)** , which can be awarded to both young people and adults. 

- The **"With Thanks" Award** , for non-members who have contributed to Scouting. 

These are great awards because they don't count towards the five-year gap for national awards, so we can use them to recognise people more frequently. A good number of these awards have already been given out, but there are so many more people who deserve them. We just need to hear about their efforts. The Google Form will be on the district website soon, but if you'd like the link in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me. 

## **Succession Planning: Recruiting the Next District Youth Lead** 

As I will be aging out of this role in a year, a key priority for me is to find and train the next generation of leaders. The District Youth Lead role is unique because it has no defined criteria—it truly is what you make of it. 

Going forward, I need your help to recruit a team of people who are passionate about youth involvement and can take on this role. If you have any leaders under 24 in your sections, or members turning 18 in the next year, who you think might be a great fit, please reach out to me. It's vital that we find the right people to continue this momentum. 

## **Georgie Horwich** 

## **District Youth Lead** 

34 



## **__________________________________________________________________________________** 

## **WALTER DAVIES ANNUAL UPDATE 2025** 

Another year of steady work and improvement at Walter Davies. Theres always something to do, mostly simple tasks that any willing pair of hands can do. Theres lots of general upkeep, cutting back overgrowing plants and bushes, wood pile stocking, painting, cleaning and general maintenance. Workday is 3[rd] Saturday of every month, a few extra pairs of hands are always welcome. 

The refurb of Murphy’s has made a huge difference. Bunk rooms are insulated and heaters being installed, there’s a leaders’ room and a carpeted seating area. It’s a nice building to use now. The kitchen is due a light overhaul and the showers are due some attention, its so much better already and will be great when complete. The bouldering wall refurb is also complete and now set for many years to come. The Zip Wire has been dismantled along with the Platform, the Rifle and Archery ranges have been painted and curtains treated and so on. Work has also begun on clearing the Caving Area and returning it to its previous condition. 

This season has seen a large amount of forestry work carried out, both by our own team along with outside help. The annual tree report always highlights work to be done, some is within our ability, some needs qualified arborists to carry out. We are fully up to date with all the reports’ recommendations. 

The Roadway is due to be laid next Month. There have been several delays due to technical and internal procedural challenges within the contractor carrying out the work (at no charge to us), but all now seems set. They will also be fitting speed bumps. 

We have purchased a new Tractor which has proved a big bonus in making some of the heavier maintenance jobs more manageable, we also have Biffa Waste bins on site, the new system is working well. 

The site continues to be well used, at a rate that makes it financially sustainable, but without spoiling the unique atmosphere of Walter Davies. Always a difficult balancing act. There are plans for a couple more “self-led” activities that we can build ourselves, and the toilet/shower situation is very much on the radar, that however isn’t an overnight job. 

We continue to be indebted to Waxwell for the amazing amount of work they do. They are a group of people with no previous connection to the site who come every month to lend a hand and share their skills. We would not be where we are now without them, we hope they will continue to come and be part of the team for many years to come. 

Of course, we also have our own service crew who are equally awesome, and our thanks go to them too. Our band of regulars are awesome, (we could do with a few more) 3[rd] Weekend of every month is the regular Crew Day, feel free to join us, you’ll be most welcome. 

## **Cliff Brooke District Centre Manager Walter Davies Campsite** 

**_________________________________________________________________________________________** 

## **District Welcome Meeting AGM Report** 

Members of the Welcome meeting team joined Group Lead Volunteers at various venues across the district between September 2024 and July 2025.  We have been delighted to welcome 33 new leaders to Ealing & Hanwell across all sections and have settled into using the new Scouting IT system.   My thanks go to the welcome meeting team and all the Group Lead Volunteers who contact me in a timely manner to facilitate the process.  Further thanks are extended to Penny Duffy and Mike Eastgate who are no longer taking part in Welcome meetings having done so for some time. 

## **Kathy Paddison Co-ordinator District Welcome Conversation Team** 

35 



## **_______________________________________________________________** 

## **Ealing & Hanwell District Scouts** 

## **St GEORGE’S DAY CELEBRATION** 

## **Report for AGM - 2025** 

Our Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers were out in force for our St George’s day celebrations. There were around 400 young people and Leaders parading around Walpole Park in the presence of dignitaries including the Mayor and Deputy Lieutenant. 

Beautiful sunshine filled the park with onlookers, so it was a great way of promoting scouting in Ealing & Hanwell! Huge thanks to Stuart Flaye for being our Parade Marshal and to everyone who helped make the event possible. 

We were proud to announce top awards for a long list of young people: 

Acorn - x8 Bronze - x64 Silver - x67 Gold - x20 Platinum - x2 

There were then eight Young Leader awards announced, and seven Duke of Edinburgh awards (2xBronze, 4xSilver, 1xGold). 

36 



Plus six Scouts/Explorers received special District Commendations for exceptional demonstrations of living their scout values. 

**We also recognised the achievements of some of our adult volunteers:** 

_**5 Year+ Long Service awards:**_ Sasha Moyes – 6th Ealing Cameron Hancock – 1st Ealing North Paul Sturt – 1st Ealing North Diogene DeSouza - Explorers 

## _**Wood Beads / Certificates:**_ 

Adrian Walker – 7th Hanwell Nuria Belinchon – 7th Hanwell & Young Leaders team lead Scott Illman – 8th Ealing Alex Millar – 6th Ealing Lisa Bucceri – 6th Ealing 

_**District Commendations:**_ 

Mandy Cuttler – 7th Hanwell & District Beaver lead Frances Buchan – 5th Hanwell & District Cub lead 

## _**Chief Scout’s Commendation:**_ 

Adam Stitson – 25th Ealing 

_**50 Years Long Service award:**_ Malcolm Turner - 1st Ealing North 

**Congratulations to everyone!** 

## **Mandy Combes District Lead Volunteer (4-14 Programme)** 

## **______________________________________________________________________** 

37 



## **~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ealing and Hanwell Scout District** 

**1st Ealing North Beaver Colony, 2 Cub Scout Packs & 2 Scout Troops** 

**6th Ealing Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop** 

**8th Ealing 2 Beaver Colonies, 2 Cub Packs and Scout Troop 9th Ealing Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop 16th Ealing Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop 25th Ealing Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop** 

**1st Hanwell Squirrel Drey, Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop** 

**5th Hanwell Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop** 

**7th Hanwell Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop 8th Hanwell Beaver Colony, Cub Scout Pack & Scout Troop** 

**District Explorer Brigantia, Monday & Tuesday (Hanwell) & Wednesday Scout Units (Ealing) Churchill, Young Leader Unit** 

**District Network Scorpions** 

**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~** 

**Anthony Phillips, President Chris Cosstick, District Vice President Alan Jeffries, District Vice President Roy Gosling, District Vice President John Matthews, District Vice President Steve Douglas, District Vice President Malcolm Turner, District Vice President John Foxwell, District Vice President Mary Power, District Vice President Diana Ljubisic, District Vice President** 

**______________________________________________________________________** 

38 

