9th Heywood (St MichaeL's) Scout Group Registered Chanty No. 508174 Scouts Trustees, Annual Report for the period From: 01 April 2023 To" 31 March 2024 Section A Reference and Administration DetaiLs'. Charty nam& Registered Charity Number. Charity's principal address: 9th (Heywoodl St MichaeL's Scout Group 508174 Dixon FoLd DiggLes Lane Bamford Rochdale OLI 15PP Names of the charity trusttts who manage the charity: Dates acted not for whole year Trustee na￿￿ offi￿ lif any) Name of person lor be￿1vI entitled to appointtrustee Irf anyl Richard Baron Chair. Trustee Board Group Scout Leader l Group Cijuncil ma￿'n Bowe Treasurer. Tnjstee Board Group CounciL Warrant￿1 Appointment Scout Association Andrpw Sutton Group Lead VoLunteer Tony Robson Secretary. Trustee Board Subscriptsons Secretsry, Trustee Board Elected Member. Trustee Board Trustee Board Sarah Govier Trustee Board BILI Ramm Group CounciL Group Council Bill Fern Elected Member. Trustee Board Names of the trustees for the charity: Scout Assoaation Trust Corporation Section 8 Structure, governance and management GOVERNING DOCUME￿. The 9 Heywood (St. Michael'sl Scout Group adheres to the Scout Association s 'PoLicy, Organisation and Rules. IPORI. This document defines the structure of Scout'ng in the UK and sets out our constitution. our management process and objectives. The document is avaiLabLe for generaL scrutiny on the Scout Association website: https}].ww_w.scouts.org_.lu Ll How the charity is constituted". In common with other Scout Groups, we operate as an educationaL charity subjectto the pobcy and ruLes of the Scout Associab'on. Scout Groups are autonomous organisations being responsibLe for their own property and equipment. recruitment of Leaders and members. We own our HQ building and lease the land on which it stands from Rochdale Council. The Group is led by the Group Lead Volunteer IGLVJ and 15 managed by the Group's Trustee Board. The Trustee Board make decisions and carry out actions in Line with the requirements of the Scout Association. the needs of the GLV and the uniformed Leadership team. The Trustee Board is answerable to the Group Council who comprise aLL our Leaders. our members. parents I quardians and others with an interest in the Group. For further Information regardirig our constitutson this can be read in detaiL on the Scout Association website by using the foLLowing Link.. n sJ].!Iww.scoulJ:o.rg.Au p_or15-local-.governance-and- finance- of grouos-distric.ts-coijntiesl#S.4 Within the hierarchical structure of Scouting in the UK we are a member of Pennine Scout District (comprising of RochdaLe, Heywood and Middleton townships). The District falls under the jurisdiction of Greater Manchester North Scout County within the UK Scout Association. Our Group name indicates our Link to St. Michael's Church, Bamford, Rochdale who are our sponsoring authority. The Link dates back to when our Scout Group originaLLy began (circa 1940'sl, but then cLosed for a period untiL restarting in the late 1950's to the present day. During the late 1950's and the following decade the Group met at St Michael's SchooL, but as we outgrew the facilities available to us there. we sought our own place to meet Less than a mile away in Bamford viLLage. The Links with the church continues to the present day. Although the church remains our sponsoring body. our Scout Group has a policy of 'open membership,. l.e. it is unrestricted regardless of faith, gender, coLour etc. During the year our Scout Group operated 3 active Scouting seciions.. Beavers laged 6- 8 years) - making friends. being creative. trying new indoor and outdoor activities Cubs (aged 8~ 10.5 years) - le.arning practicaL skills while having adventures with friends Scouts (aged 10.5- 14 years) - building confidence. resilience and a sense of adventure Further information on the structure and artivities of each section can be found on the Scout Association website. Trustee selection methods: The Group Lead Volunteer nominates the Chairperson to Lead the Trustee Board. This nomination is put to the Group Council for approvaL at the AGM. The Group Treasurer is elected to office by a decision of the Group CounciL atthe AGM. The remaining members of the Trustee Board are approved by the Group CounciL at the AGM. Membership of the Trustee Board is strongLy encouraged across our members. parents to ensure a heaLthy cross sects'on of views and debate. Further information can be found on the Scout Association website" htt . /www.scouts.or 5-local- overnance-and-finance-of- rou districts-countiesl Training / Experien￿ of Trustees The POR document together with numerous Factsheets set out the ruLes and guidance for Trustees to follow. The Scout Association is on hand to provide further support and guidance as necessary. AdditionaLLy, Pennine District provide a range of training and support packages for administrative roLes as welL as for the Scouting Leadership team. Our elected represerrtatives to the Trustee Board are not required to have specific. qualific.atinns for their roles. but each are committed and trustworthy individuaLs. taking their obLigations seriously and acting with integrity and care and the best interests of our members. Training. covering basic reqtjirements 15 provided locally as weLL as online to assisttheir development in the role. They are alL unpaid voLunteers. IS c)re our uniformed Leaders. Some have been Beavers, Cubs and Scouts themselves, whilst others have had no Scouting background. Risk management processes are in place forthe health and safety of our members both within our HQ building and for when we undertake activities outside. Risk assessments have become mainstream in our planning and day to day operations for both the uniformed secb'ons and for the administrative management of the Scout Group. In order to provide a safe and incLusive environment for Scouting in Bamford, our Trustees and Leaders att in accordance with the Key Policies of The Scout Associats'on. These incLude'. Child Protection PoLicy and Young People First EquaL Opportunities Policy Anti-BuLLying PoLicy Safety Policy ReLigious Policy Development Policy Further detaiLs of these poLicies can be found on the Association website. Section C Achievements and performance The folLowing reports upon achievements and performance are taken from the Group's AGM held on Thursday 26th September 2024 via Zoom. Group Chairman- Richard Baron l. Chairman's Opening Remarks Good evening, everyone and a huge welcome to 9th Heywood Scout Group s 2024 Annual GeneraL Meetin(J. I'm sorry we haven't been able to meet face to face this year, but due to other commitments and time constraints. it has been necessary to revert to Zoom on this occasion. Firstly. I'd Like to thank Andv Sutton lour Group Team Leaderl along with aLL our Section Leaders and their assistants for their dedication to Scouting and for making Scouting happen for our young members, week-in and week-out They do a first-ratejob. and WTthout them we would not be here tonight. They are all voLunteers. who give up their time to help our young peopLe. YOU'LL hear and read more about the activities and proqrammes inibated by our Leaders in Andy's report. However. my responsibiLity is to overview the things that have happened for the Group as a whole and for which the Trustee Board has responsibility. Our New HQ Building: Th& yearfrom l April 2023 to 3 1 March 2024 can generally be desLribÉa.d as one of 'consoLidation'. We are settled into our new HQ and environment, and have Largely overcome the probLems and issues which inevitably arise from a new-buiLd property. We have undertaken a number of upgrades lo the building and some minor changes that make our environment safer and more user- friendLy. ALL is not finished in this task, as we have a List of reLativeLy minor works that we would Like to see compLeted over the coming year. In addition. we have a policy of continual investrnent in the buiLding to ensure it is kept in good order, is safe and secure and. of course, continues to meet the needs of our Scoutinq sections. Third-Party Users: To raise income for the Group and to become a worthwhile and usable asseifor the Local community. the Trustee Board has been committed to Lending our building to users beyond the Scouting community at an affordable price. During the review year. we saw a significant growth in third- party users: mary were individual families who chose us as a venue to host their children's birthday paTty. AdditionaLLy, we are now a regular venue for a performing arts society. a martial arts group and for a mum's and toddler's qroup. We conb'nue to receive requests from orqanisations and individuaLs alike, and where possibLe, WILL accommodate them. This is a great source of income for us and heLps us to keep our membership fees as Low as possibLe. Fundraising: We have two major fund-raisers during the year. the PLant Sale in May and the BBQ and Fun Day in JULY. The PLant SaLe continues to be very popular and S'd Like to take this opportunity to thank aLL our supporters for their hard work that made the 2023 Plant Sale such a huge success. The financial reSi￿{t was only superseded by the result in 2024. but more on that nexlyear! We had a brilLiant team of heLpers foi the May 2023 Plant SaLe who heLped generate a profit of some £5,500. Planning for this event takes place in January and there's pLenty of ways in which volunteers can help. both in the run-up to May and on the week of the sale itseLf. Let me know if you want to join our brilliant team. The BBQ and Funday was another huge success and was very weLI attended by many of our members and their families and friends. This is very much a fun evenL and we had some great weather to enjoy the day. Thanks again to everyone who heLped-ouL voLunteered tomboLa prizes. eto Transfomation Programrn￿ The UK Scout Associat'on is going through a period of transformation. You've probably noticed that we've changed the name of the Group Executive Committee to Trustee Board and that our roLe names have aLso changed. We don't expect a huge change to what happens at our weekLy meetings. as the changes impart more on our administration. That said, it's all aboutensuring our voLunteers are as welL-equipped as they can be to undertake their roles, and of course, that WILL onlv improve the quality and experience for our young members. Looking Ahead." l am proud to report thatthis Scout Group continues to blossom and qrow. We have a fantastic HQ and faciknties in Bamford. we are financially sound. and we have a growing demand from the Local community for children tojoin in aLI our sections. We also have a terrific group of voLunteers who make this all possible. but we do need more people to step forward to share the responsibilitie5. VoLunteering is a great way of meeting new people. giving something back to your community. Learning new skiLLs, having fun, chaLLenqinq yourseLf and so much more. If you're wiLLing to give it a go. even on a trial basis, you WILL be warmLy received. given training and sUPPOrt and you will also enjoy that inner feeling of value and contribution. Please speak to either myseLf or Andy if you'd Like to Learn more about voLunteering with our Group, either with the Trustee Board or with our sections. Conclusion: It's a delight to be able to provide such a posrtive report on our successes during this year. and I hope you WILL agree with me that we have a bright future ahead. Can I thank, once again, aLL our Leaders and helpers and trustees for their role in making Scouting such a positive experience here in Bamford. and l Look forward to another year of exciting opportunities and growth for Scouting here at 9th Heywood Scout Group. Group Lead VoLunteer- Andy Sutton April'23- March '24 OveNiew Overview.. The 202312024 academic year has been another great 12 months for 9th Heywood Scout Group. Each secton has more members than ever and hopefuLLy all the kids, invoLved are enjoying their time and experiences within the Scout sections. As always, I wouLd Like to start by thankinq aLL the Leaders and helpers for continuing to deliver a Scouting program overthe Last 12 months. The individuaL sections couLd notfunctson withoutthe commitment and enthusiasm shown by everyone invoLved. I would aLso Like to thank the Trustee Board for alL the hard work they put into the Group behind the scenes. This often goes unnoticed but their continued support provides an excellent environment for each of the sections to flourish. FL'S worth mentioning that all the adults that help run the Scout Group are volunteers and their time and effort is given freeLy to help provide the best possibLe experience for the young members in aLL the Scout sections. We have been lucky to add Lisa Hoyle to the leadership team and she has taken up an assistant section Leader role within Beavers. We were very sad to Lose Beth Redmond from the Beaver team. After 22 years of dedicated service, she has decided to take a break from Scouting. LuckiLy for us Beth has agreed to continue to support the Group with various events such as the plant sale. There has aLso been a change in the Scout Section. After 20 years Andy Fern has unforiunately had to step back from his roLe as Scout Leader due to work commitments. He WILL be conbnuing his association with our Scout Group by assisting Lisa and the team at Beavers but this does leave us very short of help within the Scout section We cannotthank Andy and Beth enough for aLL their hard work and dedicaton over a Long period of time that has heLped to grow our Scout Group. especialLy over some very difficult periods such as through Covid and when we re-buiLt our Scout HQ. Their passion and commitment WILL be missed. It goes withoLlc saying that we can only continue to deliver a fun and exciting program with the support of voLunteers. It can be chaLLenging at times but uLtimately it is very fun and rewarding. If anyone would like any information about how to get more involved. please do not hesitste to get in touch. ALI the secttons have been very active over the past year. and it was great to see a fantsstic turn out at the St Georges Day event heLd at Queens Park. The behaviour from aLL our members was a credit to the Scout Group and aLL the parents. Finally. I would like to saythank you to all the parents that have supported the Group in the Last 12 months. Either by heLping at section meeting nights or by coming and supporting events such as the plant saLe and summer BBQ. I he Scout group can only thrive with your continued supporL SEhVEI 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 me 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 Independent examiner's statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a prop derstanding of the accounts to be reached. "Ple lete the words in th& brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Name: 'lknkL414 4ki j 114 Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of GOn￿M (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018