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2024-03-31-accounts

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We prepare young people with skills for life . Page 1 of 16 i.€ s) yi OS

A message from our Chair…

Dear Colleagues

I am looking forward to this year's ‘All District’ meeting being held on 23 September 2024 at the 25th Sunderland (Castletown) Scout HQ and many thanks to our colleagues for hosting us on this occasion.

Our event comes at a time when we have taken significant steps towards transforming the organisation of Scouting across all areas of our movement and it is heartening to see so much progress being made in Sunderland with so many playing their part.

As we said last year, changing how we are organised and how we work is invariably a challenge and the District Trustees Board has been adept in adjusting to the new arrangements enabling us to maintain a focus on strategic matters – Safety and Risks, Finance, Property and Assets, Governance, Training and Compliance – all to help in supporting our Scout Programme and the growth and development of Scouting across Sunderland district.

One key factor, largely out of our control is meeting the increasing financial costs of what we do. National HQ has announced an increase in its element of the forthcoming membership fee and County is likely to follow suit. In recent years additional funding from the government was available as part of the response to the COVID-19 emergency. We were able to pass that on to groups in order effectively to suppress the annual membership fee however that additional funding is no longer available. Consequently, the District’s ability to grant financial relief will be severely curtailed in the next round of setting the membership fee.

The Trustees have long taken the view that membership fees should not be a disincentive to maintaining and developing membership numbers. At the same time, we must, as part of our brief as Trustees, manage the District’s financial obligations in a responsible and accountable manner - and we will continue to adhere to this requirement. Accordingly, we will look to set a District levy on the basis of “balancing the books” and we will announce the total membership fee for 2025 reflecting National and County charges as well as the resources the District needs to call upon.

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Annual reports tend to be a time for reflection, looking back over the previous twelve months, assessing what has been achieved, what is still work in progress and what can be done better in the year to come. We need to do this in the ever-changing environment which surrounds us – reflecting among other things, rapid technological advancement, social trends and new legislation.

Coincidentally, National HQ has recently launched an online survey -“Have your say on what you think Scouts should look like in 10 years’ time” – They want our thoughts about planning for our future and want to find out what we think the biggest challenges are for Scouts at a local level and in the UK as a whole. Where should we focus our efforts to ensure as a movement that we keep moving forward and stay relevant to what young people need to thrive in the future? The responses will be used to help shape the next strategy for Scouts, as the Skills for Life strategy comes to a close next year.

They reckon the short online survey should take just 10 minutes So, do some crystal ball gazing and give it a go! (complete the online survey by 14 October 2024)

Moving on, you will undoubtedly have seen the announcement that Dwayne Fields, adventurer and TV presenter, is the UK’s new Chief Scout.

Dwayne’s been appointed as our 11th Chief Scout “to lead our half a million young people and adult volunteers for his values, commitment to helping young people and outstanding leadership qualities. During his time as Chief Scout, Dwayne aims to inspire even more young people and adult volunteers to join from all backgrounds” – an ambition I’m sure we all share.

Finally, I want to close by expressing my gratitude to my colleagues on the Trustees Board for their immense contributions in continuing to maintain and improve Scouting in Sunderland, over the past 12 months - and an extra big thank you to those members who may be stepping down or changing their volunteer role.

Yours sincerely and with my best wishes,

Keith Lowes

Volunteer Chair of Trustees

Sunderland Scouts

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A Reference and Administration Details

Charity Name: Sunderland District Scout Council Also known as: Sunderland Scouts / Sunderland District Scouts Charity Number : 520713

Scout HQ Registration Number: 100001701

Principal Address Charity: Kayll House, 9 Foyle Street, Sunderland SR1 1LB

Period this report covers: 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Charity Trustees

Those volunteers responsible for the management of the charity

Name Office Keith Lowes, District Chair Emma Scott District Secretary Fiona Slater District Treasurer (till 27[th] September 2023) Steven Whatt Nominated Member (till 27[th] September 2023) District Treasurer (from 27[th] September 2023) Carlton Gronow District Commissioner (now known as Lead Volunteer) Ben Hudson District Explorer Scout Commissioner Aaron Horton District Scout Network Commissioner James Elliot Elected Member John Cooper Elected Member Andrew Donaldson Elected Member (from 27[th] September 2023) Cameron Hirst Elected Member (from 27[th] September 2023) Lesley Robinson Nominated Member Kris Woods Nominated Member Phil Atkinson Nominated Member Dave Russell Nominated Member

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B Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The District’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.

Constitution

The District is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts.

Trustee Selection

The trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association .

The District Scout Council

The District Scout Council is the electoral body which appoints the District Trustee Board to manage the day to day matters of the charity.

The ex officio members of the District Scout Council are members by virtue of their role in The Scouts:

For the year 2023-24 the District did not have any appointed or community members of the District Scout Council.

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The District Trustee Board

The District is managed by the District Trustee Board, the members of which are the ‘Charity Trustees’ of the Scout District which is an educational charity. As charity trustees, they are responsible for complying with legislation applicable to charities. This includes registration, keeping proper accounts and making returns to the Charity Commission as appropriate.

The Trustee Board meets every 2 months. Members of the Trustee Board complete ‘Being a Scouts Trustee’ learning within the first 6 months of joining the Board as well as mandatory training for Safety, Safeguarding and GDPR if not completed previously and within 3 years since last completing.

This Trustee Board exists to make sure the charity is well-managed, risks are assessed and mitigated, buildings and equipment are in good working order, and everyone follows legal requirements and the organisation's policies and rules. Their support helps other volunteers run high-quality and safe programmes that give young people skills for life.

Risk and Internal Control

The Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the District is exposed, these have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate against them. The main areas of concern that have been identified are:

Damage to the building, property and equipment. The District would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations such as a church, community centre, Scout Groups or other Scout Districts. Similar reciprocal arrangements exist with these organisations. The District has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.

Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members. The District through the capitation fees contributes to The Scout Association’s national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.

Reduced income from fundraising. The District is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The District does hold a reserve to ensure the continuity of activities should there be a major reduction in income. The Board could raise the value of subscriptions to increase the income to the District on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.

Reduction or loss of leaders. The District is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the District. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular section or the District as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a Group or Unit. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the District.

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Reduction or loss of members. The District provides activities for all young people aged 4 to 25. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular Group or Unit or the District as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a Group or Unit. In the worst case scenario, the complete closure of the District.

Material Mismanagement or Loss . The District has in place systems of internal controls that are designed to provide reasonable assurance against material mismanagement or loss, these include a system of limited delegated authority for expenditure and 2 signatories for all payments and comprehensive insurance policies to ensure that insurable risks are covered.

C Objectives and Activities

The Purpose of Scouting

Scouting exists 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:

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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How the District seeks to achieve these objectives:

Sectional Support

Whilst the Scout programme from 4 to 14 is delivered in the Scout Groups we support. The District is responsible for EXPLORERS directly operating out 14 to 24 provision. Ensuring suitable network leadership, resources and finances are in place to support young people achieve their Top Awards. Adventurous Activities We encourage all sections to run adventurous activities for young people and adults and support the acquisition and renewal of activity permits, including Nights Away permits that allow our leaders to take young people on overnight camps and other residential activities. Growth & Transformation Liaising with the Regional Growth and Communities Team to identify local Growth and Development projects to grow AVjwahe Scouting. Whether opening new Groups, new Sections or ReTransformation energising a Group which may have less numbers. We are a ©: [ si also supporting groups to transition to new digital system, new way of team based working, new roles and structures and introducing a new training scheme. Events We run a number of District Events through the year or support Groups in participating in County Events. The purpose of ~ Sian District of these is to supplement the Scout programme where scale i me senile re wae or access to certain activities may be limited, sometimes these are competitive, and sometimes just for fun – but always allowing our young members the opportunity to understand that they are part of a worldwide family.

Facilities & Resources We manage 2 buildings, Kayll House our District HQ and Scout Resource Centre ensuring our members have access to uniform and badges. Dene Lane, currently an unused site. An archive covering the events of Sunderland Scouts since 1908! Lots of activity and camping equipment and a box trailer that Groups can use to transport their equipment.

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Grants & Fundraising We make a financial contributions to those who wish to apply for grant funding whether to access Scouting when affordability becomes a challenge, to support international experiences such as World Scout Jamborees and to support the costs of adult volunteers who wish to undertake adventurous activity training with a National Governing Bodies. We gratefully receive grants from benefactors who support our work with young people, which often need to be administered carefully and reported back to the initial funder. District Support Scout Programme is deliverd in Scout Halls as section meetings – as a District we strive to provide additional support to leaders whether that be human, financial or capital resource directly, indirectly or perhaps with the support of subject matter experts to provide advice or a more hands on approach with our Scout Active Support Unit. We also provide technical tools to help with Youth Membership & Programme Administration (OSM) and Risk Assesment Management. Welcoming and Supporting New Volunteers Whilst new volunteers are always welcome, it is important that we screen applicants to ensure their suitability to work with young people. We have robust processes that we implement in the District such as DBS checks, reference checks and welcome conversations. Links & Community Impact Maintaining links between our District and our neighbours, be they other Scouting Districts and Areas or external bodies, is essential. We encourage and support giving young people the opportunity to take part in high quality social action as part of the Scouting Movement.

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Volunteer Training

Ensuring all our adult volunteers, whatever their role are appropriately trained or re-trained in a timely manner. All adults are required to undertake mandatory training in Safety, Safeguarding and GDPR within 6 months of their appointment, with additional ‘Wood Badge’ training for those that volunteers that work with young people or those that manage and support adults. There is also other opportunities for adult volunteers to develop skills and achieve fully assessed ‘permits’ to provide adventurous activity experiences and nights away.

Youth Shaped

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Youth Shaped Scouting isn't a new concept. Lord Baden Powell’s aim was to create a movement suited to and shaped by the young people involved. The idea of a Youth Shaped movement is part of the fundamental values of Scouting, and has always been important. Youth shaped scouting is all about you the leaders working with the young people of your section to shape their scouting experience around what they want to do. We are a movement, so we need to keep moving. It's vital to find out what young people want from Scouting so we can continue to deliver an exciting and relevant programme.

Recognition

Ensuring that we shout about our successes and recognise those who help us achieve them! Whether the badges our young people earn, with trophies and certificates for competition winners, or awards and medals to recognise the good and long service of our adult volunteers.

Public benefit statement

The District 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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Membership & Growth Census of Membership in Sunderfand Forth¢￿rendi￿ 31Janu•ry 2024 23 24 2424￿ 2023 Fn f. Pr•fvrMt To If. inbty Fqm Id•￿ty uirrel Scouts 8ewerScDUts CubS(outs Scout5 +2 +6 o 85 105 73 26 95 81 92 -31b 30 30 37 +10 +L3 426V4 435VJ 1401b 21 92 Notwts￿M￿ TOTAL YCYJTH MEMBL95HIP 22 38 +8 197 J7• 4U8 +1 +71 Sertion Loaders Asslit￿l Seciion Le>l•i Section Assis¢Jnt5 TOTAL ADULTPROGPANMEOELWEFNROLES Young LE0d•￿' TOTAL PROGRIMMEDELNERyR￿£s 20 22 39 +5 o 453V4 4131h +1911 16 io 45 16 19 29 +12 +3 +is 18 19 Grojp Scout Leae DisinctExplor¥S(oJtCommission¢rs DiStThctS(OutNetwo￿ COM￿￿1110n￿l DiSthttC¢mmlslonirn TOTAL LINE MAPiAGERRQLES +75 o .IOOVJ o +2 +2 425 440V4 433 .20 +71b Grojp Secrary GioJpTreasuier Group Ex(%U1￿Mtmbers TOTAL GROUPGOVERPiANCERQLES 17 Jo +2 DisinclSo(rot o o o ox o +6 DisinctExecuii¥eMew TOTALDISTRrfGoVERNANCE￿ES TOTAL GoVERNAM￿ROLE5 14 17 14 J4 +2 Doputvsroup ScouiL•pdw5 4100 o OtherGrvupAdults TOTALGRoupsuppoRfROLES -4Llb 15 IJ li 16 DoputyDiJtdctCDmnws1ion• Distnrtyouth CornThsiiono DeputyOlitrlctYouihCoTrMi55￿￿tsy1 o o ox ox DiStriCtAdmifiitr410tX- OthDTDI5trirt￿pp0￿[0l•I TOTALDISTRThSUPPORT￿Es ScoJiActlve Support TOTAL SUPPOATRtéES .20 -29* 19 li +11 +1 Tow meth￿11pdu0tQPIVthe￿￿pUW1￿5 Methr$hlp&j￿¢￿Pl10n ITot4ofYouth M•thrnhiptx(luding Scout NthO￿ Squifrel Scout D BewerSEDUtColDnies CubS(oUtP￿kS SEDutTroops Explorer kouiunits. jfflcluding ￿LUn io io io io SEOUtActlveSupport UnltS GpJu io io Page 11 of 16

Financial Review Sundertand Dl8trict Scout Council Recefjpts and Paymgnts A¢¢ount tth• ymrfrnm 01 2023 31 IAarth 2024 Receipts and Payiments 2023124 2S.742. 21.293.SJ 2,7W. 166.50 DCNIIO R•nl from K•yll HoLA• w p¥k Sub total 1,(W.(Q 25.1W. 4,CMXI.CX PAkn iOt•l Fur•drni**•dr (gro￿) 1.723. 2,028.50 knp 161. 4,811. 218.CV 4.789.CV b tot•1 1422ZI I2.￿0￿7 Irknr• 749_ ts￿b t￿41 74 Tot41 Inca 44,817. t3Q.47 ox Total R•c• 44917. 4I130A7 Page 12 of 16

Sunderland District Scout Council Recelpts and Payments Account For th8 year from 01 Awil 2023 To 31 March 2024 Receipts and Payments 2023r24 Unrostrictod fund• 2022123 Unrnstrictod funds Pa mènts Membership fees paid to c￿nty Youth programme and xtivibes 21.522.C(I 1.930.64 5.455.39 17,654.00 1.762.08 4,316.20 306.49 Nets￿rk 397.KJ Adull sUp￿rt training RefundslRebates 502.56 0.00 256.(K) 130.50 Grant made 720.CM) 300.00 Rales (Kayll House) Waler ar¥J sewerage (Kayll House) Electricity and gas (Kayll House) Maintenance and cleaning (Kayll H(xtse) TeleptrK)ne. alarm and broadband (Kayll House) Rent arKI rates (Dene Lane) Waler arNJ sewerage (DeTre Lane) Insurance 120.15 227.84 285.55 170.60 1,736.30 2,225.84 0.00 94.56 68.52 241.01 172.71 1.231.49 1,130.88 100.00 AGM and trustee expenses Shop purchases fcx resale Legal etc. Fees Bank charges Audil fee 1LKI.LX) 7.118.79 4,674.53 0.00 166.53 50.10 75.00 Miscellaneous 3,779.74 161.84 Sub total 45.612.0 33,621.69 Total Gross ExpwKlitu 45.612.0 33,621.69 Asset and Inveslmwt purchases, 8tc. 0.00 Total paymon 45,612.0 33,621.69 PJurplusllDeficlt) generated In the y (694.59 8.508.72 Page 13 of 16

Sunderland District Scout Councll Receipts and Payments Account For the yoar frnm 01 2023 31 March 21r24 Statement of cash balances at the end of the year 2023r24 2022123 unr￿1￿￿ed fwKl• Unr••trf¢t¢d funthi I, C••h fufids 5.119.7 75.749. ,492.93 o.(N) Soldo acr￿Ur 992.76 50728 Equals MofW f£Co￿l Cash Floai 194.41 75. 75.fxl Total ¢a•h IWKIB 81.371 82.067.97 InvHlTh•nl ••s•t• Slx)p *ock Land and tAlldng• S.922.32 75.CQO. 75.(W.C¥J Trnifer Scxyjting equiYn•nt. thJrr¥lur•, • Total fton4aBh 1.$00.CK) 84,868.3 81922.32 Ll•bllftl AcccAmts not paid AclivAy D•trAty• Shc4) Debt(YJ 13. o. Low . d•ts (ith•r IKqbilth• o.cM) o. Tolal Ilablllll Tolal n•1 Msels 167,185. 1M99029 Th• abov• r•c•lpt8 and paymentg account and statomffit af a•••t8 and Mabllltl•• wern 4>prov•d by th• Trustees on 2310712Q24 and signed m th•ir behall by: 819n￿l• Nam• sIgna￿l• Nam• Page 14 of 16

Sundarfand Dlstrkt Scout Assodatlon Independent Eumlnerfs R•port Independent rnport to the trustees oASwthrlond 01strktScout Group I rewt on the accounts of the Tnt5t for the y¢¥r ended 31 Marth 2024. The charltys trustees are respon51ble for the weparatlon of the •¢counts. The tharttvs trustees cmsider that an audlt Is nol required lor this year urKler section 14412) of the Charities Act 2Qll It 2011 Art) bul that an Inde￿ndent examinatl¢n15 needed, In accordance wllh the flnancl•l fules of the charlty. tt Is my respMslblllty to: • examlne the account5 under sectk)n 145 of 2011 Act . to follow the plocedures lahl down in the genefal Dlrectknis 8lven by tlw COMTr￿ssIOn undef sectlon 14515llb) ol the 2011 Act. and . to state whether p•rtlc¥lar matters have cixne to my attentlon. 8osls ollndependent exoffllnee$ report My eMamln¥llon was c•ffled out In attordance wlth the Keneral Dlfectlons Elven by the Chiftty Commlsslon. An examSnat6on Irbdude5 a revlew of the ac(ountin8 records kept by the charlty and compaftson of the accounts Pfesented wfth those re¢l￿d$. It also Includes consldefat11￿ of any unusual Ittrns or dlsclosures In the accounts, aThl 5eeklni expl•lwllo￿ fr¢)m you a5 trustees concunlne ary matterk The piocedures undertaken do not provlde al the e￿dence thal would be r•qulred In an audlt and consequently opinlon15 8lven as to whether ihe xcounts present a 'tNe and falf VI￿ Ind the report ts IlmSted to those ma¢ters sot out in the next StatemenL In connectlon wlth my examlnitbDn. no m•tt•r has come to my attentlon: (l) whkh 8lves me rea50rnable cause to belleve that in any maleflal respect the requlrements: • to keep accovntlnB In accordance s•¢tlon 130 01 the 2011 Att and . to pfepare accounts whlch accord wlth the accountlry records I￿1 cornpfy wlth the accountl requlrements of the 2011 Act • have not been mtt of (2) to whl¢h. In my oplnlon. attentlon should be drawn In tyder to enable a proptr the accounts to be reached. John Edwards 2 Rose Cotta8es Windlass Line Washlngton Tyne and Wear NE37 IBD May 2￿ 2024 Page 15 of 16

Reserves Policy

The District’s policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the District should income and fundraising activities fall short. The District Trustee Board considers that the District should hold a sum equivalent to 6 months of running costs, circa £4000

Investment Policy

The District Income and Expenditure is very small and as a consequence does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer-term investments such as stocks and shares. The District 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.

The District Trustee Board regularly monitors the levels of bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure the group obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements. Occasionally this may involve using an account that requires a period of notice before funds may be withdrawn, before doing so the District Trustee Board considers the cash flow requirements.

G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Signature: Aeath Loewe Full Name: Keith Lowes Position: Volunteer Chair of Trustees - Sunderland Scouts Date: 20/09/2024

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