1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
1 Reference and Administration Details
Charity Name: 1[st] Norley Scout Group Charity Number: 508019 Scout registration 10022862 Principal Address: The Scout Hut, Crabmill Lane, Norley, Cheshire WA6 8JN
1.1 Trustees
Vickie Fifield Group Chair Verity Bowcock Group Secretary Lindsay Nixon Group Treasurer Bruce Lane Group Scout Leader Sheena McLean Assistant GSL / Section Leader Ross Heaton Section Leader Stephne Douglas Section Leader
Les Bennion, Jane Sayers, Gareth Jamieson, Rachel Hammond, Sandra Moloney-Pugh, Mark Hickinson, Vicky Oliver, Laurie Wills, Caroline Wills
2 Structure, Governance and Management
2.1 Governing Document
The Group’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 (POR) of the Scout Association.
2.2 Group Scout Council
The Group Scout Council is the electoral body to which the Group Executive Committee is accountable. Membership of the Group Scout Council is open to:
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Scouters
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Group Active Support Managers and members
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Colony Pack and Troop Assistants
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Skills Instructors
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Administrators
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Advisers
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Patrol Leaders
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All Parents of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts
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Any other supporters, including former Scouts and their parents, admitted by the Group Scout Leader, the Group Executive Committee or the Group Scout Council
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1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
- the District Commissioner and District Chair are ex-officio members of the Group Scout Council.
2.3 Constitution
The Group is a trust established under the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.
2.4 Trustee Selection
The trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association.
2.5 Group Executive Committee
The Group is led by a Group Scout Leader and managed by a Group Executive Committee. They are accountable to the Group Scout Council for the satisfactory running of the Group.
The Executive Committee exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of their appointment.
Members of the Executive Committee must act collectively as charity Trustees of the Scout Group, and in the best interests of its members to:
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Comply with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association
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Protect and maintain any property and equipment owned by and/or used by the Group
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Manage the Group finances.
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Provide insurance for people, property and equipment.
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Provide sufficient resources for Scouting to operate. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting recruitment, other adult support, and fund-raising activities.
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Promote and support the development of Scouting in the local area.
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Manage and implement the Safety Policy locally
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Ensure that a positive image of Scouting exists in the local community.
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Appoint and manage the operation of any sub-Committees, including appointing a Chair to lead the sub-Committees
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Ensure that Young People are meaningfully involved in decision making at all levels within the Group
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The opening, closure and amalgamation of sections as necessary.
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And all other duties as set out in Policy, Organisation and Rules.
2.6 Risk and Internal Control
The Group Executive Committee has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group is exposed which are:
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1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
2.6.1 Injury to Leaders, Helpers, Supporters or Members
The Group supports compliance with the Safety Policy and ensures appropriate risk assessment; elimination, reduction and control measures are taken to reduce the likelihood of any injuries.
In addition, through membership fees, the Group contributes to the Scout Association’s national accident insurance policy.
2.6.2 Damage to Buildings, Property or Equipment
The Group would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations. The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.
2.6.3 Reduced Income from Subscriptions and Fund Raising
The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fund-raising. The Group holds adequate reserves to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The committee could also raise the value of subscriptions to increase the Group income either temporarily or permanently.
2.6.4 Reduction or Loss of Leaders
The Group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the Group. If there were a reduction in the number of volunteers to an unacceptable level, then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of activities or sections.
2.6.5 Reduction or Loss of Members
If there were a reduction in membership of a particular section or the Group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section.
3 Objectives and Activities
The primary objective of the Group is that of the Scout Association generally, namely:
‘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:
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1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
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Integrity - We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
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Respect - We have self-respect and respect for others.
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Care - We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
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Belief - We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.
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Co-operation - We make a positive difference; we cooperate 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:
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enjoy what they are doing and have fun
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take part in activities indoors and outdoors
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learn by doing
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share in spiritual reflection
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take responsibility and make choices
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undertake new and challenging activities
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make and live by their Promise.
The activities of the Group are:
- The provision of the Scouting programme for 6–14 year old members
4 Achievements and Performance
We are delighted to report that Scouting continues to thrive in Norley, despite all the challenges that have been thrown at us this year! We are lucky to have such a dedicated team of Section Leaders, delivering a varied and lively programme and making the most of the resources available locally, especially different sections of Delamere Forest and the Village Hall facility.
We welcomed four new members to the Executive Committee after last year’s AGM – Vicky, Mark, Laurie and Caroline - all of whom successfully completed their mandatory training modules.
It has undeniably been a challenging year and while Zoom meetings helped retain some sense of cohesion among the different sections, it really did prove to be no real substitute for Page 4 of 7
1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
face to face meetings. As soon as it was possible to meet again in September 2020, albeit in small numbers, the Leaders seized this opportunity and were the first in the District to do so.
Ross took the lead on working up numerous, highly detailed, Covid-19 risk assessments that were required in advance of re-starting face to face meetings, and for this we are hugely grateful. These risk assessments have to be produced for every different location or venue that is being used by Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and detail the procedures to be followed for every aspect of the meeting, from arrival to pick-up and the activity in between. They identify the potential risks and how they are to be mitigated (i.e. hand sanitising, equipment sanitising, safe distancing, etc).
It quickly became apparent that the existing Scout Hut at Crabmill Lane was not going to be fit for purpose due to its limited size and alternative indoor premises were sought. Fortunately, we were able to secure regular weekly bookings at the Norley Village Hall instead, which has been mutually beneficial.
This also helped to galvanise our thinking about the new Scout Hut project as it became clear that we need to press ahead with this as soon as possible. At a meeting in December 2020 representatives from The Executive Committee met with representatives from JNCOT and it was agreed that we would have our own standalone building, built to our specification, to be available for lending out when not required by us. This requires a small amendment to the existing planning permission, and we still need to draw up the requisite User Agreement. Progress continues.
Fundraising was curtailed this year as the Covid-19 Lockdown meant the 2020 Plant Sale could not take place. We were able to assist JNCOT again with sales of the Norley Christmas Quiz though, helped in large part by the quiz having been made available in a digital format so sales could be completely contactless.
The Chair would like to thank all the members of the Executive Committee for their continued support, and to thank Bruce for his endless patience and support as Group Scout Leader.
Our biggest thanks for this year must go to the Leaders for the way they adapted the programmes so that Covid-19 didn’t stop them from delivering the best Scouting experiences they could to our young people, and to the Parents for helping to enable their children to get online to participate in the virtual meetings and support them with their badge activities at home, and to all our brilliant Beavers, Cubs and Scouts for doing their best and demonstrating such resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
4.1 Public benefit statement
The Group meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship or community development headings.
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1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
5 Financial Review
5.1 Reserves Policy
The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Group Executive Committee considers that the group should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months running costs, circa £7,500.
The Group held reserves of approximately £19000 against this at year end. This meets the level required for operating expenses.
5.2 Investment Policy
The Group's Income and Expenditure is normally very small and as a consequence does not normally have sufficient funds to invest in longer-term investments such as stocks and shares. Grants have boosted the total this year. The Group 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.
6 Optional section for any future significant activities or major projects
The Group continues to progress the project for the planned replacement of the existing HQ building which is no longer fit for purpose. However, as it is some time since the last estimated costs were considered it has been decided that it would be prudent to re-examine the case for replacement of the current building on the existing site in order to ascertain that we are obtaining best value for money overall. We have engaged a specialist buildings surveyor to assist with this and will discuss in detail at the next Group Committee meeting.
7 Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signature:
Date: 29\06\2020
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1[st] Norley Scout
Trustees Annual Report Group From 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
Full Name: Bruce Lane Position: Group Scout Leader Signature: Date : 29\06\2020
Full Name: Vickie Fifield
Position: Group Chair
If either the GSL or Group Chair roles are vacant the signatories can be other members of the Group Executive
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1st Norley Scout Group
Consolidated Income & Expenditure Accounts Year Ended 31.03.21
| INCOME | 2020/21 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2019/20 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Fundraising | £ | 24.20 |
£ | 2,722.10 |
||||
| Group Donations | £ | 50.00 |
£ | - |
||||
| £ | 74.20 |
£ | 2,722.10 |
|||||
| Subs | ||||||||
| Beavers | £ | 882.50 |
£ | 1,706.00 |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 1,674.00 |
£ | 2,720.00 |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 1,213.00 |
£ | 3,120.00 |
||||
| £ | 3,769.50 |
£ | 7,546.00 |
|||||
| Camps and Activities | ||||||||
| Beavers | £ | 31.50 |
£ | 290.00 |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 35.00 |
£ | 1,882.68 |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 1,900.00 |
£ | 1,757.96 |
||||
| £ | 1,966.50 |
£ | 3,930.64 |
|||||
| Uniform, Badges & | Handbooks | |||||||
| Beavers | £ | - |
£ | 40.50 |
||||
| Cubs | £ | - |
£ | - |
||||
| Scouts | £ | - |
£ | - |
||||
| £ | - |
£ | 40.50 |
|||||
| Donations, Sponsorship, Nominal | ||||||||
| Beavers | £ | - |
£ | - |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 250.00 |
£ | - |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 71.00 |
£ | 1,157.20 |
||||
| Group | £ | 21,275.00 |
||||||
| £ | 21,596.00 |
£ | 1,157.20 |
|||||
| Gift Aid / Bank Interest/ | Misc | |||||||
| Gift Aid | £ | - |
£ | - |
* | |||
| Bank Interests | £ | 2.96 |
£ | 14.60 |
||||
| Misc (refund) | £ | 69.96 |
£ | - |
||||
| £ | 72.92 |
£ | 14.60 |
|||||
| Income | £ | 27,479.12 |
£ | 15,411.04 | ||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||
| Fundraising | £ | 24.20 |
£ | 1,603.38 |
||||
| Donations | £ | - |
£ | 90.00 |
||||
| £ | 24.20 |
£ | 1,693.38 |
|||||
| Capitation to Distric | £ | 2,632.50 |
£ | 2,892.50 |
||||
| £ | 2,632.50 |
£ | 2,892.50 |
|||||
| Camps and Activities | ||||||||
| Beavers | £ | 123.38 |
£ | 1,173.62 |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 603.43 |
£ | 2,411.21 |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 958.00 |
£ | 5,542.49 |
||||
| Group | £ | 39.95 |
£ | 50.00 |
||||
| £ | 1,724.76 |
£ | 9,177.32 |
|||||
| Uniform, Badges & | Handbooks | |||||||
| Beavers | £ | 59.52 |
£ | 50.10 |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 219.99 |
£ | - |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 60.56 |
£ | 147.63 |
||||
| Training and Unifor | £ | 30.00 |
£ | - |
||||
| £ | 370.07 |
£ | 197.73 |
|||||
| HQ Costs | £ | 1,868.38 |
£ | 1,145.24 |
||||
| £ | 1,868.38 |
£ | 1,145.24 |
|||||
| Miscellaneous and | Equipment | |||||||
| Beavers | £ | 52.17 |
£ | - |
||||
| Cubs | £ | 114.58 |
£ | 277.42 |
||||
| Scouts | £ | 69.45 |
£ | 968.31 |
||||
| Group | £ | 109.98 |
£ | - |
||||
| £ | 346.18 |
£ | 1,245.73 |
|||||
| Expenditure | £ | 6,966.09 |
£ | 16,351.90 |
||||
| Excess Income | £ | 20,513.03 | -£ | 940.86 | ||||
page 13 of14 Appendix 3 WORK PROGRAMME FOR A SCRUTINEER OR ADDITIONAL WORK FOR AN INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Check cash book(s) balance at the start of the year agrees with previous accounts. Vouch a selection of payments including reimbursement of expenses. Vouch a selection of receipts. Test entries with bank statements. Obtain a copy of bank reconciliation(s), check and agree with bank statement(s) Test additions in cash book(s) and other accounting records. Check figures entered on accounts from cash book(s)/day books via summaries or ledgers rf necessary. Ensure all activities (including all Sections) have been accounted for and included in the above tests. If not, ensure notes to the accounts disclose this or state it in the scrutineer's/external examiner's report to the Trustees. Obtain written confirmation of cash balances held by officers (i.e. any floats etc). hJiL IILI Inspect vehicle log books. Obtain confirmation that deeds, share rtrficateS etc. are hJd securely by the holders, such as The Scout Association Trust Corporation, bankers, solicitors, etc. Review liabilities for reasonableness and test documentation. Review assets for reasonableness. ]/Jl l)/'<'lkt £h'" Confirm that a stock count has been made of major items of equipment, badge stocks, etc. Read relevant Minutes. Confirm no income or receipts were subject to special restrictions which need to be shown in the accounts.
1st Norley Scout Group Consolidated Income & Expenditure Accounts Year Ended 31.03.21 2020121 INCOME 2019120 Group Fundraising £ Group Donations 24.20 150.00 2,722.10 74.20 Subs Beavers Cubs Scouts 2, 722. 10 882.50 1,674.00 11,213.00 1, 706. 00 2, 720.00 3,120.00 Camps and Activities Beavers Cubs Scouts 3,769.50 7,?46. 00 31.50 35.00 1,900.00 290. 00 1,882. 68 1,757.96 1,966.50 Uniform, Badges & Handbooks Beavers Cubs Scouts 3, 930. 64 40. 50 Donations, Sponsorship, Nominal Beavers Cubs Scouts Group 40. 50 250.00 71.00 £ 121,275.00 1,157.20 Gift Aid l Bank Interesu Misc Gift Aid Bank Interests 2.96 "Cubs Rtned Chq £ 1,330.00 Misc (refund) £ i 69.96 21,596.00 1, 1K7.20 14.60 1,402.92 14.60 Income 28,809.12 15,411.04 Expenditure Fundraising Donations 24.20 1,603.38 90.00 24.20 1,693.38 Capitation to Distric £ 2,632.50 2,892.50 2,632.50 2,892.50 Camps and Activities Beavers Cubs Scouts Group 123.38 603.43 958.00 39.95 1,173.62 2,411.21 5,542.49 50.00 1,724.76 9,177.32 Uniform, Badges & Han Beavers Cubs Scouts Training and Unifori £ books 59.52 219.99 60.56 30.00 50.10 147.63 370.07 197.73 HQ Costs £ l 1,868.38 Miscellaneous and Equipment Beavers 52.17 Cubs 114.58 Scouts 69.45 Group £ I 109.98 1,145.24 1,868.38 1,145.24 277.42 968.31 346.18 1,245.73 Expenditure 6,966.09 16,351.90 Excess Income 21,843.03 Cubs Rturned 18119 Capitation Cheque Returned 940.86
1st Norle Scout Grou Accounts 2020121 Current Year Previous Yr Income Income Grou Fundraisin DonationslEasy Fundraislng Bedding Plant Income Christmas Raffle Income 50.00 24.20 90.00 2,722.10 Ca itation Subs from Sections Beavers Cubs Scouts 74.20 2 812.10 1,280.00 1,470.00 1,400.00 1,260.001 960.00 Gift Aid & Grants Grants Gift Aid 3,920.00 4 130.00 UNPAID by 31103119 21,275.00 Refunds 21,275.00 69.96 Bank Interest Current Account Reserve Account 69.96 2.96 14.60 2.96 14.60 Total Income 25,342.12 6.956.70 enditure Activities Leader Training and Expenses Bedding Plant Costs Fund Raising Other Camp l Entry Fees Food l Drink Stationary Gifts Xmas raffle Costs 30.00 1,603.38 100.00 250.00 9.95 EQUIPMENT Equipment 39.95 1.953.38 109.98 109.98 229.22 District Ca itation 2,632.50 2,892.50 HQ Costs Maintenance Insurance Utilities New HQ planning costs 818.53 853.86 195.99 392.84 198.75 1,868.38 1343.99 Total Ex enditure 4,650.81 6,419.09 NET 20,691.31 537.61 Balance 01104120201 Balance 3110312021 Cash Closing Bank Balance Less Unpresented Cheques (J Closing Reserve Opening Bank Balance Current Account 63012502 Unpaid Capitation Invoices line 314&6 (18119120 Chqs) Opening Reserve Net 13,160.49 5,460.00 7,250.64 20,691.31 46 562.44 39,308.84 7,253.60 DIFF X-CHECK 46,562.44
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