2024-03-31-accounts

~~2~~ [ND] SQUIRRELS HEATH SCOUT GROUP

~ MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ~~6~~ [th] SEPTEMBER 2024 @ ARNAUD LODGE

Members Present :-

Neil Dashfield (ND) – Chair, Glynis Youngs (GY) – Administrator.

Shane O’Brien Passfield (SOBP) - Scout Team Leader, James Youngs (JY) – Scout Team member (STM), Jo O’Brien Passfield (Jo) – STM;

Posy Mellon (PMC) - Cub Scout Team Leader, Clare Cornew - Cub Scout Team member (CSTM) Charlie Lovegrove (CL) – Beaver Scout Team Leader (CSTM); Beaver Scout Team member (BSTM) Annual Life President – John Reed (JR).

Parents/other guests - Hannah Baines, Shaika Choudhury, Niamh Cronin, Niall Cronin, Lauren Edwards, Ho-chong Man, Joanna Hodson,

Bisi Jenkins, Jo & Danielle Larkin, Jean Mead, Lorraine O’Riordan, Leigh Wood, Robert Youngs. District Representative – not available

1. Welcome/open meeting ND opened the meeting at 6.20pm and welcomed all. 2. Apologies for absence Lisa Cable, Mike Towler (MT) – Treasurer; 3. Approval of Minutes of previous AGM (8/7/2023). Agreed the minutes of the AGM – JY proposed and ND seconded. 4. Matters arising from previous AGM minutes None. 5. Financial report MT – Report attached - read by GY 6. Beaver Scout Section report CL – Report attached; 7. Cub Scout Section report PMC – Report attached; ND thanked PMC for stepping up to the role last year. All agreed. 8. Scout Section report SOBP – Report attached; 9. Group Lead Volunteers report ND, MT & GY – Report attached; 10. Arnaud Lodge Maintenance (ALM) Report SOBP – Report attached; 11. Election of Officers JR – took control of the meeting during the election The following officers agreed to stand again – unopposed. Chairman – Neil Dashfield – will stand one more year Treasurer – Mike Towler Administrator – Glynis Youngs ND – took back control of the meeting 12. Election of Parent representatives for Trustee Board ND requested volunteers for the three sections; Volunteers – Jo Hodson for beavers – agreed to stand again. Mikyla Dodd for cubs – not at the meeting but CL asked after the meeting and she agreed to stand again. John Cheesewright for scouts – not at the meeting but GY asked after the meeting and he agreed to stand again. All volunteers proposed by ND and seconded by GY. 13. Recent Achievements in the Group GY – Report attached; Meeting applauded the achievers. 14. Awards GY – Report attached; Meeting applauded the achievers. 15. Any other business 2[nd] Squirrels Heath Constitution – see below. GY put the proposal to the meeting. AGREED and ADOPTED CL – outlined Havering Local Lottery. Group has signed up for this and gave out information on how to participate. GY – asked how the meeting thought the AGM on a Friday between beavers and scouts has worked and should it be the way forward. AGREED Condition of the car park – SOBP – ongoing problem, repairs costly, on the list when finance and time available. 16. Details of next meeting Provisional – 12[th] September 2025; 17. Close meeting Meeting closed @ 7.15pm:

Item 5 – Provisional Financial Report

1) The figures below are consolidated numbers for all accounts and inclusive of internal transfers between accounts. April 23 opening balance: £29314

March 24 closing balance: £29686

Total income: £35720 Total Expenditure: £35348

2) Main Income (excluding subs)

Hall Hire: £15759

3) Main Expenditure (Arnaud Lodge Account)

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Insurance :£2671, Capitation: £3655, Energy: £3993, Maintenance: £9860

Item 6 – Beaver Scout Section Report

Throughout the past year, our colony has remained at 30 Beavers, with a growing waiting list based on word of mouth and recommendation. Our Beavers programme still involves a lot of Challenge Badge focus and many of our Beavers take the time to complete Activity Badges at their own accord. From the date of our last AGM to now, we have awarded an amazing 17 Chief Scouts Bronze Awards, and most of those Beavers are continuing to thrive in Cubs or starting their transition very soon. Our aim has remained teaching important life skills, which is what makes scouting so special. Our focus has been heavily linked to a broad range of skills from understanding mental and physical well-being, to dementia awareness, to learning about our world and the outdoors, and to adventurous scout-based activities too. We had a pirate-themed sleepover last September, celebrated Halloween in style, decorated individual poppies for Remembrance, hopped around the world on our passports for the International Badge without even leaving the hall, visited Thriftwood for our annual activity day, had a visit from PO Fletcher before Christmas, rode a smoothie bike and learnt about healthy nutrition to start the year off right, practised knots, acknowledged Children’s Mental Health Week with the 5 ways to well-being, visited the RAF Museum in Hornchurch, had our ‘celebrate someone special’ tea party in light of Mother’s Day, marked St George’s Day with the rest of the group, made slime, visited Havering Music School and learnt the samba, marked Dementia Action week, learnt emergency aid skills, visited Hornchurch Fire Station, had a visit from Exotic Explorers with 5 animals, learnt how to light campfires safely, visited All Saints’ Church & Thames Chase, and had ice cream and a water fight to end the summer term of this year!!! On a final, but very important note, I would like to say a massive thank you to our team of Beaver Leaders; Lisa, Lynn, and John. And to Niamh and Emma, who still support from afar at uni! Another thank you to our Young Leaders (past and present) - Khadija, Jacob, Ewan and Finlay who all make sure that our Beavers have fun and enjoy attending every single week. This year, Khadija was awarded the Young Leader of the Year award out of all of the Young Leaders across all of the Scout groups in Hornchurch District. A massive well done and thank you to her, such an incredible achievement. Us Section Leaders would not be able to do this without each of our individual teams, and the wider executive teams, ongoing help and support, which is what truly makes our Scout group second to none

Item 7 – Cub Scout Section Report

We currently have 21 Cubs at the moment, 4 of which are going to be invested next week. We are expecting another 4 Beavers to swim by the end of September. Jess has been awarded Chief Scout Silver Award In my first year as a Cub Scout Leader we have covered an exciting program:

Home safety, Skills badge ironing, tea making, Maps, Road Safety, Games night, Halloween Party, Christmas party, Burns Night. Leap year hopscotch, Chinese New Year Lanterns, Bird Feeder fat balls, Library, Nature badge potted flowers, Science night. Slime making, Bag upcycling, Alzheimer’s talk, Thames Chase covering the astronomy badge, Fun day with Ice cream van. Photography and photos, Games night.

We had Bobby the therapy dog visit us and talked about how he has helped people, and moving on to making origami book mark

monsters followed by a planning meeting.

We will be saying goodbye to Casey as he is off to university and we will be welcoming Solaiman as our new Young Leader.

Item 8 – Scout Section Report

We currently have 18 scouts, 2 young leaders and 3 adult leaders. Scout account is healthy at around £5000. We will be looking to renew some equipment over the next year where needed.

In May this year we went on our summer camp to the New Forest; the scouts had a great time. We had to move the camp from the usual August date to May as we were unable to get many attendees in August due to other holidays and commitments. Went to Longleat and fossil hunting.

We are going on a survival camp on 13th September for 2 nights to Skreens. The scouts have been learning some skills over the spring and early summer meetings in preparation for this.

James and I are due to set a programme for the last quarter of the year. This requires the input of the troop as to what they wish to achieve.

Item 9 – Group Lead Volunteers Report

Following the last AGM when the decision was taken by the Scout Council (that’s you) for the three of us to continue as joint GSL’s, the Group has continued to thrive. This has only been possible with the help of all the volunteers without whom the 2[nd] would not function. We are all grateful to the beaver, cub and scout leadership teams and their adult and young leader volunteers.

Since taking over as Joint GSLs various meetings have been attended and agreements between the Group and others who use Arnaud Lodge such as the Pre-school, Martial Arts and The Party Lodge have been agreed and signed off. More on that in a moment.

A major change is being pushed through by the Scout Association relating to people’s titles which they seem to think will make scouting more acceptable. These changes mean that we are no longer Group Scout Leaders but we are now Group Lead Volunteers. There is no longer a position of Secretary but an Administrator is still required to do the day-to-day paperwork as there has been quite a lot of administration work to do. We also need 2 more trustees to meet the requirement of 5 as we currently have 3 – Neil, Mike and Glynis. The bi-monthly meetings

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we hold have morphed into a joint Trustee Board and Leadership Team meeting. As a result, the meeting will be slightly smaller and cover both of those areas at the same time. However, we are still of the opinion that there should be a link between that meeting and the sections with a parent representative. The only other attendee will be John Reed as Life President. Neither the Life President nor the Parent Reps have voting rights. Titles of the Beaver, Cub and Scout Leaders are being changed to Team Leaders but in reality the old names will still be in day to day use. The idea that we will be able to spread some of the work around is being suggested and that has happened with Hall Maintenance especially. The Arnaud Lodge Maintenance Report which follows this will go into in more detail but we want to mention a few important items.

As you can see the hall has changed. There is a new heating system, the walls and ceiling have been painted and much work has been done in the outside space. Shane has been the driving force for this work helped by many of our parents and young people. Jo and of course Penny have also spent a lot of time on this work particularly the painting. Requested a round of applause. Thank you. Moving onto the subject of other hall users. Usage has been put on a formal footing with yearly contracts signed recently for the three users already mentioned. The pre-school has changed hands and is now being run by Playdays. The move was as a result of Sharon’s illness as she is sadly in the final stages of her cancer fight. Our thoughts are with her and her family. All contracts are now operating at a more commercial rate and this will be kept under review in the future.

Unfortunately, the Explorer Unit left Arnaud Lodge with no warning or explanation whilst negotiations were underway to establish a viable agreement which had not existed since they first started here. There had been issues with their usage but it was a surprise to find they had left without saying so.

It is not clear what the future holds but we are trying to keep the Group on an even keel and moving forward. With the strong team we have, made up of parents, carers, leaders, young people, volunteers and the governance team, 2[nd] Squirrels Heath Scout Group will remain ‘2[nd] to none’!

Item 10 – Arnaud Lodge Maintenance Report

We were able to get 2 work days in the summer break, including: A much needed re paint of the inside of the hall, Clearance of vegetation in the field, Ivy removal from the field shed, Cleaning of the windows, A new central heating system installed, Driveway cleared, Car park levelled, Building a storage area for the pre-school outdoor equipment. Next project will be in October to clear out the rear right room and get pre-school to put their equipment in there. February Kitchen to be renovated.

Item 13 – Recent Achievements in the Group

The work achieved by each of the groups is a joint effort by the young people who attend the groups, the leaders and the adults who look after those young people, both here and at home. Leaders, helpers and Scout Group Executive members are all unpaid volunteers who give their time and energy each week for no monetary gain, a fact which it appears is not widely known. It’s a standing joke amongst the adult volunteers that “its only two hours a week”! All adult volunteers devote a good deal more time and effort than those ‘2 hours’, both at troop nights and away from that, to ensure the young people have the best experience possible, in a safe environment and do things they are unlikely to get the chance to do elsewhere. The reward those leaders receive is the knowledge that everyone has enjoyed themselves, including the adults and the event has worked well. That is the only recompense they need, which is further enriched by the words of gratitude often given by the young people and their parents. Successes in the past year, by members of the 2[nd] , are to be. Those achievements and awards are worthy of mention starting with:- Our Young people

Beavers

Khadija Naimah - Young Leader of the Year Ethan Wood - Beaver of the Year

Chief Scouts Bronze Awards - Kody Savill , Leo Deadman, Jasper Searles, Arthur Vincent, Harry Burns, Cienna-Leigh Jeary Samuel Foster, Tegh Singh Banwait, Penny O'Brien-Passfield, Mert Kuter, Alfie Paul, Ronnie Binge, Jaiveer Heer Jenson Edwards, Sam Hodson, Ethan Wood, William Holman

Cubs

Chief Scouts Silver Award – Jesse Savill (Very young Cub pack this year) Scouts

Chief Scouts Gold Award – Ewan Bailey, Oliver Hubley. 3 scouts have gone on to Explorers and stayed in scouting.

Our Adults

Charlie Lovegrove – Commissioners Commendation

Item 14 – Awards

Jackson Trophy:

Horace Jackson (known by everyone as ‘Jacko’) was the second ever District Commissioner for Hornchurch between 1939 and 1962). He is also our longest serving DC ever, having completed 23 years in post. Indeed he only stopped in 1962 as he died!

To mark his death and his immense contribution a trophy was introduced in his memory which is awarded each year to a Scout Group who

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has stood out in some way. It is not necessarily the ‘best’ Scout Group, but it is a Group which has impressed the District with its team spirit, it’s sense of enthusiasm and the positive impact which it has made on its members and the local community. This group has shown strength and determination, in a year that has been extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, earlier in the year, a key member of the group became seriously ill but in the true meaning of team work and not wanting to see all the hard work undone, that the key member had strived for, over many years, the whole group, leaders, parents and other volunteers, rallied together to ensure that the young people were able to continue Scouting.

The Group Trustee board worked together to keep the group running smoothly in the background and between them they took on all the tasks that was required, to keep the group supported and running safely. Even during these difficult times, each section was still offered an amazing weekly programme, nights away experience, days out and all this while gaining badges. This year, the Jackson trophy is well deserved by each member of 2[nd] Squirrels Heath.

- Young Leader of the Year Award Nomination Khadija Naimah

Khadija became a young leader at 2nd Squirrels Heath Beavers Colony in February 2022. Khadija originally started volunteering for her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award which she was doing through her school, and so was only due to stay with us for 6 months. Khadija had an amazing amount of enthusiasm from the start. She interacts so well with the Beavers and is really good at supporting them through the weekly activities and tasks. Khadija enjoyed supporting us and so after her 6 months of volunteering, she asked if she could stay on as a permanent young leader with the colony, to which we were all delighted. So for over a year now, Khadija has been helping to support the running of a very interactive and exciting programme which the Beavers all enjoy. Khadija attends all of our programming meetings and aids with the planning and preparation of both weekly meetings and events. Khadija always has a great amount of ideas and is happy to take lead in specific badge work, it is really inspirational to see. Therefore, we think that Khadija is very deserving of the Young Leader of the Year Award as her tireless effort and determination is remarkable. The Beavers really look up to her as an excellent role model and she will certainly make a fantastic adult leader one day!

Item 15 – AOB - Constitution

2[nd] SQUIRRELS HEATH SCOUT GROUP - TRUSTEE BOARD CONSTITUTION

1. Arnaud Lodge is the property of the Scout Association and is administered on their behalf by the 2[nd] Squirrels Heath Scout Group Trustee Board.

2. Arnaud Lodge is jointly occupied by both Scout and Guide sections.

3. The Scout Group Trustee Board and Leadership Team meets bi-monthly and is made up in accordance with P.O.R.

4. The Scout Trustee Board is elected annually by the 2[nd] Squirrels Heath Scout Group Council, at the AGM and is concerned with the efficient and effective management of the Scout Group’s business affairs during the year and the maintenance and improvement of Arnaud Lodge.

5. Membership of the Trustee Board is as follows:- Chair, Treasurer, Administrator plus 2 other trustees.

6. Membership of the Leadership Team is as follows:- Team Leaders from Beavers, Cubs and Scouts or their nominated representative.

7. Non-voting members invited to attend bi-monthly meetings:- Life President, 3 Parent Representatives (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) and any co-opted members the Trustee Board promote if necessary.

8. Function of the Trustee Board (from Scout Association website – further details in Appendix 1)

9. To develop Scouts in keeping with its charitable objectives and in the parameters of good governance.

Main responsibilities

• a. To take part in formulating and regularly reviewing the strategic aims of the movement, and provide direction for its ongoing development, in accordance with our Bye Laws.

• b. With other Trustees, to make sure that our policy and practices are in keeping with our aims.

• c. With other Trustees, to exercise effective control, making sure that we function within the legal and financial requirements of a charitable organisation and strives to achieve best practice.

• d. With other Trustees, to fulfil all other duties as laid out by law and in accordance with our Bye Laws.

• e. To sit on at least one of the Board’s reporting committees (Finance; Operations; Risk; People and Culture; Safeguarding, Safety and Nominations and Governance) and/or a sub-committee or working group.

• The Group Scout Council comprises all adults having responsibilities in the Scout Group, Team Leaders, Young Leaders, Parents of every member of the Scout Group and supporters of the Group appointed by the Group.

• Duties of the Chair, Treasurer and Administrator as elected members of the Trustee Board (See Appendices 2a, 2b & 2c)

• One event which must take place is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Group Scout Council. This should be held between July and September. Notice of the date should be given at least 3 weeks before the date. The Agenda should give all members of the Group Scout Council the opportunity to receive reports of the Trustee Board and Leadership Team. It is also when the Chair and Treasurer are elected and any other members of the Trustee Board or meeting attendees approved for the year ahead. This is a business meeting and the following items must appear on the Agenda;Minutes of the previous AGM.

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Annual Report and Accounts Election of Chair and Treasurer TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH P.O.R

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2nd Squirrels Heath Scout Group

Financial Statement for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

INCOME Fundraising (in) Donations Jack Petchey Rent Membership fees Capitation (in) Camp/Trip/Event Monies Misc Government grants EXPENDITURE Utilities Repairs/ maintenance Insurance Equipment Resources / activites Trips and camps Capitation (out) Training Misc Opening balance at 1 April 2023 Closing balance at 31 March 2024 Represented by Monies held by Beavers - Bank Monies held by Beavers - Cash Monies held by Cubs - Bank Monies held by Cubs - Cash Monies held by Scouts - Bank Monies held by Scouts - Cash Moniels held by Group Scout - Bank Monies held by Arnauld Lodge - Bank	£ £1,138.83 £0.00 £15,759.80 £7,260.00 £39.00 £3,410.00 £0.00 £0.00 £27,607.63 £32,876.01 £60,483.64	£ £7,763.27 £4,097.39 £2,671.89 £423.69 £4,427.93 £3,108.34 £3,868.40 £0.00 £2,570.33 £28,931.24 £31,552.40 £60,483.64 £2,793.62 £1,317.36 £951.01 £1,014.96 £5,629.00 £356.83 £0.62 £19,489.00 31,552.40 £

I certify that the above account is a fair and true account of all receipts and books.

Michael Towler Group Treasurer 21/01/2025

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of 2nd Squirrels Heath Scout Group On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 Charity no (if any) 303705 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 3110312024. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act.). 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: 1510112025 Name: lan Douglas FCCA Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Association of Chartered Certified Accounts Address: Plan A Financials Suite 17, Essex House , Station Road Upminster, Essex, RM14 2SJ IER October 2018

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018