Eastbourne District Scout Council AGM 2023 Agenda Minutes Trustees’ Annual Report & Accounts 2022 ~ 2023 Constitution District Report Bushy Wood Report ## Trustees for the year 2022–23 **President:** Brian Chessell, CEng, MICE **Vice-Presidents:** Bob Lacey, OBE Peter Wood ## **District Executive Committee Membership:** _Ex officio_ Gilly Hacker District Commissioner B Nicola Fallon Deputy District Commissioner Carl Bird Deputy District Commissioner Joe Firth Deputy District Commissioner Andy Stevens District Explorer Scout Commissioner A _Elected_ Jasmine Burfield (U25 Rep.) Scout Network Daniel Deadman (U25 Rep.) Matthew Peskett Chairman, AAC A Group Treasurer, 3rd Eastbourne _(until 9/7/21)_ Tracey Titherly CSL, 1st Hampden Park District Nights Away Adviser _Nominated_ Maggie Collins EDSAS Ian Lewis EDSFAT Ian Watling Chairman, BWMC B _Co-opted_ George Cole EDSAS Manager A B Vice-Chairman, BWMC ## **Sub-Committees:** - A = Appointments Advisory Committee - B = Bushy Wood Management Committee **Bankers:** Barclays Bank plc, 63–67 Terminus Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3NE **Independent Examiner:** Shaun Muller, Director, Cornfield Accountants Ltd, 5 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, BN21 4NN **Scout Association District Registration Number:** 17005 **Charity Registration Number:** 305846 **Charity Commission Contact:** Matthew Peskett (Trustee), 49 Summerdown Road, Eastbourne, BN20 8DR ## Agenda Friday 27th October 2023 at 7 for 7.30p.m. 1. Welcome by the District Chairman 2. Apologies for absence 3. Minutes of the 2019 Annual General Meeting 4. To receive the Trustees’ Annual Report & Accounts for 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 and 2022–23 5. To adopt the new Scouting standard for District Constitution 6. To receive the District Commissioner’s nomination for District Chairman 7. To elect a District Secretary (not a Trustee) 8. To elect a District Treasurer 9. To elect members to serve on the District Trustee Board 10. To appoint an Independent Examiner for the Annual Accounts 11. To approve the appointment of a District President 12. District Commissioner’s Address to the Council 13. The County representative is invited to speak 14. The Chairman will close the Meeting Immediately following the Meeting, our WSJ contingent will give a short presentation on their experiences in South Korea. To conclude the evening, all guests and members are cordially invited to enjoy refreshments in Shakleton Lodge. 1 ## Minutes of previous AGM, Thursday 5th September 2019* Bushy Wood, 7 for 7.30p.m. **Present:** Mr James Punchard – District Chairman Mrs Elaine Gausden – Acting District Commissioner Mr Frank Woods – Deputy District Commissioner Mr John Easton – County Commissioner Mr David Powell – County Vice-Chairman Mr Brian Chessell – District Vice-President Mrs Sandra Punchard – Acting District Secretary Mr Ian Watling – BWMC Chairman Mr George Cole – BWMC Vice-Chairman/EDSAS Manager Mr Marc Fallon – BWAC Manager Mrs Maggie Collins – District Shop Manager Mr Ian Lewis – EDSFAT Representative Mrs Tracey Titherly – Executive Committee Member Plus 28 members of the District Scout Council, altogether representing – Bushy Wood Management Committee, District Appointments Advisory Committee, Assistant District Commissioners, District Scout Active Support Unit, District Scout First-Aid Team, District Scout Band, District Explorer Units, 3rd Eastbourne, 11th Eastbourne, 1st Hampden Park, 1st Meads, 1st Old Town, First Polegate, 1st Seaside, 1st Willingdon, 2nd Willingdon. **1. Welcome** – The District Chairman, James Punchard, welcomed John Easton, David Powell, Brian Chessell and Elaine Gausden. **2. Apologies for absence** were received from: Peter Wood (District Vice-President), John Smith (AAC Chairman), Carl Bird (ADC(C)), Vicky Chessell (EDSAS), Trudi Danielsen (EDSAS), James Davis (GSL, 2nd Willingdon), Darrell Harris (EDSAS), Robert Kent (ESL, Kyros), Lesley Pepper (GSL, 1st Anderida), Matthew Peskett (Treasurer, 3rd Eastbourne), Mike Standen (GSL, 1st Old Town) and Terri Taylor (DCSL/CSL 1st Seaside). **3. Minutes of the 2018 AGM** – These had been previously circulated and approved. There were no amendments or matters arising. **4. Annual Report and Accounts** – The Annual Report and Accounts had been previously approved by the District Executive Committee and were presented to the AGM for noting. The Chairman thanked the DDC and ADCs for their contributions. **5. District Commissioner’s Nomination for District Chairman** – James Punchard was nominated by the Acting District Commissioner to continue as Chairman for a further year, which he accepted. **6. Election of District Secretary** – One nomination had been received: Sandra Punchard – proposed by Ian Lewis and seconded by ADC Ian Watling. Approved by the Meeting. **7. Election of District Treasurer** – This position remained vacant. **8. Election of Members of the Scout Council to serve on the District Executive Committee** – The following members had indicated their willingness to stand: Jasmine Burfield (11th Eastbourne, under-25 representative), Daniel Deadman (DDYC, under-25 representative), Matthew Peskett 2 (Group Treasurer, 3rd Eastbourne and Member of the District AAC) and Tracey Titherly (CSL, 1st Hampden Park). All were proposed by Julie Peskett, seconded by Ian Lewis, and approved by the Meeting. **9. District Commissioner’s Nominations to serve on the Executive Committee** – The Acting District Commissioner nominated Maggie Collins (Manager, District Scout Shop), John Smith (Chairman, AAC), ADC Ian Watling (Chairman, BWMC) and Ian Lewis (EDSFAT). These were accepted by the Meeting. The District Chairman advised the Meeting that the District Commissioner, Deputy District Commissioner, District Scout Network Commissioner and District Explorer Scout Commissioner are members of the District Executive Committee. **10. Appointment of an Independent Financial Examiner** – The District Chairman proposed that Chris Rummins (Treasurer, 1st Willingdon) be appointed. The appointment was approved by the Meeting. ## **11. Acting District Commissioner’s Address** Elaine expressed how pleased she was to see so many of the District’s Leaders at the AGM. She went on to praise Eastbourne District as being a very active, strong District with an amazing team of Leaders. She had been very delighted to attend BIG60, which she commented was a fantastic event. Elaine also thanked Frank for his very comprehensive report. ## **12. County Commissioner’s Address** John started by saying that it had been a tough year for Eastbourne District. He went on to say that this is the time that the DC would have been stepping down as it was the end of his term, and he recorded his thanks to all those who had stepped up in the last few months. John commented that Eastbourne is a strong District with an amazing number of experienced Leaders. He felt that Bushy Wood is a fantastic resource and that EDSFAT promote Eastbourne in a very good light. He was hopeful that there would be a new DC appointed in the next few weeks and he felt that there will be some work to do in the coming months for them to shape the District as they go forward. John said that he would be looking into possibly recruiting a “paid” Treasurer to look after the finances for the District, Bushy Wood and possibly EDSFAT. Finally, John asked us to record his formal thanks to the DC, District Secretary and District Treasurer to recognise all they have done for Eastbourne District. **13. On closing the Meeting** , the Chairman thanked everyone for attending and for all their hard work throughout the year. He again extended special thanks to Ashley Whymant-Morris, the outgoing District Commissioner, to Beverley Whymant-Morris, the outgoing District Secretary, and to Darrell Harris, the outgoing District Treasurer, for all they have done for Scouting in Eastbourne. This was unreservedly endorsed by everyone present. _[On this occasion coffee and biscuits had been provided on arrival in lieu of the customary post-meeting refreshments, in order to assist brevity.]_ *Postponed from Friday 5th July due to the lack of key people. 3 ## Trustees’ Annual Report for the year 2022–23 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The Scout District’s governing documents are those of the Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the By-Laws of the Association and the _Policy, Organisation and Rules_ of the Scout Association. The Scout District is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts. ## **The District Scout Council** _“The District Scout Council is the electoral body which supports Scouting in the District. It is the body to which the District Executive Committee is accountable.”_ Membership of the District Scout Council is open to Commissioners, Scouters, Administrators, Section Assistants, Skills Instructors, Advisers, Network Scouts, Explorer Scouts, Members and Associate Members of the Movement registered in the Scout District and including members of District Scout Active Support Units, all parents of Explorer Scouts, persons elected and reselected annually by the District Scout Council on the recommendation of the District Commissioner and the District Executive Committee. The County Commissioner and County Chairman are _ex-officio_ members. ## **The District Executive Committee** The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the _Policy, Organisation and Rules_ of the Scout Association. _“The District Executive Committee exists to support the District Commissioner in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment and to provide support for Scout Groups, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network in the District.”_ The District Executive Committee is responsible for: - Promoting the development of Scouting in the District and arranging for harmonious co-operation with other organisations; - The raising of funds and the administration of the District’s finances and property, including the Scout Network and Explorer Scout Units; - Appointing a District Appointments Advisory Committee and an Appointments Chairman and Appointments Secretary; - Appointing other Sub-Committees and their Chairmen as the Committee may require; - Supervising the administration of Groups, particularly in relation to finance and the trusteeship of property; - Attending to District administration including the presentation of an Annual Trustees’ Report and Annual Financial Statement to the Annual General Meeting of the District Scout Council. The District Executive Committee meets formally four times a year and is made up of members elected at the District Annual General Meeting, members nominated by the District Commissioner, _ex-officio_ members, and members co-opted by the District Executive Committee. The County Commissioner and County Chairman have a right of attendance ## **Charity Trust Statements** - The District is a Trust established under its rules, which are common to all Scout Districts. - The Charity is governed by a constitution as laid down by the Scout Association. - The Accounts comply with statutory requirements, the governing document and the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities. 4 - Resources Policy – Retained resources are kept at a level adequate to service the activities of the Charity. - Investment Policy – It is the policy of the Charity to hold all reserves in deposits to allow for instant access to funds as required. - Risk Policy – The Trustees regularly review the risks to which the Charity is exposed and have taken appropriate insurance to mitigate these risks. ## **Risks and Internal Control** The District has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss; these include two authorisations for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered. ## **Objectives** The objectives of the District are as a Unit of the Scout Association. The Purpose of Scouting is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. ## **Method** Scouting uses a method which is young people, in partnership with adults, enjoying what they are doing, learning by doing, participating in varied and progressive activities, making choices for themselves, taking responsibility for their own actions, working in groups, taking increasing responsibility for others, taking part in activities outdoors, sharing in prayer and worship, and making and living out their promise. ## **Achievements and Performance** I am happy to report that the District Executive Committee has met its responsibilities as detailed in the _Policy, Organisation and Rules_ of the Scout Association during the 2022–23 financial year. - Scouting in Eastbourne maintained a healthy membership and opened two Squirrel Dreys. - The District finances are in good order. - The Appointments Advisory Committee continued to fulfil its remit. - Sub-committees remained in post. - The Annual Trustees’ Report and Annual Financial Statement was completed. ## **Reserve Policy** The Trustees undertake to hold sufficient resources to continue the various activities organised by the District, should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Executive will review annually the level of resources necessary and the level at which they should be maintained. ## **Future** The District Executive Committee is aware of the need to continue the District growth and the opportunities which Scouting, at all levels, gives to so many young people. With the high levels of young people unable to obtain a place within a Group in the District, it is imperative to continue assisting the District leadership team to recruit adults into Scouting, particularly uniformed Leaders. Bushy Wood is the District’s primary resource, continuing to provide a focus for all Groups and Sections in our District. The District Executive are aware that the site continues to require continued large-scale investment, both financially and physically, to ensure it is fit for purpose in the future. ## **Approved by the Trustees,** Matthew Peskett _(signed) Acting District Chairman_ 5 ## Financial Statements for the year ending 31st March 2023 6 Eastbourne District Scout Council Statement of Financial Activities For the year ended 31 March 2023 Z023 2022 Note Unrestrlrted Restrkned Totsl Total Incomln8 resources Incomln8 resources from 8ener*ed fvnds Voluntary Income Activitles forgeneratlnqfunds Investment income lThcomlThg resources from charhable adtvltles T0ts1 In¢ornln8 re5oiirce5 33,303 85,577 154 140,264 259,298 11.0751 32,Z28 85,577 154 140,164 258.123 90,776 49,919 Iin contributions to a defined contributlon Scheme totallin8 Avera89 numbqrof fulktlme equlvalgnt employ••5 In th•year ZQ23 2022 Employees- charitsble ath￿tIes No employee emoluments exceeded £60,0Tr) durlng the year P&)ts 7 Tan8lble flxed awts Bu5hyWood Buildings Band 15t￿d & Equipment Instruments Equipment 14,736 15,039 19,S44 16.474 25.269 13.8641 40.949 Cost or valuatlon Ba￿nce brou¥ht forward Addition5 ti5posals Ba￿nce carried forward Land iio,(oo Total 159,319 41,743 13,8641 197,198 iio,(Th) 31.210 15.039 Accumulated deprerlatlon orlryalnnents Various Reducing balance 5% Strai¥ht 20% NDt depreciated Strai8ht line 15.557 7.161 13,8641 Baknce brought forward Char¥t in year 5posals Impairment5 Bapance carried forward 10,989 752 30.546 11,228 13,8641 2,798 40,708 3,315 2.798 14.539 7.315 IB.854 Net book value Asat 31 March 2022 Iio.(M)D 10.736 4.050 3.9B? 128,773 A5at 31 March 2023 IiO.(QD 23.895 S(KJ 22.(P)S 156,490 Note8 Debtors 2023 2022 Trade debtors Prepaid expenditure 13.491 16,%0 30,451 11,296 11,296 Crtditors 2023 2022 Trade treditors Accruals and deferred income Loans 36.386 18,203 10.916 65.505 37,174 2,895 10,916 50,985 Deferred income arises on events which rdate5to the following period. BaLince brought forward Released in ye3r Relatin8 to the following perlod Bakance carried forward 1.935 11.9351 16.415 16,415 Notes to the accounts Icontlnued) Note io Fund anaty$l$ The charity held the fdlowing funds at the year end.. IGeneral Fund- GE, Deswnated Fund D. Restricted Fund Rl Re$trlrted Funds 1st Aid Team ExplorerScouts Purpose ahd Resirlrtlo Specific8rant for purchase of equipment Specific Grantfor purchasing tents Mowdmont of malorfunth Fund balances brought forward 162,717 38,626 10,873 3,459 15,910 231,585 Fund balance5 IncomSng resources Outgolng resOUrte5 Fund name General Fund 1st Aid Team Band Explorers Bushy wL￿d Sub tot318eneral funds Type GE GE GE GE GE Trèn5fers 10,037 forward 178.062 48.832 16,652 53,288 24 8,159 181,175 259,298 111,3441 143.0821 13.6041 17.2931 12,7441 6,554 2,145 235.598 1194,940 I255,2￿)1 1st Aid Team Explorerscouts Sub total restritted funds 9,742 738 10,480 11,0751 8,667 638 9.305 Total funds 242,065 258,123 1255,2901 244.898 M(wement of mojorfvnds Iprior period to 31103n0221 Fund balances brought forward 141,188 24,994 10,746 Fund balances Incoming re50urce5 Outgoing resource5 Fund name Gener31 Fund 1st Aid Team Band strict Shop Explorers Bushy Wood Sub total general fvnds TTre GE GE GE GE GE GE Transfers forsyard 162.717 38.626 10.873 27,998 32,150 1,162 16,4691 118,5181 11,0351 4,077 7,877 188,881 4,538 170,489 236,337 3,459 15.910 231.585 1162,4561 1193,6341 1st Aid Team Explorerscouts Sub total restricted funds 1,075 618 1,693 8,667 120 8,787 9,742 738 10,480 Total funds 190,574 245,124 1193,6341 242,065 12 ## District Constitution for the year 2022–23 ## **The District Scout Council** The District Scout Council is the electoral body, which supports Scouting in the District. It is the body to which the District Executive Committee is accountable. ## **Membership of the District Scout Council is open to:** Commissioners, Scouters, Administrators, Section Assistants, Skills Instructors, Advisers; All Explorer Scouts; All members of the District Scout Network; A representative of the District Troop Leadership Forum, selected from amongst its membership; Members and Associate Members of the Movement registered in the Scout District and including members of District Scout Active Support Units; All parents and carers of Explorer Scouts; Persons elected or reselected annually by the District Scout Council on the recommendation of the District Commissioner and the District Executive Committee, of whom two should be aged 18–25. The County Commissioner and County Chairman are _ex-officio_ members of the District Scout Council. ## **Membership of the District Scout Council ceases upon:** The resignation of the member; The dissolution of the Council; The termination of membership by Headquarters following a recommendation by the County Executive Committee. ## **The District Scout Council must hold an Annual General Meeting within six months of the financial year end to:** Approve or reject proposed changes to the District Constitution; Receive and consider the Annual Report of the District Executive Committee, including the Annual Statement of Accounts; - Approve the District Commissioner’s nomination of the District Chairman and nominated members of the District Executive Committee; Elect a District Secretary, unless the District Secretary is employed by the District Executive Committee; Elect a District Treasurer; Elect certain members of the District Executive Committee; Elect representatives to represent the District on the County Scout Council; Appoint an Auditor or Independent Examiner or Scrutineer as required. ## **The District Executive Committee** The District Executive Committee exists to support the District Commissioner in meeting the responsibilities of the appointment and to provide support for Scout Groups, Explorer Scout Units, District Scout Network, District Scout Active Support Units, the District Scout Band, and Bushy Wood Scout Campsite and Activity Centre. 13 ## **The District Executive Committee consists of:** ## District Chairman, District Commissioner, Deputy District Commissioner, District Secretary, District Treasurer, District Scout Network Commissioner, District Explorer Scout Commissioner. ## _**Elected members**_ Persons elected at the District Annual General Meeting; these should normally be four to six in number and the actual number must be the subject of a resolution by the District Scout Council. ## _**Nominated members**_ Persons nominated by the District Commissioner; the nominations must be approved at the District Annual General Meeting. Persons nominated need not be members of the District Scout Council and their number must not exceed that of the elected members. ## _**Co-opted members**_ Persons co-opted annually by the District Executive Committee; the number of co-opted members must not exceed the number of members who may be elected. ## **Right of Attendance** The County Commissioner and the County Chairman have the right of attendance at meetings of the District Executive Committee. ## **Sub-Committees** The District Executive Committee may establish any sub-committees that it deems necessary; sub-committees consist of members nominated by the District Executive Committee. - The District Commissioner, Deputy District Commissioner and the District Chairman will be _ex-officio_ members of any sub-committee of the District Executive Committee. Any fundraising sub-committee must include at least two members of the District Executive Committee, in addition to the _ex-officio_ members. No Section Leader or Assistant Leader should serve on such a fundraising sub-committee. ## **Charity Trusteeship** A Scout District is an educational charity. Members of the District Executive Committee are the charity trustees of the Scout District. Only persons aged 18 and over may be full voting members of the District Executive Committee because of their status as charity trustees. Certain people are disqualified from being charity trustees by virtue of the Charities Acts. Charity trustees are responsible for complying with all the legislation applicable to charities. The District is required to register as a Charity and is required to make an Annual Return to the Charity Commission. ## **Responsibilities of the District Executive Committee** Promoting the development of Scouting in the District and arranging for harmonious co-operation with other organisations; The raising of funds and the administration of the District’s finance and property, including Explorer Scout Units and District Scout Network; - Appointing annually a District Appointments Advisory Committee, Appointments Chairman and Appointments Secretary as required by the Scout Association’s _Policy, Organisation and Rules_ : “The Appointment Process”; Appointing annually other sub-committees and their Chairmen as the Committee may require; Supervising the administration of Groups, particularly in relation to finance and the trusteeship of property; 14 - Attending to District administration, particularly matters relating to Leader, Manager and Supporter Appointments; the Appointment of Section Assistants and Skills Instructors, Administrators and Advisers; - Registrations, membership of the Movement, and appointing annually a Badge Secretary for the District if required; The presentation of an Annual Report and Annual Statement of Accounts to the Annual General Meeting of the District Scout Council. ## **The District Team Meeting** The District Team, comprising the District Commissioner, Deputy District Commissioner, District Scout Network Commissioner, District Explorer Scout Commissioner, all Assistant District Commissioners, District Scouters and Unit Managers of any District Scout Active Support Units, meet as frequently as necessary under the chairmanship of the District Commissioner or Deputy District Commissioner. ## **The purpose of the District Team Meeting is to:** Review the progress, standards and effectiveness of programmes of Groups, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network; Plan a programme of visits to Scout Groups, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network; Give support and encouragement to Leaders; Plan the support of adults undertaking Adult Training; - Plan any programme of District events deemed to be necessary to supplement Scouting in the Groups, Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network; Identify needs for support requirements from Scout Active Support Units in the work of the District; Keep the District Executive Committee advised of the financial requirements of the training programme in the District, including Explorer Scout Units and any District Scout Network; - Ensure that there is at least one of each of the Sections catering for mixed membership within its boundaries. ## **Conduct of meetings in the Scout District** - In meetings of the District Scout Council and the District Executive Committee only the members specified may vote. Decisions are made by a majority of votes of those present at the meeting. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast on either side on any issue, the Chairman does not have a casting vote and the matter is taken not to have been carried. - The District Scout Council must make a resolution defining a quorum for meetings of the Council and the District Executive Committee and its sub-committees. - This Constitution is based on the model Constitution for Scout Districts published in _Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association_ and modified by Eastbourne District Scout Council. Signed: Date: 21st May 2018 District Chairman: James Punchard ## **APPENDIX** Quorum for meetings as agreed by the District Scout Council, 26th September 2005: - The Annual General Meeting quorum agreed at thirty (30); - The District Executive Committee quorum agreed at eight (8). 15 District Report for the year 2022–23 Following two challenging years of Scouting through a worldwide pandemic, this was the year in which we finally managed to get the “out” back into Scouting. The District Team started the year with a new team structure, new members with new roles, and the team commenced a new approach to meetings aimed at bringing Scouters together from across the District in a more informal way. These monthly gatherings were to become known as “Fika hub” meetings, a name synonymous with Swedish culture where people come together to share time with each other often over a drink and a snack. The District Executive Committee experienced a challenging year during this period with the absence of a Chair and Treasurer, although the latter position has since been filled. That said, the Trustees continued to meet to carry out their role of providing a measure of scrutiny and governance to what we do. At the beginning of the year a number of Groups marked St George’s Day with parades or gatherings of their own, providing an opportunity to renew their Promises and celebrate our patron saint. In June 2022 the District was proud to host the County Tune-Up event at Bushy Wood, providing a much-needed opportunity for Leaders, Helpers and Trustees to come together from across the County to “tune up” some of their Scouting skills and glean new information about the direction Scouting will be taking with its forthcoming “transformation” exercise. During the year, Eastbourne District was delighted with the opening of two new Squirrel Scout Dreys, the first at 1st Seaside Scout Group in September 2022 and the second at 23rd Eastbourne in February 2023. Both Dreys have been very successful and the young people their parents and Leaders remain very enthusiastic about the Scouting this new Section is offering this younger age group. Towards the end of the year we supported the development of 1st Summerdown Scout Group, a new Group based at Summerdown School which has 84 pupils with autism aged from 4 to 16 years and opened in 2022. We are proud that we can now offer Scouting to young people who might otherwise have found it difficult to participate. The year saw a strong resurgence of activity across the District, with Groups keen to get back to camping and keen to get involved with District events. In May we saw the return of the Oakleaf Hike for the Cub Scout Section and in June the Acorn Weekend for the Scout Section. Leaders were delighted with the success of the young people involved in these very popular competitions. ## **Ian Watling** _Trustee_ 16 Bushy Wood Report for the year 2022–23 This was another very successful year for Bushy Wood, with post-pandemic bookings increasing to record levels and the site having become very popular with a lot of new clients. BuzzActive brought in many new school residential bookings and we enjoyed hosting many more Scout Groups from across the county and beyond, though our international bookings have not returned yet. We also hosted some large events including the County Tune-Up weekend for adult Scouters and we welcomed back the Strange Games Festival which earned us some valuable income in a quiet summer week where we tend not to attract many bookings. The year saw a lot of construction work begin alongside the routine maintenance of our buildings. Wealden District Council approved plans to build the new climbing facility that will include a “climbing wall”, a “jacob’s ladder” and an “all aboard” platform. This facility is being funded by a grant to BuzzActive from East Sussex County Council, so no cost to EDSC. During the year we began work on a new outdoor kitchen that was funded by Co-Op and Tesco grants. Much of the construction work was undertaken by the Tuesday Gang, using a kit-form structure. The team at Bushy Wood, with invaluable help from Team Bravo, undertook improvements to our underground services to the lodges, including electrical cabling, internet and drainage. We also started work on a plan to take electricity to a number of sites; funding for this has come from the bounce-back (from Covid) government grant and donations from various Groups who will enjoy the connections. This project will also see the installation of low-level lighting to some of the footpaths to the sites, making it easier and safer for members to get around the site at night. During the year we commenced work to create two new showers with external access at the male toilet block using the space made available by removing the urinals. We also put a new roof on the toilet block as a leak had developed and in preparation for improved insulation to the whole block. We are indebted to Wayne Evenden who joined the team as an Assistant Warden and devoted many hours to completing this roofing project, often in difficult weather conditions. With all the additional activity at the site and the ensuing workload, the Bushy Wood Management Committee approved the employment of Mandy Collier to take a lead on managing the TreeTops shop as well as supporting the Centre Manager with invoicing, taking bookings and providing cover on the Centre Manager’s rest days. Mandy had been volunteering before the appointment and she has become a valuable asset to the team. We also appointed Ray Newman-Smith to a new Deputy Centre Manager role; this position provides a more resilient structure to our team, ensuring that at all times we have an appropriate level of leadership to our paid staff and Assistant Wardens. The team was also boosted by the appointment of Gareth Collier as an Assistant Warden; Gareth has put in many hours of his time undertaking a number of small construction projects, including the new handrails to the disabled ramps, various maintenance tasks and lots of tidying up projects. As ever, the year saw a number of challenges for us and quite possibly the biggest for the Bushy Wood Management Committee was the plan submitted by South East Marts to relocate the Hailsham Livestock Market to land directly alongside our driveway. During spring 2023 the Committee Chair and Centre Manager attended a number of planning committee meetings and together with our neighbours from Knockhatch we commenced a campaign to object to the plan that, if it were to be approved, could change the landscape and environment at Bushy Wood forever. Members of both the Scouting and Girlguiding community submitted letters of objection to Wealden District Council. We await the decision of the WDC Planning Committee. As the year drew to close we spent much of the time getting ready for our most active season and we were delighted to make the purchase of some new Leader-led “activities in a box” including new safe axe-throwing sets – these are going to be particularly popular with our younger Sections. This was funded by a donation from Hailsham Photographic Society and we are indebted to Carl Bird and 2nd Willingdon Scout Group for making this happen. As a District we are so fortunate to have some great people who are willing to give up so much of their time to help maintain and develop our treasured woodland site. Ray Newman-Smith and his team of Assistant Wardens give so much of their time to ensure that we are able to offer a great service to the many people who use the site. We continue to be inspired by the tremendous efforts made by the amazing young people who make up our own Team Bravo Explorer Scout Unit; as we also do by the continued support from the Tuesday Gang and the other volunteers who give their time to support construction and maintenance projects. In closing, I would like to pay a special tribute to our two employees, Marc Fallon and Mandy Collier, whose efforts have served to ensure that Bushy Wood continues to be the “go to” campsite and activity centre for so many Groups in both Scouting and Girlguiding, and also beyond to many school, home educational and other youth groups. Through their efforts they have ensured that the site is thriving and that our TreeTops shop continues to break new sales records. ## **Ian Watling** _BWMC Chairman_ PRF