2022-12-31-accounts - Stafford District Scout Council

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STAFFORD DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL

Registered Charity No 524528

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the period 1/1/2022 -1/12/2022

For the Annual General Meeting 5[th] June 2023

Names of the Charity Trustees who manage the charity

Sue Hewitt	District Commissioner
Nick Lloyd	District Chair Nominated
Sharon Hill	District Treasurer Elected
Helen Ashwood	District Secretary Elected
Andrew Preston	District Explorer Scout Commissioner
Chris Rafferty	District Scout Network Commissioner
Elaine Neville	Nominated
Juliet Maiden	Nominated
Keith Low	Nominated
Paul Askey	Nominated
David Brass	Nominated
Trudi Smith	Nominated
Cathy Hordern	Elected
Graham Smith	Elected
Paul Evans	Nominated
Andrew Clode	Chairman of Appointments
Steve Smith	Nominated
Sam Scriven	District Youth Commissioner
Roland Smith	Scout Active Support Manager
Kevin Hewitt	Camp Warden

Type of 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 of The Scout Association

How the charity is constituted

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

Trustee selection methods

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

Risk and Internal Control

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

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

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. Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief and Co-operation

The Scout Method – Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together based on the values of scouting

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees have an awareness of the Public Benefit Guidance with regard to Scouting’s involvement with the local community. 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.

Financial Review

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 Executive Committee considers that the District should hold a sum equivalent to six months running costs, circa £7,500

S ummary of the main achievements of the charity during the year as set out in the following reports –

District Commissioners Report

As a District our groups are trying very hard to continue the growth in their sections.

Once again, our Carol Service was a great success and it was good to see most of our groups attending, we had lots of awards given out to the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and explorers which is always nice to see.

We are still in very much need of adult volunteers to try and encourage this we had the opportunity to promote Stafford District Scouting in a number of venues.

We did all day at Bingley Hall Stafford at the Kids Fest which was manned by our adult volunteers throughout the day. We had lots of interest in this so it was well worth going.

We have also had the 6[th] Stafford group set up a stall in Victoria Park for the Big Help Out which again was another success with plenty of interest.

We have now started to re-introduce our District events starting with the District Quiz which was run by St. Vincent Explorers there was a good turn out of teams and this was won by the 9[th] Stafford Sea Scouts congratulations on the win and thank you for the Explorers for organising the quiz.

We have had a very successful Gang Show and have had lots of feedback from people to say how much they enjoyed the show. Well done to all involved.

We were very proud this year as one of our young leaders from the 9[th] Stafford Sea Scouts Ella was chosen to go and represent Stafford District at the Coronation, I do believe Ella will be doing a brief talk about her experience there later.

Despite the lack of adult leaders we have managed to open 3 Drays which is really good news.

I am sure we can get a few more open in this next year.

All that leaves me to say is a big thank you to you all for your support

Sue

District Commissioner

Chairman’s Report

It’s a credit to all in the Stafford District that we have come back to a full “Scouting” environment after the disruptions of Covid. Back stronger and more determined to offer young people the opportunity to develop skills for life.

The year saw a variety of occasions from a very well attended Carol Service, Gang Show & St George’s Day parade plus many more events.

The Camp Site (Sherratts Wood) & Kayak Centre ( Stafford Boat Club) continue to expand our activity experiences.

Although we continue to be challenged with sufficient “leaders” it’s a credit to all that we have embarked on introducing & establishing Dray packs ….. very exciting.

So it would be remiss of me not to thank all the District volunteers & the support Sue & I get from the Trustees.

As the Scout organisation enters a period of transformation I’m reminded about

Volunteerism……”As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands— one for helping yourself, the other for helping others— Scouting is a true example of these words.

Nick Lloyd - Chair Stafford District Trustee Board.

District Explorer Unit

The Explorer Units within the Stafford District are well on the way to recovering from ‘Lockdown’. 4 of the Units report numbers in the high ‘teens’ or 20’s; 2 are struggling for numbers – both these Units tend to rely on only 1 group to feed them so it may take some time for them to grow. I’ve suggested that The Sea Scouts look to engage with 11[th] Group as they have moved and are closer in distance as a result.7A are leading the way with DofE and Scout Awards; it is my intention to focus on all Units promoting these awards. The District have had 2 Explorer Belt Awards and plans are in place for more opportunities to be made available. Roy Clarke and I have taken on the Young Leaders role. A Module A course was attended by 10 candidates and in the absence of a full schedule we are progressing other Modules on an individual basis. We are looking at Online options as used by other areas.

We have re-introduced the OB Cup; I’ve only had positive feedback. This year’s event will be located at Pikes Pool Scout camp in late October.

There is a leader’s camp arranged for late September.We have 5 candidates for the World Scout Jamboree – all paid up.

We have 4 successful candidates for Roverway and 1 Ex-Explorer Scout attended the Kings Coronation.

Effy

Stafford Networks report

Network currently has 6 members. We meet approximately every 2 weeks. We try to alternate the day of the week that we meet as some members are involved with helping other units in the district and I want to give each member the opportunity to meet at least once a month.

Two members are at university full time so are only able to attend when they are back in Stafford. I am hoping to double the size of the unit by Christmas and intend to visit explorer scout units within the district to build stronger relationships with them.

So far our activities have been climbing and canoeing. We did have a weekend caving trip planned but due to the fact only 2 members were able to attend we decided to postpone until the winter when hopefully everyone’s schedules will be less busy.

Chris Rafferty

Stafford District Beaver report

The Beaver Leaders met for the first time since lockdown in January. Numbers across the district remain healthy. The continuing issue with leaders remains.

We had planned several events for the year, however despite interest in a Beaver Drive, this was cancelled due lack of numbers. Our next event is a day camp at Sherratts Wood in September and a Christmas party.

Cathy

ADC Beavers

Cub Scout Section Report

The Cub Packs in the District have recovered well after the pandemic and are again full with waiting lists & are very active, plenty getting out & about regularly

A large amount of Chief Scout Silver awards have been awarded over the last year which is great to see now Scouting has returned to normal

The Cub section of The Gang Show was very well represented, congratulations to all who took part. For several reasons the Cub Council has not been active but it is my intention to restart meeting in September & restart District events also.

As ever huge thanks to all the leaders in the District for all your time & effort week in, week out.

Lydia ADC Cubs

Scout Section Report

This year has seen a strong return to the scouting programme across the district. Youth membership remains high however we are still struggling to recruit adult members to join our dedicated leadership team. Chief Scout Gold awards have been awarded in most troops with members taking the opportunity to receive theirs at ST Georges day parade. This year’s scout Quiz was supported by the 9[th,] 12[th] Apache and the 20[th] a good night was had by all with the 9[th] coming

out victorious. My thanks to the Earl ST Vincent ESU for hosting the evening and setting the questions.

All Troops have plans in place for camps this year if only for weekends. Some troops have informed me that they have had to cancel their weeklong summer camp this year due to lack of support from the young people. I suspect that this maybe a knock on from the pandemic as some of our members have gaps in their camping experience. Or possibly a result of the present financial crisis. Either way we will need to monitor this situation for future events.

The Troops have been taking advantage of our District activity team with many of them enjoying evenings on the Climbing Wall or at the District Canoeing Centre. Many thanks to Paul Askey, Nigel Hill and Chris Rafferty and their teams of volunteers for putting on the activities on a weekly basis.

Finally, as always my thanks goes out to all Leaders and Young Leaders in the Scout Section who turnout every week to deliver fantastic and varied programmes. Without you none of this would be possible.

Yours in Scouting

Graham Smith

ADC Scouts

District Activities Report

The climbing wall bookings were quiet for the first few months but since Christmas this has changed and has been very busy . The county mountain team have been running their courses at the wall. A number of the team have been assessed to run abseiling sessions at Sherretts Wood and the team is now actively involved in running the sessions on the tower. Andy Simmons has re-joined the team and will be a great asset to the district.

Also, we have a number of groups undertaking trips to the mountains and the

peak district in the near future.

The kayak team hit the ground running, we completed the new launching steps and last summer we put on more sessions than in previous years. We are planning to run more sessions this year than last to try and get all the groups that wanted sessions on the water. We also ran a kayak proficiency badge for a group of scouts. As well as the Wednesday night sessions we fitted in groups

on other nights and at weekends. The last of the new boats have finally arrived so the replacement project is now complete. We have had some new members joining the team and other members gaining their permits.

The Bean fund has been sponsoring a scout who has been chosen to join and train with the British junior team, he is a great ambassador for kayaking in Stafford District.

The boat club have been more than helpful in letting us use their facility and our thanks go out to them for allowing us ongoing usage.

Roger Devey and myself have run a number of caving trips for groups.

We are very lucky in having such a dedicated group of instructors that give up their time to put on these activities and my thanks go out to them on behalf of the District.

Paul Askey

ADC Activities

Sherratts Wood District Camp Site

The number of camps is getting back slowly to our expected level with the last 2 weekends being very busy with all our activities also in full use.

Financially our balances are satisfactory after funding improvements, and the ever increasing costs of maintenance and services.

We are accepting bookings through Entrust, the Education body, for Duke of Edinburgh activities and this is a welcome addition, but we are very conscious that we control this carefully and manage it with no detriment to "Scouting" bookings. Obviously the financial aspect is welcome and potential problems are being discussed.

The Crew are very busy and active, led by Kevin, making the campsite looking good especially with the grass and the Bluebells at their best. A new Climbing face is being constructed, Tomahawk throwing introduced and improvements in place to the Nature Trail and the Social Area (Val’s Patch ) is close to being opened.

I would like our valuable environment being utilised more for scouting badgework and all the potential outdoor possibilities that are here to be used. We have a very rare asset for making the best scouting always available to our youngsters

Keith Low

Sherratt’s Wood Site Warden

There seems to be a steady increase in numbers returning to camping at Sherratts wood bolstered this year by several groups including Entrust and Alleyne’s Academy using the site for their D of E courses.

the assault course is now finished and being used in anger.

The final portacabin has been removed from site and a planned living fence will be planted in the Autumn.

A new communal meeting area dedicated to Val Wilson is well under way with the area being cleared, seeded and new pic-nic benches made and installed by the site crew.

By running an NSRA YPS instructors’ course on site we have potentially increased the instructors available to run rifle shooting sessions on site from 3 to 13. To increase the use of the range building we are now able to offer pistol shooting as a separate activity with 2 trained instructors and to lighten my workload Andrew Smythe has taken on the admin and running of the range.

Another new activity we can offer the groups is Tomahawk and throwing Angel sessions with new equipment and targets designed and built in house.

The Crew are about 75% of the way through adding a third climbing face to the climbing tower which will be specifically designed for the younger sections in scouting.

The nature trail is also undergoing a revamp to try to make it more interactive, two new bridges have been built, a large bug Hotel and a wooden chime have been built and added to the trail with a covered seating area and work sheets planned.

And just to fill in a little time some 150 trees of various species have been planted around the site this Spring.

Thank you to all the Crew on site who with the help of copious amounts of tea and biscuits undertake all of these tasks as well as the day to day running of Sherratts Wood without to many complaints.

Kevin Hewitt

Appointments Committee

Please find below a brief summary of progress of the Stafford District Appointments committee, the Panel is going from ‘strength to strength’ with the ability two operate two panels on one day (due to increased numbers of the appointments team).

The Trustee Executive has endorsed the current operating standard of the appointment process. The process now includes the District training team on the same day to make the interview process slick for new Scouters.

Summary of the year -

26 interviews held during the year
Low back log, 11 at present
Updated standard interview pro forma introduced & now refined (Including GSL management interview template).
Juliet Maiden has been providing sterling support on gathering references and coordinating. I would like to Juliet for her on-going support and professionalism.
Future appointment dates established for the rest of 2023.

Andy Clode

Stafford Active Support Unit Report

SAS continues to Support Stafford District as much as possible.

Assistance was provided by some of our illustrious team at this years Gang Show, by either undertaking Car Park Duties or assisting with Front of House requirements.

We also undertake the organising of St Marys Church on the St Georges Day parade and service as well as providing refreshments for the Bands. Setting up the Church takes quite a while with the positioning of Televisions and Video Equipment to enable visibility of the service by as many individuals as we can.

We also undertake the logging in, admission and refreshments for the District AGM. We have also assisted at Sherratt’s wood with the wood treatment to cooking shelters, Archery Building and Workshop.

A number of our members also engaged with the Warrants Committee

We are a small band of dedicated individuals who provide what assistance we can, but our numbers are not great and often we have to ask for assistance off family and friends to assist in some of the tasks we take on, as such we are always on the lookout for individuals who wish to remain in scouting but are unable to take on full time commitments to join our little band.

Roland

4[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

This year we were excited to introduce a new Squirrel section. They are now meeting every week with 15 fully invested children, 2 adult leaders and 1 young leader. They are enjoying a full programme of exploration and games.

Our Beavers are also enjoying a varied programme with lots of getting out and about. The leadership team remains settled with 3 adult leaders. We are currently planning our first annual sleepover since before lockdown.

Cubs have built previous year’s success, growing the youth membership and leadership team. Work has continued on the allotment after a fantastic growing season last year. They have had several successful sleepovers with more in the planning stage.

Scouts have been on many and varied camps this year including their inaugural paddle camp. Plenty of trips out into the hills to improve their hill walking and navigation skills. The scouts have benefited from alternative sessions including parliament week and social media takeover. Planning is under way for the Summer camp spectacular in the Lake District.

We’re pleased to be able to offer so many and such a range of different activities, and fantastic opportunities for all our youth members, who get so much out of and always pushing the limits of Scouting.

We are also honoured to have been asked by St Mary’s to contribute towards their Great Rainbow project in July.

Our youth members have achieved in excess of 650 activity and staged badges.

#PioneeredAtThe4th

Cathy Hordern 4th Stafford GSL

6[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

2022/23 has been a year of ups and downs, for us all. It’s been an interesting year going from Platinum Jubilee to Coronation!

As a Group we are continuing to rebuild the scouting skills lost during the various lockdowns of the past few years, camping, and doing outdoor activities as much as we possibly can. A couple of highlights for our Group:

Opening the 2[nd] Squirrel Drey in the District in January 2023
Leading St Georges Day parade and having a few sword fights in St Marys (all approved in advance of course!) with 4 St George’s and 2 Dragons!! “And there was much rejoicing!!”
Having all four of our sections taking part in St George’s Day parade and having a great time during the service.

We’ve been lucky to have been able to have several camps this year, including looking forward to a slightly delayed Coronation Group Camp at Sandon which is special to us as a Group, and we appreciate the relationship that we have had with the estate and Lord Harrowby for over 60 years now. Building on the fun we had lighting an extremely large Jubilee Beacon last year!

This year has seen the return of the week-long Scouts summer camp; held in July 2022 at Linnet Clough Scout Camp near Stockport and the more recent Cubs autumn camp at Rough Close with a space theme.

We congratulate our members on achieving 4 ‘Chief Scout’s Bronze Awards’, 7 ‘Chief Scout’s Silver Awards’ and 2 ‘Chief Scout’s Gold Awards’ in the past year.

We have welcomed some new Young Leaders to the Group – Alex (Thorn who assists with our Beaver Colony), Chloe (Phao who assists with the Cub Pack) as well as Jorja (Mao who assists with the Cub Pack) as well as Sebastian who is working with the Scout Troop. Kelly (Rama) has transitioned from being Group Chair to a Leader with Cubs. We also invested new leaders into the Cub Pack and Beaver Colony, who have transitioned from being young leaders, Kira (Juniper) and Cameron (Tabaqui). Kira was also the last of our Leaders to be invested making her Promise to the Queen. We also welcomed Emma (Willow) back as our new Squirrel Section Leader following her time as our Group Secretary and Chair.

We would like to thank members of our Trustee Board for their work over the past year, with particular thanks to Stuart who has stepped up to Treasurer from his Assistant Treasurer role and has worked extremely hard to get all our finances into shape! Our numbers currently stand as follows:

Squirrels - 10 Beavers – 11 Cubs – 17

Scouts – 21

During the past 12 months we have taken part in several events such as:

Fundraising for the R.N.L.I. and A Child of Mine (proceeds from the collection at St George’s Day) and Monkey World with the Cubs Smarties Tube Challenge. The Beaver Colony also raised £200 to adopt animals at Twycross Zoo.
Our very popular and enjoyable Christmas Trip to Chester Zoo and the Lanterns (which took place for the 3[rd] year and is very popular).
The Beaver Colony have been active in the community taking part in crafts with the residents of Crispin Court and having a joint evening with a local Brownie pack.
Our Group Christmas Party (which was also a very successful surprise party for Akela’s 40[th] birthday!) included fun, games, music, cake as well as our ‘6[th] Stafford Group Oscars’.
6 camps, with attendees from all sections: including Scouts summer camp at Linnet Clough, Cubs autumn camp at Rough Close with a Space theme, Winter Camp at Kibblestone and Coronation PL’s and Sixers Camps at Sherratt’s Wood which was combined with our Group Conservation Day and included a celebration of the Coronation.
Our members also had stalls at Victoria Park’s ‘Big Help Out’ event (which was an excellent event) and at the ‘Party on the Pitch’ event at Stafford Football ground. Raising some funds and, more importantly, visibility of Scouting in Stafford.

We were very proud to lead the District St George’s Day parade this year and organise the Church service. We were extremely impressed of the behaviour of our members and the highest turnout that we have ever had. Our Squirrels were also really well behaved and did exceptionally well on their first Parade. We were very proud that 1 of our Young Leaders and 1 of our Scouts were part of the Parade’s lead Colour Party.

As GSL’s we have had another extremely stressful and busy year and would like to express our thanks to all our Leaders and Supporters for their assistance.

Regards, Justin L. & Vikki L. Williams (Group Scout Leaders)

7[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

Beavers

22 members

1 leader plus GSL

Recent activities include pond dipping and den building on the Chase with the cubs. Summer 1 night sleepover next month with activities at Beaudesert.

Cubs

24 members

4 leaders (2 regularly cross-cover beavers)

Activities as above. 2 night sleepover next month with activities at Beaudesert.

Scouts

22 members

1 leader

Kayaking upcoming. Planning for this year’s expedition.

GSL’s report

2022-23 has been another difficult year for the 7[th] with two GSL changeovers. We have unfortunately lost 2 key leaders, both of whom were outdoor permit holders. This has left us with no current outdoor permit holders. Due to the lack of stability in the group this is not something that has managed to be addressed this year. It is a priority for the forthcoming year.

All sections have grown slightly in terms of members. We have struggled with leaders, but recently there has been some recruitment and so we are more hopeful that this momentum will continue.

We have had delivery of new group neckers and are awaiting a design to be embroidered on them (cost permitting) and for our own group AGM date to be finalised for them to be given out.

There are 11 children on the waiting list for beavers, all under 6 years. We are not struggling for places at the moment.

9[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

9[th] Stafford Beaver Section Report.

We’ve had many new faces join us during the last 12 months, and we continue to have a steady stream of enquiries coming through so numbers for the next 12 months look like they will remain healthy. We’ve also sent several long-standing Beavers up to cubs over the last few months, including some of those that first joined us when we were only operating online.

During the last 12 months we’ve finally managed to get the section back up to size and we are now starting to average 18 – 20 members which is where we were before the pandemic. The challenge facing is now that of adult volunteers and currently there are only 2 leaders with sporadic parent helpers, this currently prevents us from being able to take any more than 20 members. Due to some family related issues at the start of the year I was unable to attend for nearly 2 months, I would like to extend my personal thanks to Elizabeth for stepping up in my absence and for those that were able to help her out, parents, the DC, and leaders from other groups. Some of the things we’ve done during the last 12 months include.

Knots
Lego Night (always a favourite)
Space / Star Gazing
Safety
Navigation
Pioneering
Natural Art
Coding
Nature Walks
Money Skills
Gardening
Disability Awareness

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances we didn’t manage to complete a sleepover during the last 12 months, but it will be coming at some point after the summer, and certainly several of the Beavers are very keen for this to happen. Here’s to the next 12 months.

9[th] Stafford Cub Pack Report.

The Cub section has 27 members on our record with at least 22 attending each week. We have a steady stream of new cubs coming in and a handful of cubs that are ready to go up to scouts. We have had a very successful Easter camp at Sherratts wood. We have worked on lots of badges including the local knowledge which we walked around Stafford Castle and look at the history of Stafford.

We celebrated all this hard work with a celebration evening where we handed out over 100 badges. We are very proud of our young leader recently turned leader Ella Chadwick who represented us at the king’s coronation. The cubs also sent letters to the king after the passing of his mother, and we received a beautiful letter in reply.

St Vincent Explorer Sea Scout Unit Report.

9 members on the books, with 5 regular members at the minute due to it being exam season. The Unit participated in the OB cup last year working together with another group who did not have enough members. Our Unit organised and run the Scouts District Quiz.

The Explorers are now meeting twice a week, a Monday and then on a Friday where the explorers use this Friday evening session to continue to improve their personal sailing/kayaking and canoeing skills.

We were invited to attend the 200[th] Anniversary of the death of the Earl St Vincent ceremony held in Stone this year, the Earl St Vincent (AKA Admiral Jervis) was a local Naval hero who our Unit is named after, learning more about the Earl, what he achieved and also been invited to visit and enter his mausoleum.

We have also been climbing a few times along with archery and shooting. Produced pioneering projects, learnt about different types of fires and cooked on them. We have been making more of an effort to Improve their navigational skills and completed a few local hikes.

The Unit have designed their own posters which we have had put up in public places to promote and recruit new members to join our Unit.

11[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

Well, what can I say, we struggle on at the 11[th] . We have now started to settle in to our new home in the Exhibition space at the New Beacon Group on the old university site. Another year of changes for us, as Sam our Beaver/Cub leader had to step down due to work commitments. This meant a complete change of roles within the existing now even smaller team and a change of meeting times/sessions. I now look after our Beavers, While David, Lucy and Hayden look after a combined Cub/Scout session. Far from perfect, but it has kept the group alive. We have had to get parents on a Rota for Beavers and Cubs, which has worked reasonably well.

Low numbers are making our finances tight, with lower income and now having to pay directly for our meeting place, but thanks to our treasurer Fiona, who has keep digging around for small grants to help prop up the bank account.

As we now feel more settled in our new home, we are starting to think of re-building and bringing the Young People in our care skills for life. It will take a while to re-build, but the leadership team will continue putting information out to the local community around the new venue for both young people and perhaps more importantly, new leaders (or should I be saying volunteers now!) One thing we could do with is some young leaders, so if you are reading this and you have any that are looking for a home, Thursdays up at the New Beacon Group please.

I cannot say enough about our small team of Leaders and Executive members who continue to put so much into keeping our small group going. Thank-you thank-you thank-you.

Finally, I will say a big thank-you to all our members of the district for you continued support of the group and let’s continue teach our members Skills for Life as we continue to build in both he 11[th] and Stafford District.

Dave

12[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

Unhappily I don’t feel able to give a gushing report on how our Group have performed over the last year in the light of the very sad times we are all going through at the moment. It is with a heavy heart that I have to say Max Farish, who is the 13yr old boy who was awarded the Jack Cornwall Award for Courage and Bravery, is now losing his battle against cancer.

Max is a Scout through and through and his determination to get back to Scouts helped pull him through before and even now he so wanted to go on camp with everyone this last weekend but unhappily it wasn’t to be. His illness has touched absolutely everyone at the 12[th] . Getting through his first bout of cancer was nothing short of a miracle all we can do now his pray very hard for another one.

The Group is still running with over 300 members but like everybody else we need more leaders before we can grow anymore

All Sections are very busy with the leaders delivering excellent programmes, taking the children on Camps and adventures along with the usual things they love such as Kayaking, Hiking, mountains, Climbing and everything else. We are having a very big Group Camp in July with approx 180 Cubs and Scouts camping and the Beavers coming out for the day. On the 24[th] June we are also holding our Summer Fete which is our main fundraiser. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us.

I would like to thank all of our leaders for the hard work and commitment they give every week. Also I would like to thank Nigel Hill and the District Water Team for giving the children such a wonderful Kayaking experience. They are so patience and kind and the children absolutely love it.

Last but not least I would like to thank Sue and Kevin for everything they do for everybody in the District. Everything you do for us is so appreciated.

Kind regards

Doreen Smith GSL.

15[th] Stafford (Penkridge) Scout Group Report

15[th] Beaver report

Hi I currently have 44 Beavers.

I have 11 on a joining list for when they are old enough to join.

Over the next few weeks, we are going over Cannock chase twice for hikes and other activities, we will be completing our communications badge, having a service person visit, being pirates for pirate week, making Father's Day gifts and having our yearly water fight.

Kelly Whitby

16[th ] (Wheaton Aston) Stafford Scout Group Report

Members

Beavers: 8 Cubs: 16

Young Leaders: 2 (both supporting Beavers)

Beavers was relaunched at the end of 2022 with a few taster sessions. The section started in January 2023, with number being static since then. Cubs numbers have remained static for the last year. There are no plans to open a squirrels or scout section; there is no demand from parents and we would struggle to find any leaders.

Leaders

Beavers: 1 leader & 1 assistant

Cubs: 1 leader, 1 assistant leader & 1 section assistant plus parent rota in operation

Premises

Both sections meet at St Mary’s First Academy in Wheaton Aston with the rental being paid by Staffordshire Voluntary Youth Services. Funding will cease at the end of this academic year. After capitation has been paid from the subscriptions received from parents, there are insufficient funds to pay the school’s current rental rates and no funds to pay for activities, badges etc. Reserves can be used for the short term but it is not a solution. Discussions will take place with the school.

17[th] (Gnosall) Stafford Scout Group Report

The group has continued to run at full capacity this year, with only a couple on the waiting list for beavers.

Cubs had a successful camp that has instilled a new confidence that had been lost during lockdown, With the cubs and their parents and they are looking forward to repeating the experience this year.

Similarly, scouts have taken part in quite a few weekend camps but with smaller numbers than the past, 2022 summer camp had to be cancelled due to lack of interest but we managed a 4 night away at Great tower this Easter . Hopefully parents response, confidence to activities and camping on offer will continue to grow.

All of our units have been running a mixed programme of fun activities working towards their badges including getting involved with the local community,

Beavers painting hugs in pockets pebbles that was given with a small note from them to the residents of Gingercrcroft residential home. Scouts cooking and serving hotdogs at the village light switch on and Pegasus explorers making dog poo bag holders and placing where people walk their dogs , refilling them every term.

Sadly we will be losing our beaver leader Cheryl Souter also known as Bambi, at the end of July after committing’20’plus years running the section. She will be sorely missed by all!

The Group's activities wouldn ’t be possible without the support of the adult, young leader and parent helpers who generously give up so much time, and also our Executive Committee members. I’d like to offer the Group's thanks to all of them.

We are very lucky to own our own building, shared with the guides. This is looked after by a wonderful team of volunteers, known as the management committee who raise the funds to pay the bills and keep it fit for use and for this we are very grateful.

Lesley Worsley 17th Stafford (Gnosall) Group Scout Leader

20[th] Stafford Scout Group Report

We have just had a successful Group Camp based on Scouting skills which was well attended by all sections. Beavers we have 11, Cubs we have 12 and Scouts have 15 in the troop. Our hut is used by the Brownies and North Star explorers.

The group is in need of not only leaders but committee members, with our wonderful secretary stepping down. Cubs require at least 2 leaders and another in Scouts. Our Fete is on 17[th] June where we hope to have a good turn out.

Joanna Miller Scouter in charge 20[th] St Bertelin’s

21[st] Stafford Scout Group Report

2022 has been a fantastic year for the 21st.

Building of our successful growth for 2021 we were the first group to open a squirrel Drey in Stafford in September.

We have a leader team that work across sections to help each other, they meet up regularly both socially and in scouting.

Leaders have done numerous training courses for permits to widen what we offer our group.

After what seems a lifetime. We are finally starting to see some re-engagement with our parents that we hope will lead to further assistance.

As a group all sections have been very busy with lots of activities and adventures, getting out of the headquarters as often as possible no matter the weather.

All members had the opportunity to go camping and 2023 will also see our 18 squirrels being offered a nights away experience

Of course, none of this would have been possible were it not for our fantastic leaders who I cannot praise enough for the time and effort they have put in to making everything possible.

We are growing in numbers, skills and recognition. And 2023 will offering new opportunities.

Roy Clarke GSL

Pegasus ESU (Gnosall)

Pegasus ESU (Gnosall) Annual Report 2022-23 Overall, this year has felt like our first proper year since COVID, as it has felt like we have finally been able to complete a full suite of camps including offering expeditions, along with weekend camps and a four-night residential trip at Easter. As of the January 2023 census the Unit had six Explorers and four Leaders, but we since grown and currently have nine Explorers (average meeting attendance of seven). We have had a busy and twelve months with highlights including: May-July 2022 • Completing DofE Bronze and Silver Expeditions • Helping steward the Giant Challenge Bike Ride • Having a go in a glider September-December 2022 • A couple of Members taking part in the OB Cup for the first time, up in the Peaks • Completing a sponsored Night Hike across Cannock Chase • Bouldering and climbing at Newport Climbing Wall • Christmas treat at the escape rooms in Stafford January-May 2023 • Indoor weekend camp in February at Rhydd Covert (including a day out at West Midlands Safari Park) • Members, family and friends helped organise and run a very successful Thai Night, raising money for future camps. A HUGE thank you to Mrs Bradburn and friends for making this possible!!!! • Working towards the survival skills badge, including lighting four different types of fires! • Four-night Easter Camp to Great Tower Scout Adventure Centre, Windermere. Including taking part in activities, such as Ghyll scrambling, stand up paddle boarding and rock climbing. In addition: • We have continued to

regularly maintain the dog poo bag holders around the village. • Three Chief Scout Platinum Awards have been awarded in the last 12 months. • Finally, two Explorers and myself are going to Kandersteg, Switzerland, with Staffordshire Scouts for just under two weeks in August! I would like to say a big thank you to Lesley Worsley, Andy Manners and Abby Cappleman for all their help and support over the last 12 months.

Thank you

Will Swinnerton

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signatures Full names Position

Date ……………………………………………….

Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds	Total Funds 2022
45,903 36,422		45,903 36,422
9,481 6,821 n 1,884 17,270 7,340 1,320		9,481 0 6,821 0 1,884 0 17,270 7,340 1,320
44,116		44,116
		0
0		0
5,902 2,990 17,677 1,742 1,049		0 5,902 2,990 0 0 17,677 1,742 1,049 0
29,359		29,359
2	237	2 237
2	237	239

73,477	237	73,714

73,477	237	73,714

Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds	Total Funds 2022
256 15		0 256 15
1,297 t 1,875 8,663 22,620 3,527 2,583 7,435 1,388 143 810 18,496 1,289 1,838 490 60		1,297 1,875 0 0 8,663 22,620 0 3,527 2,583 7,435 1,388 143 810 18,496 0 1,289 0 0 1,838 490 60
72,786		72,786
3,719		3,719
721 7,686		721 7,686
2,783		2,783
14,908		14,908

87,694		87,694



87,694		87,694

) (14,217)	237	(13,981)

85,113	51,473
r 70,898	51,710	122,608

Unrestricted Funds

Restricted Funds Endownment Total Funds 2022

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year


70,898 15,119 0	51,710	70,898 15,119
		51,710
		0 0
86,017	51,710	137,727
oups

	33,358	33,358
	33,358	33,358
y's own use 5,128		5,128
5,128		5,128
91,145 iced	85,068	176,213

Total Funds 2021 35,532 33,264 2,268 2,878 0 1,722 1,679 222 8,373 0 200 17,342 16,864 16,864 0 340 1,602 1,245 0 8,192 0 0 0 11,379 0 77 77 45,663 45,663

Total Funds 2021 0 256 15 726 1,045 655 0 3,892 2,263 0 2,198 3,288 8,777 2,494 173 0 6,744 2,826 0 0 388 0 191 792 36,451 1,081 0 0 2,254 3,335 39,787 39,787 5,876 136,586

Total Funds 2021

83,760 15,109 51,473 400 1,355	(1,129) 15,210
152,098


35,326
35,326
3,999
3,999
191,423

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