## Thame District Girl Guide Association Financial Statement and Annual Report For the Year ended 31[st] December 2024 ## Girlguiding Thame Administrative Information as at 31[st] December 2024 REGISTRATION DETAILS Registered Charity 304443 GOVERNING DOCUMENT Girlguiding Thame is governed by its Constitution. |Name|Position|Date(if not wholeyear)| |---|---|---| |SallyBrentnall|Leader|| |Janet Choldcroft|Leader|| |Linda Emery|Leader|| |WendyGibson|Leader|| |Nicola Harding|Leader|| |Catherine MacLennan|Leader|| |Punita Mark|Leader|Started 2ndFebruary2024| |Linda Newton|Treasurer|| |Katherine Openshaw|Leader|Started 25thJanuary2024| |Laura Shirley|Leader|| |Deborah Thompson|Leader|| |Elizabeth Verchase-Manger|District Commissioner|| Registered Office 36 Maple Road, Thame, OX9 2BH Bankers Nat West, Direct Business Banking, 4[th] Floor Hardman Boulevard, Manchester M3 3AQ Independent Examiner Jaye Greenow STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT: The Thame District Girl Guide Association, which also operates under the name Girlguiding Thame, is part of The Guide Association of the United Kingdom, which also operates as Girlguiding UK and is incorporated by Royal Charter dated 14[th] December 1922. The Thame District Girl Guide Association is governed by a member committee. The Thame District Girl Guide Association is an association consisting of over 175 members. Trustees are appointed once the Leadership Qualification is completed, and all Trustees are reminded annually of their responsibilities and covered by Trustee Insurance. OBJECTIVES: Girlguiding exists to help girls and young women find their voice and build skills and confidence – inspiring them to discover the best in themselves and empower them to make a positive difference in their community. Between school, social media, friendships, and relationships – there's a lot going on for girls today. Girlguiding offers a place where girls can just be themselves. They can make friends, learn skills, grow in confidence, and find their voice. We’re a supportive community, with solid foundations and a rich heritage that we can all lean on. ## DEVELOPMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR 2024 The year 2024 has been another significant year for Thame Girlguiding, marked by challenges, resilience, and a renewed commitment to our guiding community. Building on the successes and difficulties of 2023, we are proud to share our key developments over the past year. One of the major changes this year has been the amalgamation of our two Guide units due to a persistent shortage of volunteers. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to reopen the temporarily closed Rainbow unit. The challenge of recruiting and retaining volunteers remains a critical issue, but we are tackling it with determination and new strategies. To address these challenges, we have introduced a dedicated Recruitment Coordinator. This role has been instrumental in raising awareness about Girlguiding within our community. By attending local events and organising activities such as a quiz night, we are actively working to attract more volunteers and ensure the sustainability of our units. Our commitment to leader development has continued, with several leaders completing essential training modules, including First Aid and Camping. These skills have strengthened our leadership team and enhanced our ability to deliver safe and enriching experiences for our members. In addition to leader training, we have continued to enrich our program offerings. This year, our girls have participated in a variety of activities fostering their confidence, teamwork, and curiosity. We have also deepened our collaboration with Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, whose energy and dedication continue to inspire our members. Their contributions have been invaluable in creating vibrant and engaging meetings, and we are immensely grateful for their involvement. While it has been a challenging year, our fundraising efforts have seen great success, allowing us to invest in new resources and experiences for our members. the support from parents, friends, and local businesses has been overwhelming and deeply appreciated. As we look ahead to 2025, our focus remains on overcoming our volunteer shortage, expanding our membership, and delivering a diverse and enriching program for all. Together, we are determined to build a stronger, more inclusive Girlguiding community in Thame. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to this challenging but rewarding year, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunities and adventures that await us in the coming year. Liz Manger District Commissioner BUILD COMMITTEE AND FINANCIAL REVIEW Thame Girl Guiding are extremely fortunate to have our own wonderful HQ, that we not only utilise for the benefit of all the Guiding groups across the ages from Rainbows to Trefoil, but also as a facility that is accessible by the local community for a vast range of activities. We have regular hirers including a Nursery, Churches, Support Groups, Social Activities, Sports, Fitness, as well as private hirers for parties and alike. We are fortunate to be able to offer discounted hire rates to charity and support organisations, as well as some free of charge use in specifically reviewed requests. It is important to us as an organisation that although our primary use is for Guiding, that our ethos of being a community accessible facility remains at the forefront of our mind. 2024 has seen a consistent demand for the use of the hall which is testament to the quality of the facilities that the building has to offer. Following on from 2023, during 2024 we have continued to invest in the facility to ensure the building is well maintained and offer a well equipped venue that meets the needs of Girl Guiding and our hirers. We have demonstrated a strong commitment to enhance the building with targeted investments, namely the installation of solar panels to reduce energy consumption and costs, redecoration of the internal building, deep clean of the floors and replacement tables across both halls, which we were very fortunate to have support to procure with help from Grants and donations from organisations such as the National Lottery, Thame Round Table, Towersey Fete, as well as individual donations. These major building investments had been part of the strategic planning for the past 3 years. As part of the solar panel installation we transitioned our utility provider to Octopus Energy, a change that enabled us to begin exporting surplus energy from the solar panels to generate income. This move aligns with our commitment to sustainability and costeffectiveness in utility management. Our management of the building and strong commitment to the local community has enabled us to contribute £2,760 in volunteer hours to various community groups, including the Ukrainian Support Group, a local Alcoholics Anonymous women’s group, a neighbourhood nursery, and other local initiatives, which we are very proud to have been able to facilitate. Following the resignation of the booking clerk, we have been extremely fortunate to have a volunteer take on the role of booking clerk, reducing the costs associated with this administrative function and contributing to overall operational savings. We have also reviewed the accounts that our income and existing balances are deposited to earn interest, with the ability to access funds should it be required. Thame Guiding recognises the need to support our income with raising our profile in community initiatives and fundraising. This will be a focus for us during 2025 to maintain income streams, together with continued investment in the building in line with our strategy. Debbie Thompson – Building Manager Linda Newton - Treasurer ## TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS The Guide HQ which is run and maintained my Girlguiding Thame is under a lease with the Thame Town Council and is currently insured for £1,405,900. Fixtures and Fittings have recently been valued at £23,000 and a full list of tangible assets is available on request. ## FUNDS AVAILABLE These accounts are based on income or recorded as being received before the end of the financial year. Income promised but not received is not included as it would not have been available to spend in this particular year. Girlguiding Thame produces their own accounts on a payments and receipts basis. GirlguidireThame Dlstrict Building Fund Income & Expenditure Account 2024 2023 INCOME DLWtkrylGi4nts Mire Ir￿l￿ne.. Regdar HIre5￿ event pre￿￿Trts T(tal ThLxnefr￿bLIIthr 11759 31257 a3(F) 3665 46325 Fundrb 610 320 16YI 978 1707 1707 IW6 ot•lkn¢omE.' 49625 SLICX) EXPÈNDITIIIE G*tI￿ Mr*nkni•wn*•#lKI'. Are/•￿TM rnaimenanre Boller m•Inte￿￿e/RUrnlA¥ El¢¢tikWnlPATTistlTr8 IrAuiaNe renpw•l U¢èns*51CéitMt*tM)nifr#lr T￿me Ttyyn CwKil le• 926 336 343 2217 1829 744 1032 1473 c4 1775 2S3 239 Caretak OvrHnBrTralrtwrrt• $810 4247 3227 1443 2482 526 343 557 Electrl(Itv Gas 767 2422 513 410 WIFI 13FI5 Equlk¥nert 16136 13719 Renew•15& rwh.. 9120 li 2S2S6 34230 G•n•r•l•*••ni•#D*trk W¥bth• Gfft5 177 250 147 395 250 117 5165 5titl0￿1VIStlM Sutécrlob 4165 ¢4141 47021 Add.. (Jl.12.2Jl RBserve*&¢ CLYrem •xcouM Repremrfid by.. Reser￿k¢oUTht'. <￿tI￿enrY10r thebulldh 47 8261 CLrr•nt kcount (btsl.. Pr4p*¥Éd ty, Lkndl N•¥rton Tvewurer-Th•n* Dtjtrkt ChartyNumb•r Dat•.. I toMfdmthatth¥& •tru• rttord b4*•d onth• b•okA*na rn• IDdgp•pd•nt EJ•mln•r D4t•: c/zlZ I CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts ••• ction A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Thame District Girl Guide Association i accounts for the year ended 31°, Dec 2024 Charlty no (If any) 304443 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('Yhe Trust") for the year ended Responslbllltles and As the charity trustees of Lhe Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives m8 cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records lependent aminer's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the braGkets if they do not apply. Slgned.. Date: G121?r Name: Jaye Greenow Relevant professlonal iuallflcatlonls) or body (If any): IA C.AiL Address: FLA1 3 I L £of4t) October 2018 STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITIES The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees, report and the financial statements In accordonce with general applicoble law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom General Accepted Accounting Proctice). Thg law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for oach financial year which give a true and fair vi8w of the state of offoirs of the charity and of th8 incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period, In preporing these financiol statements, the trust8&s are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; • observe th8 methods and principles In the Charities SORP; make Judgments and estimotes that are reasonoble and prudent; state whether opplicable accounting stondards have be8n followed, subject to any material departures disclos8d and explained in the financial statemants; Prepare the financlal statements on tho going concarn basis unless it Is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue In business. The trustees are responslble for ke8ping proper accounting records that disclosè with reasonable accuracy ot any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial stotements comply wlth the Charlties Act 2011 the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of th8 trust dead. They ore also responslble for safekeeping the assets of the charlty and hence for toking r80s0nabl@ steps for the prevention and detectlon of fraud and other irregularities, Thls report wos approved by the trustees on 7th February 2025 Signed Liz hAanger District Commissioner