## **Ajax Sea Scout Group and Explorer Sea Scout Unit Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2022**
Summer Camp 2022 – Lake Bala, Wales
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## 74[th] Annual General Meeting of the Group Council of the 4[th] Thames Ditton ‘Ajax’ Sea Scouts **(Royal Navy Recognised Group No. 60) 31[st] August 2022**
## Agenda
1. Group Chairman’s welcome.
2. Group Scout Leader’s report.
3. Group Chairman’s report.
4. Group Treasurer’s report and adoption of the Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Financial Activity for the year ended 31[st] March 2022
5. Approval of nominations for honorary roles:
- a. Group President
- b. Group Vice Presidents
6. Approval of the Group Scout Leader’s nominations for the Group Executive Committee for the coming year:
- a. Group Chair
- b. Group Vice-Chair
- c. Group Advisers
- d. Youth Representative
- e. Other members of the Group Executive Committee.
7. Confirmation of Section Leaders wishing to be members of the Group Executive Committee for the coming year.
8. Election of lay officials for the coming year:
- a. Group Treasurer
- b. Group Secretary
- c. Independent Examiner.
9. Election of Section Representatives to the Group Executive Committee for the coming year.
10. Any other business.
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**GROUP CHAIR’S REPORT**
This is my sixth and final year as Group Chair and it feels like a good time to hand over the reins. It has been an incredible privilege serving as Chair and I want to thank Mark Marriott, Chris West and the Exec for their help and support. Ajax is undoubtedly in great shape. We have come through Covid with a very strong leadership team, have strength in depth across our Group and are in a financially robust position.
Ajax has made huge strides with our building and recently gained planning consent to install a secure compound in the adjacent car park which Ajax and Warspite will use to store our largest boats and trailers. As with the riverside extension of our boundary fence in 2020 we are very grateful for the support of Elmbridge Borough Council officers and Ditton Reach residents. Funding for both projects has relied on third party grants of just under £50,000.
With a following wind the compound will be installed later this year subject to a new long-term lease. Getting our largest boats off-site will improve safety and give us much needed operational space, especially in the winter when many of our boats need to be hauled out.
I would like to acknowledge the partnership we share with Rich Hunt and Warspite which continues to work for the benefit of both Groups. Rich is a constant source of inspiration and always on-hand to further the interests of both Groups.
Behind every great organisation you will find a treasurer managing the cash and keeping the books in order. We are very indebted to Peter Drysdale who keeps a real-time record of our accounts and more importantly constantly improves the way we do things.
Going forward I hope we can make a return to reservoir sailing in the very near future. Island Barn has some shortcomings but almost always provides a consistent breeze and great conditions, particularly for beginners who benefit from the wide-open space away from other river users.
It was a treat for me drop in on the Bala Scout camp and to witness first-hand the rituals, fun and activity that take place at camp which is very much a feature for our Group and really does instil skills of life.
I also want to thank our wonderful leaders who work so hard to make Ajax such a successful Group. We are very fortunate to be led by Chris West who combines a very broad skill set and passion to get things done and improve the way we operate. If anyone is contemplating coming on board and joining our leadership team you don’t need a scouting background and there will be plenty of support and encouragement.
I look forward to watching Ajax progress and thrive and have total confidence that it is in very safe hands.
Andrew Roberts Group Chair
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**GROUP SCOUT LEADER’S REPORT**
It’s been a few years since I've had the pleasure of writing a report after a full year of mostly uninterrupted Scouting, and it's certainly been a packed year full of activity.
Going back to the end of last year, the final term was mostly back to normal, with the Scouts and Explorers getting in a weekend of sailing down at Cobnor, Chichester Harbour. Unfortunately their second one was cancelled due to the poor weather conditions. In November, the Group was once again able to march in full to Giggs Hill Green for a well-attended Remembrance Day service. And finally, the Cubs enjoyed a weekend away at Walton Firs enjoying all sorts of activities.
At the beginning of 2022 we planned for a full year of normal scouting activities and for a return to all our important fundraising events. In the leadership team we kicked off with a large number of First Aid courses as we all raced to catch up with our qualifications and bring ourselves back up to speed after several years without the ability to retrain everyone.
In February and March the Cubs and the Scouts both managed to get away for their own winter camps. It was also Esher District's turn to host the Chief Scout's Gold Award ceremony. Congratulations to Cameron Stephen and Jonathan Craig for achieving their Chief Scout's Gold Awards.
In April we had St. George's Day, and for the first time this year we tried a new type of event that would hopefully appeal more to our members. Along with our friends from the Dittons Scout Group, our Scouts and Explorers went up to Polyapes to camp for the weekend. Getting up at the crack of dawn on the Sunday we lit a fire and gathered around it to learn more about the importance of St. George to Scouting. After this we made our way to the flag mast for a more formal ceremony commemorating St. George's Day. It seems that this was a popular new way to handle St. George’s Day and hopefully we've started a new tradition.
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St George’s Day – Polyapes Campsite
In May we returned once again to the Cobnor activity centre for a weekend of sailing with the Scouts and Explorers. Following that our ever-popular Esher May Fair event returned for the first time in 3 years. We were blessed with a baking hot day which produced a great turn out and wonderful sales from our beer, BBQ and tea tent.
In July we were once again hosts, with our friends at Warspite, for the National Scout Pulling and Kayaking Regatta. Again we were blessed with fine weather and whilst not as many Groups attended as normal, the rest of us had a great weekend of racing, with winners in all teams. As usual Ajax ran the tea tent to support the event, and provide a little extra fund raising for us.
The week after the regatta saw the return of the Claygate Flower Show. Ajax provide the bar for this event and again, the weather was amazing. This resulted in a sell out event for us, which is of course a great result.
In late July it was time for summer camp, this year we were heading back to Lake Bala in North Wales. A fantastically beautiful site, surrounded by hills and our field is on the shore of the lake for very easy access to the water. The weather can be quite unpredictable there, in fact we were lashing the tents to the ground with high winds and rain at the same time Surrey was in massive drought. On the whole, the camp was a complete success. The Explorers enjoying white water kayaking and for the first time canyoning. The Scouts getting in plenty of sailing, kayaking and some stunning hikes to the nearby waterfalls.
As Andrew has mentioned in his report, this was his last year a Group Chair. Over the past few years Andrew has had a massive impact on our Group, leading the way with improvement projects such as our new toilets, accessible shower and toilet, new changing rooms and the new fence, which included an increase in our land. Andrew is currently working on the project to install a secure compound in the car park across the road. With this in mind Andrew will not be leaving us, he will be appointed as Chair of the Special Projects committee, with a remit to carry on with these large and important projects, unencumbered by the hassles of the day to day running of the GEC. Andrew’s enthusiasm and drive to get these large projects done has been absolutely invaluable to the Group, combined with his excellent communication and negotiation skills that have ensured our local neighbours and the local council continue to be our good friends and supporters to help us grow and improve as a Group. I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Andrew for all his hard work and I look forward to carrying on with these exciting projects in his new role.
As Andrew will be stepping down as Chair of the GEC, I will be appointing a new Chair. Luckily, he is also called Andrew, in the form of Andy Davison, husband to our Scout Leader Diane. Andy has been an active member of Ajax for a long time now and I am very excited for him to join the GEC. Andy is meticulous, organised and driven, all skills which he will bring to driving the GEC forwards. Welcome onboard Andy!
As I look forwards, I see Ajax continuing to thrive and flourish, with such a group of dedicated and enthusiastic people always pushing us to improve I don’t see how we can fail. Thanks to everyone who has helped us recover and return with Sea Scouting stronger than ever.
Lastly, many of you will be familiar with the name Chiefy Sharman. He was GSL for 39 years from 1949 to 1988 and generally known as the man who made Ajax what it is today. This September would have been his centenary and to mark the occasion his daughters, Jill and Joy, have sent us this message:
_My sister, Joy, and I would like to make a donation to Ajax Sea Scouts to celebrate our Dad’s, “Chiefy” Sharman, centenary on September 2nd this year._
_Ajax meant so very much to him because he had a lifelong belief that scouting as an organisation could help young people develop and grow whatever their skills, talents and background. He first joined the scouts when he was at school and then became involved with scouting in Surbiton whilst spending his school holidays with an Aunt & Uncle who lived in Tolworth. His links with scouting even continued when he joined the Royal Navy in the Second World War and was part of a deep sea Rover crew on HMS Indefatigable. After the war he renewed his links with the Surbiton troop part of which left to become Ajax Sea Scouts and as they say “the rest is history”, and what a rich and wonderful history it has been!_
## **Here are the reports from of our training Sections:**
## **BEAVER SCOUT COLONY**
(For young people aged 6 to 8)
Beaver Colony Leader Lydia Thomas writes:
Fondly reflecting on the last year, our small leadership team, have successfully run a range of fun musters. We currently have nineteen Beavers, and three leaders; Lydia, Scott and Adrian. A full year without any COVID lockdown interruptions enabled the Beavers to earn 176 badges this year, compared with only 100 last year. Some badges earnt this year included Nautical skills, Time on the Water, Experiment, Builder, Adventure, Creative, Teamwork, Explore & Health and Fitness.
Our Autumn term began with a ramble through Stokes field and building a den in the woods. We learnt about world issues of different sorts and talked about how to solve them. The Beavers invented machines, created them out of recycled materials and presented to the colony how their machines would help stop litter, pollution, and climate change. We also learnt about endangered animals and created animal masks. As always, there were also lots of different team games and problem-solving activities throughout the term. In December, we made salt dough Christmas ornaments and painted them, and ended the term with a Ringo and sledging session at Sandown Sports.
We entered the Spring term with a fizz and a bang by conducting science experiments. We learnt about Lunar New Year and the Zodiac story and watched Lion and Dragon dances. We created our own dragon puppets and played a dragon dance game. After learning about kitchen health and safety and creating some posters for the galley, the Beavers cooked pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, and had a pancake tossing race. A highlight of this term was the plasticine modelling workshop run by Steve from Art For Everyone, where the Beavers created models of themselves. The last muster of term was when we said goodbye to Hugo Goodman after his years of help at Beavers.
As always, our Summer term involved lots of outdoor fun and this year began with a nature theme for many of our activities. We learnt about birds and made bird feeders, and once we mastered tying knots, we made knotted macrame butterfly feeders for the Beavers to put in their gardens. After discussing wild animals and bugs in our area and how litter can affect them, we conducted a litter pick outside the WAC and later had a bug hunt on Stokes field. We had a tour of Esher fire station and took turns using the hose! We celebrated Swedish Midsommar with a party in the park where we learnt a Swedish song and dance, made flower garland headbands, and played some team games. We also cooked and tried various Swedish foods. A highlight of the term was the joint sleepover with Cubs at Jump In trampolining park, followed by boating and St George’s Day parade.
This was my first year as Section Leader, and I’m looking forward to another year of activities. A huge thank you to Hugo, Scott and Adrian for all their help this year, and thank you to our Explorer young leaders, Amy and Leon.
r¥V•
## **CUB SCOUT PACK**
(For young people aged 8 to 10½)
Assistant Cub Scout Leader Dan Callaghan writes:
Nothing’s stopped us this year, that’s for sure! Off the back of an amazing Summer Cub Camp 2021, the Cub leadership team has been busy cramming in all the face-to-face activities and adventures forgone during the last couple of years.
Our key highlights for the year have included:
- **Winter 2021 Cub Camp at Walton Firs** : thank goodness for the cabins providing some protection from the elements, it might have been cold, but oh what a great time we had! Adventures for all the young people including low ropes, bouldering, archery and caving.
- In Winter half term the WAC was turned into an **Egyptian themed escape room** with puzzles and physical challenges to be solved. Smoke machines, theatre blacks, lighting and full theming - the leaders (+ Pete – thanks Pete!) went all out for an immersive adventure experience for the Cubs.
- Our Spring extravaganza saw the WAC once again taking on a new role, this time as a **fullyfledged wizarding school** for the weekend, where students were sorted into houses with sorting hat cupcakes, made magic wands, practiced spells, created slime and played with potions – followed by a formal dinner under an enchanted ceiling with floating candles.
- **St George’s Day** and the Cubs joined together with fellow Groups for a service to renew our promises – but we couldn’t let an event pass by without some Ajax magic first – how about a sleepover beforehand at **Bounce Trampoline Park** ?
- All this and we hadn’t even reached the Summer term! After being delayed by 2 years due to Covid, we were finally able to realise the ambition of getting the **Cub section afloat** on the river during musters. Thanks to some strategic planning and coordination with Warspite, we managed to give all our Cubs the opportunities for driving power boats, rowing single handers and also rowing as part of a team (Ajax’s future in National Sea Scout Pulling Regatta is looking bright!). And, after weeks of being told to stay in the boats (how boring of us leaders!), we ended the boating term with canoe sessions where Cubs spent probably as much time in the river as in the boats – no complaints were heard though in the glorious weather afforded to us.
- And **Summer Camp 2022** ? Yes, that happened too! A return to Polyapes, but this time camping on The Ridge. As leaders it was a delight to see our more experienced Cubs supporting the younger pack members and fully embracing the scouting lifestyle. All members of the pack have developed so much in just a year. Our theme this year (at Cub request) was nature/survival, and as leaders I hope we met their expectations with our Ninja Warrior themed assault cause including a slackline amongst our many planned activities!
These highlights are just some of our larger events for the year, but our weekly program was no less ambitious: we welcomed back the Astronomy Dome for an evening under the virtual stars, had a hugely successful trip to Teddington Lifeboat Station, ran several weekend nature walks at Bushy Park, a Cub Hike around Esher, a water fight at Collets, local knowledge hike around Thames Ditton, as well as learning about new cultures, the environment and science during our evening musters. A new feature for 2022 was a Cubs in charge night where us leaders handed over planning to a team of Sixers who came up with (and ran) an evening muster - so they definitely deserve a mention for their contribution to our 2021/2 programme.
It's with sadness that we said goodbye to Lucy, one of our leaders at the end of the Summer Term. She will be missed by the Cubs and also the leader team. Just during the last year Lucy introduced our Cubs to many new skills including cooking cakes in hollowed oranges on fires, creating artwork out of blackberries and oversaw some epic shelter building at summer camp!
We’ve had some changes in numbers as Cubs have left to take part in other activities on Monday nights, but the pack will soon be restored to its full and raucous strength of 36 come September.
Parent involvement with Cubs over the past term is something else to be called out. With a small leader team in Cubs, getting the support from parents during our musters and events made such a difference to the activities we could run (and to us leaders as well). A shout out here to the setup/take down teams, as well as meal-time helpers during Summer Camp and also for all the parent support which was critical in allowing us to get Cubs on the water each week.
To my fellow Cub leaders: Ruth, Lucy, Alex, Gavan and Emma –didn’t we do great! Just kidding, we did, but - on behalf of the Cubs - thank you – it was exhausting just writing up this list of accomplishments for the year, but a great chance to reflect on the dynamic programme we’ve all helped build and deliver. To our 2021/2022 young leaders, thank you also, you’ll be missed (and not just as target practice for our end of term water fight!). Given that I have the chance to write this report this year, I want to take the opportunity to say a massive thank you to Ruth who once again has made the last year happen so successfully – with her passion for providing the best scouting experience for Cubs.
And so, I end by saying, 2021/2 = awesome, 2022/3 = just wait and see what we’ve got in store! New Cubs, new leaders, new activities… Ajax Cubs
Various Cub activities.
## **SEA SCOUT TROOP**
(For young people aged 10½ to 14)
Sea Scout Leader Diane Davison writes:
## BE PREPARED!
Never has the Scout motto been so appropriate. We look back at a year of continual change when Covid was still affecting the normal running of Scouts.
We started off the year last September with a relatively normal programme which ran well with Boating happening alongside First Aid training, in fact everything ran smoothly until the arrival of Omicron! This outbreak started to affect us and from the beginning of December attendance at Scouts was dropping as infections in schools started to rise.
We did manage to hold a mass investiture ceremony for some 15 Scouts who had been delayed by the main bout of Covid. In the term we managed to cover off an introduction to Ajax and its history, ably supported by George Barber, former Group Scout Leader and long-term Ajaccio, in addition to pioneering skills, knots, rope skills, expedition planning and a navigation mini hike at Black Pond. However, our Christmas plans were thwarted by Covid and we were unable to entertain the local residents.
Spring term took a very different shape with half the Scouts at the WAC and half on Zoom. We still managed to get some outdoor activities for the whole Troop including skiing, high ropes, and wild games in Oxshott woods. This term also saw a brilliant charity initiative by the Scouts – originally themed "Coats for Calais", this activity morphed into a massive collection of coats that went off to Ukraine to support humanitarian aid work there. A brilliant success for all the Scouts. Another successful environmental initiative was taken on in Scouts, namely to green the WAC! So, many of you will have noticed the recycling of our rubbish that is now taking place; the new bins, the new collection service and the posters around the WAC. A river clean by kayak is also planned.
Summer, with infections at bay, we have been boating and trying to get our skills and experience up to our usual standard. Sadly we did not perform brilliantly at the regatta with a few notable exceptions: Will D excelled in the Sculling as did Chase, Logan and Dylan in the Double Dinghy. Well done all!!
As a leadership team, we were a little disappointed by the lack of attendance at Saturday boating musters in the autumn term. Boating is at the core of what Sea Scouts is all about. This trend carried over into the summer term with a small number of committed Scouts turning up each week. If we are to bring home some trophies we need to put in the work, we are up against tough competition!!
SUMMER CAMP! Undeniably the highlight of the Ajax year. 8 days of brilliant activities on a stunning lake in North Wales. Sailing, kayaking, canoeing, SUP boarding, giant SUP boarding, day hikes, knife skills, camping, cooking and cleaning skills! An amazing experience and huge fun for all our Scouts. Thanks go to our Patrol Leaders who rose to the challenge: Amalia, Daisy, Matthew, Will and Zac. And to our Assistant Patrol Leaders who gave great support: Caspar, Ethan, Leo, Oliver and Tennyson
The numbers in the Troop have remained fairly consistent at around 45. The leadership team remains strong but work pressures prey on available time so we are always on the look out for people who can commit time to helping us.
I am as ever totally indebted to this wonderful group of volunteer Leaders, Instructors, and Young Leaders who make all of the above possible. Again this year their commitment to the Scouts has been exemplary. Without their generosity of time, holidays, skills, creativity and good humour Ajax would not be the same!
My grateful thanks go to Jamie Ashley, Harry Ashley, Bernadette Banks, Nick Barber, Simon Corkin, Andy Davison, Robert Elliott, Andrew Rowan, Barbara Rusis, Phil Shortman, Rob Stephens, James Taylor, Peter Wadsworth, Chris West, Dane Wilson - who all regularly attend musters.
Also thanks to Miky Davison, Izzy Elliot, Hugo Goodman, Max Kingdon, Alex Soden, Kristian Squire and Lauren Thompson-Chisnall : most of whom on returning from university or taking work holidays provide invaluable help and enthusiasm at some musters and at Summer Camp.
And last, but certainly not least, our Young Leaders Hannah, Molly, Isabelle Poppy and Tilly who help week in week out! Over the past 6 months, all of these Young Leaders have made the transition to becoming full Leaders which is brilliant!
## **EXPLORER SEA SCOUT UNIT (For young people aged 14½ to 18)**
Explorer Sea Scout Leader Nick Barber writes:
The Unit currently has 19 members comprising six young women, thirteen young men. Our newest arrivals are Jonathan, Nora, Molly and Cameron.
We continue to see that many of our Explorers are also Young Leaders, helping with the other Sections in an adult leadership capacity. The Young Leader Scheme is now currently being run by District’s Jonathan Perkins who will send out information periodically on how to progress the Young Leader awards and training.
Post Explorers we are regularly seeing these fine young men and women coming back to assist in their down time from university and working life in leadership/ instructor roles. Scouting is a movement after all, and these next generations have shown a willingness to contribute to the health and longevity of the group.
Since last September we have done a lot of SUPB/kayaking, sailing at Cobnor, power-boat-handling courses, a mystery night hike, trialled a new format for St George’s Day, which was a weekend camp instead of a parade, hosted 1st Hinchley Wood Explorers for a boating evening, and ran a number of DoE expeditions. We also got back into our competitiveness at our National Sea Scout Pulling regatta; huge kudos to the team for their efforts. Particularly Ben W who stole the show right at the end with some great determination and sportsmanship whilst being clapped on by a very full audience just before the award ceremony.
The highlight of the year has to be our fantastic Summer Camp, which this year was at Lake Bala in North Wales. The Unit had a great week and this year we were joined by 1st Hinchley Wood Explorers, which worked really well. The combination of Land and Sea Scout Explorers joining up allowed us to mix and match permits for boating and hill walking, which resulted in a fantastic program offering; coastal powerboating, mountain walking, canyoning, white water kayaking and boating on the beautiful Lake Bala and making friends we had not yet met.
Looking forward to the New Year we have the District Winter Activity Weekend, which takes place in the Peak District and we plan to be travelling via our own mini-buses.
I also encourage every member to keep an eye out for 2023’s STV (Sail Training Voyages) aboard one of the Rona Sailing Projects' purpose-built sail training yachts. I enjoyed these when I was a Venture Scout and thoroughly recommend the project. STV’s also count towards your Gold DoE Residential element so get booking!
It was great to also see Molly, Isabelle, Tilly, Poppy and Hannah completing their DoE Gold expedition which had been postponed so many times due to Covid.
Also, to Miky for her Queen’s Scout Award – finally presented to her at Windsor. Brilliant stuff!
Lastly, I’d like to thank my team; Jan, Diane, Sergio, Alex, Dane, and Jamie who make Scouting happen for these amazing young men and women.
DoE Bronze expedition setting off Remembrance parade
Esher May Fair – Mayor's opening ceremony
Miky #Queenscout
DoE Gold Exped #Be prepared
Summer Joint Explorer Camp with 1st Hinchley Wood @ Lake Bala
## **OUR FLEET**
As you might expect, we have had little change in our fleet again this year.
We do, as always, need much more help with boat maintenance so if you are able to lend a hand, or know who could be interested, please contact Peter Wadsworth (peter@ajax.org.uk).
## **WATER ACTIVITIES TRAINING**
Ajax and Warspite continue jointly to operate a Royal Yachting Association ‘Recognised Training Centre’ (RTC) at Thames Ditton.
This year has seen a steady return to a more normal boating season, with the team starting to deliver the RYA dinghy sailing and Power boating qualifications again.
## **ISLAND BARN**
With all the changes over the last few years we have undertaken a review of our activities at Island barn recently, while it does offer some benefits to us the decision to withdraw from island barn over the next 12 months has been taken jointly with Warspite.
This was not an easy decision but we believe that maintaining a significant sailing fleet across three locations (The WAC, Island barn and Chichester harbour) is not currently providing the value in terms of supporting additional training and presents a large drain on resources both financially and in volunteer time.
## **RONA SAILING PROJECT**
(For young people aged over 14)
Rona Sailing Project www.ronasailingproject.org.uk is a registered charity which provides affordable sail training on purpose-built yachts. Their stated aim is to provide opportunities for young people to develop a sense of responsibility, resourcefulness and teamwork which will help them throughout their lives. Anyone over the age of 14 can apply for a place and we strongly recommend all Ajaccios to do so. In fact a number of the volunteer Skippers and Mates at RSP are Old Ajaccios!
The RSP programme returned to normal this year and we saw a number of the group taking part. We will be encouraging even more of the Explorers to get involved next year and take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
## **DUKE of EDINBUGH AWARDS**
(For young people aged over 14)
We ran two successful Bronze expeditions in October/November 2021 which 9 participants completed. One expedition was on water and the second (due to weather constraints) was Hiking!!!
We are also delighted that at Summer Camp a Gold Hiking Expedition was undertaken by Hannah, Isabelle, Molly, Poppy and Tilly. They experienced all the Welsh wilderness could throw at them. Lack of paths, undergrowth, heavy continuous rain and ticks!!! They also camped in the most idyllic wild campsite with a stream as the only utility and a lake. Stunning!
## **ROYAL NAVY RECOGNITION**
Ajax is one of just 105 Sea Scout Groups in the UK to be officially recognised by the Royal Navy and we have held this recognition continuously from the inception of the Group. Beyond the prestige of RN recognition, there are a number of tangible benefits including access to Grant Aid.
Following a relaunch of the scheme three years ago, all RN Recognised Groups are now affiliated with a local RN Unit. Together with nine other Groups in the London area, we are affiliated with the London University Royal Naval Unit.
To maintain RN recognition, all Groups are regularly reviewed to ensure the required standards are maintained. We had our review this year and passed with flying colours.
## **THANKS**
It’s been so good to get back to almost full normality, it’s been a busy year so far with plenty of activity across the Sections, as well as our fund-raising events getting back into action as well.
As always, I wish to give my heartfelt thanks to all the Leaders who volunteer so much time to make Ajax happen, thank you all!
**Chris West GROUP SCOUT LEADER**
## **4[th] Thames Ditton ‘Ajax’ Sea Scouts**
In common with all Scout groups, the 4[th] Thames Ditton ‘Ajax’ Sea Scouts (“the Group” or “the Charity”) is a charity established under the Royal Charter granted to The Scout Association dated 4[th] January 1912 as amended by supplemental charters dated 28[th] March 1949, 18[th] February 1959, 5[th] May 1967 and 19[th] July 1991. Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.
## **Group Information as of 31[st] March 2022**
Charity Registration Number:
Scout Association Registration Number: Honorary President:
303764 25880
Mrs Marguerite Rollason MBE
Honorary Vice Presidents:
Mrs Janet Barber Mrs Doreen Neal
Trustees Ex-Officio: Group Scout Leader Assistant Group Scout Leader Explorer Sea Scout Leader Sea Scout Leader Cub Scout Leader Beaver Scout Leader
Chris West Peter Wadsworth Nick Barber Diane Davison Ruth Mortby Lydia Thomas
Trustees Nominated: Group Chair Group Advisers
Supporters
Andrew Roberts George Barber Mark Faulkner Mark Marriott Raymond Mears
Trustees Elected: Group Treasurer Group Secretary Sea Scout Parent Cub Scout Parent Sea Scout Parent Explorer Sea Scout Parent Explorer Sea Scout Parent
Peter Drysdale Tina Chale Mark Dence Heather Ryder Andrew Rowan Adrian Smith Peter Lloyd-Jones
Custodian Trustees:
The Scout Association Trust Corporation
Independent Examiner: Contact Name and Address:
Barry Hitchens
Chris West 4 Hartford Road Epsom KT19 9JD
## **Trustees Report**
The Trustees present their report and the financial statements for the 4[th] Thames Ditton ‘Ajax’ Sea Scout Group for the year ended 31[st] March 2022.
## **Responsibilities of the Trustees**
Charity law requires the Trustees to keep accounting records and prepare annual statements of account for the Charity which must be audited or independently examined and provided to the Charity Commission. In preparing the annual statement of accounts the Trustees are required to:
- Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- Comply with applicable accounting standards subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the annual statement of accounts; and
- Prepare the annual statement of accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume the Charity will continue its operations.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and are responsible for safeguarding its assets and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
## **Review of Activity of the Charity**
The Group currently has an active Beaver Scout Colony, Cub Scout Pack and Sea Scout Troop and a partnership agreement with the Ajax Explorer Sea Scout Unit. Key details of each Section are as follows:
- The Beaver Colony is for boys and girls aged 6 to 8 years. The Colony meets once a week and as at 31[st] of March 2022 has 19 members (2021: 20).
- The Cub Scout Pack is for boys and girls aged 8 to 10 ½ years. The Pack meets once a week and as at 31[st] of March 2022 has 31 members (2021: 29).
- The Sea Scout Troop is for boys and girls aged 10 ½ to 14. The Troop normally meets twice a week and as at 31[st] of March 2022 has 48 members (2021: 48).
- The Explorer Sea Scout Unit is for boys and girls aged 14 ½ to 18. The Unit normally meets once a week and as at 31[st] of March 2022 has 19 members (2021: 22)
All Sections have continued to work in accordance with the progressive training scheme as laid down by the Scout Association.
The Group has continued to operate a Royal Yachting Association Training Centre based at the Water Activities Centre and operated jointly with Warspite Sea Scouts. The RYA Centre’s Principal is supported by a team of RYA Instructors with qualifications covering sailing, power boating, VHF communications and first aid.
The Group is one of just 105 Sea Scout Groups in the United Kingdom recognised by the Royal Navy. This prestigious and beneficial recognition is subject to a rigorous regular review.
## **Reserves**
The Trustees have adopted a formal policy on reserves which is reflected in these accounts. The policy provides that reserves be maintained at a level which has regard to:
- The risks associated with each stream of income and expenditure varying from that budgeted
- The planned activity level
- The Group’s commitments
- The need for adequate readily realisable resources to meet the Group’s commitments (after subscriptions and camp fees) for the coming twelve-month period.
Readily realisable resources are defined as the balances at the bank less current liabilities and the balance on designated funds for WAC building development.
The Group has sufficient resources to meet the level of reserves of £30,000 required under the policy. Although the level of reserves available at 31st March 2022 under the policy is £20,706 (2021: £19,163), should the need arise and to the extent necessary, the Group would curtail or defer its planned capital expenditure and release building development designated funds to general funds.
## **Investment Policy**
The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. All funds are held in cash or "at call" short term investments with The Scout Association, Skipton Building Society and Cambridge & Counties Bank.
## **Governance**
The Group's governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, The By-Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.
The Group is a trust established under rules which are common to all Scout Groups.
The Trustees are appointed in accordance with The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.
The Group is managed by an Executive Committee made up of all the Charity's Trustees. As charity trustees, they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping of proper accounts and making of appropriate returns to the Charity Commission.
The Group Executive Committee consists of independent representatives comprising Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and parent representatives of each Section together with the Group Scout Leader, Assistant Group Scout Leaders and the Leaders of each Section. The Committee normally meets five times per year.
The Committee exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of the Group and is responsible for:
- The maintenance of Group property;
- The raising of funds and the administration of the Group finance;
- The insurance of persons, property and equipment;
- Group public occasions;
- Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support;
- Appointing advisors other than those who are elected.
## **Risk Assessment**
The Committee has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed. These have been reviewed and systems established to mitigate against them as follows:
_Damage to buildings and equipment:_ The Group would request the use of buildings and equipment from neighbouring organisations. The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.
_Injury to leaders, members and helpers_ : The Group, through the capitation fees, contributes to The Scout Association's national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.
_Reduced income from fund raising:_ The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fund raising. The Group does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Committee could increase the level of subscriptions to increase the income to the Group either temporarily or permanently.
_Reduction or loss of members:_ The Group provides activities for young people aged 6 to 18. If there were a reduction in membership of a particular Section or of the Group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a Section, or in the worst case scenario, the complete closure of the Group.
_Reduction or loss of leaders:_ The Group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the Group. If there were a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular Section or the Group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a Section, or in the worst case scenario, the complete closure of the Group.
The Group requires two signatories for all payments to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss of money and holds comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.
## **Group Objectives**
The aim of the Group is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international community. The method of achieving this aim is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided by trained adult leadership.
## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the 4[th] Thames Ditton ‘Ajax’ Sea Scouts**
## **Annual Financial Report 2021 – 22 Prepared by Peter Drysdale, Group Treasurer**
Ajax Sea Scouts Group remains in good financial health. Covid meant that 2022 was not a normal year in that there was no fundraising, but a number of activities did take place.
## Operating Highlights
In round numbers, cash in the bank as at the year end stands at £97,000 (2021 - £99,000) Overall, there was a net deficit in the year of £8,000. Operationally, we almost broke even with Income at £25,500 being £1,000 short of WAC running cost at £26,500. Major Expenditure at £10,500 was offset by a surplus of £3,500 on Activities – but see below.
The bank balance includes a large donation of £1000 for a defibrillator and a grant from the Royal Navy of £5,000 received near the end of the year. Grants and specific donations are not recognised until spent – hence the bank showing a net reduction of only £2,000 whilst recording a deficit of £8,000 Income at £25,500 is down £9,000 on last year being £8,000 reduction in Covid grants (£10,000 in 2021, and £2,000 in 2022) and £1,000 drop in subscriptions possibly due to changing from parents’ standing orders to direct debits.
Total Operating costs were £26,500, £3,500 more than last year. The actual cost of running the WAC was pretty stable at £12,000, Capitation was £6,000 and £5,700 was spent on maintenance of the fleet - £3,000 more than last year. The remaining £3,000 was spent on training, section costs and sundry other items. Activities includes uniform sales. These sales are quite significant, but over the last several years purchases have exceeded sales by about £500 per year. This has resulted in a stock of uniform valued at £2,600 which has been added back to Income & Expenditure and created most of the surplus on activities. Once again there was no fund raising, but there were a lot of activities including camps which overall showed a net surplus of £2,000.
Major expenditure came in at £10,000 of which the largest single project was £6,000 on a new electrical distribution board; with £1,000 on tents, trailers, the workshop and clearing the trailer park of vegetation. It is hoped that 2023 will be more normal with some fund raising because significant expenditure is planned. The largest value project is to put a security compound in the trailer park. This now has planning permission. The cost, around £30,000, will be shared with Warspite and with matched funding via a grant from a charitable foundation – all subject to a lease extension from Elmbridge Borough Council. Other planned works include new external doors, workshop roller shutter, kayaks and a fire alarm all totalling around £20,000.
Note that the accounts that follow are in a prescribed form and do not show any of the numbers referred above – except for the total overall deficit.
## **Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2022**
## **1 Basis of preparation of accounts**
## 1.1 Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
## 1.2 Going Concern
The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
## **2. Accounting Policies**
## 2.1 Income recognition
All regularly recurring income is recognised in the period in which it is received. This applies to Subscriptions, Gift Aid on subscriptions and Investment Income.
Donations are recognised once received. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the Charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the Charity and it is probable that those conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.
Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise. It is recognised in the period in which it is received.
Grants will be recognised in the period in which the associated costs are incurred.
Income from Fundraising and Activities is recognised in the period in which the fundraising event or activity takes place. Deposits received in prior periods will be deferred until the period in which the activity takes place.
All other income is recognised in the period in which it is received.
Note that there were no fundraising events in the period due to Covid.
## 2.2 Expenditure and liabilities
A liability exists where there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. All such liabilities will ordinarily be discharged as soon as possible. Only material liabilities not discharged by the end of the period will be accrued.
Some annual costs e.g. Insurance, Subscriptions, Rent and other similar dues which extend beyond the current period and which on a strict accruals basis would to that extent ordinarily be accrued, will be recognised in full in the period in which they are paid.
All expenses including support costs and governance costs are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings.
The classification between headings is as follows:
Expenditure on fundraising includes all expenditure associated with raising funds for the charity. Expenditure on charitable activities of the Group includes all costs associated with furthering the charitable purposes of the Group through the provision of its charitable activities.
All expenditure on fundraising events or activities is recognised in the period in which the fundraising event or activity occurs. Prior period deposits will be treated as prepayments.
Materiality: Accruals of expenditure other than that for Fundraising or Activities will be made where they exceed £500 individually or £1,000 in total.
In consequence of the decision to capitalise the current stock of uniform, purchases of uniform will be added to stock and only the actual costs of sales will be charge to I&E. For this year only, £2,618 of uniform stock has been added to Assets, resulting in an equivalent addition to Income & Expenditure
## 3 Assets
The lease and building are held by The Scout Association Trust Corporation on Behalf of 1st Cuddington “Warspite” and 4th Thames Ditton “Ajax” Sea Scout Groups. Ground rent is reviewed by Elmbridge Borough Council every seven years based on Retail Price Index since the last review. The current ground rent is £76 per annum, and the next review is due in 2022. The lease expires in 2080. As the lease cannot be assigned or transferred and does not permit subletting it is not considered to have any market value.
There is a legal agreement between the two Groups for a Joint Liaison Committee meeting to take place at intervals of not exceeding six months to review matters of mutual interest
## 4 Funds
Unrestricted General Funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity.
Designated Funds are funds set aside out of unrestricted General Funds for specific purposes or projects. Restricted Funds are funds subject to specific restrictive conditions imposed by the donors or by the purpose of the appeal. There was one donation of £1000 for a defibrillator and one grant from the Royal Navy of £4987 for the purchase of boats
## 5 Insurance Policies
The WAC building is insured for reinstatement cost of £803,000. Contents at £79,000 and the boats at £90,000.
## **Income & Expenditure 2021 - 2022**
||Notes
2022
**Income from**
Donations, Legacies. Subscriptions and similar income
1
25,626
Camp fees
23,431
Other activities in furtherance of the Charities objects
2,752
Fundraising
70
Investment Income
674|2021
57,835
1,406
119
0
185|
|---|---|---|
||**Total**
52,553
**Expenditure on:**
Fundraising Costs
115
Expenses of the activities by the Group
59,739|59,545
0
80,504|
||**Total**
59,854|80,504|
||Net Income
(7,301)|(20,959
)|
||**Balance Sheet**
2022
Reconciliation of Funds
Total Funds Brought Forward
102,726|2021
123,584|
||**Total FundsCarried Forward**
95,425|102,726|
||**Current Assets**
Cash at bank and in hand
2
96,819
Debtors and prepayments
3
(4,012)|98,766
3,960|
## Stock of Uniform
2,618
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
|**Net Assets**
**Represented by:**
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Notes to the Accounts
2022
1
**Analysis of Donations etc**
Subscriptions
23,015
Donations and Legacies
290
Grants
Covid Grant
2,096
Other
225
Total
25,626
2
**Analysis of Cash at Bank and in hand**
Cambridge & Counties
54,203
Skipton
25,826
Scout Association
134
Total Investment
80,163
Cash in Hand
HSBC Bank Accounts
Subs
8,043
Camp
1,321
BMM
4,166
Main
1,688
Nr 3
1,134
Soldo Expenses Cash Card
304
Total Current Accounts
16,656
Total
96,819
3
**Analysis of Debtors and Prepayments**
Prepayments
(665)
Prepayments - Donations & Grants
(5,987)
Prepayment-Cobnor
2,640
Total
4,012|**Net Assets**
**Represented by:**
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Notes to the Accounts
2022
1
**Analysis of Donations etc**
Subscriptions
23,015
Donations and Legacies
290
Grants
Covid Grant
2,096
Other
225
Total
25,626
2
**Analysis of Cash at Bank and in hand**
Cambridge & Counties
54,203
Skipton
25,826
Scout Association
134
Total Investment
80,163
Cash in Hand
HSBC Bank Accounts
Subs
8,043
Camp
1,321
BMM
4,166
Main
1,688
Nr 3
1,134
Soldo Expenses Cash Card
304
Total Current Accounts
16,656
Total
96,819
3
**Analysis of Debtors and Prepayments**
Prepayments
(665)
Prepayments - Donations & Grants
(5,987)
Prepayment-Cobnor
2,640
Total
4,012|**Net Assets**
**Represented by:**
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Notes to the Accounts
2022
1
**Analysis of Donations etc**
Subscriptions
23,015
Donations and Legacies
290
Grants
Covid Grant
2,096
Other
225
Total
25,626
2
**Analysis of Cash at Bank and in hand**
Cambridge & Counties
54,203
Skipton
25,826
Scout Association
134
Total Investment
80,163
Cash in Hand
HSBC Bank Accounts
Subs
8,043
Camp
1,321
BMM
4,166
Main
1,688
Nr 3
1,134
Soldo Expenses Cash Card
304
Total Current Accounts
16,656
Total
96,819
3
**Analysis of Debtors and Prepayments**
Prepayments
(665)
Prepayments - Donations & Grants
(5,987)
Prepayment-Cobnor
2,640
Total
4,012|95,425|102,726|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||5,987
68,732
20,706|
83,563
19,163|
||||95,425|102,726|
|||||2021
20,430
1,405
26,000
10,000|
|||Total
25,626||57,835|
|||**Analysis of Cash at Bank and in hand**
Cambridge & Counties
54,203
Skipton
25,826
Scout Association
134||53,542
25,813
134|
|||Total Investment
80,163
Cash in Hand
HSBC Bank Accounts
Subs
8,043
Camp
1,321
BMM
4,166
Main
1,688
Nr 3
1,134
Soldo Expenses Cash Card
304||79,489
9,534
508
6,940
1,215
100
980|
|||Total Current Accounts
16,656||19,277|
|||Total
96,819||98,766|
|||**Analysis of Debtors and Prepayments**
Prepayments
(665)
Prepayments - Donations & Grants
(5,987)
Prepayment-Cobnor
2,640||3,960|
|||Total
4,012||3,960|
||**Designated Funds**
Building Development
Canoe
Small Craft
Tentage
HQ Security
National Regatta|Op Balance
Income
Expenditure
Redesignated
Cl Bal|
|---|---|---|
|||72,320
7,887
64,433
500
500
1,676
873
803
1,910
1,804
106
2,500
2,500
4,657
(4,267)
390|
||**Total**|83,563
0
10,564
(4,267)
68,732|
Ajax Annual Report approved by:
Chris West, Group Scout Leader
Peter Drysdale, Group Treasurer
Andrew Roberts, Group Chair
## Ajax Sea Scout Group and Explorer Sea Scout Unit
## KEY CONTACTS
Group Scout Leader Chris West 07967 806818 Asst. Group Scout Leader Peter Wadsworth 07527 554029 Beaver Colony Lydia Thomas 07950 790153 Cub Pack Ruth Mortby 07941 206568 Sea Scout Troop Diane Davison 07814 131377 Explorer Sea Scout Unit Nick Barber 07981 037052 Group Chair Andrew Roberts 020 8786 6882 Group Secretary Tina Chale Group Treasurer Peter Drysdale
gsl@ajax.org.uk peter@ajax.org.uk beavers@ajax.org.uk cubs@ajax.org.uk troop@ajax.org.uk
explorers@ajax.org.uk chairman@ajax.org.uk secretary@ajax.org.uk treasurer@ajax.org.uk
For more information about this report or membership of Ajax contact:
Chris West Email: gsl@ajax.org.uk
Ajax Sea Scout Group and Explorer Sea Scout Unit The Chiefy Sharman Water Activities Centre 19a Ditton Reach Thames Ditton Surrey KT7 0XB
(No facility to receive mail at this address)
Telephone: 020 8398 4777
Website: www.ajax.org.uk
Ajax Sea Scouts is a Registered Charity No: 303764