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Trustee’s Annual Report & Statement of Accounts

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Trustee’s Annual Report & Statement of Accounts Salisbury & South Wilts District Scout Council

Covering the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Annual Trustee’s Report

Section	Title	Page
	Table of contents	2
A	Reference & administration details	2
B	Structure, governance and management	3
C	Objectives & activities	5
D	Achievements & performance	6
E	Financial review	7
F	Campsite Quest	8
G	Trustee declaration	8

Annual Statement of Accounts

Title	Page
Statement of Accounts	9
Independent examiner's report on the accounts	12

pg. 1

Trustee’s Annual Report

Covering the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Section A: Reference & administration details

District/Charity name:

Registration details:

Salisbury & South Wilts District Scout Council Registered Charity Number: 305937 Scout Headquarters Registration Number: 10001350

Principal Address:

Dennis Marsh House Westminster Road Salisbury SP2 7DG

Name of the charity trustees who have managed the charity (if no dates are shown then the trustee has served for the whole period this report covers):

Ex-officio Mr I Jack District Commissioner Ex-officio Mr RN Demain-Griffiths District Trustee Board Chair Ex-officio Mr IW Davies District Treasurer Ex-officio Mr JN Wyeth District Explorer Scout Commissioner Elected member Mrs D Cook Scout Shop Manager Elected member Mr MR Chalke SASU Manager Elected member Mr PJ Handford Chair DMH committee Elected member Mr D Bavister District Network Commissioner Nominated member Mr D Waspe Deputy District Commissioner Nominated member Mr M Hiley Deputy District Commissioner

The ownership of the building of the District (and the land upon which the building stands) are vested in:

The Scout Association Trust Corporation c/o The Scout Association Gilwell Park London E4 7QW

The Trustees have appointed the following Independent Examiner, in accordance with Charity Commission regulations:

Clifford Fry & Co St Mary’s House Netherhampton Salisbury SP2 8PU

pg. 2

Section B: Structure, governance and management

A description of the charity’s trusts.

Type of governing document:

The District's governing documents are those of The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

How the charity is constituted:

The District is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts within the United Kingdom, as laid out within the chapter entitled “The Scout District” in the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

Trustee selection methods:

The Trustees are appointed or elected in accordance with the Constitution and Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association.

Additional governance information: a) the induction and training of trustees

The District is led by the District Commissioner, who is supported by the Chair of the Trustee Board (formerly known as the Executive Committee) the members of which are the Charity Trustees. As charity trustees they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes the registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

Trustees complete an induction process including training within the first 6 months of their joining.

The Trustee Board exists to support the District Commissioner in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment and is responsible for:

The maintenance of District property;
The raising of funds and the administration of District finances;
The insurance of persons, property and equipment;
District public occasions;
Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support;
Appointing any sub committees that may be required;
Appointing Administrators and Advisors other than those who are elected.

b) trustee' consideration of major risks and the systems and procedures to manage them

Management of Risk and Internal Control

The Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the District is exposed, these have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are:

Damage to the building, property and equipment: The District would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations such local churches, community centres and other Scout owned properties. The District has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.
Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members: The District through the capitation fees contributes to the Scout Associations national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.

pg. 3

Reduced income from fund raising: The District is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and the Scout Shop. The District does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Trustee Board can decide to increase the District Levy on Membership subscriptions, either temporarily or permanently.
Reduction or loss of leaders: The District is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the District. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular section or the whole District, there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario, this could result in the complete closure of the District.
Reduction or loss of members: The District provides activities for all young people aged 6 to 18. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular section or the District as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst-case scenario, the complete closure of the District may be required. The likelihood of this occurrence is low and is further mitigated by the fact that each section have a waiting list and register of interest.

Financial Control

The District has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mis-management or loss, these include having 2 signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered. Payments for expenses are approved by either the District Commissioner, nominated deputies, or the District Chair, before payment is made.

pg. 4

Section C: Objectives & activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

The Purpose of Scouting

Scouting exists to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.

The Values of Scouting

As Scouts we are guided by these values:

Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal. Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others. Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live. Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.

Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

The Scout Method

Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of Scouting and:

enjoy what they are doing and have fun
take part in activities indoors and outdoors
learn by doing
share in spiritual reflection
take responsibility and make choices
undertake new and challenging activities
make and live by their Promise.

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects

The District Scout Council has 17 groups within, all of which are drawn together as part of the Scouting family. All groups share the same purpose, aims, values and method. The District exists to manage and support these groups, and to ensure that high quality Scouting opportunities are available to all. Across these groups, each week, we provide young people the opportunity to enjoy fun and adventure, whilst developing those essential skills to succeed, now and in the future. We are proud to offer this. We are proud to live by our Scout values

Public benefit statement

Salisbury & South Wilts District Scout Council meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development.

pg. 5

Section D: Achievements & performance

Salisbury and South Wiltshire District has 17 Scout Groups and 6 Explorer Units, encompassing:

1054 youth members

45 Young leaders (under 18 years)

370 Adults in both leadership and support roles

This a significant cohort of young people who are accessing scouting and benefitting from what it has to offer. We continue to have a good number of our young people achieve the top awards in their respective sections.

Of note this year, 3 of our youth members have received awards for actions that they took providing aid to others whose lives were at risk. The skills and training that they received in Scouting were cited as contributing factors to positive outcomes in all three cases.

This year, we have had support from the funded Growth and Developments team which has been running a number of projects in the District. Some remain in the early stages but the 6[th] Salisbury has been brought back from near extinction and now has a Beaver Colony, with plans in place to resurrect the Cub pack in the short term and a Scout troop due course. This is down in no small part to adult volunteer recruitment and is a real success story.

Quite aside from the myriad of activities and camps provided by individual Groups, the District has provided a wide range of events which have complemented or enhanced what is done at Group level and includes: camping, rafting, shooting, archery, fun days, activity days, cooking and hiking as well as trips and visits outside the District, be that the Monopoly Run in London for Explorer Scouts, or the Cubs’ trip to Brownsea Island. Some of these events have been competitive and some have just been about taking part and learning and developing new skills. Regardless, all have been delivered by teams of dedicated volunteers and have been thoroughly enjoyed by those taking part.

The District also had a contingent of under 18’s attend the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea as part of the larger Wiltshire unit, and one leader attend as part of the International Service Team.

There are two large projects which the District has been focussed upon:

Transformation . UK Scouting is preparing for significant change in structures and processes that enable the delivery of the Youth Programme. This will impact on the District and much work has taken place to prepare for its implementation later in the year.
Campsite Quest. The District has been engaged for some years in raising funds to purchase land for use as a campsite and training ground. The target figure has now been reached and we are preparing to move onto the next phase and purchase some land. This will have a huge impact on what we are able to deliver locally.

pg. 6

Section E: Financial review

Reserves policy

The Trustees’ have agreed a policy on reserves, whereby sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the District should income and fundraising activities fall short should be held. The Trustees consider that the district should hold a sum equivalent to 12 months running costs, approximately £15k.

The district held reserves (General Fund) of £24k against this at year end. This is in excess of the the agreed reserves for operating expenses and will be subject to annual review by the trustees. The decision to hold additional general funds was made by the trustees due to:

1) Ongoing financial instability and cost of living pressures

Financial performance

This financial year has seen a surplus of income over expenditure of £12k overall for the year.

Major sources of income for the District continue to be the Campsite Quest, the Christmas post, the Scout & Guide Panto and donations related to the use of the District Minibus.

Sectional events operate on a cost neutral basis (or as close to neutral as possible) however, some events have delivered a favourable variance and these funds will be used to subsidise future events for the relevant section.

Events and activities are run on the basis that each instance is self-funding, except where agreement has been sought from the District Executive Committee to subsidise.

Investment policy and objectives

The Trustee’s view is that the District does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments.

The District's Income and Expenditure is very small and as a consequence does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer-term investments such as stocks and shares. The District has therefore adopted a low risk strategy to the investment of its funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies or The Scout Association's Short Term Investment Service.

The Trustee Board regularly monitors the levels of bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure the District obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements. Occasionally this may involve using an account that requires a period of notice before funds may be withdrawn, before doing so the Trustee Board considers the cashflow requirements.

pg. 7

Section F: Further Information

Campsite Quest

Fund raising for the proposed new District Camp Site has continued over the last year and the fund now stands at £144k. Funds have flowed in from a myriad of sources including Book Sales, Coin and Banknote Sales, Car Boot stalls, Salisbury Community Lottery, Badge Sewing, Curry and Quiz evening and a Race Night to name a few. We have also had some very generous donations and legacies from individuals and other organisations too numerous to list, for which we are very grateful.

We have not found a suitable piece of land yet, but we follow up every lead and we have quite a few Estate Agents keeping an eye out for us. The day will come when we will own our own camp site and all those Golden Tent Peg Holders can come and drive them into our ground.

Thank you for all the help and support you have given. If you are reading this and would like to find a way to help us raise further funds go to https://sswscouts.org.uk/campsite-quest/ or if you think you have got a fundraising idea that we perhaps haven’t tried yet, why not get in touch, and send us an email at campsitequest@sswscouts.org.uk.

Section G: Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved this Annual Trustee’s Report, and is signed to indicate approval, on behalf of the charity’s Trustees, on 12 September 2024:

Mr RN Demain-Griffiths Chair, Trustee Board

pg. 8

Statement of Accounts

Receipts & Payments Account covering the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

pg. 9

pg. 10

pg. 11

pg. 12

2024-03-31-accounts