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2024-03-31-accounts

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Skills for Life Our plan to 2025 South London Our vision By 2023 we will have seen year on year growth and will be preparing more young people with skills for life. Our scout groups and explorer scout units will be supported by a growing team of amazing leaders who together deliver an inspiring high-quality programme to suitably sized sections. Perception Scouting across South London is clearly understood, more visible, trusted, respected and widely seen as playing a key role in today's society. People More adults and young people joining scouting from every community in South London. Places We provide amazing scout groups and explorer scout units with appropriately sized (but aiming for maximum sized), sections run by larger teams of adults. All our scout groups have a proactive executive committee in place. Executive members understand their role and know where to go for support. Our explorer scout units are governed efficiently within the district. Programme We provide exciting, high quality section programmes across our county, that are engaging, fun and enjoyable and are'benchmarked, and supported by simple (digital) tools. Find out more and see what you can do to help your group or unit achieve our goals at: southlondonscouts.org.uk/ourplan

Greater London South

County Scout Council

The Greater London South County Scout Council (known as South London Scouts), is an unincorporated association constituted in accordance with the Rules of The Scout Association (Registered No. 139, Charity No. 303883) covering the London Boroughs Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Royal Greenwich.

The Scout Association (Registered Charity No. 306101) is incorporated by Royal Charter to

support and actively engage young people in their personal development. Empowering, them to make a positive contribution to society. — The Scout Association’s method of meeting the purpose of scouting is through the balanced 7[,] alll programme.

The Greater London South County Scout Council’s governing documents are those of The Scout Association (Registered Charity number 306101). They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn > Pe gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Scout Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association. The County Scout Council is a trust established under The Scout Association’s rules, which are common to all Scouts in the United Kingdom. The County Scout Council's role is to offer leadership and support to the Scout Districts and Groups within our geographic administrative area.

Our constitution governs the operation of the county (The Greater London South County Scout Council and County Trustee Board, known as South London Scouts).

The County Scout Council is the elected body which supports and encourages the development of scouting in the county. It comprises members of the county team, representatives from the scout network, county scout active support units, and our districts and groups within the county.

The county is led by the lead volunteer for South London Scouts (county commissioner) and is : governed by the county trustee board. They are accountable to the county scout council for the satisfactory running of the county. The members of the county trustee board are responsible, as the charity’s trustees, for all matters concerning property and finance and to ensure the proper i — — ee Aaenrrrern” we a? <tg, oe use of the county's resources to support scouting in the county.

President

Vacant

4 F Vice-Presidents Howard B. Strong Peter James Roger Cooke Gordon Carr

Linda Hurford Mike Jackson

Trustees – we% County Trustee Board - July 2023 to July 2024 dvd se . — Ex-Officio County Chair - Rebecca Smith*

County Lead Volunteer (County Commissioner) - Darren Lodge A- .“ ¢ b | ° County Youth Lead (county Youth Commissioner) - Alfie Francis x Acting County Treasurers - Martyn Bain & John Sweeney <# * : “og, ; > County Secretary to the Board - currently vacant Pa

Elected

Russell Jones, Cheryl Stonebridge, Ben Ensom, Katie Sturgess, David Attenborough

Nominated

Roe Hennessy-Littlejohns, Jason Hagan, Joseph Shippam, Mark Doverty, Ben Stewart

Invited to attend

Matthew Butterfield (County Growth, Development & Volunteer Support Services Manager)

Principal Bankers

Barclays Bank

Auditor

Latham Lambourne, Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors. 18 Woodlands Park, Bexley, Kent, DA5

Registered Offices and County Headquarters

South London Scout Centre, Grange Lane, Dulwich, London, SE21 7LH

General enquiries

contact.us@southlondonscouts.org.uk

0843 289 0712

Our Public Benefit Statement

South London Scouts is part of The Scout Association, the UK's biggest coeducational youth organisation. We help children and young adults reach their full potential and gain skills for life.

We actively engage and support our members in their physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development and to achieve their full potential as individuals, as responsible citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities.

We operate within a framework of safety to enable young people to take part in adventurous activities safely. Our charitable objectives help young people learn by doing, share in spiritual reflection and take responsibility. Working together, they make choices, take part in new, challenging, and unique experiences, help others and live their Scout Promise.

In partnership with adults, young people take part in fun indoor and outdoor activities. Activities as diverse as kayaking, abseiling, expeditions overseas, photography, climbing and zorbing. We help young people to get jobs, save lives and even change the world by contributing to social change and making a positive contribution to society.

There’s something for every young person. It’s a great way to have fun, make friends, get outdoors, express creativity, and experience the wider world.

We believe that we’ve met the Charity Commission for England and Wales public benefit criteria for both the advancement of education, and the advancement of citizenship and community development and being as diverse as the communities we serve.

Key Policies

We follow and adhere to The Scout Association’s key policies relating to:

No order of importance or priority is implied - they are all equal. These can be found in the current edition of the Policy, Organisation & Rules of The Scout Association and www.scouts.org.uk/aboutus/policy

Our Investment and Reserves Policy

The work of the Trustee Board involves issues concerning financial control, particularly in the budgeting of events, activities and building maintenance as well as regularly monitoring the financial risks to which the County may be exposed. The income to the County is generated from investments, donations, grants and the membership subscription paid by members of the County. The Investment Policy of the County is such that our reserves continue to be held in low risk managed portfolios; the Trustee Board has reviewed the investments to ensure we are able to achieve a fair rate of return on the capital reserves held. The Reserves Policy was declared by the County Trustee Board to be the ‘maintenance of available funds, excluding known commitments and contingent liabilities, equal to a minimum of one year’s budgeted revenue expenditure’.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

Law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year (unless the charity is entitled to prepare accounts on the alternative receipts and payments basis). In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with applicable laws and regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Risk and internal control

The county has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include two ‘signatories’ for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

The Trustees have identified the following as the potential key risks that the County could face:

An overview of our

revised County Team structure

Working using a teams-based approach to volunteering is not a new concept to us as a county team, we have been successfully working towards this for many years now. Now nationally, our movement is moving away from the current approach of volunteers taking on one or more specific roles, from a long list, to instead focus on the tasks that volunteers can do within teams to support great programmes.

Changing the focus from role to team tasks is one way we can make flexible volunteering really happen and part of day-to-day scouting, which is available to everyone. We want to make it easier for a more diverse range of people to contribute to scouts in a way that reflects their skills, interests, and availability.

This new volunteering framework means that each team has a clear list of tasks, some of which are for the whole team, and others that can be done by one or more individuals. Beyond that, it’s down to the team to decide how they organise themselves, based on their skills, interests, and availability.

This approach really is an opportunity to be far more flexible in how our volunteers support scouting at county level, allowing people to volunteer in the way that works for them, rather than being constrained by ‘what it says on a role description’.

The new team-based approach and teams structure is also mirrored at district and group levels. Importantly, it moves us towards an ethos of sharing the tasks out. Removing our current role descriptions and replacing them with new team descriptions. The team description describes the set of tasks that the team is together responsible for, but it’s down to the team to work out how they allocate these tasks amongst themselves.

We all know that it is in our scout groups and explorer scout units where scouting is delivered to young people each week. Therefore, it is our groups and units that we need to support in order for our leaders and supporters to provide quality programmes, overnight events and activities. Our new volunteer frame will support this as it is mapped across our county, districts, groups, and units.

Our revised county structure consists of five areas of work or functions, these are:

Each function consists of a number of teams, these are:

Our county development service is a central part of our county approach to the growth and development of scouting across our five districts.

The service is steered and monitored by the county leadership team which enables us to work in ‘real time’, identify the projects we provide support to, plan future workstreams and proactively support our District Lead Volunteers, Group Lead Volunteers and section leadership teams as situations arise.

The service works in partnership with new and existing volunteers and in collaboration with our scout districts, scout groups, explorer scout units and local communities to support the growth and development of local scouting to ensure that we continue to provide life changing adventure to even more young people across the five London Boroughs that we serve.

The strategic aim of the service is to work with the County Lead Volunteer and our District Lead Volunteers to ensure:

Areas of support

The strategic aims are achieved by providing support in the following areas:

Growth

● Adult recruitment:

● Opening new provision:

Development

Support for line managers

Resources

Provide:

Support to growth facilitators

Transforming the Volunteer Journey

Our County Volunteer Services is all about our volunteers and the volunteering experience, the service works collaboratively with our volunteers across the county to provide the resources, administrative support, advice and services which drive the day-to-day operation of the county.

Services provided include:

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Our governance function ensures that scouting at county level is run safely and legally and support this area of work across the county.

The county trustee board is specifically responsible to the county scout council and has a focus on supporting our county strategy; key policy decisions; approval of the county development plan and for acting on matters relating to finance, the county development and volunteer services and the South London Scout Centre.

Our governance is an important part of the day-to-day running of our county and exists to support the County team in meeting its responsibilities.

From April 2023, following your next annual general meeting the purpose and responsibilities of your Trustee Boards will change to...

The Trustee Board must act in the charity’s best interests, acting with reasonable care and skill and take steps to be confident that:

The scout county is:

And that the scout county:

  1. is operating compliant with the current edition of Policy, Organisation & Rules (POR), including effective management of the key policies listed in chapter 2 - equal opportunities, privacy and data protection, religious, safeguarding, safety, vetting, youth member anti-bullying policies

  2. ensures that young people are meaningfully involved in decision making at all levels

  3. plan so that there are sufficient resources (funds, people, property and equipment) available to meet the planned work of each of the county to enable the delivery of highquality programmes and the youth training programme

  4. has a positive image in the local community

The trustee board members must themselves collectively:

  1. develop and maintain a risk register, including putting in place appropriate mitigations

  2. ensure that the county’s finances are properly managed, including development and maintenance of appropriate budgets to support the work of the county

  3. maintain and manage:

  4. a reserves policy (including a plan for use of reserves outside the ‘minimum’)

  5. o an investment policy

  6. a public benefit statement for the county

  7. ensure that people, property and equipment are appropriately insured, and that any property and equipment owned or used by the county is properly protected and maintained

  8. promote and support the development of scouting in the local area

  9. ensure the appointment and management and operation of any sub-committees, including appointing a chair to lead the sub-committee

  10. ensure that effective administration is in place to support the work of the trustee board

  11. appoint any administrators, advisers and co-opted members of the trustee board

  12. ensure transparency of operation, including:

  13. prepare and approve the annual accounts and arrange that they are signed-off by an auditor, independent examiner or scrutineer as appropriate and as appointed by the Scout Council at their Annual General Meeting (AGM)

  14. prepare and approve the Trustees’ annual report (which must include the annual accounts)

  15. present the approved Trustees’ annual report and annual accounts to the scout council at the AGM

  16. following the AGM, ensure that a copy of the trustee annual report and accounts is sent to the District Trustee Board administration and, if a registered charity, is filed with the Charity Commission for England & Wales

  17. take responsibility for adherence to data protection legislation (GDPR), recognising that, dependent on circumstances, it will at different times act as a data controller and as a data processor

  18. individually and collectively maintain confidentiality regarding appropriate trustee board business

  19. where staff are employed:

  20. act as a responsible employer in accordance with scouting’s values and relevant legislation

  21. ensure that effective line management is in place for each employed staff member and that these are clearly established and communicated

  22. ensure that appropriate specific personnel insurance is in place

Governance structure

The members of the county trustee board are appointed in accordance with the current edition of the Policy, Organisation and Rules (P.O.R.) of the scout association. The county chair, county commissioner (county lead volunteer), county treasurer and the county secretary are ex-officio members of the county board of trustees. Other members are elected or appointed at the annual general meeting of the Greater London South County Scout Council. The members of the trustee board, who are its trustees, have met on six occasions since the last AGM in July 2022.

The board currently has one principal sub-committees to assist with its responsibilities, this is the finance sub-committee and the board receives their reports and then considers their proposals and actions their recommendations as necessary.

Finance Sub Committee

The Finance sub-committee is chaired by the county chair and has devolved operational responsibility for financial management on behalf of the county board of trustees and makes recommendations on appropriate financial management controls to the trustees. The county treasurer is the trustee with day-to-day responsibility for financial management, acting on behalf of the county trustee board.

Membership of the County Trustee Board - County Trustees

The County Trustee Board is made up of four types of members:

The membership is set up this way to ensure that the interests of the County Scout Council and the County Lead Volunteer (County Commissioner), are represented, and balanced. It also serves to broaden the membership of the trustee board – possibly to bring in people from other parts of the local community.

Other people deemed appropriate for the County Trustee Board’s current business may be invited to attend a meeting at the chair’s discretion.

The County Chair

This year has been another busy year. We have seen countless trips and activities, unique in their own ways. Offering all involved new skills, key life lessons and memories galore. There is no doubt that there is a huge amount of work, effort and time that goes into everything from the weekly meetings, to camps, to the big international trips and for that I’d like to say thank you.

With new trustees elected this year, the board has felt energised and proactive. There has been great discussion and careful Planning around the development of The Fort. A few knock-backs, including refused planning permission has meant that we have had to be creative in our thinking whilst managing budgets and still making sure the site can be used. My second thank you goes to all those on the premises committee who have not only been at the meetings but also been exceptionally hands on with a bit of DIY themselves. Our warden Gordon Carr has also been a great help in facilitating the changes happening too.

As always the trustees work to make sure that the County is running as should be, balancing this with keeping Scouts what it should be- fun, accessible and forward-leaning. On this we worked to lower the levy fee in order to make sure that we keep Scouting in South London as affordable as possible.

A large part of work, needing careful thought, understanding and lots of planning has been the merger with South East London County. You will have no doubt seen the communications and the start of this coming together as one great county. Although this is the last AGM as South London Scouts we can look forward to an exciting and flourishing union of the two counties over the next few months. There is still much work to do but everyone is passionate to make this the best year yet.

My final thank you goes to all of our trustees and those who sit on the boards. A role that often involves nitty-gritty conversations, talking through complex decisions and lots of referring to PoR and the charity commission website. However, these volunteers have the undue devotion to make sure that the county runs correctly and smoothly, and without them we’d be lost.

Finally, I couldn’t finish up without acknowledging the fact that Darren Lodge is stepping down as our Leas Volunteer after many years of service. It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside him. Always a friend at the end of the phone for wise words or interacting with our young people and various events across the country. I hope this isn’t goodbye and you’ll still be around with Scouts in the future.

Becca Smith County Chair

chair@southlondonscouts.org.uk

County Leadership Team

So, another great year has passed by and I am pleased to report that things are continuing to improve with scouting in our Districts and we continue to be able to provide a fantastic scouting experience for our young people.

Our figures show in the census report from Jan this year that the number of young people taking part in the scouting experience has only increased by 64, but our adults have increased by 138 volunteers, this equates to a 3.3% increase. Although this is less than last year it is still a great increase and is an average of increase over the London Region. I want to thank all of the DLVs (District Lead Volunteers) and their teams for their great efforts in boosting these recruitments and for their work and commitment to their groups over the last year. Unfortunately, we lost Peter Hapgood & Chrissie White this year as joint DLV for Wandsworth and I would like to thank them for their dedication to the role over the last 5 years. I am pleased to announce though that we have Andrew Mole who has taken over this role in Wandsworth and is already starting to work well within the District. So please do welcome him into this role.

Since the last AGM we have continued to provide and plan some great scouting adventures as you will see in the following Programme reports. I would like to thank David Liddle for continuing to take the lead in organising a lot of the programme activities over the last year for the County. Welcome to Liz Fricker who has taken over the role of (Deputy County Lead Volunteer responsible for Programme) and for the work she has already and will continue to do going forward.

Our Top Awards team have been able to carry out a fantastic programme of events for our young people to work towards their King Scout Award & DofE awards. The numbers are growing from strength to strength, and I want to thank Marlon and his team for all their hard work and commitment.

We also welcome the international team from GLSE who are assisting us with our International trips as we no longer have an ACC International role.

Sadly Ross (Deputy County Lead Volunteer responsible for Perception) has had to step down from his role, so I thank him for all his efforts and commitment and wish him well. The team have continued to work extremely hard over the last year supporting the county with a lot of media coverage and support. Ross has agreed to continue to manage the Jack Petchey Awards scheme, keeping the districts up to date on progress and awards, and we were able to provide another great awards ceremony this year back in March to recognise the awards given over the last couple of years.

Thank you goes to Jason (Deputy County Lead Volunteer responsible for People) as he continues to support myself and our leaders in this role alongside the continued management of our Shining Stars awards recognising our fantastic volunteers.

Of course, a massive thanks goes to Matt (our Growth, Development & Volunteer Support Services Officer) as he continues to work very hard with our Districts to help groups to re-open, start new groups to manage and support the young people getting back to scouting. He has also been our Transformation lead and has created and supported some great work over the last year to get our groups into the new ways of working as ‘Teams’ based to align with the new ways of working in scouting. Also, in his role as (County Training Manager), he and his team have worked extremely hard and diligently to provide training to our county and support our adults in their learning and development. Thank you & your team for your continued efforts and assistance.

And lastly, I would like to thank Becca for her continued support and encouragement to the county over the last year in her role as Chair of the Trustees. It has continued to be a busy year with the changes in the Trustee boards rules and with our continued plans on the redevelopment the South London Scout centre alongside all the other commitments of the Trustee board. Becca has done an amazing job, especially as she has had to relocate to another country, but she has not let this affect her commitment to South London Scouting. Becca always has a great smile & is a constant moral support even when things get difficult, so for this I thank you.

The coming year will certainly be a BIG change as we work towards a merger with GLSE, and we look towards new leadership in the county. As I step down from my role as CLV I would like to thank the county for this opportunity over the last 7 years and wish you all well with the new county structure.

On behalf of all the Young People in South London County and I know it’s not said enough but, I would like to offer a big ‘THANK YOU’ all for your time, effort, energy and dedication that you put into scouting in South London every week, it is greatly appreciated.

Regards

Darren Lodge

County Leader Volunteer (County Commissioner) cc@southlondonscouts.org.uk

County Youth Team

In the past year we have been really busy. We ran the county torchlight challenge which saw over 22 groups from all 5 districts coming together and competing in a Night hike competition.

We even had morning Zumba and Karaoke which will now be at all our events. We have also planned to run more events for the next year which includes events for Children in Need and Fundays for all sections across the County.

In the past year We have started to work with Youth Commissioners Across Bromley and Bexley Districts as we Come together as one large county.

We have also seen the launch of the Youth Shaped award for Squirrels which will allow Squirrels across our county shape there scouting journey.

In June 2024 we will start to role out change makers; as it’s the year of the General Election we believe that Young people should have their voices heard and be able to make change in their local communities. This is HQ Initiative which we will be supporting.

Over the past couple of months our Youth Leads have been working on a challenge badge which will be launched with the new county to celebrate and bring our young people from all seven districts together.

I just want to say thank you to the youth team but also fellow county members who have supported us in our work this past year.

Alfie Francis

County Youth Lead cyc@southlondonscouts.org.uk

Programme

#SLSCROATIA23 COUNTY TRIP

Ove the past two years the county #SLSCroatia23 Journey has been an incredible success, and the facts speak for themselves.

This was very different to a Jamboree in that this is something that we have built and grown from nothing, with many Scouts having little or no camping experience due to Covid. The wide age range also presented some challenges, but also made the adventure even more inclusive.

The initial aims of running a large international trip became so much more. Ambitious, experience driven, and a huge exercise in collaborative Scouting connecting people across districts, the county and nationally. The connections that have been made are incredible. The growth in the team and the young people who were entrusted to our care has been life changing for many.

I cannot express how proud of the whole team I am. The management team of Liz Fricker, Richie Mannering & Becca Smith delivered and led magnificently.

The leadership team of Ross Whittome, Will Akhurst, Toby Wells, Konrad Bishop, Joanne Fuller, Wendy Hutcheson, Matthew Johnson, Gemma Whitelaw, Remi Lasakan, Sarah Lodge, James Manley, Garrett Mears, Sarah Nugent, Nick Peacock, Neil Tye, Lewis Wilson, Marco Lecca & Matt Agar, were uncompromising, and empowered and supported the kids perfectly.

The cohesive togetherness, the support of the 10 patrols, and the pushing of comfort zones to grow and develop the teams was superb. You all should be incredibly proud of yourselves. No badge or bit of paper will ever justify what you have achieved, or the lasting memories that you have given those young people who took part.

Thank you for the time you have given, and all of you for all being you. Your differences have made us, as a team, what has been able to deliver this fantastic experience. An experience which will echo for years to come. Please on behalf of each-other be sure your local teams know this. Share this message with your Scout

group to show what can be achieved when people work truly together. It’s been emotional. Thank you again, for your friendship, your dedication, and for everything you have all done and achieved. () ~ “” C (( REUNION CAMP 2024 What you do makes Scouting happen. Without you it would not be what it is today.

You can check out the Croatia journey on social media by searching #SLSCroatia23

The last year has been an outstanding year for

Scouting in South London. The commitment and achievements of our members have surpassed all expectations. Moving forward, as we become South & South East London Scouts we anticipate further opportunities and increased collaboration among our groups. We remain dedicated to providing exceptional experiences for our scouts and volunteers alike, ensuring the continued success of scouting in our new larger County.

David Liddle

On behalf of the Programme Team david.liddle@southlondonscouts.org.uk

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If you’d read the report at last year's AGM, you’d have known Unit 61 had just completed their final training camp and was ready to fly out of Heathrow for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and what an experience it turned out to be! I’m sure I don’t need to repeat the news stories that broke at the time, but here’s a little look into what Unit 61 got up to whilst in Korea.

After 22 months since the selection weekend, with six camps, three day events, and two kit days filled with training, team building, and preparation, our joint jamboree with Hampshire Scouts - MI61 - was ready for 20 days filled with fun, adventure, challenges, and new experiences!

Being at Heathrow Airport at 2:30 AM on Sunday, 30th July 2023, would normally be associated with going off on a nice relaxing summer holiday. However, I was there waiting for 36 young people to make their way from across South London and Hampshire to begin a three-week adventure in Korea.

Our flight from Heathrow also had three other units of the UK Contingent, so there were already new people to meet and badges to be swapped before we had even left the ground! After 17 hours of flying, with a little stopover in Warsaw, Poland, we made it to Incheon International Airport, Korea, and nothing could quite prepare us for the heat as we stepped off the plane.

As we made our way through the airport and collected our bags amongst the 120 other UK bags, we then started planning our route to the hotel. It turns out the ability to understand the London Underground Map comes in very useful when navigating the Seoul metro. After arriving at the hotel and meeting Matt, we had to leave our bags and check in later. We used this as an opportunity to explore around the hotel and grab some lunch.

After making our way back to the hotel and checking in, we thought we had a chance to relax before dinner, but instead, all four of us leaders joined a UK call informing us our arrival to the site would be delayed. We then gathered all the young people in the ballroom to inform them of this news. After this announcement, we made our way out into Seoul to find some dinner. It proved a struggle with 40 of us, but we found a little Korean restaurant in a back street that could seat us all, with a few garden chairs and stools that were randomly brought in. That night we were treated to a range of Korean cuisine of prawns, fried chicken, and plenty of smiley faces to keep us Brits happy!

The next day, we used our extra day to explore Lotte World, the Korean version of Disneyland. From the mascot, which looked familiar to a famous mouse, to the parades going around with dancers on top of open-top buses and the massive fairytale castle, it was definitely an experience and a good way to get used to the Korean climate. That evening was spent on another UK Zoom call, as they updated us that we were now ready to travel to the site.

The following morning, we were ready to make our way to the site. After a four-hour journey down with a quick stop at the Korean version of Fleet services, we could see the banners on the side of the road as we approached. Thanks to the translation app, I managed to get our driver to drop us off right next to the site, making it nice and easy. We were also treated to a Korean airshow that afternoon before setting up camp on the small dry patch we could find. That evening was the opening ceremony. We managed to get half the unit in before security shut down the entrance, but nonetheless, we were able to enjoy the music and drone show from outside.

For our second day on site, we were booked for an off-site experience. All we knew about it was the name ‘Mount Mai.’ After boarding the coach and getting the now frequently used translation app out, we discovered that we were heading up a mountain trail and afterwards going to a traditional Korean foot spa. It was good to get out of the sun, walking up the mountain trail in the shade before getting into the traditional foot spa, which thankfully had modern air conditioning!

Our third (and what was to become our final day on site) was spent exploring. As a result of the heat, most of the activities were cancelled, so most of the unit spent the day exploring the global

village and food village, where we got to experience food from around the world! We also made our way around the various countries’ pavilions where they were showing off scouting in their country. We eventually made our way to the UK Pavilion, where we were able to relax and catch up with members of the UK team.

That night, we received a notification that there was to be a UK meeting at 8 PM in the jamboree headquarters. Out of the four leaders, I was nominated to go and experience our fourth UK meeting in five days! It was announced that the UK would be evacuating off-site and back to Seoul for Jamboree 2.0. As I made my way back to our campsite, a 40-minute walk away, the notification from BBC had come through. Within minutes, I was taking calls, emails, and messages from journalists asking for comments (there’s nothing in the leader training to prepare for that!) Once I got back to the site, we started to prepare to leave the next morning, unaware if we’d be in the first phase of the evacuation.

We were part of the first coaches to go, and so we spent the next morning sitting in the shaded tunnels awaiting the coaches to arrive. Similar to the small ships coming over the ocean at Dunkirk, the small coaches coming round the mountain to rescue the UK scouts was definitely a moment. As we boarded our coach back to Seoul, there was definitely a sense of relief and a moment to relax as most of us (me included) caught up on some much-needed sleep. As we neared Seoul, we were parked up in a service station to grab a bite to eat. From here, the team organised which coaches would be leaving first and facing the Korean press pack that had arrived at the hotel. We were one of the first coaches to leave, and as we neared the hotel, I had the job of briefing the young people on how to deal with the press. As we arrived at the hotel, the UK team got on the coach and made sure we were ready before escorting us through the lobby, past the press, which were much politer than UK press, and up to the grand ballroom where we were treated to a massive buffet with pastries, cakes, biscuits, and Pocari Sweat! That night we managed to get some rooms in the hotel, while others slept in the ballroom (a luxury compared to the pallets we had experienced).

The next day, we were able to have a lie-in before heading out for breakfast. We spent the day exploring Seoul, looking at what was around the hotel, and working with the young people to

come up with some ideas to fill our extra days in Seoul. That night, we received an invite from the UK Embassy for tickets to a football game at Seoul E-Land stadium. The UK Scouts were welcomed with displays around the stadium, and you could definitely hear us with the chants coming from our stands. That night, we may have also participated in an extra night hike after discovering the metro finished much earlier than expected and had a nice three-hour walk back to the hotel across the city.

The next few days, we explored Seoul and jumped on the experiences offered by the UK Contingent. We explored new heights as we climbed N-Seoul Tower, a tower on top of a mountain accessible by cable car. We also explored the government Blue House and got to deliver a press conference, see the seats heads of state had sat in, and explore the grounds. We also were able to get invited to the Seoul Foreign School, an international school on the outskirts of Seoul, to swim in their swimming pool and use their sports facilities as a chance to relax. We also viewed a Korean martial arts show in the Olympic park before exploring that. One evening, we were treated to a Cèilidh by the Scottish Contingent—really couldn’t imagine bagpipes and trying to follow the instructions from the Scots, but this had become a new normal!

As Jamboree 2.0 came to a close, the last thing that WOSM had organised was the closing ceremony and K-Pop concert, now being held at the Seoul World Cup stadium. Gathered in our hotel lobby was every unit staying in the hotel, and there were a lot! As we met our guide and boarded the coach to the stadium, we looked out the window and realised we were getting a police escort! We gathered in the Seoul World Cup stadium, passing the swimming pools of Poccari Sweat, to watch the jamboree be handed over to Poland, before witnessing a K-Pop concert (a first for me!)

We then spent the next few days taking part in the activities that we had planned for our postjamboree experience. We experienced the culture of Korea by dressing up in Hanboks and exploring the ancient palaces of Korea. We learnt about the history of Korea by visiting the National War Museum, where there were tributes to every country that had taken part in the Korean War. This was followed by our visit to the Demilitarised Zone (or as close as we could get on a public holiday). We got to witness the train track which is hoped to continue into North Korea as well as one of the US military camps where peacekeeping took place.

One of the highlights of our time in Seoul was visiting Nami Island, a secret we had been keeping from the unit. This was a chance to travel out of the city on the high-speed train, catch a ferry, and explore a natural island in the middle of the river. The island was full of various animals, including ostriches, and we got to walk down cherry blossom-lined avenues often seen in K- Dramas. One of the unique things on the island was the sky bike, which operated on rails up in the air and gave us a bird’s-eye view.

A similar view was seen the next day when we visited the Lotte Tower, the 5th tallest building in the world! We rocketed up in the super-fast lifts and were able to explore the top floors of the tower. This included walking out onto a terrace, looking down the glass floor, and also being able to play the piano 500 metres in the air!

One of the last experiences we had was watching the traditional changing of the guard at one of the palaces. This ceremony involved drums, flags, and spears as the guards changed over.

We departed Seoul on 18th August, ready for a long flight back to the UK. We arrived at Heathrow at 10 PM that night and were greeted with a wonderful reception as we walked through the arrivals gate at Heathrow. We were greeted with cheers from parents and families

and took in our "Love Actually" moment! As we started saying our goodbyes and spoke to different families, there was a common theme of thanks—a thanks for doing all we did to look after the unit and keep them safe in challenging times!

It was an emotional farewell as the unit reflected on the amazing adventures they had shared together, not only over the past 19 days but during the many months of training to prepare the unit since their selection day in October 2021.

From a personal note, my thanks must foremost go to the parents and families of the young people of Unit 61 for putting their trust in us to give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My thanks must also go to the South London Scout county team and trustees for all the support and advice given over the whole jamboree journey, most notably Martyn for looking after the finances and keeping me in check, Jason in his role as ACC International, Darren and Becca for your support along the way, especially the phone calls and emails whilst in Korea, and Matt for his advice and support both in the lead-up to the jamboree with his years of experience and whilst in Korea.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the three other leaders from Hampshire, who, having put their faith in a young leader from South London, have created a hugely successful unit. The tireless evenings, late-night meetings, and countless messages have all been worth it in the end.

During their time in Korea, MI61 really did put South London Scouts and Hampshire Scouts on the map. Each and every one of them is a credit to their Scout Groups, Explorer Scout Units, Scout Districts, and our County. It may not have been the jamboree that we had signed up for, but it was the jamboree we made happen!

Joseph Shippam

Assistant Unit Leader - Unit 61

South London Scout County Joint Jamboree Unit with Hampshire Scout County joseph.shippam@southlondonscouts.org.uk

No report submitted.

Perception Team

Our perception team has been actively promoting the extraordinary opportunities available to our members, emphasising the expansion of activities such as sailing, caving, canoeing, and flying. The level of engagement across the county has reached unprecedented heights, with numerous groups from different districts working collaboratively to ensure the success of scouting in South London.

Our website and social media platforms continue to lead the way in UK scouting, showcasing innovation and compelling content.

We have had significant interactions with UKHQ, including two exciting filming sessions at The Fort with the BBC filming for Bad Education and the Apprentice. For those who missed them, they can be found on the BBC iPlayer.

THE IMPACT OF SCOUTING

A while back the media team asked the #SLSCroatia23 parents of the young people who attended the Croatia trip for some feedback on the event and their general Scouting experience that we could use to help promote Scouting in the County. It’s no secret that one of the aims of this trip was to leave a lasting legacy of inclusion and collaboration across our fantastic county and get more young people involved in Scouting. Worth a read - our amazing county volunteers across the county give up a huge amount of time and really do give our young people some amazing opportunities and experiences. Here is a few of the replies - please do share with your groups!

“Scouting has given my son confidence to try new experiences, meet new people and push himself outside of his comfort zone in a healthy supportive environment”

“Being part of a Scouting group has enhanced my daughter's life in many areas - she not only has a wide range of friends outside of school but she has had the benefit of learning many skills”

“From a parental perspective, I feel that she has gained life experiences that she would not otherwise have had”

“Scouting is so much more than just a weekly group that they attend - it's character building and offers such a good foundation of life skills and experiences”

“Scouting helps our boys develop their confidence, skills and teamwork. It gives them a strong sense of responsibility and belonging”

“My son is Autistic and scouting gives him an opportunity to have a group of friends outside of school that share the same interests. It also encourages him to learn life skills which are vital in this day and age. My son has been scouting for the past 5 years and loves every minute!”

“I feel like scouts is a safe space for my kids to have adventures and learn more about themselves. I love the idea that the children look after each other and learn to take responsibility for themselves”

“Scouting has given my oldest son an opportunity to do many amazing activities, particularly outdoors activities, that he can't do at home. He has enjoyed forming a more diverse friendship group outside of school. He has developed a level of self-confidence and independence that he did not have before”

“For my daughter, who has some learning difficulties, this has given her a confidence and level of interest that she hasn't found at school. Working in groups with older children has improved her self worth and she is already looking forward to a week away at summer camp even though she only started Scouts a few months ago”

“Scouting has also allowed my son to learn new skills and to experience and enjoy the outdoors. He has made a lot of friends and made even more memories. I recommend every parent to enlist their child into this amazing adventure.”

“It will help them experience wildlife and nature on a complete different level than normal. Scouting is a must do on everyone's list and I am happy I signed I'm up”

“Scouts allows my son to learn life skills I am unable to teach him. The opportunities, experiences and fun he has, is priceless!”

As a county we have achieved a huge amount over the past few years and sometimes is nice to reflect on the success’s and the positive impact that we have.

WORLD RECORD ACHIEVED

Our young leaders really are world class! Congratulations to John Mawdsley, currently a young leader with 8th Lambeth!

In March 2023, John and a small group of school friends tried to break the record for visiting every station on the London Underground system. This challenge has been recognised by Guinness since 1960 and has regularly featured in their book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_Challenge Unfortunately, the teenagers failed to complete the challenge in less than the existing record of 20 hours 30 mins. They took about 21 hours to complete their route and missed out one of the 272 stations before the service closed for the day, but they still succeeded in raising about £4,000 for a homeless charity. Determined to try again, they refined their route, studied the timetables, trained to run faster and organised food drop offs from friends. The group made another failed attempt in the summer, scuppered by train delays due to tracks expanding in the heat before trying again in October 2023.

This time inspired by #BearGrylls and determined to #NeverGiveUp, they smashed the Guinness World Record by +2 hours, completing the challenge in 18 hours, 08 minutes and 13 seconds. In so doing they proved their determination and the importance of the Scout motto of ‘Be Prepared’.

Who would like John on their Monopoly Run 2024 team!

The Benefits we are seeing using social media

Social media has revolutionised the way we connect and interact, offering numerous benefits that have transformed our personal and professional lives. One of the greatest advantages is the ability to share ideas effortlessly and connect with like-minded individuals across the globe. Social media platforms provide a virtual space for individuals to exchange thoughts, discuss topics of interest, and engage in meaningful conversations, fostering a vibrant community of knowledge and creativity.

Social media enables seamless collaboration, breaking down geographical barriers and facilitating teamwork on a county-wide scale. This open and collaborative environment allows for the pooling of diverse perspectives and expertise, leading to the development of groundbreaking projects and solutions. It helps in showcasing new activities and experiences. This not only encourages others to explore new activities but also creates a vibrant tapestry of inspiration and discovery.

Furthermore, social media serves as a valuable tool for highlighting experts and permit holders in various fields, providing a platform to amplify their voices and expertise. This fosters a sense of community and facilitates networking, creating opportunities for personal growth and development.

Overall, social media has become an invaluable asset for South London Scouts, offering benefits such as idea-sharing, collaboration, activity showcasing, and connecting individuals. Its power to connect people from

all walks of life and empower them to exchange knowledge and experiences has undoubtedly revolutionised the way we interact, learn, and innovate in today's interconnected world. Most importantly, it is opening doors for members, allowing us access to things and places we would not have otherwise achieved. Check out South London Scouts on Facebook and Instagram.

SouthLondonScouts @SouthLondonScouts

Perception Team

County Development Service

Our County Development Service has had another busy and productive year working alongside new and existing volunteers and in partnership with our scout districts, scout groups, explorer scout units and local communities to support the growth of scouting across our county, ensuring we continue to provide skills for life, challenge and adventure to as many young people as we can.

Throughout the year Matt has continued to assist with successfully driving adult recruitment, promoting the opportunities we have to volunteer. This has been a multilevel approach with him actively working with different promotional channels, networking with local community groups, supporting some targeted campaigns and through providing support and resources, on request, to empower districts, groups, and units to recruit locally.

Our ‘become a scout’ and ‘volunteer with us’ enquiry platform continues to provide an easy to use and effective way of enabling the public to enquire directly with our groups and units about their opportunities for young people, the adventures they offer and for adults to join their teams. Over the last 12 months we have received 1973 youth enquiries to join us and 114 adult enquiries to volunteer with us.

The system also provides each of our groups and units with their own recruitment page to use locally to promote the opportunities they have for young people and adults to get involved. Work was recently carried out to add squirrels to the system and groups pages as they roll out across the county.

Organisational Growth

Over the last year our organisational and development priorities have continued to focus on sustaining our provision and supporting the growth of our membership to pre-pandemic levels. This includes identifying and working towards reducing the number of young people currently on waiting lists to join scouting.

Matt has been working closely with our District Lead Volunteers to identify opportunities to work with our local communities to open new provision particularly in harder to reach communities. This has resulted in a comprehensive plan of action that has been fed into the national plan for growth. He is also working with our groups that are interested in starting Squirrels and we hope to see more Dreys opening in the coming year.

We continue to see an exponential growth in Explorer Scouts units across the county and continue to open new units to help meet the growing demand to join the section.

There are many projects underway to support the opening of new scouting and a list of these and the sections that have recently opened can be views at www.southlondonscouts.org.uk/current-projects-and-workstreams

Transforming the volunteer journey and the way we volunteer

As part of delivering the national skills for life strategy, the association is transforming the volunteering experience across the UK.

These new ways of working include:

The service has also focused on supporting volunteers across the county with planning and delivering the four pillars that are part of our organisational changes being made by the association within the volunteer journey transformation project.

We are passionate about making sure that volunteering with scouting in South London is ‘hassle free’. To help deliver these changes and ensure that we have a trouble free transition the work that Matt has done in partnership with our districts to support the rollout of our new ways of working continues to be a shining example of best practice across the UK.

This includes:

Volunteer recruitment

The overwhelming requests from young people to join means that there is a real need, more than ever, to recruit more adults to help provide amazing programmes as part of our leadership teams in our dreys, colonies, packs, troops and units. Weekly section meetings means that there is lots of opportunities for our adults to engage with the families of their members and promote the opportunities available to them to get involved in their teams and help make a difference to the lives of young people in their community.

To support this Matt has developed a wide range of recruitment resources and initiatives. All of which can be found in the ‘volunteer support’ area of our website at, www.southlondonscouts.org.uk/volunteer-support

Looking forward

Matt continues to support our districts and groups with their ad-hoc day-to-day and ongoing needs, identified through meetings with DCs, and calls from GSLs and section leadership teams and remains committed to providing practical support to anyone in our county that needs it. He has also continued to maintain, update and develop the areas of our website that the CDS is responsible for, these are to become a scout, volunteer with us and volunteer support area.

Now, as we look to the future, and our new larger county, with a renewed appreciation that scouting, and the development of scouting, has never been more needed, it’s time for us to recommit to implementing our strategy and focus on the next three years (because of the pause in implementation the plan will now run to 2025), as we look to realise the objectives and commitments we made in our ‘skills for life county plan’ and to provide the support identified by the county leadership team in the areas of

You can find out everything you need to know about our plan at www.southlondonscouts.org.uk/skillsforlifeplan

As you can see, it has been another busy and productive 12 months for our development and volunteer support service and this short report really does just scratch the surface of the work carried out by Matt during the year. This will of course continue as we move forward with our support for the growth, development and support of local scouting and particularly start to roll out our new ways of volunteering.

Our development and volunteer support service remains central to our approach to prioritising and enabling the growth, organisational development and day to day support of scouting across our five districts, providing effective, focussed, impactful guidance and support to groups, units and districts and prioritising resources to areas where they can have the most impact, whilst ensuring that all parts of the county receive the support that they need. The service also provides many of the day-to-day support functions we offer our members, many of which would be hard to sustain, in a timely manner, if they were carried out by volunteers. We remain committed to ensuring the longevity of the CDS, so it continues to support scouting throughout South & South East London and provide its low-cost services, support, and resources, to our volunteers at all levels, for many years to come.

You can contact Matt at matt.butterfield@southlondonscouts.org.uk or on 07766 540 057.

With wonderful facilities and easy access to local transport connections, the South London Scout Centre is such an easy place to experience. We are so pleased that from early this year the centre has continued to return to normal life and a normal routine.

The centre is a 16-minute train journey from central London and is within easy walking distance of Dulwich Picture Gallery, Horniman Museum, and Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

We offer amazing camping facilities and great indoor accommodation all with easy access to central London and all it has to offer.

Our most sincere thanks go to Gordon, as always, for his attention to detail and unfaltering dedication to running the centre throughout the year to ensure that it is available for so many people to use and enjoy.

Centre development

Our plans to development the centre started in March this year and have resulted in a new reception and combine office space, new board room, new crew and team bedrooms and a new Troop Room Annex, providing more bedroom space, in what was the county office.

With the centre’s excellent links into the centre of London, our aim is to continue our development plans, as funds become available, to ensure we can provide a versatile facility that can be used all year round. We want to develop the centre’s, now dated, indoor accommodation, and onsite facilities whilst being an exemplar of sustainability techniques and technology which provide an excellent environment for young people to gain skills for life and prepare them to succeed in life!

✓ Phase One - Laying the foundations – Complete

Visitors centre and county services hub – Centre team facilities

To provide:

The new Team bedroom

Centre reception and office and county services hub

Objective: to create additional bedrooms available for hire and county use. 4 e

remove all storage / desks and relocate in new central office q create three sleeping areas, providing 6 beds ”

Here's a high level overview of our development intentions: £4

  1. install a number of onsite activities for users to book whilst staying at the centre ¢ : e a — , y :ne c 2. replace the existing camping cooking shelters around the centre r at Eg — & Weel. * : 3. carry out any appropriate, limited, improvements to site security . v. Phase Three 2 ¥ y ot & pyaee aor ‘ 4 eH 4 AN WO “p SS) ay SO, 1. demolish the existing Sunley building and construct the new accommodation = 221 e | building a oe Ma as ae See Phase Four 1. lay new roadways around the site Pe te ee a ee ee Cie: 2. resurface the outside and onsite car park areas which will then have multi use m ‘ IjOTTP a gyve f MySAPAaP4! Figs LERtane gh nen SpaNREPraIRWS ae atfen as either parking or hard surface activity areas es + ? ¥ ai iy Lave $e r Lz, FY fh A ef, a + path : uN a She FOE 3.4. install new external gates and fencing install traffic management system "GIR, Lay fa \ 2 Vol fee FE REG CTA, ae: ae Ce a Sth, eee; | r ‘ Ty Sahel: Mita as 24. $b Be ota OM Loe Ky. “he wk . IER’ 4 an % wr SON Oat oA ow he eT. EGAN Phase five wt Wie vend ae Nga” ak ANSON as) a 1. upgrade the WCs and washroom facilities in the Ismay building to bring them eae! ay Bee, ) P VAs ee : a aa ee Was «vr Br 4 Vere Se ee 4 up to a higher standard and to include more facilities with adapted access and av a«| RE( RENgt "arGROEN By, j 7 ahh ae 0 ARs A n) Pie) b s ae gender-neutral needs ’ “A R i" a nN « ahI I".) mys Fundraising for The Fort development* NS This achievement marks an exciting phase in the fort's development, as we embark on enhancing its facilities. With a significant influx of visitors, exceeding 500+ every weekend during the summer months, we are actively seeking centre team crew members to support the centre's I al . operations. If you’re interested please contact Ross or Jason. In hand with this, our focus for the upcoming year will be on promoting The Fort and fundraising for the construction of new buildings and facilities. my faa (lie carne oe A Fore LER pam Oe Wiixsimopeine ~ pas Silken oe eel ica > , A rng gene sasith :: «pda tae Ads us may fy oe i Look out for more information on this exciting project, and how you can support our plans and more importantly, get involved in the very near future. —

And finally…

As we head towards a new era for our Scout County, reflecting on the last 60 years of South London Scouts fills us with a whirlwind of emotions. It's a journey marked by countless moments of triumph, achievements, and camaraderie—a tapestry woven with threads of dedication, passion, fun, excitement, friendships, laughter, and adventure, fuelled by an unwavering commitment to scouting's timeless values.

From humble beginnings, to towering achievements, South London Scouts has been a beacon of hope, a place of learning, and a bastion of community spirit, for generations of Scouts, both young people and adults alike. Each campfire, hike, camp, badge earned, and friendship forged has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who have shared our adventures.

To each and every Scout Leader, Trustee, Supporter, and Helper, who has played a part, big or small, in shaping the legacy of South London Scouts, we owe a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot express. Thank you, everyone, for your unwavering commitment, tireless efforts, and boundless enthusiasm which has inspired countless young minds, instilled invaluable life skills, and left an enduring impact on our scouting community.

As we prepare to bid a fond farewell to South London Scouts and embrace the dawn of a new era with Greater London South & South East Scouts with excitement and enthusiasm, we honour the legacy of resilience, innovation, and service that has defined us for six decades. We carry with us the memories of lots of shared laughter, very occasional shared tears, and countless shared memories that will forever bind us together as one scouting family.

So, as we gather one last time, under the banner of South London Scouts, to celebrate our past, honour our present, and embrace our future with open arms. We look forward to forging new friendships, shared new adventures, and amazing opportunities as we blaze a trail of excellence for generations to come.

~~ee~~ 2023
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 2024
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 2024 vs 2023
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 2024 vs 2023
~~ee~~
~~eee~~
~~ee~~ Total
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 Total
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 Total
~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 % change
~~ee~~
~~eee~~
YOUTH MEMBERSHIP
~~ee~~		 ~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 ~~ee~~
~~eee ~~		 ~~ee~~
~~eee~~		 ~~ee~~
~~eee~~
Squirrel Scouts
~~ee~~		 48
~~ee~~		 77
~~ee~~		 +29
~~ee~~		 +60%
~~ee~~
Beaver Scouts
~~ee~~		 1,047
~~ee~~		 1,009
~~ee~~		 -38
~~ee~~		 -4%
~~ee~~
Cub Scouts
~~ee~~		 1,496
~~ee~~		 1,558
~~ee~~		 +62
~~ee~~		 +4%
~~ee~~
Scouts
~~ee~~		 1,395
~~ee~~		 1,428
~~ee~~		 +33
~~ee~~		 +2%
~~ee~~
Explorer Scouts(including Young Leaders)
~~ee~~		 493
~~ee~~		 505
~~ee~~		 +12
~~ee~~		 +2%
~~ee~~
Network Members
~~a~~		 80
~~a~~		 46
~~a~~		 -34
~~a~~		 -43%
~~a~~
TOTAL YOUTH MEMBERSHIP
~~DO~~		 4,559
~~DO~~		 4,623
~~DO~~		 +64
~~DO~~		 +1%
~~DO~~
PROGRAMME DELIVERY ROLES
Section Leaders 250 328 +78 +31%
Assistant Section Leaders 309 298 -11 -4%
Section Assistants 149 178 +29 +19%
TOTAL ADULT PROGRAMME DELIVERY
ROLES		 708 804 +96 +14%
Young Leaders* 159 207 +48 +30%
TOTAL PROGRAMME DELIVERY ROLES 867 1,011 +144 +17%
LINE MANAGER ROLES
Group Scout Leaders 63 71 +8 +13%
District Explorer Scout Commissioners 1 3 +2 +200%
District Scout Network Commissioners 1 0 -1 -100%
District Commissioners 4 5 +1 +25%
County+ Scout Network Commissioners 0 0 - 0%
County+ Commissioners 1 1 - 0%
TOTAL LINE MANAGER ROLES 70 80 +10 +14%
GOVERNANCE ROLES
Group Chair 69 64 -5 -7%
Group Secretary 58 53 -5 -9%
Group Treasurer 73 68 -5 -7%
Group Executive Members 147 164 +17 +12%
TOTAL GROUP GOVERNANCE ROLES 347 349 +2 +1%
District Chair 5 5 - 0%
District Secretary 3 3 - 0%
District Treasurer 4 3 -1 -25%
District Executive Members 26 16 -10 -38%
TOTAL DISTRICT GOVERNANCE ROLES 38 27 -11 -29%
County+ Chair 1 0 -1 -100%
County+ Secretary 0 0 - 0%
County+ Treasurer 0 0 - 0%
County+ Executive Members 1 1 - 0%
TOTAL COUNTY+ GOVERNANCE ROLES 2 1 -1 -50%
0%
TOTAL GOVERNANCE ROLES 387 377 -10 -3%
SUPPORT ROLES
Deputy Group Scout Leaders 11 15 +4 +36%
Group Administrators ~ 10 15 +5 +50%
Group Skills Instructors 16 8 -8 -50%
Other Group Adults 123 145 +22 +18%
TOTAL GROUP SUPPORT ROLES 160 183 +23 +14%
Deputy District Commissioners 1 3 +2 +200%
District Youth Commissioners 2 1 -1 -50%
Deputy District Youth Commissioners 1 4 +3 +300%
Assistant District Commissioners 3 2 -1 -33%
District Leaders 4 6 +2 +50%
District Administrators ~ 2 2 - 0%
District Skills Instructors 3 2 -1 -33%
Other District Support roles 1 2 +1 +100%
TOTAL DISTRICT SUPPORT ROLES 17 22 +5 +29%
…SUPPORT ROLE
Deputy County+ Commissioners 1 1 - 0%
County Youth Commissioners 1 1 - 0%
Deputy County Youth Commissioners 0 0 - 0%
Assistant County+ Commissioners 1 4 +3 +300%
County Leaders 0 0 - 0%
County+ Administrators ~ 1 0 -1 -100%
County Skills Instructors 0 0 - 0%
Other County+ Support roles 1 1 - 0%
TOTAL COUNTY+ SUPPORT ROLES 5 7 +2 +40%
Scout Active Support 151 163 +12 +8%
TOTAL SUPPORT ROLES 333 375 +42 +13%
TOTAL ADULT ROLES
1,498		 1,636
+138
+9%
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP
6,057		 6,259
+202
+3%

County Commissioners 1964 - 2024

Henry ‘Bill’ Hall Ian Giles

William ‘Bill’ Stern

Howard Strong Mike Jackson

John Mears

Paul O’Brien / Adrian Tallett

Paul O’Brien

Darren Lodge

Our Provision (as of 31 Jan. 2023) South London EXPLORERS 31 network Districts SEhVEI<S 72 Scout Groups ssquirrels 89 cubs 83 SCOUTS 75

Our Finances

Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of Greater London South County Scout Council

I report on the accounts of the Council for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, and related notes.

This report is made solely to the trustees in accordance with Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. My work has been undertaken so that I may state to the charity’s trustees those matters which I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees for my examination work.

Respective responsibilities of the trustees and examiners

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement of Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), does not apply.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent Examiners report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiners Statement

In connection with my examination, no material matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

  2. to keep proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Act); and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the methods and principles of the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).

  3. the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met, or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached,

John Lambourne FCA For and on behalf of Latham Lambourne Ltd Chartered Accountants 18 Woodlands Park, Bexley, Kent, DA5 2EL

11[th] June 2024

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

1 Accounting Policies

b) Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditu it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to category.

d) Fixed Assets

Until 1st April 1996 all fixed assets, including the lease of the property, were written off when purchased as part of the income and expenditure account. Since that date all assets greater than £1,000 have been capitalised and are being depreciated at the following rates:

Property improvements over the length of the lease ( years remaining at the Scout Centre) Equipment 15% on cost Fixtures and fittings 10% on cost

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

f) Leasing commitments

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the lease period

g) Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the scheme are charged to the Statement of of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

2 Joint Venture

Greater London Scout Region

The County, together with five other Counties in the Greater London area, has an equal interest in the Greater London Scout Region. This was set up to provide a forum for co-ordination and discussion at a London wide level, and the organization of regional activities. The project is accounted for on a joint venture basis, each County including one sixth of the Region accounts within their own. These accounts were independently examined.

A summary of the financial result for the joint venture is included below.

Turnover
County Contributions
Events
Donations
Total Income
Administration costs
Events
Accommodation charges
Other costs
Net receipts		 Greater London
Scout Region
2024
2023
£
£
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Charity Registration No: 303883

Accounts - Page 7

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

Note
Income and Expenditure
Income
13
Incoming Resources from Generated Funds
Income from donations and legacies
Investment Income
Incoming Resources from Charitable Activities
County activities
Greater London South Scout Centre Activities
Petchey Fund
Third party funds
Total Incoming Resources
Expenditure
14
Charitable Activities
Petchey Fund
Development Officers Fund
County activities - Support Costs
County activities - Programme & Training
Greater London South Scout Centre Activities
Third party funds
Share of Joint Venture (Profit)/Loss
Depreciation of fixed assets
(Gains)/losses on investment assets
4
Total Resources Expended
Net Movement in Funds
Transfers
Balances Brought Forward at 1st April 2023
Balances Carried Forward at 31st March 2024		 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
256
0
256
424
4,102
0
4,102
927
104,643
0
104,643
62,896
124,734
0
124,734
90,211
0
18,900
18,900
31,500
0
62,961
62,961
264,494
233,735
81,861
315,596
450,452
0
18,250
18,250
16,541
45,463
0
45,463
42,570
3,044
0
3,044
3,390
6,224
0
6,224
4,598
105,960
0
105,960
42,824
0
187,730
187,730
232,115
0
0
0
595
0
0
0
0
-495
0
-495
593
160,196
205,980
366,176
343,226
73,539
-124,119
-50,580
107,266
7,767
-7,767
0
0
349,455
144,876
494,331
387,105
430,761
12,990
443,751
494,371

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

Note
Income and Expenditure
Income
13
Incoming Resources from Generated Funds
Income from donations and legacies
Investment Income
Incoming Resources from Charitable Activities
County activities
Greater London South Scout Centre Activities
Petchey Fund
Third party funds
Total Incoming Resources
Expenditure
14
Charitable Activities
Petchey Fund
Development Officers Fund
County activities - Support Costs
County activities - Programme & Training
Greater London South Scout Centre Activities
Third party funds
Share of Joint Venture (Profit)/Loss
Depreciation of fixed assets
(Gains)/losses on investment assets
4
Total Resources Expended
Net Movement in Funds
Transfers
Balances Brought Forward at 1st April 2023
Balances Carried Forward at 31st March 2024		 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
256
0
256
424
4,102
0
4,102
927
104,643
0
104,643
62,896
124,734
0
124,734
90,211
0
18,900
18,900
31,500
0
62,961
62,961
264,494
233,735
81,861
315,596
450,452
0
18,250
18,250
16,541
45,463
0
45,463
42,570
3,044
0
3,044
3,390
6,224
0
6,224
4,598
105,960
0
105,960
42,824
0
187,730
187,730
232,115
0
0
0
595
0
0
0
0
-495
0
-495
593
160,196
205,980
366,176
343,226
73,539
-124,119
-50,580
107,266
7,767
-7,767
0
0
349,455
144,876
494,331
387,105
430,761
12,990
443,751
494,371

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

14 Detailed Resources Expenditure

County Operating Costs
Governance Costs
Office costs including stationery & printing
Office Holders Expenses
Professional Fees & Licences
Training
Bank & card Charges
Programme & Training
Courses
Equipment & Resources
Camping
Air Activities
Caving
Sailing
County events
Youth event
Badges
Conferences/AGM
Website
Awards
Jamboree event expenses
HQ subscription
South London Scout Centre Operating Costs
South London Scout Centre
Lease costs
Third Party Funds
Jamboree
County Trip
DOE
awards
Disney 2024
Jack Petchey Funds
Awards and expenses
County Development Funds
County Development costs
Total Resources Expended		 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
£
£
£
322
0
322
1,180
0
1,180
1,440
0
1,440
0
0
0
102
0
102
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,435
0
1,435
2,180
0
2,180
0
0
0
291
0
291
2,318
0
2,318
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9,268
0
9,268
105,960
0
105,960
0
0
0
0
36,445
36,445
0
140,713
140,713
0
3,447
3,447
0
7,125
7,125
0
187,730
187,730
0
18,250
18,250
0
18,250
18,250
45,463
0
45,463
45,463
0
45,463
160,691
205,980
366,671		 Total Fund
2023
£
124
1,508
1,440
0
318
264
0
0
161
0
3,076
0
0
0
0
1,097
0
0
0
7,988
42,824
0
139,511
87,747
1,801
3,056
232,115
16,541
16,541
42,570
42,570
342,038

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

13 Detailed Incoming Resources

Investment Income
Interest & Fund Raising
CAF
Bank Interest
County Income
Voluntary Income, Donations & Grants
Membership Levy
Fees, Grants etc
Camping
Air Activities
Caving
Sailing
Other activities
Water Sports
Youth event
South London Scout Centre Income
South London Scout Centre
Third Party Funds
Jamboree
County Trip 2023
DOE
Disney 2024
Jack Petchey Funds
Awards and expenses
County Development Funds
County Development Grants
Total Income		 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
117
0
117
137
3,985
0
3,985
790
4,102
0
4,102
927
256
0
256
424
67,185
0
67,185
58,254
7,685
0
7,685
0
0
0
0
0
0
301
443
0
443
78
0
0
3,190
0
0
1,073
0
0
0
0
2,330
0
2,330
0
77,899
0
77,899
63,320
124,734
0
124,734
90,211
0
31,264
31,264
132,635
0
21,266
21,266
130,000
0
2,966
2,966
1,859
0
7,465
7,465
0
0
62,961
62,961
264,494
0
18,900
18,900
31,500
0
18,900
18,900
31,500
27,000
0
27,000
0
27,000
0
27,000
0
233,735
81,861
315,596
450,452

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL

Balance Sheet at 31st March 2024

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible Fixed Assets
3
Investments
4
Joint Venture
9
Current Assets
Debtors
5
Cash at Bank and in Hand
Liabilities: amounts falling due within one year
6
Net Current Assets
Net Assets
Funds
Unrestricted
7
Restricted		 2024
2023
£
£
£
£
0
0
5,220
4,725
0
0
0
0
565,285
654,126
565,285
654,126
126,754
164,520
438,531
489,606
443,751
494,331
430,761
349,455
12,990
144,876
443,751
494,331		 2024
2023
£
£
£
£
0
0
5,220
4,725
0
0
0
0
565,285
654,126
565,285
654,126
126,754
164,520
438,531
489,606
443,751
494,331
430,761
349,455
12,990
144,876
443,751
494,331
494,331
349,455
144,876
494,331

GREATER LONDON SOUTH COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2024 3 Tangible Assets

COST or VALUATION
Bought forward
Additions
At 31 March 2024
Depreciation
Brought forward
Charge for year
At 31 March 2024
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2024
At 31 March 2023		 Fixtures
Leasehold
and
Improvements Equipment Fittings
Total
£
£
£
£
147,311
63,056
37,118
247,485
0
0
0
0
147,311
63,056
37,118
247,485
147,311
63,056
37,118
247,485
0
0
0
0
147,311
63,056
37,118
247,485
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

The land and buildings at the South London Scout Centre were held on a full repairing lease for thirty years from 24th June 1988. A new lease has been agreed for a minimum 25 years.

4 Fixed Asset Investments
2024 2023
£ £
Quoted Investments
Market Value 1st April 2023 4,725 5,318
Net unrealized investment gains/(losses) 495 -593
Market Value 31st March 2024 5,220 4,725
5 Debtors
2024 2023
£ £
Prepayments and accrued interest 0 0
0 0
6 Liabilities: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year
2024 2023
£ £
Accruals 1,354 1,354
Deposits in advance 125,400 163,166
Other creditors 0 0
126,754 164,520
7 Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds
Net
Tangible Current Joint
Assets Investments Assets Ventures Total
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds 0 5,220 425,541 0 430,761
Restricted funds 0 0 12,990 0 12,990
0 5,220 438,531 0 443,751

William (Bill) M. Stern

C.Eng., F.I. Mech.E., M.I.M.C. County Commissioner for Greater London South 1983 – 1985 County Chairman 1990 – 1991 County President 1991 – 2023

In 1983 Bill Stern accepted the Chief Scout's invitation to become our County Commissioner, having commenced his scouting journey during the late 1930's as a Wolf Cub in the 23rd Clapham (St. John's) Scout Group.

During the early part of the war, having been invested whilst evacuated in the 1st Wokingham (Mayor's Own), he continued scouting in the Cherokee 2nd Golders Green Group in North London. This Group undertook extensive development work at the Chalfont Heights Scout Camp Site and as a member of the Cherokee Rover Crew, he received the 'Freedom' of that site for work over many years as a member of their Service Team.

In 1953 Bill and Pat married, and in June this year they celebrated 70 years of marriage. Moving to North West London in 1960, he ran the Cub Scout Pack at St. Andrew's Church, Uxbridge, and also became District Cub Scout Leader. During this period he

gained his Wood Badge.

Bill started his professional career as an Engineer and moved into Management Consultancy. Where he specialised in executive recruitment and was Managing Director of Prospect-Stern. For some eight years in the late 1960's and early 1970's his work took him to East and Central Africa and it was here, in Nairobi during 1973, whilst a member of the Nairobi Rotary Club, that he acted as a member of the host country Reception Committee for the World Scout Conference held there. He met delegates from many countries, including the then Chief Scout, Sir William Gladstone.

On his return to the U.K. in 1974, through his company Inbucon Management Consultants, he undertook an assignment to review the professional organisation and structure of the Scout Association.

He was appointed to the Council of the Association and has for several years served as a member of the General Purposes Committee at Scout Headquarters.

At the request of the World Scout Committee, in 1978 he was appointed to undertake a Management Survey at the World Scout Bureau (now the World Organisation of The Scout Movement), at their then Headquarters in Switzerland.

In their report to the 27[th] World Scout Conference, Bruce Garnsey, the Chairman of the World Scout Committee wrote “In carrying out its work, the task force appointed was fortunate in

obtaining the services of Mr William M. Stern, an experienced Management Consultant, and a member of the Scout Movement, who undertook a management study for The Scout Association in the United Kingdom in 1974. Mr. Stern made available a considerable amount of his time and made two extended visits to the World Bureau, following which he provided a report with recommendations to the Task Force to assist in the feasibility study.”

Moving south of the Thames in the late 1970's, he became a member of the Group Executive of the 19th Purley (Riddlesdown) Scout Group and later their Chairman. He then went on to be appointed Chairman of the Purley and District Scout Council.

Bill was our County Commissioner from 1[st] January 1983 until 24[th] September 1985. Between 1985 and 1990 he held numerous county appointments and then in 1990 he took on the role as County Chairman for a year.

In 1991 Bill accepted the County’s invitation to become our County President, a roll that he diligently carried out over the last 32 years.

In 2003 Bill’s exceptional service to scouting was recognised when he was awarded the Silver Wolf and in June 2019 Bill was presented with his 70 years service award.

Greater London South Scout County was most fortunate in having such an experienced, kind and gentle man as our County Commissioner and long serving County President. You will be missed.

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