Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date From 01 01 2024 To 31 12 2024
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name
3RD ASHTON-UPON-MERSEY SCOUT GROUP
Other names charity is known by
3[rd] Ashton Scout Group (old name)
Registered charity number (if any) 520155
| Charity's principal address Brayton Avenue Sale Cheshire Postcode M33 5HF ~~ee~~ |
Charity's principal address Brayton Avenue Sale Cheshire Postcode M33 5HF ~~ee~~ |
Charity's principal address Brayton Avenue Sale Cheshire Postcode M33 5HF ~~ee~~ |
Charity's principal address Brayton Avenue Sale Cheshire Postcode M33 5HF ~~ee~~ |
Charity's principal address Brayton Avenue Sale Cheshire Postcode M33 5HF ~~ee~~ |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity | Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity | |||||
| Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|||
| 1 | Simon Murray | Chair | Group Scout Leader | |||
| 2 | Alasdair Ferro | Secretary | Scout Group at the AGM | |||
| 3 | Andrea Morgan | Treasurer | Scout Group at the AGM | |||
| 4 | Harry Peet | Group Scout Leader | Scout Association POR | |||
| 5 | Sarah Goodstadt | Section Leader | Scout Association POR | |||
| 6 | Robert Blairs | Section Leader | Scout Association POR | |||
| 7 | Amanda Westhead | Section Leader | Scout Association POR | |||
| 8 | Sally Yarwood | Section Leader | Scout Association POR | |||
| 9 | Stuart Thompson | Assistant Section Leader | Group Trustee board. | |||
| 10 | Adam Roberts | Parent Committee Member | Group Trustee board. | |||
| 11 | Fay Brocklebank | Parent Committee Chair | Group Trustee board. |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year ~~——S——~~
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
TAR
1
2020
Type of adviser Name
Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
| Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Trustee selection methods (eg. appointed by, elected by) |
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 of The Scout Association. |
|---|---|
| The Group is a trust established under the Scout Association rules which are common to all Scouts. |
|
| The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association. Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the Annual General Meeting. |
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
TAR
2
2020
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
-
policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
-
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
-
relationship with any related parties;
-
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
All our members, trustees, leaders, helpers and assistants give their time on a voluntary basis and received no remuneration or other benefits.
The Group is managed by the Group Trustee Board, the members of which 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 Group Trustee Board consists of 11 independent representatives, Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, together with the Group Scout Leader, individual section leaders, and a maximum of 6 elected members representing supporters and parents. The committee meets every 2 months. The agreed Quorum for meetings is ⅓ of the Board + 1, and via email - ¾ of the Board + 1. Rounded to the nearest whole numbers, equates to 5 and 9 respectively.
The Group Trustee Board exists to support the Group Scout Leader in meeting the responsibilities of the appointments and is responsible for:
-
The maintenance of Group property;
-
The raising of funds and the administration of Group finance;
-
The insurance of persons, property and equipment;
-
Group public occasions;
-
Assisting in the recruitment of leaders and other adult support;
-
Appointing any sub committees that may be required;
-
Appointing Group Administrators and Advisors other than those who are elected.
Risk and Internal Control
The Group has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include appropriate financial controls and comprehensive insurance to ensure that insurable risks are covered.
Section C Objectives and activities
The objectives of the group are as a unit of the Scout Association.
The aim of the Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials, as individuals, Summary of the objects of the as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international charity set out in its governing communities. document
The method of achieving the aim 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.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have
In planning our activities for the year, we keep in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustees’ meetings.
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.
TAR
3
2020
had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
The focus of our activities is based on the Scout Associations planned programme and award schemes, reinforced with related fun activities and camping / outdoor experiences. This benefits young people by developing their self-confidence and social skills alongside practical and life skills.
In line with the Scout Association guidelines, we welcome all young people regardless of personal background, faith, gender, personal circumstances or disability. This philosophy of openness to all, enriches our young people aged 6 to 18 and our volunteers, through the sharing of skills, aptitudes and life experiences.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
All of the income from subscriptions, donations and fund raising is spent for the benefit of all of our young members (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts). This includes maintaining the Scout Hut, necessary to provide a safe venue for regular meetings of all sections of the Group.
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
Parents and leaders have helped directly with building maintenance to keep costs down and, where specialist skills have been needed, have raised the funds to carry out essential work improving facilities and cost efficiency. Ongoing improvements are planned and financed in the same way. The funds provided by claiming Gift Aid help enormously, this has allowed the group to finance and or subsidise activities for the young members. Where some families have struggled financially the group waives or discounts subscription and camp fees depending on the need.
-
policy on grantmaking;
-
policy programme related investment;
-
contribution made by volunteers.
The group relies entirely on volunteers. All Leaders, skills instructors, helpers, assistants, parents and trustees, willingly give many hours of their time for free. Only through their tireless enthusiasm is the group able to achieve so much.
The partnership with the Explorer unit continues to work well. The Scout group allows the Explorer unit to use its facilities and equipment for their meetings, activities and camps. In the same way the Group allows Girlguiding, Sale Scout and Guide Band to use the premises and equipment owned by the Group. Additionally, the group allows the hut to be used for Young Leader and Adult training courses.
Section D Achievements and performance Reports for 2024 Group Finding and retaining volunteers is increasingly a problem for all scout groups including our own. During 2024 we lost some key leaders due to personal circumstances. Fortunately, the leaders and helpers we retain continue to work tirelessly to provide a diverse, exciting and fun programme year after year.
Beavers Lots of badge and award work. Explored the cultures of many countries including America, Italy, China, Ireland, and even designed our own imaginary lands! The disability badge was fun. Great teamwork and learning the importance of helping others including pushing our friends round in a wheelchair. Talk of how we can be a good friend led to some great conversations. We visited the local park in order to complete our cycling badge, followed courses up and down hills, had races and one Beaver took off his stabilisers for the first time. Other activities away from the hut included a tour of St Martin’s church, bulb planting in Ashton Park. A trip to Sale water park where the Beavers had a list of things to find and take a group selfie with them, some great action shots and a chance to explore. We held a talent show which included dancing, magic, sports displays and music. Beavers enjoyed camping with their parents at group family camp, the first time for some. Award and badge work at the hut
TAR
2020
4
Section D Achievements and performance
resulted in 254 badges being presented during the year. Cubs (Sir Peter Scott Pack) (Lord Mountbatten Pack) The year began with designing a Badge for Crime prevention organized by Greater Manchester Police. Then a trip to the panto at the Waterside Theatre which hopefully will become a regular yearly outing. Cooking and the chef badge culminated with cubs making puddings at home. Astronomer badge where they made full solar systems, moon phases from Oreo’s and marshmallow constellations. A Mother’s Day craft in March followed by a St Patrick’s Day treasure hunt finished the term at the hut ready for our indoor Red Nosed themed camp at Ashworth Valley. Lots of activities and hikes. April, May and June saw the weather improve so we managed to get outside with archery, and axes, map work and a hike along the Trans Pennine trail. Canoeing, fishing and a litter pick finished off the activities and we spent the last few weeks of summer preparing for Group Family Camp. Back for a new term in September with healthy eating, disability awareness, bulb planting, First Aid, Book night and 3 weeks of safety badges finished our year off. Lots of badges earned and fun to be had. Congratulations to everyone who gained their Silver award. Scouts (Tim Peake & Ellen MacArthur Troops) Both troops bursting at the seams with 30+ members on each night. Back to basics with some traditional scout skills, tent pitching in the dark, different ways of fire lighting, pioneering and safe use of axes and saws. Talent show resulted in some fantastic efforts including dog agility, magic, speed Rubics cube, a marshmallow eating contest and one scout that could draw any countries flag he was asked to! Once again, every Scout brought £1 to buy as much as they could to donate to the food bank. The team work, organisation and budgeting was fantastic to see. Both troops have been on hikes and camps and lots of outdoor activities to build on their skills and confidence. The group were donated some old costumes which the scouts upcycled. Choosing fabrics and designing their own outfits. The following week they were loaned several sewing machines, which they used to make their creations. At “The absolutely fabulous fashion show” there were some great performances on the catwalk. Just over 240 badges have been earned during the year including 3 Chief Scout Gold awards. Friends of 3rd Ashton The role is to support the Group with fund raising and be ‘an extra pair of hands’ when needed, which in turns helps to keep subscriptions low for our young members. There are several established fund raisers in the calendar which include the spring bedding plant sale, start line marshals for the Manchester Marathon and the half marathon, and the Halloween party. In 2024 we supported the group with all these events and also provided additional support helping with the group family camp
Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
The Group's policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the Scout Group should income and fundraising activities fall short, or major maintenance work on the premises is required.
The Group Trustee Board considers that the Group’s funds should hold a sum equivalent to 12 months basic running costs (utilities and insurance etc), which is approximately £6,500.
Additionally, the Group strives to set aside sufficient funds over the year to pay the annual capitation fees paid to the Scout Association in March each year without undue difficulty, which was £7345 this year.
In addition, during December each year, the Group Trustee Board set a budget for the following year. All major expenditure is highlighted and finances held in the bank account are ear marked to cover the costs in good time.
Any other major expenditure arising during the year is agreed at the Group Trustee Board meetings. During 2024 a roof had to be replaced at a cost of
TAR
2020
5
£7740. This was agreed by the Trustee Board and covered by reserves set aside for such a contingency.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
None
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
The main source of funds allocated for running costs is the monthly subscriptions paid by the Group members and regular fundraising which is mainly organised by the Friends of 3[rd] Ashton committee.
-
the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
-
sources of funds (including The majority of income is used to fund the running costs of the Scout hut which is the regular weekly meeting place for all the group members, and the cost of
-
any fundraising); programmes, related activities and camps. All of which serve to improve the
-
how expenditure has development of our members. supported the key objectives of the charity; Other major ongoing costs are the annual capitation paid to the Scout Association
Other major ongoing costs are the annual capitation paid to the Scout Association which provides support and insurance for all of the members.
- investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
The Group has additional insurance for non- members.
When necessary, the Group waives or discounts subscription fees / camp fees for members whose families may otherwise struggle to meet the cost due to hardship.
We allow other local groups to use the facility on a regular weekly basis. The stated aim of all of these groups is to promote the development of young people.
When possible, they make a donation towards additional costs, wear and tear of equipment, insurance, gas, electricity and water costs.
The Group does not have sufficient funds to make long term investments. It has therefore adopted a risk adverse strategy to the investment of its funds.
All funds are held in cash using only one mainstream UK bank.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Simon Murray Alasdair Ferro Chair Secretary
Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc) Date 05/10/2025
TAR
6
2020
TAR 2020
Group Profit & Loss
| 2023 GROUP INCOME 14430.40 Subscriptons 3680.40 Camps & Trips 900.00 Donatons 3681.98 Gif Aid 5273.46 PEC - Plant Sale 577.64 PEC - Halloween 0.00 Neckers/Hoodies 0.00 Development Fund 15.67 Other 318.00 Deposit Interest 28927.55 EXPENDITURE -1584.76 Insurance / Rent -3705.22 Utlites -6049.50 Capitaton -4140.41 Secton/Hut Actvites 0.00 Training Fees -970.81 Badges/Neckers -1424.42 General Equipment -978.27 Buildings & Maintenance -8888.88 Camp & Trips Expenses -1000.00 Donatons 0.00 Gif Aid -3690.08 PEC - Plant Sale -165.57 PEC - Halloween 0.00 Development Fund -14.69 Other -32612.61 -3685.06 Income over Expenditure Group Balance Sheet £ 4,603.80 Opening Balance Current a/c £ 33,028.05 Opening Balance Development a/c £ 6,482.18 Current Bank Balance £ 26,033.75 Current Development Fund Balance £ 32,515.93 Overall Balance |
2024 GROUP P&L 15263.60 -10958.65 6515.33 -5806.95 2515.00 2515.00 3619.21 3619.21 4383.98 1563.73 605.00 570.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 314.49 314.49 |
|---|---|
| 33216.61 -8183.17 |
|
| P&L Category -1603.87 Subs -3896.08 Subs -7345.00 Subs -2723.99 Subs -670.00 Subs -1089.43 Subs -206.95 Subs -8686.93 Subs -12322.28 Camps 0.00 Donatons 0.00 Gif Aid -2820.25 Plant Sale -35.00 PEC 0.00 Development 0.00 Other -41399.78 -8183.17 £ 6,482.18 £ 26,033.75 £ 5,724.52 £ 18,608.24 £ 24,332.76 |
I declare these figures to true to the best of my knowledge
Prepared by:
| Signed: | A L Morgan |
|---|---|
| Date: | 6/3/2025 |
Examined By: Bev Sanders Signed: B Sanders Date: 6/5/2025
| Item | Notes | Revenue | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscriptons | Subs income up slightly on 2023 (+£832) Unpaid subs down to a manageable level £7,740 spent on Building Maintenence (new roof) Capttaton increased £1300 over 2023 |
£ 15,263.60 | -£ 26,222.25 |
| Camps | The Group subsidised Group Camp (£1,400) and other camps and trips this year (£4,400) for the beneft of all our members. This was funded through Gif Aid & Donatons |
£ 6,515.33 | -£ 12,322.28 |
| Donatons | £1290 from Marshalling (both Half & Full Marathon) Also received donatons for use of the hut and from the Coop |
£ 2,515.00 | £ - |
| Gif Aid | Received from HMRC - 25% of subs. Typically used for the beneft of all our members to subsidise Camps & Trips (see above) |
£ 3,619.21 | £ - |
| PEC | Another successful Halloween event organised by the team of parents and group volunteers who make up the PEC. |
£ 605.00 | -£ 35.00 |
| Plant Sale | The legendary annual plant sale contnues to be a successful event, raising over £1500 this year |
£ 4,383.98 | -£ 2,820.25 |
| Development Fund |
Deposit Interest | £ 314.49 | £ - |
| Totals | £ 33,216.61 | -£ 41,399.78 |
s
Profit -£ 10,958.65 -£ 5,806.95 £ 2,515.00 £ 3,619.21 £ 570.00 £ 1,563.73 £ 314.49 -£ 8,183.17
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees
Charity Name
3[rd] Ashton-on-Mersey Scout Group
On accounts for the year ended
31 December 2024
Charity no (if any)
520155
Set out on pages
1-2
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2024
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance 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 examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with 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 with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come 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 if they do not apply.
Signed:
1
Oct 2018
IER
Date:
B Sanders
05/06/2025
Name:
Bev Sanders Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): MAAT - Member of Association of Accounting Technicians
Address:
14 Quarndon Heights Allestree, Derby DE22 2XN Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (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 .
2
Oct 2018
IER