2023-03-31-accounts

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North West Norfolk District Scout Council Annual Report 2023

Annual General Meeting: Wednesday 5[th] July 2023

Agenda

Welcome/President’s remarks
Apologies for absence
Minutes of the annual general meeting held on 8[th] July 2022 (pg 2-3)
Remarks and Reports (pg 3-7)
Presentation of the Accounts (pg 8)
Elections and nominations to District Executive committee
a. District Commissioner’s nomination of District Chairman
b. Election of District Treasurer and Secretary
c. Election of members to the District Executive committee
d. District Commissioner’s nominations to the District Executive committee
e. Co-opted members to the District Executive committee
Election of Honorary Auditor
Election of members to the County Scout Council
Presentations
Meeting close

Minutes of the North West Norfolk District Scout Council Annual General Meeting held at West Newton Village Hall on Wednesday 8[th] July 2022

Present: Edward Parsons(President), Alan Lindsay, Dave Andrews, Mike Hart, Kim Smith, Mik Ranger, Dave Human, Jean and David McGuinness, Dudley Scott, Carolyn and Rick Cooper, Roz and John Rospopa, Jill Hudson, Andy Nicol, Richard Wicks, Andrew Farr, Gary Clark, Moira Wesson, Jude Kivlin, Barney Kivlin, Shina Greig, Karen Hearle, Lucy Hearle, Karen Farr, Luke Morgan, Bethany Smith, Simon and Lisa Allerton, Lesley Doherty, Sue Rix, Linda and Don Birdseye Michael Wesson.

Welcome

Alan Lindsay welcomed everyone to the AGM especially President Edward Parsons and CC Dave Human.

2. Apologies

Kelly Bowen, Rae Steward, Sally Hornigold, Zoe Hornigold, Bob Hearle, Scott Millard, Beka Millard, Tim Lake, Wayne Hornigold, Charlie Adams, Ian Savage, Miranda Smith, Peter Farr, Kimberley Bullen, Ros Wicks, Doreen McNiff, Martin Lever, Paul Smith, Tony Millburn, Jack and Pam Walker, Julia Adams, Bill White, Bob Keens, Phil Hannant, Nick Jones, Gemma Coady, Vicki Bellars, Donna Barr, Laura Mooney-Dutton.

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 7[th] July 2021
These had been circulated. Proposed by Dave Andrews and seconded by Mike Hart. These were accepted.

4. Reports

District Chair: There was no report as he has only been in place for the last 4 weeks.

District Commissioner Report: See report.

Kim Smith welcomed everybody and thanked them for coming to the first face to face AGM since Covid.

Time was given to reflect on brothers and sisters who have ‘Gone Home’ since our last face to face meeting.

Throughout lockdown leaders and young people have upped their game and continued scouting via Zoom.

Management changes have been covered by Dave Human and Kim Smith who both congratulate John Rospopa who has now been appointed as DC.

The exciting introduction of the Squirrel section.

Proud to have 4 young people representing the District at next years World Jamboree in South Korea.

Section reports circulated.

District Treasurer: A copy of the audited accounts had been circulated. Aceptance of the audited accounts was proposed by Mike Hart and seconded by John Rospopa. These were accepted.

5. Elections and Nominations to District Executive Committee

a) District Commissioner’s nomination of District Chairman: John Rospopa nominated Jill Hudson – approved.

b) Election of District Treasurer and Secretary: Gary Clark was nominated as District Treasurer and Kelly Bowen as District Secretary – proposed by Mike Hart – seconded by Andrew Farr. These were agreed.

c) Election of members of the District Executive Committee: Don Birdseye and Doreen McNiff were nominated as members – proposed by John Rospopa and seconded by Mike Hart. These were agreed.
d) District Commissioners nominations to the District Executive Committee: John Rospopa nominated Rick Cooper, Ian Savage and Miranda Smith. These were agreed.

6. Election of Honorary Auditor

Gary Clark proposed Mike Andrews seconded by Dudley Scott.

7. Election of members to the County Scout Council

Kim Smith proposed John Rospopa and Lucy Hearle seconded by Lesley Doherty.

8. Acceptance of the District Constitution

This will be updated after this meeting with the nominated and elected members.

9. Presentation of Awards

The Percy Robinson Award was presented by John Rospopa to Andy Nicols from the 1[st] Runcton Holme and Watlington group.

10. Guest Speakers

Andrew Farr and the 4 young people going to the World Jamboree in South Korea talked about their fundraising so far and their meetings with other participants.

CC Dave Human welcomed the new DC John Rospopa and Chair Jill Hudson. He thanked Kim Smith, Rick Cooper, Andrew Farr and Alan Lindsay for taking interim positions during the turbulent leadership. He thanked Miranda Smith for navigating the DBS checks and training as Appointments chair.

Changes are afoot and a team day for senior management will take place on 16[th] July. This will be a 5 year process and should make it easier for training, recruitment and retention.

Dave Human has 2 objectives as CC:

Address scouting in rural communities
Make scouting more Youth Led – The young people to bring their ideas and be supported by guidance and experience of leaders.

11. Meeting Close

Alan Lindsay thanked Edward Parsons for allowing us to camp At West Newton next year. He also thanked everyone for this evening.

Next AGM: 5[th] July 2023 7pm for 7.30pm. Meeting closed at 8.10pm.

North West Norfolk District Scouts Annual Report 2023

Since our last AGM in 2022 we have sadly lost Her Majesty the Queen and are now led my His Majesty King Charles III. Our Youth Commissioner was part of Operation Feather supporting the Queen’s laying in state.

Over the last year we have grown in all sections and have increased the number of Squirrel Drays from 2 to 5. We still however need to recruit more adult volunteers despite many Leaders completing their training and gaining their Wood Beads.

Scouting is heading for big changes with the Transformation that will take place in 2024. Already Executive Committees are renamed Trustee Boards and we have some idea of the “new” titles that volunteers may have, the District Commissioner will, for example, become the District Lead Volunteer. There will be changes to recruitment and training although the detail is yet to be revealed but it will make things easier for us to recruit and retain volunteers.

We have also begun the process of increasing the numbers of Nights Away Assessors and Appointment Committee Members. Those involved have received training and are now just requiring validation.

This year we awarded the following youth section awards:

Acorn (Squirrels) – 12
Bronze (Beavers) – 49
Silver (Cubs) – 22
Gold (Scouts) – 19
Platinum (Explorers) – 9
Young Leader belts - 4

Section Reports:

Squirrels

In September 2022 the 12th and 21st King’s Lynn Squirrels had a fabulous day at Pensthorpe for the first ‘district’ Squirrels trip. Lots of ’firsts’ for many of the children, and lots of badge work completed; walks, bug hunts, pond dipping, climbing, sliding and blossoming friendships. As one of the Squirrels said ‘we have challenged ourselves today’!

The 12th King’s Lynn Squirrels celebrated their 1st Birthday in September and invited the 21st King’s Lynn Squirrels to join them for a Birthday Party, lots of fun and games enjoyed by everyone and of course a cake.

14th King’s Lynn were super excited to open a Squirrel Drey in October 2022. They have had lots of fun at their meetings; working towards badges, having a Christmas party with friends and visits to the RNLI at Old Hunstanton and the Police Station. They have lots of exciting things to look forward to over the coming year and hope to have as much fun as they have had during the past 8 months.

The 12th, 14th and 21st got together for a Christmas Party, with games and a visit from Santa in December.

13th Walpole’s opened their Squirrel Drey on Friday 13th January. They have been getting to know each other and becoming friends. Their first adventure was an afternoon at group camp, it was an exciting and fun time. The Squirrels done all sorts of crafting while making friends with the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. A favourite activity was Water Rockets which went down a treat on a rather hot Saturday. After a chippy tea it was Campfire time and the Squirrels sung loudly during ‘Everywhere we go’. A number of parents reported how chatty their Squirrel was on the way home telling them about their day and they cannot wait until they have a sleepover of their own!

The 21st King’s Lynn Squirrels celebrated their first birthday in February to which they asked all the families to join them and they proudly presented their first Acorn Awards.

The 12th King’s Lynn Squirrels enjoyed their first sleepover along with the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from their group to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the 12th King’s Lynn Scout Group. 11 Squirrels snuggled down for the night in their sleeping bags after a visit to the theatre, a picnic, games in The Walks and a campfire with tasty s’mores. All the Squirrels slept soundly until waking up at 6.30am for another day of fun and celebrations.

The 12th, 13th and 21st Squirrels are looking forward to a trip to Roarr at the end of July. The leaders have been to do a familiarisation visit and can’t wait to take the Squirrels!

Termly get togethers with the Squirrel leaders and helpers have enabled ideas to be shared and future plans to be made.

We look forward to new Dreys being opened to allow many more children to start their Scouting journeys at Squirrels!

Many thanks to all the Squirrel Leaders and helpers for their ongoing enthusiasm, ideas and friendship enabling the Squirrels to have such varied and exciting programmes and adventures.

Tracey, Zoe, Katie and Hazel

Beavers (See also attached)

During the last year the Beavers have visited the District Cub Camp where they got to taste some of the activities the Cubs get up to.

The 3rd Marshland, 9th and 21st colonies have just returned from a District trip to the Gilwell Fundays. We had a shaky start but fun was had by all. The weather

was hot and sticky but that didn’t stop them from trying different thing as you can see from the photos.

Thank you to the District for help with the bus.

All groups have been busy with their own programmes and from what I have seen they are having lots of fun

We have plans for November and starting to plan for next year are already in place.

I would like to thank John, Roz & Sally for their support

Karen Farr (ADC Beavers)

Cubs

Cubs have had a busy year within their own groups we have also had a few events they have been able to attend throughout the year.

Funday: 1st October 2022 at Wolferton campsite we had in excess of 100 cubs form different groups where they tried different activities including archery, shooting, fire lighting and cooking on the fire, an informative walk around the village of Wolferton, climbing wall, axe throwing and pioneering along with a few crafts inside the hut. Lots of fun had and new skills learnt. A very big thank you to all that helped on the day with the various activities.

Leaders Bowling Evening : January 2023 @ Strikes bowling alley, a fun evening with a basket meal and two games of bowling. This gave the leaders to have the chance for a social evening together and chat about how their cub sections are going and to meet the other leaders.

Cinema Visit : February 11th at The Majestic cinema King’s Lynn, a showing of ‘Puss in Boots’ was fun for all to watch. The cinema was almost full to capacity with 175 Cubs in attendance.

Each year we say a big thank you to all involved. Without you as leaders, adult helpers and parents the cubs wouldn’t have the fun they do. It is important you know how much your input is welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you so much to the District Cub Scout Leaders Su and Phil, for the efforts they put into the District events whilst running cub packs themselves.

Looking forward to another good year 2023-2024.

Lesley Doherty (ADC Cubs)

Scouts

We held our Survival Camp in October 2022 which was attended by 60 Scouts from 11 Groups. There was also a group of 12 Explorers who were there to encourage Scouts to move on to Explorers by showing them the next stage of shelter building. We also had help from several Young Leaders, Adult Leaders and members of the Fellowship. The weather was good which meant everyone enjoyed this camp. This year was the first time we made it a competition by judging the sub-camps on things such as tidiness, shelter construction, cooking and gadget building. The winners were Team Death Swing Camp who were made up of Scouts from the 21st Kings Lynn and 1st Dersingham.

In March 2023 we held the Night Hike for the Merv Becket Trophy. 9 groups took part in 9 eams (one team was a combined team from the 1st Dersingham, 21st Kings Lynn & 19th Kings Lynn). After having their kit checked by the Fellowship they started at 6.00pm and all completed by 6.00am. They had to complete a variety of tasks at checkpoints to gain points. The winning team was a team from the 2nd Runcton Holme & Watlington. The best individual award went to Lily Caul-Byrne from the 1st Downham Market.

June 17th & 18th saw the Expedition challenge take place from Hunstanton to the 14th Kings Lynn HQ. There were 25 Scouts undertaking this from 5 groups across the district. We were also joined by 10 Explorers for this event.

Explorers

North West Norfolk Explorers Central & West 2022-23

We are currently running 2 explorer groups a week.

Central is run at the 14th kings Lynn Scout HQ on Wednesday evening, run by Tim, Bob, Karon & Katy. West is run on a Thursday evening at the 1st Terrington HQ by Jim & George. Across the 2 sites we have 29 members with 15 regularly attending central & 7 attending west.

Our program has been really varied this year, with the young people visiting many different locations in the local area. Jim took his explorers to the local wind turbine to learn about renewables while central went to the local

virtual reality rooms where we were joined by some of the west explorers. West explorers have also had a talk given by the local food bank & central went to the RNLI station at Hunstanton for a water safety evening with them & the coastguard. Central are doing a trip to the ambulance station & their first aid course with our DC later in the term.

In September we will be taking 11 explorers to the Norfolk24 at the 2-mile bottom site for 24 hrs of non-stop fun.

We are looking forward to a fantastic autumn term

Karen Hearle (Asst. Explorer Scout Leader)

Explorer Young Leaders:

The District Currently has 42 registered Young Leaders on placement across Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in 15 of the District’s 21 Groups.

Of these Young Leaders 15 Currently attend Griffin Central (North Wootton) and 5 attend Griffin West (Terrington), 23 are Young Leaders only due to either geography or choice.

All of the current Young leaders have completed Module A and 22 of the 42 Young Leaders are actively engaged with the Young leader Training Unit. The Young Leader Training Modules are delivered by a core Group of experienced trainers, we move the training around across the District to improve accessibility and are responsive to feedback from the Young Leaders regarding days and time which work best for them. At the end of this term 4 Young Leaders will be presented with their Young Leader Belt for competition of all training modules.

We are delighted that many of Young leaders are using their placement as volunteering evidence for Duke of Edinburgh Awards and/or Chief Scout Awards with 6 Platinum Awards and 4 DofE Bronze Awards being presented. In addition, we are extremely proud of the 2 Young Leaders whose exceptional contributions to their placement Group has led to them receiving a Commissioner Commendation this year.

Young Leaders are much valued across the Groups and several of our Young Leaders have moved on into adult roles, albeit for some for a short period only before moving geographically for further education.

The Young Leader training in North West Norfolk is publicised to at a County level and we regular have attendance from outside of North West Norfolk. This year we have worked with WSJ to support the provision of Module A to Contingents 25 and 26.

Roz Rospopa (ESL – Young Leaders)

District Youth Commissioner (Lucy Hearle)

Since my time in post I have been working with explorers to recruit new explorers within the district and within that time the explorer numbers have gone up, I made posters and went around to the explorer groups to see what they were enjoying and keep them at explorers all coming back with different answers.

I am currently now working alongside squirrels to see how squirrels get their voice across to our leaders.

World Scout Jamboree

We are proud to have four young people and an Adult IST member from the district representing us at this year’s World Scout Jamboree in South Korea and we look forward to hearing how things are developing and the stories they will share with us on their return.

Wolferton Guide & Scout Camp Site and Washbay Scout Fellowship (ASU) 2022/2023 Annual Report.

Post Covid visitor numbers to Wolferton are slowly returning to normal.

The ASU has held most bi monthly meetings in the hut, but we did weaken in April and with Ruth's help held a meeting in The Babingley Club. Collections for the local food bank were made at the meetings and in January we received a letter of thanks for our donations.

Maintenance of the site continues :- Control of the ragwort is now by hand pulling only as the use of effective weed killer is no longer permitted. Little grass cutting has been required due to the extremely dry season. Moles

continue to be a problem. The estate's mole catcher was contacted but he was unwilling to take on the job as the infestation was too great.

Fence posts continue to rot at ground level. Eleven more have been repaired using Met post anchors and new support posts, cost of materials £150.

At our Sept meeting after much discussion a majority decision was made to progress the recycling of surplus equipment and the storage container back into local Scouting and Guiding. In January the equipment was moved to the Wolferton Hut. In February local units were invited to help themselves to anything of use to them. The 9th.KL – 1st.Hunstanton - 2nd Runcton Holm - 1st Downham Mkt, - 21st KL and The District Store were all able to find useful equipment. The 14th KL will make use of the storage unit which they will move to their HQ. together with the trailer which will still be available for other units to use

The generator which had belonged to the guides was donated to UK-Ukraine appeal as safety issue limited its use at camps.

Members assisted at a number of district events including , Survival Camp and Night Hike @ Rougham.

During the dry summer no open fires were allowed on the site. Visiting units during this period were loaned gas burners for cooking on.

A store for the district pioneering poles has been constructed on the site.

Thanks to all active members of both the ASU & Guides and it is hoped that increasing numbers of young people will enjoy the natural beauty of Wolferton Camp Site at an affordable cost in these inflationary times.

Ian Savage ASU/Wolferton Site Chairman

NWN District Water Activities -2022/2023

Water Activities were quite slow last year, with all groups getting back to Scouting after COVID.

We think we were around 100 Scouts on the water.

We applied for, and were given 2 grants from Norfolk Community Foundation Totalling £3,143, this was used to purchased 3 small Kayaks for Cubs and Small Scouts, as well as 2 boats for our Young Instructors to use.

Our supply of Buoyancy Aids were safety checked at the beginning of the year, and being 20+ years old the decision was made to also get 20 new ones.

The rest of the grant was used to buy new tow ropes, first aid kit, air bags as well as 6 small paddles so we can take Squirrels on the water.

This year bookings were slow at the start of the year, with no groups until mid-June, now we have groups in for most sessions.

We have done our first Squirrels session with the 12th, which was very enjoyable and a leader only session with the 12th.

Rob Ashwell, Lead Instructor, NWN Water Activities

North West Norfolk district Scout Council