**Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group Year-end accounts 31 December 2023** **Registered Number: 517642** **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** The Trustee board present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023. They confirm that the financial statements comply with current statutory requirements and with those of the charity’s constitution. ## **Structure and Governance** The charity was established under a constitution adopted in 1986, when it registered as a charity. The organisation is registered and governed by the UK Scout Association. ## **The Mission of Scouting** Scouts actively engages and supports 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. ## **Our Goals & Vision** Our plan is to build on the success of the previous plan: to continue to grow, become more inclusive, to be shaped by young people and to make a bigger impact in our communities. We’ve set new goals for 2025. By 2025* we'll have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing volunteers that deliver an inspiring programme. We'll be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities. _*Due to the impact of COVID-19, our Skills for Life strategy has been extended until 2025._ ## **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. ## **Our Scout Group** Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group consists of a Squirrel Drey, Beaver Colony, Cub Pack and a Scout Group, in addition the group host Blaze Explorer Scout unit on behalf of Flintshire District Scouts through a partnership agreement. The Group provides activities for children aged 4 to 18 in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Scout movement. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** During the 2023 reporting period, it should be noted that there were some significant events within our Scout Group. We got off to an exceptionally positive start to the year with the opening of our Squirrel Drey (the second Drey in Flintshire) which continues to go from strength to strength offering programme activities to 4&5-year-olds. However, our positive start was soon overshadowed by the unexpected and sad passing of Andrea Dixon – our GSL, or Group Scout Leader (role now known as LV – Lead Volunteer). I (Steve Love) assumed the role of Lead Volunteer for the group following Andrea’s death and have set about continuing the great work that she achieved for the group in conjunction with our volunteer leaders in our sections. Sadly, our group also suffered another loss in 2023, just 1 month prior to Andrea’s death, our assistant beaver leader Gary (Hawkeye) lost his long & bravely fought battle with illness. Both Andrea and Gary’s influence continues to live on in the group, they are never far from our thoughts, and we are so pleased that their family members continue to be involved in our group, including in some section leadership positions. Our 2023 membership figure saw a bumper year, owing to the opening of our Squirrel Drey. Looking at the group on a like for like basis with the sections which were open in 2022 – we remained static with our youth membership numbers. The flat-line in our membership is not due to a wavering interest in being members of the group, but is instead a reflection of our group running at its absolute maximum capacity – our waiting list is sadly as long as ever, with many children on the list unlikely to secure a place with us. The demand for our sections is testament to the hard work of all our volunteers striving to provide an engaging programme, and I know that our team leaders for each section have worked tirelessly to keep the flow of children through the sections as seamless as possible to allow us to open up a few more places where we have been able to. We frequently review our waiting list and admit members in the most fair & equitable way possible, whilst encouraging people to also consider joining one of the other groups in Flintshire where there is space. The highlight of the group calendar for 2023 was our inaugural Family Camp held in June, attended by almost 150 youth members, their siblings, parents, and leaders – a brilliant weekend with lots of activities on offer and a great chance to get to know leaders and parents better too. We look forward to making this a regular feature of our group calendar on a 2-yearly basis, with our next one being planned in 2025 – our Diamond Year. I could continue to write a report for days with everything that our group have been up to these last 12 months, however I will save you the trouble of having to read it all! But I would like to finish my report by saying that despite becoming Lead Volunteer for the group under such tragic circumstances, I am exceptionally proud of Penyffordd Scout Group, our amazing leaders & supporters and the fantastic 100+ children we support weekly. Our volunteers do an incredible thing, offering their time – and we simply could not do it without their dedication and enthusiasm. Despite a difficult year for the group, especially our leadership team, we have delivered another brilliant year of fun & adventure and so on behalf of all our young people… “Thank You, Leaders”. **Squirrel Report – Alex & Clare – Squirrel Team Leaders** Our squirrel drey opened in January 2023 with 12 Squirrels and we held our first investiture in February for the leaders followed by the Squirrels two weeks later. Since starting, we are delighted to share that all 12 squirrels have now completed several of the activity and programme badges, and we also had two squirrels achieve their Chief Scouts Acorn Awards, the highest award in the Squirrels section. They achieved it relatively early because they completed the Jamboree On The Trail (JOTT) hike in May. Some of the squirrels also participated in family camp with the rest of their family and took part in all of the activities on offer in the camp. We also attended a joint Beaver and Squirrels district trip to Greenwood Forest Park. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** The Squirrel's are showing increasing independence; considering they are four and five and haven't been away from their parents for long periods of time before. Considering the successful start to this new section, we will now be looking to increase our membership numbers from the waiting list in 2024 to grow the drey. ## **Beaver Report – Nic Robinson Beaver Team Leader** PYF Beavers 2023 has been and exciting year full of fun and adventure. We held 2 sleepovers, one in the spring at Cox Wood where the Beavers became secret agents for the weekend and an autumn sleepover celebrating birthdays. For the first time the group held a family camp at Gladstone, it was a great success with parents and children taking part from all our sections, 14 beavers attended. We took part in the district JOTT where we completed a 5-mile hike and a walk along the Welsh Coastal path and back, our 11 beavers gaining their hikes away badge. We attended the Chester Gang Show, which is a performance by Cheshire Scouts and was the first one for us since covid. We took part in Parliament Week, completing some parliamentary activities and voting for a Beaver name for our new Young Leader. We continued our community impact badge by renewing the poo bag dispensers and distributed them around the village, these were very well received. We also took on a new activity for the community to help decorate the seasonal tree in the village throughout the year with decorations, for our first one we attended with our Squirrel section and met the ladies from the knitting club who knit the decorations. We finished our summer term with a family night at the hut, we held a presentation of scouting, a fun quiz and plenty of awards, over 70 badges and a Chief Scout Bronze Award. We had 3 fantastic district events this year, starting with the creative challenge, beavers had to invent and make a robot, the grand final was held at Gladstone, we had some amazing inventions. Our 2[nd] was a district trip to Greenwood Forest Park, we had a great day out and went on several of the eco-friendly rides, both beavers and leaders had a fab day. Our final district event of the year was to take part in Jambowlree, beavers around the world take part in a worldwide ten pin bowling competition, we took part with 4 other groups and Penyffordd came away with the highest score, great afternoon out for the beavers. Our autumn term sleepover was run with a twist, we celebrated birthdays with traditional party games mixed with some scouting activities, such as dough twists over fire and fence of knots learning how to tie 3 knots with 2 members of our scout active support group. Beavers enjoyed plenty of birthday cake, kindly brought along by a grandparent of our beaver who turned 8 and a fellow beaver leader from St Matthews who brought cake for Bubbles, celebrating her 30[th] Birthday. Our group took part in the traditional Penyffordd remembrance parade and service, parading with members of the Royal British Legion, 15 Beavers took part and we followed this at our section night with an evening visit from a district member who gives a remembrance talk, acting as his great grandfather telling us about his journey during the war. Canoeing was finally back in the programme with many of our Beavers now being able to swim well enough to take part, these sessions were very popular, teaching them the basics, moving around in the boat and having fun, we were able to run 4 this year and hope to build on this next year. Finished our year with a joint trip to celebrate the end of the year at a local inflatable park, a Christmas hike and our traditional trip to Jemoley’s to paint Christmas decorations, supporting our fantastic local café. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** In total Over 300 badges have been awarded this year together with 9 Chief Scout Bronze’s. A difficult year for our Beaver section as we lost our well-loved section assistant Hawkeye after a long battle with cancer, but with the love and support of the beavers, parents and leaders we came together in remembrance. ## **Cubs Report – Hannah Morris – Cubs Team Leader** Below are the Cub highlights from the year: Cubs enjoyed continuing to explore and develop skills. They have visited Xplore!, Bailey Hill, Boulder Hut and we’re fortunate to gain tickets for free to see Wrexham play at home. They have worked on many badges which included local history, chef, finance skills, personal safety, cyclist. Our outdoor skills were key focus for us working on camp skills, navigation and cycling. Our Main camps for the year were cycling camp at Neston and Rowen Conwy. Cubs were able to practice skills they had learned to achieve as a group. Rowen camp saw us in addition learn to Ski and visit Llandudno life boat station. Our end of year was celebrated with family event at Deeside Inflatables. Where we bounced around and shared many achievements from the year. ## **Scouts Report – Chris Williams Scout Team Leader** Below are the Scout highlights from the year: 2023 has been another busy year for Penyffordd Scouts. We have remained with consistently around 22 members throughout the year, with a constant flow from Cubs and up to Explorers. We've continued our normal programme of outdoor camps and activities, including hiking - in the Clwydian Range, Snowdonia and Llangollen, canoeing/kayaking in Chester as well as on the River Wye and River Severn, cycling and many other activities. Development of the Scouts has continued, through running our Patrol Leader Training Weekend where we start to develop their basic leadership skills through classroom type discussions and activities. Seven of the older Scouts completed the Expedition Challenge in the middle of the year, resulting in them completing their Chief Scouts Gold Award. We currently have a relatively young Scout Troop, but we are continuing to build on our previous experiences to develop the Scouts and encourage them to maximise their participation in the activities. ## **Explorer Scouts** As a group we continue to host Blaze Explorers on behalf of Flintshire District however for all sense and purpose they are treated as an equal partner of Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group. A partnership agreement is in place and reviewed annually. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** As explorer scouting is administered at a District Level, the annual report for Blaze explorers is contained within the Flintshire District Reporting. The group have young leaders supporting sections from Blaze Explorer unit. ## **Leader Training** As a leadership team and trustee board, we continue to fair well keeping up with training in comparison to other Groups in Flintshire District. I am pleased to report we remain 100% compliant with our mandatory safeguarding, safety & first aid training with all other additional training in a healthy position. In addition to the formal training, we are fortunate enough to have volunteers who have taken on additional learning and qualifications (known as permits, in Scouting) to run adventurous activities such as Kayaking, Climbing & Archery. ## **Community Impact** It is not possible for us as a Scout Group, to take part in every Scout Association community initiative however we can have an impact on our local community by taking an active role as a Scout Group. We have supported with cleanups & tree planting in the village, as well as having a small but notable (due to event clashes) presence in the village carnival. We once again supported the village remembrance parade and had a phenomenal turnout from our young people – a huge thank you to parents for recognising the importance and significance of this event, and for the young people for representing our group so well. December saw the return of the much-loved Santa Float with youth members and parents collecting with Santa under licences granted by Flintshire County council. The local community are very appreciative and supportive of the Santa float. This year we also returned to Higher Kinnerton to spread some Santa magic to them too – working in conjunction with Kinnerton Scout Group. It was recognised that with increasing houses and estates in the village, we may need to look at how we organise our Christmas float to ensure we can continue to spread festive cheer to all. ## **Health and Safety: Our Hut** The hut is maintained to an acceptable standard in line with Health and Safety requirements Jacksons undertook our annual fire extinguisher check in February 2023. The Asbestos Risk assessment has been reviewed and an asbestos plan put in place as recommended by The Scout Association, this has been signed off by the executive committee. It is well known and recognised that whilst our premises remains safe and compliant, it is rapidly approaching the end of its life – we are working with the CIC established for the site to secure our future in a new building and expect to be sharing more details of this in 2024/2025. ## **Welcome Pack** The welcome pack has been kept up to date with any necessary changes **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT 31 December 2023** ## **Minibus/Trailer** The minibus has had regular servicing and mechanical work completed. It has been noted that we will start fundraising from 2024/2025 to secure a replacement bus. ## **Principal Address:** Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group Hawarden Road Pen-y-ffordd Chester CH4 0JE ## **Trustee Board** The Group is managed by the Lead Volunteer and the leadership team with our Trustee Board charged with ensuring good governance of the group and sense checking the decisions made by the leadership team stand up to scrutiny and make good business sense. The members of our Trustee Board are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout Group which is an educational charity. 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. The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. The board aims to have around 6-8 members, including a Chair & Treasurer. The Group trustees for 2023 are: |Sharon Bakewell(Treasurer)|Steven Love(GroupScout Leader)| |---|---| |Kerri Bendon|Richard Memmory (Chair)| |Sarah Crosby|Steve Wallace| ||| |Simon Briscoe(resigned 31 December 2023)|Nicola Robinson(resigned 31 December 2023)| |Andrea Dixon -(deceased August 2023)|Chris Williams(resigned 31 December 2023)| |Hannah Dooley-Morris(resigned 31 December 2023)|| ||| ## **Financial Review and Reserves** The results for the year show a net cash outflow of £3,802 compared to an outflow of £2,274 in the previous financial year. The Total Funds held by the Group on 31 December 2023 was £46,654 and this is split between Designated Funds held across the 3 sections of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts of £3,089, Minibus and remedial work on the building of £28,500, Restricted funding of £1975 which leaves £13,090 as free reserves. The Committee feel that the Charity needs to hold approximately 6 months expenditure as free reserves, which equates to approximately £15,000. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** ## **Fundraising** The only fundraising event which took place this year was the group Santa float at the beginning of December 2023. ## **Subscriptions** It was agreed to increase subscriptions from 1 January 2023 and also money would be collected by all sections through OSM, The trustees’ report and accounts for 2023 were approved by the trustees on 19 September 2024 and Signed on their behalf by: …………………………… Steve Love Lead Volunteer **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS** ## **For the year ended 31 December 2023** ## **Consolidated accounts including Beavers, Cubs and Scouts Sections** ||**Total**|**Total**||| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**| ||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**| ||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**| |**RECEIPTS**||||| |Subscriptions|12,829|-|12,829|8,742| |Fundraising|3,014|-|3,014|3,889| |Donations|253|966|1,219|400| |Grants|741|-|741|3,909| |Trips and Activities|11,184|-|11,184|8,080| |Badges/Hoodies|730|-|730|65| |Contributions from Blaze Explorers|1,215|-|1,215|895| |Bank Interest|359|-|359|-| |Miscellaneous income|232|-|232|138| ||_____
|______|____
|_____| ||30,557|966|31,523|26,118| ||_______|_____|_____|______| |**PAYMENTS**||||| |Donation|2,000|-|2,000|200| |Scout Membership|3,335|-|3,335|3,410| |Minibus Expenses|2,057|-|2,057|3,462| |Insurance|1,311|-|1,311|1,308| |Building maintenance|952|-|952|748| |Utilities|2,060|-|2,060|1,810| |Miscellaneous|503|-|503|775| |Equipment|4,703|-|4,703|2,469| |Fundraising expenses|225|-|225|359| |Training and Uniform|263|-|263|330| |Bank and Go Cardless Charges|510|-|510|163| |Camps and Activities|15,387|-|15,387|12,358| |Squirrels set up|335||335|-| |Badges/Hoodies|1,684|-|1,684|1,000| ||______|______|______|______| ||35,325|-|35,325|28,392| ||______|_____|______|______| |Net Cash Inflow|(4,768)|966|(3,802)|(2,274)| |Funds at 1 January 2023|49,447|1,009|50,456|
52,730| ||______|_____|_______|______| |**Funds at 31 December 2023**|44,679|1,975|46,654|50,456| ||======|=====|=======|======| **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **As at 31 December 2023** ||**2023**
|**2022**| |---|---|---| ||**£**|**£**| |**Funds Held**||| |Group Current Account|11,952|16,013| |Group Savings Account|31,554|29,440| |Group Petty cash|59|14| ||______|______| |Group Funds|43,565|45,467| ||______|______| |**Sections Funds:**||| |Squirrels|514|-| |Beavers|738|651| |Cubs|613|366| |Scouts|1,224|3,972| ||______|______| |Section Funds|3,089|4,989| ||______|_____| |**Total Funds**|46,654|50,456| ||======|======| |**Funds – Split**:||| |Designated- Camps|-|3,261| |Designated- Section|3,089|1,728| |Designated- Building|3,500|3,500| |Designated- Minibus|25,000|25,000| |Restricted funds – Coop Community Fund Project|1,009|1,009| |Andrea’s Fund|966|-| |Unrestricted|13,090|15,958| ||______|_____| |**Total Funds**|46,654|50,456| ||======|======| Approved by the Executive Committee and signed on their behalf by: Sharon Bakewell Treasurer 19 September 2024 **Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group Year-end accounts 31 December 2023** **Registered Number: 517642** **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** The Trustee board present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023. They confirm that the financial statements comply with current statutory requirements and with those of the charity’s constitution. ## **Structure and Governance** The charity was established under a constitution adopted in 1986, when it registered as a charity. The organisation is registered and governed by the UK Scout Association. ## **The Mission of Scouting** Scouts actively engages and supports 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. ## **Our Goals & Vision** Our plan is to build on the success of the previous plan: to continue to grow, become more inclusive, to be shaped by young people and to make a bigger impact in our communities. We’ve set new goals for 2025. By 2025* we'll have prepared more young people with skills for life, supported by amazing volunteers that deliver an inspiring programme. We'll be growing, more inclusive, shaped by young people and making a bigger impact in our communities. _*Due to the impact of COVID-19, our Skills for Life strategy has been extended until 2025._ ## **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. ## **Our Scout Group** Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group consists of a Squirrel Drey, Beaver Colony, Cub Pack and a Scout Group, in addition the group host Blaze Explorer Scout unit on behalf of Flintshire District Scouts through a partnership agreement. The Group provides activities for children aged 4 to 18 in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Scout movement. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** During the 2023 reporting period, it should be noted that there were some significant events within our Scout Group. We got off to an exceptionally positive start to the year with the opening of our Squirrel Drey (the second Drey in Flintshire) which continues to go from strength to strength offering programme activities to 4&5-year-olds. However, our positive start was soon overshadowed by the unexpected and sad passing of Andrea Dixon – our GSL, or Group Scout Leader (role now known as LV – Lead Volunteer). I (Steve Love) assumed the role of Lead Volunteer for the group following Andrea’s death and have set about continuing the great work that she achieved for the group in conjunction with our volunteer leaders in our sections. Sadly, our group also suffered another loss in 2023, just 1 month prior to Andrea’s death, our assistant beaver leader Gary (Hawkeye) lost his long & bravely fought battle with illness. Both Andrea and Gary’s influence continues to live on in the group, they are never far from our thoughts, and we are so pleased that their family members continue to be involved in our group, including in some section leadership positions. Our 2023 membership figure saw a bumper year, owing to the opening of our Squirrel Drey. Looking at the group on a like for like basis with the sections which were open in 2022 – we remained static with our youth membership numbers. The flat-line in our membership is not due to a wavering interest in being members of the group, but is instead a reflection of our group running at its absolute maximum capacity – our waiting list is sadly as long as ever, with many children on the list unlikely to secure a place with us. The demand for our sections is testament to the hard work of all our volunteers striving to provide an engaging programme, and I know that our team leaders for each section have worked tirelessly to keep the flow of children through the sections as seamless as possible to allow us to open up a few more places where we have been able to. We frequently review our waiting list and admit members in the most fair & equitable way possible, whilst encouraging people to also consider joining one of the other groups in Flintshire where there is space. The highlight of the group calendar for 2023 was our inaugural Family Camp held in June, attended by almost 150 youth members, their siblings, parents, and leaders – a brilliant weekend with lots of activities on offer and a great chance to get to know leaders and parents better too. We look forward to making this a regular feature of our group calendar on a 2-yearly basis, with our next one being planned in 2025 – our Diamond Year. I could continue to write a report for days with everything that our group have been up to these last 12 months, however I will save you the trouble of having to read it all! But I would like to finish my report by saying that despite becoming Lead Volunteer for the group under such tragic circumstances, I am exceptionally proud of Penyffordd Scout Group, our amazing leaders & supporters and the fantastic 100+ children we support weekly. Our volunteers do an incredible thing, offering their time – and we simply could not do it without their dedication and enthusiasm. Despite a difficult year for the group, especially our leadership team, we have delivered another brilliant year of fun & adventure and so on behalf of all our young people… “Thank You, Leaders”. **Squirrel Report – Alex & Clare – Squirrel Team Leaders** Our squirrel drey opened in January 2023 with 12 Squirrels and we held our first investiture in February for the leaders followed by the Squirrels two weeks later. Since starting, we are delighted to share that all 12 squirrels have now completed several of the activity and programme badges, and we also had two squirrels achieve their Chief Scouts Acorn Awards, the highest award in the Squirrels section. They achieved it relatively early because they completed the Jamboree On The Trail (JOTT) hike in May. Some of the squirrels also participated in family camp with the rest of their family and took part in all of the activities on offer in the camp. We also attended a joint Beaver and Squirrels district trip to Greenwood Forest Park. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** The Squirrel's are showing increasing independence; considering they are four and five and haven't been away from their parents for long periods of time before. Considering the successful start to this new section, we will now be looking to increase our membership numbers from the waiting list in 2024 to grow the drey. ## **Beaver Report – Nic Robinson Beaver Team Leader** PYF Beavers 2023 has been and exciting year full of fun and adventure. We held 2 sleepovers, one in the spring at Cox Wood where the Beavers became secret agents for the weekend and an autumn sleepover celebrating birthdays. For the first time the group held a family camp at Gladstone, it was a great success with parents and children taking part from all our sections, 14 beavers attended. We took part in the district JOTT where we completed a 5-mile hike and a walk along the Welsh Coastal path and back, our 11 beavers gaining their hikes away badge. We attended the Chester Gang Show, which is a performance by Cheshire Scouts and was the first one for us since covid. We took part in Parliament Week, completing some parliamentary activities and voting for a Beaver name for our new Young Leader. We continued our community impact badge by renewing the poo bag dispensers and distributed them around the village, these were very well received. We also took on a new activity for the community to help decorate the seasonal tree in the village throughout the year with decorations, for our first one we attended with our Squirrel section and met the ladies from the knitting club who knit the decorations. We finished our summer term with a family night at the hut, we held a presentation of scouting, a fun quiz and plenty of awards, over 70 badges and a Chief Scout Bronze Award. We had 3 fantastic district events this year, starting with the creative challenge, beavers had to invent and make a robot, the grand final was held at Gladstone, we had some amazing inventions. Our 2[nd] was a district trip to Greenwood Forest Park, we had a great day out and went on several of the eco-friendly rides, both beavers and leaders had a fab day. Our final district event of the year was to take part in Jambowlree, beavers around the world take part in a worldwide ten pin bowling competition, we took part with 4 other groups and Penyffordd came away with the highest score, great afternoon out for the beavers. Our autumn term sleepover was run with a twist, we celebrated birthdays with traditional party games mixed with some scouting activities, such as dough twists over fire and fence of knots learning how to tie 3 knots with 2 members of our scout active support group. Beavers enjoyed plenty of birthday cake, kindly brought along by a grandparent of our beaver who turned 8 and a fellow beaver leader from St Matthews who brought cake for Bubbles, celebrating her 30[th] Birthday. Our group took part in the traditional Penyffordd remembrance parade and service, parading with members of the Royal British Legion, 15 Beavers took part and we followed this at our section night with an evening visit from a district member who gives a remembrance talk, acting as his great grandfather telling us about his journey during the war. Canoeing was finally back in the programme with many of our Beavers now being able to swim well enough to take part, these sessions were very popular, teaching them the basics, moving around in the boat and having fun, we were able to run 4 this year and hope to build on this next year. Finished our year with a joint trip to celebrate the end of the year at a local inflatable park, a Christmas hike and our traditional trip to Jemoley’s to paint Christmas decorations, supporting our fantastic local café. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** In total Over 300 badges have been awarded this year together with 9 Chief Scout Bronze’s. A difficult year for our Beaver section as we lost our well-loved section assistant Hawkeye after a long battle with cancer, but with the love and support of the beavers, parents and leaders we came together in remembrance. ## **Cubs Report – Hannah Morris – Cubs Team Leader** Below are the Cub highlights from the year: Cubs enjoyed continuing to explore and develop skills. They have visited Xplore!, Bailey Hill, Boulder Hut and we’re fortunate to gain tickets for free to see Wrexham play at home. They have worked on many badges which included local history, chef, finance skills, personal safety, cyclist. Our outdoor skills were key focus for us working on camp skills, navigation and cycling. Our Main camps for the year were cycling camp at Neston and Rowen Conwy. Cubs were able to practice skills they had learned to achieve as a group. Rowen camp saw us in addition learn to Ski and visit Llandudno life boat station. Our end of year was celebrated with family event at Deeside Inflatables. Where we bounced around and shared many achievements from the year. ## **Scouts Report – Chris Williams Scout Team Leader** Below are the Scout highlights from the year: 2023 has been another busy year for Penyffordd Scouts. We have remained with consistently around 22 members throughout the year, with a constant flow from Cubs and up to Explorers. We've continued our normal programme of outdoor camps and activities, including hiking - in the Clwydian Range, Snowdonia and Llangollen, canoeing/kayaking in Chester as well as on the River Wye and River Severn, cycling and many other activities. Development of the Scouts has continued, through running our Patrol Leader Training Weekend where we start to develop their basic leadership skills through classroom type discussions and activities. Seven of the older Scouts completed the Expedition Challenge in the middle of the year, resulting in them completing their Chief Scouts Gold Award. We currently have a relatively young Scout Troop, but we are continuing to build on our previous experiences to develop the Scouts and encourage them to maximise their participation in the activities. ## **Explorer Scouts** As a group we continue to host Blaze Explorers on behalf of Flintshire District however for all sense and purpose they are treated as an equal partner of Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group. A partnership agreement is in place and reviewed annually. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** As explorer scouting is administered at a District Level, the annual report for Blaze explorers is contained within the Flintshire District Reporting. The group have young leaders supporting sections from Blaze Explorer unit. ## **Leader Training** As a leadership team and trustee board, we continue to fair well keeping up with training in comparison to other Groups in Flintshire District. I am pleased to report we remain 100% compliant with our mandatory safeguarding, safety & first aid training with all other additional training in a healthy position. In addition to the formal training, we are fortunate enough to have volunteers who have taken on additional learning and qualifications (known as permits, in Scouting) to run adventurous activities such as Kayaking, Climbing & Archery. ## **Community Impact** It is not possible for us as a Scout Group, to take part in every Scout Association community initiative however we can have an impact on our local community by taking an active role as a Scout Group. We have supported with cleanups & tree planting in the village, as well as having a small but notable (due to event clashes) presence in the village carnival. We once again supported the village remembrance parade and had a phenomenal turnout from our young people – a huge thank you to parents for recognising the importance and significance of this event, and for the young people for representing our group so well. December saw the return of the much-loved Santa Float with youth members and parents collecting with Santa under licences granted by Flintshire County council. The local community are very appreciative and supportive of the Santa float. This year we also returned to Higher Kinnerton to spread some Santa magic to them too – working in conjunction with Kinnerton Scout Group. It was recognised that with increasing houses and estates in the village, we may need to look at how we organise our Christmas float to ensure we can continue to spread festive cheer to all. ## **Health and Safety: Our Hut** The hut is maintained to an acceptable standard in line with Health and Safety requirements Jacksons undertook our annual fire extinguisher check in February 2023. The Asbestos Risk assessment has been reviewed and an asbestos plan put in place as recommended by The Scout Association, this has been signed off by the executive committee. It is well known and recognised that whilst our premises remains safe and compliant, it is rapidly approaching the end of its life – we are working with the CIC established for the site to secure our future in a new building and expect to be sharing more details of this in 2024/2025. ## **Welcome Pack** The welcome pack has been kept up to date with any necessary changes **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT 31 December 2023** ## **Minibus/Trailer** The minibus has had regular servicing and mechanical work completed. It has been noted that we will start fundraising from 2024/2025 to secure a replacement bus. ## **Principal Address:** Pen-y-ffordd Scout Group Hawarden Road Pen-y-ffordd Chester CH4 0JE ## **Trustee Board** The Group is managed by the Lead Volunteer and the leadership team with our Trustee Board charged with ensuring good governance of the group and sense checking the decisions made by the leadership team stand up to scrutiny and make good business sense. The members of our Trustee Board are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout Group which is an educational charity. 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. The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. The board aims to have around 6-8 members, including a Chair & Treasurer. The Group trustees for 2023 are: |Sharon Bakewell(Treasurer)|Steven Love(GroupScout Leader)| |---|---| |Kerri Bendon|Richard Memmory (Chair)| |Sarah Crosby|Steve Wallace| ||| |Simon Briscoe(resigned 31 December 2023)|Nicola Robinson(resigned 31 December 2023)| |Andrea Dixon -(deceased August 2023)|Chris Williams(resigned 31 December 2023)| |Hannah Dooley-Morris(resigned 31 December 2023)|| ||| ## **Financial Review and Reserves** The results for the year show a net cash outflow of £3,802 compared to an outflow of £2,274 in the previous financial year. The Total Funds held by the Group on 31 December 2023 was £46,654 and this is split between Designated Funds held across the 3 sections of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts of £3,089, Minibus and remedial work on the building of £28,500, Restricted funding of £1975 which leaves £13,090 as free reserves. The Committee feel that the Charity needs to hold approximately 6 months expenditure as free reserves, which equates to approximately £15,000. **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **TRUSTEES REPORT** ## **31 December 2023** ## **Fundraising** The only fundraising event which took place this year was the group Santa float at the beginning of December 2023. ## **Subscriptions** It was agreed to increase subscriptions from 1 January 2023 and also money would be collected by all sections through OSM, The trustees’ report and accounts for 2023 were approved by the trustees on 19 September 2024 and Signed on their behalf by: …………………………… Steve Love Lead Volunteer **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS** ## **For the year ended 31 December 2023** ## **Consolidated accounts including Beavers, Cubs and Scouts Sections** ||**Total**|**Total**||| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**| ||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**| ||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**| |**RECEIPTS**||||| |Subscriptions|12,829|-|12,829|8,742| |Fundraising|3,014|-|3,014|3,889| |Donations|253|966|1,219|400| |Grants|741|-|741|3,909| |Trips and Activities|11,184|-|11,184|8,080| |Badges/Hoodies|730|-|730|65| |Contributions from Blaze Explorers|1,215|-|1,215|895| |Bank Interest|359|-|359|-| |Miscellaneous income|232|-|232|138| ||_____
|______|____
|_____| ||30,557|966|31,523|26,118| ||_______|_____|_____|______| |**PAYMENTS**||||| |Donation|2,000|-|2,000|200| |Scout Membership|3,335|-|3,335|3,410| |Minibus Expenses|2,057|-|2,057|3,462| |Insurance|1,311|-|1,311|1,308| |Building maintenance|952|-|952|748| |Utilities|2,060|-|2,060|1,810| |Miscellaneous|503|-|503|775| |Equipment|4,703|-|4,703|2,469| |Fundraising expenses|225|-|225|359| |Training and Uniform|263|-|263|330| |Bank and Go Cardless Charges|510|-|510|163| |Camps and Activities|15,387|-|15,387|12,358| |Squirrels set up|335||335|-| |Badges/Hoodies|1,684|-|1,684|1,000| ||______|______|______|______| ||35,325|-|35,325|28,392| ||______|_____|______|______| |Net Cash Inflow|(4,768)|966|(3,802)|(2,274)| |Funds at 1 January 2023|49,447|1,009|50,456|
52,730| ||______|_____|_______|______| |**Funds at 31 December 2023**|44,679|1,975|46,654|50,456| ||======|=====|=======|======| **PEN-Y-FFORDD SCOUT GROUP** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **As at 31 December 2023** ||**2023**
|**2022**| |---|---|---| ||**£**|**£**| |**Funds Held**||| |Group Current Account|11,952|16,013| |Group Savings Account|31,554|29,440| |Group Petty cash|59|14| ||______|______| |Group Funds|43,565|45,467| ||______|______| |**Sections Funds:**||| |Squirrels|514|-| |Beavers|738|651| |Cubs|613|366| |Scouts|1,224|3,972| ||______|______| |Section Funds|3,089|4,989| ||______|_____| |**Total Funds**|46,654|50,456| ||======|======| |**Funds – Split**:||| |Designated- Camps|-|3,261| |Designated- Section|3,089|1,728| |Designated- Building|3,500|3,500| |Designated- Minibus|25,000|25,000| |Restricted funds – Coop Community Fund Project|1,009|1,009| |Andrea’s Fund|966|-| |Unrestricted|13,090|15,958| ||______|_____| |**Total Funds**|46,654|50,456| ||======|======| Approved by the Executive Committee and signed on their behalf by: Sharon Bakewell Treasurer 19 September 2024 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trustees Penyffordd Scouts On accounts for the year ended 31st December 23 Charity no (if any) 517642 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examinabon of the accounts of the above chanty (%he Trusf) for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in acGordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent trhe charty's gross income exceeded £250.000 and l am qualrfied to examinerfs statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]]. Delete [ ] rf not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection wrth the examination (other than that disclosed below ") which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not accord wrth the accounting records. or the aGGounts did not comply with the appliGable requirements Con￿mIng the fonn and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have coma across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Signed: Date: 3111012024 Name: Adrian Bryan IER Oct 2018 Relevant professional qualification{s) or body (if any): ACMA MIP - Chartered Instrtute of Management Accountants Chartered Institute of Management Accountsnts- member in PraGtiGe Address: AB Accountancy 26 Chester Street Wrexham LL13 8BG Section B Disclosure Only complete tf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examinab'on of charty accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018