## **1ST CLEVEDON SCOUT GROUP** **Annual Report & Financial Statements** **For the year ended** ## **31 December 2023** Charity No 308315 1 ## **ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ## **MESSAGE FROM THE GROUP CHAIRMAN** After all the large infrastructure work in prior years 2023 was a year to focus on the delivering for members and looking to the future. Leading on from 2022 the leaders were able to run more activities for the members and did so with gusto, the executive committee consolidated after completing major infrastructure work and the hiring of the hall continues to bring in much needed income for the Group and keeps memberships fees as low as possible. Overall, this was a year for consolidating and starting to plan for the future James Wootton ## **Group Chairman** 2 ## **CONTENTS** |**SECTION**|**Page**| |---|---| |Trustees’Annual Report|4-11| |Reference and Administration Details|| |Structure, Governance and Management|| |Objectives and Activities|| |Achievements and Performance|| |Financial Review|| |Future Plans|| |Approvals|| |Independent Examiner’s Report|11-12| |Statement of Receipts & Payments|13| |Statement of Balances|14| |Statement of Movements In Funds|15| |Notes to the Financial Statements|16–19| 3 ## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** The Trustees are pleased to present their report and financial statements together with the independent examiner’s report for the year ended 31 December 2023. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** **Charity name** 1[st] Clevedon Scout Group **Charity Number** 308315 **Contact Address** C/O James Wootton 1[st] Clevedon Scout Group Great Western Road Clevedon BS21 6HG **Current Trustees** James Wootton Chairman (ex officio) Matthew Watkins Treasurer Olivia Handley Group Scout leader Mike Provis Executive member Mike Viney Scout Leader Hayley White Cub Leader/Secretary Elected Nikki Hetherington Hall Hire Secretary **Other trustees who served during the year** N/A **Bankers** Lloyds Bank PLC 16 The Triangle Clevedon BS21 6NG Banking Signatories: Chair & Treasurer **Independent Examiner** Chris Davies Certified Accountant J&AW Sully Accountants 4 ## **STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** ## **Governing Document** The Group operates in terms of the Constitution of the Scout Association, which was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1912, and the Policy, Organisation & Rules (“POR”) of the Scout Association. ## **Appointment of Trustees** The Group Executive Committee are the charity’s trustees. The Group Scout Leader, Group Chair, Group Secretary and Group Treasurer are, ex-officio, members of the Executive Committee. The Section Leaders have the right of membership of the Executive Committee but are not required to be members. Other members have been elected. ## **Organisational Structure** The Group Scout Council is the electoral body, which supports Scouting in the Scout Group. It is the body to which the Group Executive Committee is accountable. Membership of the Group Scout Council comprises: - parents of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts and Explorer Scouts in the Group; - section Leaders, Assistant Leaders and Section Assistants; - skills Instructors, Administrators and Advisers; Patrol Leaders; • members of the Group Active Support Unit; any other supporters including former Scouts and their parents who may be admitted by the Group Scout Leader, the Group Executive Committee or the Group Scout Council; - the District Commissioner and the District Chair. The Group Scout Council must hold an Annual General Meeting within six months of the financial year-end to: - receive and consider the Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Group Executive Committee; - approve the Group Scout Leader's nomination of the Group Chair and nominated members of the Group Executive Committee; - elect a Group Secretary, Group Treasurer and certain members of the Group Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Group’s affairs and normally meets on a monthly basis. **Risk Assessment** It is a Scout Association requirement that Health & Safety matters are considered at each Executive Committee meeting and that all Leaders, Assistant Leaders, Executive Committee 5 Members and any other adult helpers must be members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (“PVG”) Scheme or hold an Enhanced Disclosure obtained via the Scout Association from Disclosure Scotland within the last five years. All leaders have gone through a one day first aid training course and many are progressing through their Scout training to obtain their Wood Badge, with Hayley Fry achieving hers at the end of the year. All subscriptions and other payments i.e., for camp, are being encouraged to be made through OSM to reduce cash within the Charity. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** The purpose of the Scout Association 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. The method of achieving the aims of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law and guided by adult leadership. The Scout Group is responsible for supporting Scouting within Limekilns and the surrounding area. In furtherance of these objectives, the Group continues to run weekly sessions for all Sections during School term time and to organise events, outings and camps throughout the year to encourage the development of our young people. ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **Executive Committee** No major infrastructure work was completed this year due to large projects completed in prior years. 2023 was a year for stabilising leader numbers and the 5 sections. Plans were also made to open a Squirrels section in 2024. Various camps were completed and we continued our support of the Swiss Valley football event which brings in a new source of revenue for us 6 ## **Member numbers** |||| |---|---|---| ||**2023**|**2021**| |Squirrels|14|0| |Beaver Scouts|34|17| |Cub Scouts|44|36| |Scouts|15|25| |Explorer Scouts|0|0| |**Total Young People**|**107**|**88**| |Young Leaders|6|3| |**Total**|**113**|**81**| |Adult leaders|12|| |**Overall % Change**|**28%**|| |||| ## **Learning and development in Group activities** The purpose of the Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full potential - physical, intellectual, social and spiritual – as individuals, responsible citizens and members of local, national and international communities. ## **Overview of activities of the units** In 2023, 1st Clevedon Scout Group continued to thrive with increasing numbers across many sections and the retention and recruitment of good leader teams. Many long standing leaders collected service awards this year, and the group continues to benefit from their increasing experience. The sections have enjoyed a number of days out and overnights, including sleepovers at our HQ and camps further afield. The Cubs and Scouts visited Hewish Wood Camp in July, and all sections attended the group camp at Glenny Wood Camp in September. The Beavers and Cubs were part of a District visit to Creely Adventure Park, and all sections attended Dragon Slayer at Westonbirt Arboretum for a St George’s Day event. Day to day section nights at the HQ have seen extensive use of the outdoor areas, with positive feedback from leaders about the fire circle, well kept garden and increased insulation, and subsequent more stable indoor temperatures. The group was asked to attend to provide the catering offering at Swiss Valley Rangers Football Club’s annual festival, and this provided the opportunity for leaders and scouts, as well as parents, to collaborate with another local charity and work as a team to promote the movement and raise some funds. As a result, a new leader team member was recruited. 7 Ambitions for the coming year include growing numbers across both Scouts and Leader teams, as the movement as a whole undergoes a transition to a more team-based approach, as well as creating a Squirrel section. ## **Engaging with parents/carers** The Group continues to engage parents and carers and now benefits from support at most of the Beaver and Cub evenings. Work still needs to be undertaken to encourage parents / carers to attend the Annual General Meeting. ## **Hall Hire** 2023 saw an increase in the number of regular hall hirers using the hall. We welcomed three new groups during the week Age UK using the hall for Tai Chi and a General Exercise class, an Adventure Babies class and Baby Sensory class. It has also been encouraging to see that a dance class which used our hall within the guidelines of the Covid19 pandemic, returned to use our hall for one off sessions. One of their members also used our hall for extra training as a private hire session. The number of people wishing to hire the hall for hosting children's parties also increased, and it was also good to see that people returned to use our hall, having hired it previously in 2022. Positive feedback from those that hire the hall, include comments such as “Well organised” “Tidy Hall” “Good value” “Great for community use” 8 ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** ## **Overview** Our principal sources of income continue to be membership subscriptions and hall hire rents, whereas expenditure primarily relates to Group activities and the running costs of the Scout Hut. In 2023 the Group received no grants (related to COVID-19 or otherwise). General fund receipts were £27,379.78 (2022: £18,343.42) and payments £20,451.05 (2022: £45,031.13) thus resulting in a surplus of £6,928.73 (2022: deficit of £26,687.71). ## **Donated Facilities & Services** Scouting is very dependent on the Leaders, parents and other volunteers without whom the Scout programme could not be delivered. The trustees would like to place on record their thanks to all who have helped to make the Group a success in the past year. ## **Reserves Policy** The trustees consider that around six months expenditure (circa £10,000.00) is an appropriate level of reserves in order to cover the timing differences between receipts and payments and to allow for any unexpected items of expenditure. Reserves at the year-end were £24,491.46 (2022: £17,652.73). While this is above the target range, this is much lower than previous years and is in line with normal expectations as we need to maintain a balance above £10k and capitation is due in March which will significantly reduce the balance on the accounts (expected be around £4k - £5k). The Group also wants to put money aside for future large infrastructure improvements. Our reserves policy may need to increase in future years due to inflation. ## **FUTURE PLANS** ## **Building the infrastructure we need for the future** For 2024 the focus will be on prioritising a list of future works, costing them up and building plans to ensure there are funds available, this is to include funds allocated to updating equipment where needed (i.e. back and front doors, tents and improvements in outside space). ## **Membership Fees** These are reviewed annually and the decision was made to not make any increases in 2023. With the increase in prices due to inflation it is likely that we will need to increase prices in 2024. ## **APPROVALS** This report was approved by the trustees at the executive meeting on 26th June 2024 and signed on their behalf by: 9 James Wootton Group Chairman io ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT** **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022** 11 ## **STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** 13 ## **STATEMENT OF BALANCES** ## **AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** 14 ## **STATEMENT OF MOVEMENT IN FUNDS** ## **AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** The notes on pages 16-19 form an integral part of these accounts. These accounts were approved by trustees on 26th June 2024 and signed on their behalf by: **James Wootton** **Matthew Watkins** Group Chairman Treasurer 15 ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** ## **The following notes relate to group general policies/legal/statutory requirements** ## **1. Basis of preparation** - a. These accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis in accordance with: - i. The Charities and Trustee Investment Act 2005 - ii. The Charities Accounts Regulations 2006 (as amended) - b. There have been no changes to the basis of preparation or to the previous year’s accounts **2. Fund Accounting** - a. Unrestricted funds are those that can be expended at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the charity. - b. Restricted funds are those that may only be used by specific purposes. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor, or when funds are raised for specific purposes. - c. The purposes of the funds are shown in Note 5. ## **3. Taxation** - a. The charity is not liable to income tax or capital gains tax on its charitable activities. - b. The charity is not registered for VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the expense to which it relates. **4. Transactions with trustees and related parties** - a. No remuneration was paid to trustees or any persons connected with them during the year (2022: £Nil). - b. No expenses were reimbursed to the trustees during the year (2022: Nil). **5. Purpose of funds** - **a. General Fund:** Unrestricted funds are those that can be expended at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the charity. - **b. Restricted Fund:** Restricted funds are those that can be expended under the purpose they were given to the group for. ## **The following notes relate to the group income** ## **6. Membership subscriptions** - a. Member’s subscriptions are set at £50 per term (second child £40 per term). - b. Subscriptions received £7,945.80 (2022: £7,127.56). Subscriptions were higher in 2023 due to returning to 5 troops **7. Bank Interest** - a. Interest receipts were £131.17 (2022: £11.78). Interest accrues on the funds we hold in the bank account that we receive our hall hire receipts. We benefitted from higher rates due to higher Bank of England base rate 16 ## **8. Property Rents** - a. In 2022 the hall hirer income was £10,601.25 (2021: £9,465.00). This was higher than in 2022 which was good news for the group and was largely due to more hall hirers. ## **9. Donations** - a. In 2023 the group received donations of £0.00 (2022: £0.00). No donations were received in this year ## **10. Camps & Trips** - a. In 2023 the group received £1,951.39.00 in monies for camps (2022: £1,577.00). This was higher than 2022 due to full camp programme and return to 5 troops ## **11. Fund Raising** - a. We raised £333.56 in 2023 (2022: £162.08) this was due to a small Christmas post, ad hoc fundraising using EventBright and a summer BBQ ## **12. HMRC Charities** - a. The group received no income from any charities in 2023 (2022: Nil) ## **13. Sundries** - a. In 2023 the group received £0.00 in sundries (2022: £0.00). Nil received. ## **14. Weekly events** - a. In 2023 the group received 1,416.61 (2022: £0.00). This was split out from Camps in 2023 to easier track camps versus weekly events ## **15. Other** - a. In 2023 the Group moved £5000.00 between the Hall Hire and Treasurer accounts to maintain suitable balances in each. All hall hire income comes into Hall Hire account and most expenses come out the Treasurer account ## **The following notes relate to the group expenditure** ## **16. Membership Subscriptions** - a. In 2023 the group paid £48.424 (2022: £4,380.00). 2022 relates to capitation which has been moved to admin costs in 2023 ## **17. Property rental** - a. In 2023 the group paid £25.00 (2022: Nil). The amount is key deposit refund in 2023. This category has been split out into its own in 2023 ## **18. Donations** - a. In 2023 the group made no donations (2022: Nil) ## **19. Camps** - a. In 2023 the group paid £1,610.60 (2022: £2,995.72) Primary lower 2023 is due to Camps and Weekly activities being split in to 2 distinct categories ## **20. Sundries** - a. In 2023 the group paid £64.50 (2022: Nil) This is another category split out. 2023 cost relates to Kettles, key cuts, potty for the toilets ## **21. Premises Running Costs** 17 - a. In 2023 the group paid £4,509.93 (2022: £37,498.42). The troop incurs various annual costs to keep the hall and grounds open/useable, meet legal requirements and improvements such as; - i. Insurance £1,861.18 (2022: £1,561.47) - ii. Utilities £781.20 (2022: £1,389.64) 1. Electric £275.94 (2022: £891.00) [we had credit we drew down on] 2. Water £261.00 (2022: £283.00) 3. Internet £244.08 (2022: £215.64) - iii. Cleaning £375.29 (2022: £1,048.50) - iv. Infrastructure repairs £Nil (2022: £32,313.81) main expenses were: 1. N/A - v. Gardening £1350.00, (2022: £1,185.00) - vi. Expenses £142.44 (2022: Nil) Website rebuild in 2023 ## **22. Weekly Events** - a. In 2023 the group paid £2,266.81 (2022: Nil) This category was split from camps ## **23. Trustee expenses** - a. In 2023 the group made no payments to trustees for expenses (2022: Nil) ## **24. Unit expenses** - a. In 2023 the group paid £1,627.14 (2022: Nil). This category was split out in 2023 ## **25. Badge purchases** - a. In 2023 the group made badge purchases totalling nil (2022: £0.0082.80). ## **26. Uniform purchases** - a. In 2023 the group made no payments for uniform purchases (2022: £0.00). ## **27. Training** - **a.** In 2023 the group made payments of £Nil (2020: £50.00). This was for first aid courses. ## **28. Admin and other expenses** - a. In 2023 the group paid £4819.00 (2022: £106.99). These expenditures were for group capitation to Scout Group ## **29. Other** - a. In 2023 the Group moved £5000.00 between the Hall Hire and Treasurer accounts to maintain suitable balances in each. All hall hire income comes into Hall Hire account and most expenses come out the Treasurer account ## **The following notes relate to the group fixed assets** ## 30. Scout Hall - a. Scout Hall and land – The Scout Group owns the Scout Hall and land at Clevedon. No reliable cost or market value information is available. The building is currently insured for £723,000.00 on a full reinstatement basis (2022: £728,419.00) We had the assets revalued in 2023 as part of the move to a new Insurer (Wootton Insurance from Unity Insurance) 31. Camping and Other Equipment 18 - a. The Scout Group owns a large quantity of camping and other equipment which has been acquired over a number of years. No reliable cost or market value information is available. The equipment is currently insured for £45,600 (2022: £36,817.00). ## 32. Debtors - a. At the year-end 1[st] Clevedon Scouts have outstanding debtors as outlined below - i. Nil 1. Period: Nil 2. Invoice number: Nil 3. Amount: Nil 33. Long term liabilities (expected to be settled in greater than 12 months) - a. We current hold key deposits for 10 hall hirers - b. The key deposits are £25 per hall hirer and are held until they leave and then returned upon successful return of the hall keys. This puts our liability at £250 (10 X £25) 19