THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 74[th] Oak Street Scout Group Year Ending 31 March 2024
R eg i s t er ed C h a r i t y N o : 5 2 48 01
## CONTENT
▪ We lco m e
- A bo u t U s
- L ea de rs ’ R e po rts
- B e ave rs
- C u bs
- S co u t s
- G ro u p
- A cc o u nts
- R es e rve Po l icy
- I nde pe nde nt Exa m ine r’ s R e po rt
## Welcome
At 74[th] Oak Street, we encourage our young people to do more, learn more and be more.
Each week, hundred’s of young people enjoy fun and adventure while developing the essential skills they need to succeed. And, as well as supporting our scouting family, we have a rich history of bringing the S8 community together and contributing to society.
Helen Damon
On behalf of the Group Trustee Board 74[th] Oak Street Scouting
Why we do what we do T o a ct ive ly eng ag e a nd s u ppo r t yo u ng pe o pl e i n the ir d ev el o pm ent , gi vi ng the m a po w er f u l s e ns e o f be lo ng ing and e mp o we ri ng th em to m ak e a po s it ive co nt ri bu ti o n to so c ie ty.
## Our mission
74[th] Oak Street actively engage and support young people in their development, empowering them to make a positive contribution. But we also support our wider volunteers with an environment in which to grow.
Adventure: physically active, healthier lifestyles, with courage to try new things
Skills for life: skills to succeed regardless of academic background
Wellbeing: happy, resilient citizens
Leadership: responsible leaders and team players
Citizenship: active citizens in society – locally, nationally and internationally
Connectedness: strong friendships, with care, trust and respect for other from all backgrounds
**Leaders’ Reports: Group Leader**
## **Membership**
Scouting at Oak Street is as popular as ever with our member lists full to bursting and our waiting list so long we could run three new sections. Every week we help around 80 young people from our community aged 6-14 develop skills for life.
## **Programs**
Our dedicated team of volunteers have organised a wide range of exciting programs for our Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts throughout the year. From adventurous Beaver and Cub sleepovers to engaging activities like Freezer Camp and the Expedition Challenge, our youth members have had unforgettable experiences. We have also had the privilege of hosting guest speakers who have shared their knowledge and insights across all sections. Our participation in District Camp and joint meetings with other scout groups have further enriched our scouting journey.
## **Community Engagement**
Throughout the year, we have organised several community events that have brought the community together. Among them, our annual bonfire night proved to be yet again our biggest fundraiser, captivating people with its mesmerising fireworks display and warm ambience. We have run another summer fun day which is growing in popularity. These events have strengthened community bonds and provided unforgettable experiences for all who participated.
## **The Team**
Our team of volunteers work tirelessly to plan an action packed and exciting programs, not only for our weekly meetings but for camps and day trips too. They all give generous amounts of time and have done a fantastic job and made this year another phenomenal success.
Thank you for being the driving force behind our achievements and we look forward to continuing this journey together in the coming years.
## **Group Trustee Board**
Our Board of Trustees play a pivotal role in the continued success of our group. They convene bimonthly, often in a local pub, to delve into every aspect, ensuring the seamless operation of our group. From diligently applying for grants, coordinating fundraising events, managing hut bookings, handling insurance matters and maintaining the group’s finances. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their tireless efforts.
**Leaders’ Reports: Group Leader**
## **Make a Difference!**
Running a group like this, with our own hut, grounds, equipment and minibus, is a massive job and to keep the levels of volunteer support healthy and this Group’s future bright, we are looking for your help.
Whether you have loads of free time or can only spare an hour a month. Whether you can come to the Scout Hut or are stuck at home or whether you would like to work with young people, with activities, or with administration – there’s something that you can do to help!
Please don’t wait to be asked personally – just drop us an email and we can arrange a chat – or speak to any of the leaders on meeting nights – no strings attached (really – if you end up not volunteering that’s fine – it will be good to chat anyway).
## **OSM**
To use our volunteers time more efficiently and to reduce the burden of charity governance administration, costs and communicating efficiently we continue to use Online Scout Manager (OSM) to manage the badge work. This is also a really easy way of keeping in touch with our parents.
## **Don’t Miss Out**
Times are financially tough for some in our community; no young person should go without Scouting for the lack of money. This is a principle that we strongly uphold. Please contact me in complete confidence, if you have or foresee problems paying the monthly subscription fees or for camps. We can contribute or assist in other ways to enable scouting for your child.
The last year has been filled with remarkable achievements, memorable experiences and valuable sessions for our groups. We extend our thanks to everyone involved and look forward to another year of exciting adventures and growth.
Martyn Foster
Group Lead Volunteer
**Leaders’ Reports: Beavers**
## **Numbers and Waiting List**
Beavers is running at 24 in the section with over 50 on the waiting list, although some are still under 4. We have healthy numbers of beavers moving up to cubs to continue their scouting journey and learning skills for life.
Our numbers continue to be healthy, averaging between 20 – 24 beavers per session and our waiting list still continues to grow.
## **Adults in the Section**
Beavers is being run by Leslie Rochester with the assistance of Sara Howell, Jill Endean and a regular consort of parental helpers.
## **Achievements**
During this financial year we have invested 12 beavers into the 74[th] Oak Street Scouting family and 6 have moved up to cubs after achieving the highest award in Beavers, the Chief Scouts Bronze Award. Beavers should feel very proud of achieving this award. I have also awarded 53 challenges badges, these need to be gained before the Chief Scout can be awarded. I have also awarded over 100 activity badges, including Cook, Disability Awareness, Experiment, Explore, Health & Fitness, Hobbies, Money Skills, Photographer and Sports.
## **Programme throughout the year**
Providing a balanced program and allowing children to gain #Skills for Life, it’s the main focus for scouting, we have achieved this by focusing on gardening, den building, secret garden walk, fire challenges, disco’s, making lanterns for Small Park Big Run, pond dipping, wand making at the Steel Cauldron, soap making, conker collecting, movie night, learning braille, penny hike, mad scientist and twisted fire starters. We have welcomed guest speakers from HSBC who taught the beavers about money skills.
## **Events**
Beavers took part in District Camp, most camped for 3 nights at Squirrel Wood, Doncaster, they have been climbing and we invested several beavers at the Steel Cauldron, after wand and potion making. The highlight event for me was the first District Sleepover.
Friday 24[th] February 2023, 50 beavers and 13 leaders/adult helpers arrived at Gulliver’s, ready for an amazing adventure. We had a mass beaver sleepover at Gulliver’s **. Madness** , I hear you say, **No** , it was fabulous having an event dedicated to
## **Leaders’ Reports: Beavers**
Beavers only. The time was filled with exploring Gulliver’s, watching a movie, riding the rides. Then came the inevitable home time. Parents started arriving from 15:45 to collect their tired beavers. We had an amazing time at Gullivers and hope that this will become either an annual event or a bi-annual event. The Gulliver’s booking team were fabulous with their organisation and the crew members during our visit were fantastic, many going that extra mile for the children.
Leslie Rochester
Beaver Team Leader
## **Leaders’ Reports: Cubs**
Between April 2023 and March 2024, the Cubs have taken part in multiple activities. They've spent time outdoors making a giant bug house, gardening, pioneering, showing off their axe skills and, of course, building fires. We've also built dens out of cardboard (and an incredible attempt at a race car), made wreaths from leftover fabric, revisited our first aid skills and had another fantastic science night where we got to play with vinegar, cabbages and much more.
Alongside our weekly meetings, the Cubs have had a go at ad-hoc weekend activities including riffle shooting, archery and swimming and they've had the option to attend District camp, sixer and seconder camp at Glenbrook and a winter sleepover at the hut which included kayaking, paddle boarding followed by pumpkin picking and carving. We also had a summer camp which was relocated at the last minute due to weather, where the leaders really stepped up to help book and plan a new camp in under a week. The leaders and young leaders were all incredibly flexible and supportive in the lead up as well as on the camp with our changing of plans and activities based upon the weather - and the parents were incredibly patient with all the changes we ended up making. It may have been damp but we still managed some incredible games and activities (and watched a little bit more telly than usual).
Through all these activities, we've managed to work towards some incredible badges including teamwork, pioneering and the navigator badge. During that time, we've handed out over 100 badges and, incredibly, 6 Cubs have earned their Chief Scout silver award - which as a reminder is not easy, and not a guaranteed badge to receive just by showing up.
Finally, as mentioned briefly above, a huge thank you is needed to all our incredible volunteers from the leaders and young leaders, as well as some incredible parents who have generously given their time to support all these activities. We are currently in a very fortunate position where we have 3 full-time leaders and 4 full time young leaders, as well as 3 leaders who support when they can. We've then had some absolutely incredible help from parents, running specialised Cub nights for us, stepping in when we've been short on help, and showing up on camps to help us set up, pack down and on occasion coming mid-way though the camp, again to help out with the odd task. This support genuinely makes such a difference to us and allows us to deliver so much more to the Cubs. You're all amazing.
Yvette Lavelle
Cub Team Leader
**Leaders’ Reports: Scouts**
This is the yearly round up of activities from 74[th] Oak Street Scouts.
April 2023 began with a trip to Go Outdoors, where we were shown the different types of tents available, what to look out for when choosing hiking boots and how to pack a rucksack.
Also in April, we had a campfire-making session and then in early May it was District camp.
District Camp ‘23 was at Drum Hill campsite in Derbyshire. It was a beach-party themed event, with each troop bringing along an activity. Oak Street did scout stave launchers, firing balls to knock down towers of plastic sandcastle buckets – a pioneering-beach infusion.
Over the course of May, June and July we ran first aid nights, kayaking, climbing, a visit to Rother Valley Aqua splash (now an annual favourite!), a map reading based incident hike which prepared the scouts for their 2 day expedition challenge starting with a train journey out to Dodworth near Barnsley, hiking, camping, then hiking some more to finish in the majestic surrounds of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
We rounded off the sunny summer of ’23 with a water fight along Burbage Brook at the top of Padley Gorge.
Early in September ’23, many of the scouts attended a District Day at Hesley woods – a full day of classic scouting activities, with regulars like ‘the Cube’ caving experience, inflatables, axe throwing, archery and the zip-line. The weather smiled on us and being out playing in the woods reminded us all why we like scouts!
Also, in Autumn ’23 the scouts got involved with a community art project led by Trish O’Shea, using multi-media (pen, photos, fabric etc) to create little figure portraits which featured in her exhibition later in the year.
We did a chip-shop hike from the top of Woodseats back to the hut sampling and reviewing from chip shops as we went (Poseidon was agreed to be the best). We went to the St John’s Ambulance for CPR training in ‘restart a heart’ week. Halloween saw us doing classic games at the hut: apple bobbing, ‘cut the flour’, washing-line doughnuts and, lacking pumpkins, the scouts carved faces into potatoes!
## **Leaders’ Reports: Scouts**
In early November we ran our now annual trip to Waterslacks Barn, giving the scouts a day at Alton Towers during the ‘Scarefest’ season, an evening in a camping barn, joining in the cooking and cleaning, and a day out walking up to the local landmark of Thor’s Cave.
A number of sessions led to the performance by the scouts of ‘Oak Street’s Got Talent’. Prior to this, we ran a circus skills evening and had the scouts fulfilling the requirements of the entertainer’s badge. Acts included gymnastics, balloon modelling, comedy and a band performance. It was a great way to round off the term in a genuinely supportive atmosphere, with parents showing that the Meersbrook community is something to be proud of!
We welcomed in the New Year with a games and planning evening. It was nice to get everyone together, including the newer scouts who’ve moved up from cubs and be together as a troop. The scouts always choose dodgeball left to their own devices, but we had some nice games of minesweeper (jumping over a rope swinging round from a central point), ladders and bulldog.
In January, we met in Graves Park for stargazing. The plan was to do a wide game with scouts finding different adults scattered around the park who were each being a different constellation. The scouts would look at the constellation and learn about it with each person (run the same as Yvonne’s Disney character game, but with constellations!). We’d also borrowed 2 telescopes from old Norton and I’d come armed with star maps. The clouds had other ideas in store for us and we ended up playing in the dark in the playground!
Also in January, was an evening of map reading games and activities, taken from OSM (which I’m starting to appreciate has some nice ideas on it.) Games included a race, matching scenes to a position on a map, a coordinate treasure hunt and so on. Most of the scouts are still developing their skills in map reading, so this was all useful!
At the end of January, we had a 3 way wide game with Old Norton and St Pauls. We played capture the flag which worked really well 3 ways – Oak Street even won a few rounds! It was nice to meet up with Old Norton for the first time, who seem like a lovely troop.
**Leaders’ Reports: Scouts**
5th February is National Chocolate Fondue Day (it really is. Google it!). The scouts cut up fruit and waffles and made chocolate fondues using camping stoves. Tasty!
After half term, we had an evening of putting up patrol tents. This was mainly useful to find sets of poles and canvas that matched. The scouts managed it – but the evening did highlight that we’ve not yet found a successful way of labelling the patrol tents and poles (which all seem to be slightly different sizes!) and the legacies of several years of labels / paints and electrical tape are daubed on each tent randomly.
On 23 – 25th Feb we went to Freezer Camp. 13 scouts went. The weather smiled on us – although it had been raining up to that point, but the sun came out for freezer camp, although there was frost on the tents on Saturday morning. Highlights include the Miami fairground ride, quad biking, shooting, laser quest inside an inflatable, and all the usual favourites (archery, axe throwing, crate stacking, climbing and abseiling).
My vote for a hidden gem was the craft hut where you etch a picture into a glass, make a wooden woggle, a paracord bracelet, a badge etc. The etched glasses were great. I’ve tested mine out with a little bit of whisky and it seems to work fine – but I might need to keep testing it just to make sure.
The scouts kicked off March this year with a Taskmaster session. Tasks included building the highest tower out of lego, wrapping the most difficult thing to wrap, best face created from natural materials, best map of the uk eaten from a slice of bread and the most dramatic goal scored with a balloon.
We also did an impromptu trip to the park for some wide games. As sometimes happens with these things, it was actually really good. We played the clothes peg game, manhunt and a whole troop tug of war on the astroturf.
During the last 2 weeks of March we split the troop in half for each week. One half went to the Chesterfield observatory as part of the astronomy badge, and the others built bird boxes with fellow scout leader and carpenter Ian Bradshaw.
The observatory was a new experience – a little community run observatory with a very powerful telescope on the outskirts of chesterfield, but quite it was quite passive and a little information heavy. It made us realise that the rest of the time we provide much more ‘hands on’ experiences for the scouts – and that’s what they enjoy most.
## **Leaders’ Reports: Scouts**
Meanwhile the bird boxes were just that. Starting with planks of wood, the scouts measured, marked planks of wood that were cut with a circular saw. They hammered it together and everyone made a completed bid box to take home.
And that brings us to the end of the scout reporting year. Scouts for me is a mix of fun, developing skills, learning new things, getting involved with the community and being active outdoors, all done being part of a team – the family of scouts. I think we’ve done a bit of all of that this year and I for one have had a great time.
Hugh Baker Scout Team Leader
**Section A: References and Administration**
|**Charity Name**|**74th Oak Street Scout Group**|
|---|---|
|Registered Charity No.|524801|
|Charity’s Principle Address|74th Oak Street Scout Group
Canterbury Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S8 9QD|
## **Trustees**
**Trustee Name** Martyn Foster Emma Foster Leslie Rochester **Volunteers** Helen Damon Yvette Lavelle Hugh Baker Keith Endean Christie Young Jill Endean
**Section B: Structure Governance and Management**
**Description of the Charity’s Trusts**
## **Type of governing document**
The Group's governing documents are those of the The Scout Association. They consist of a Royal Charter, which in turn gives authority to the Bye Laws of the Association and The Policy, Organization and Rules of The Scout Association.
## **How the charity is constituted**
The Group is a trust established under its rules which are common to all Scouts. (e.g. trust, association, company)
## **Trustee selection methods**
The Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organization and Rules of The Scout Association.
## **Additional governance issues**
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 Trustee Board consists of Chair, Treasurer and Trustees including two Ex Officio Trustees and meets every two months.
This Group 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 gives young people skills for life.
**Section B: Structure Governance and Management**
## **Risk and Internal Control**
The Group Trustee Board has identified the major risks to which they believe the Group 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 Group would request the use of buildings, property and equipment from neighbouring organisations such as the church, community centre and other Scout Groups. Similar reciprocal arrangements exist with these organisations. The Group has sufficient buildings and contents insurance in place to mitigate against permanent loss.
- Injury to leaders, helpers, supporters and members. The Group through the capitation fees contributes to the Scout Associations national accident insurance policy. Risk Assessments are undertaken before all activities.
- Reduced income from fundraising. The Group is primarily reliant upon income from subscriptions and fundraising. The group 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 group on an ongoing basis, either temporarily or permanently.
- Reduction or loss of leaders. The group is totally reliant upon volunteers to run and administer the activities of the group. If there was a reduction in the number of leaders to an unacceptable level in a particular section or the group as a whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the Group.
- Reduction or loss of members. The Group provides activities for all young people aged 6 to 14. If there was a reduction in membership in a particular section or the group as whole then there would have to be a contraction, consolidation or closure of a section. In the worst case scenario the complete closure of the Group.
**Section C: Structure Governance and Management**
## **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:
**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 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.
## **The Scout Method**
Scouting takes place when young people, in partnership with adults, work together 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
## **Activities of the group**
Leaders, parents and other members of the community provide support at meetings, events and nights away, along with financial support at fundraising events.
We believe in bringing people together. We celebrate diversity and take a stand against intolerance, always. We’re a worldwide movement, creating stronger communities and inspiring positive futures.
**Section C: Structure Governance and Management**
## **Public Benefit Criteria**
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.
The benefits of Scouting are further demonstrated throughout this report.
## **Achievements and Performance**
Beavers, Cubs and Scouts continue to operate a wide range and varied programme offering exciting and adventurous activities for young people. Adult and young leaders are enthusiastic and display a wide range of skills. The Group is well supported by parents and other members of the community.
## **Accounts: Receipts and Payments**
|**Receipts and Payments Accounts**|**Receipts and Payments Accounts**|**Receipts and Payments Accounts**|
|---|---|---|
||Year start date|Year end date|
|**For the year from**|**1st April 2023 to**|**31 March 2024**|
||||
|**2023-2024**
**2022-2023**|||
||**Unrestricted Funds **|**Unrestricted Funds**|
||**£**|**£**|
|**Income**|||
|Donations,legacies and similar income|||
|Membershipsubscriptions|10,921.00|9,843.20|
|Less:Membership subscriptions paid on
National/County/Area/District|
4,536.00|4,264.00|
|Net membership subscriptions
retained|**6,385.00**|**5,579.20**|
|Donations|100.00|2,074.30|
|Activities|2,088.45|1,651.50|
|Gift Aid|8,169.65||
|Camps|7,766.50|6,443.00|
|**Sub total**|**24,509.60**|**15,748.00**|
|Grants|||
|Other Grants|1,000.00|1,000.00|
|**Sub total**|**1,000.00**|**1,000.00**|
|Fundraising (Gross)|||
|Bonfire event|4,721.14|5,231.26|
|Other fundraisingactivities|2,034.53|1,408.07|
|Co-opFund|0.00||
|**Sub total**|**6,755.67**|**6,639.33**|
|Investment Income|||
|Bank Interest|121.51|16.55|
|PropertyRent Income|14,125.00|10,714.00|
|**Sub total**|**14,246.51**|**10,730.55**|
||||
|**Total Gross Income**|**46,511.78**|**34,117.88**|
||||
|Asset and investment sales etc|0.00|0.00|
||||
|**Total receipts**|**46,511.78**|**34,117.88**|
## **Accounts: Receipts and Payments**
||Year start date|Year end date|
|---|---|---|
|**For the year from**|**1st April 2023 to**|**31 March 2024**|
||||
||**2023-2024**
**2022-2023**||
||**Unrestricted Funds **|**Unrestricted Funds**|
||**£**|**£**|
|**Expenditure**|||
|Charitable Payments|||
|Programme and Activities|3,094.96|2,659.31|
|Water and Sewage|417.21|301.04|
|Electricityand Gas|4,037.09|3,740.50|
|Insurance|746.80|776.29|
|Repairs and Renewals|6,681.16|6,171.11|
|Materials and Equipment|786.15|71.87|
|Printingand Photocopying|344.75|63.13|
|Camps(Fees,Food and Activities)|6,763.34|7,104.29|
|Campingequipment||0.00|
|Uniforms (Scout Shop) and Activity
Uniforms|1,994.74|602.19|
|AGM and Trustee Expenses|895.28|608.79|
|Council Bins|233.60|208.56|
|Gardener Fees|391.00|531.00|
|Cleaner|1,200.00|1,200.00|
|IT software|595.86|321.71|
|Website Fees|244.80|235.20|
|Motor vehicle expenses|2,926.23|676.57|
|Motor Vehicle Insurance|964.65|958.18|
|Payent transaction fees|265.12|151.83|
|Rentals|0.00||
|Phone and Broadband|704.40|485.52|
|**Sub total**|**33,287.14**|**26,867.09**|
|Fundraisingexpenses|||
|Bonfire Night Event|1,924.54|2,521.51|
|Other fundraisingactivities|298.35|84.00|
|**Sub total**|**2,222.89**|**2,605.51**|
||||
|**Total Gross Expenditure**|**35,510.03**|**29,472.60**|
||||
|**Asset and investmentpurchases**|1,578.96|7,962.17|
||||
|**Totalpayments**|**37,088.99**|**37,434.77**|
||||
|**Net receipts/ (payments)**|**9,422.79**|**-3,316.89**|
|**Cash funds last year end**|4,163.08|7,479.97|
|**Cash funds thisyear end**|**13,585.87**|**4,163.08**|
**Receipts and Payments Account**
|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of theyear**|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of theyear**|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of theyear**|
|---|---|---|
||||
|**2023-2024**
**2022-2023**|||
||**Unrestricted Funds **|**Unrestricted Funds**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Cash Funds|||
|Bank Current Account|2,148.81|583.75|
|Bank Reserve Account|11,318.76|3,505.55|
|Electronic Transaction Account|118.30|73.78|
|**Total Cash Funds**|**13,585.87**|**4,163.08**|
|Other MonetaryAssets|||
|Debts due|-105.50|1,585.00|
|**Sub total**|**-105.50**|**1,585.00**|
|Non-MonetaryAssets for Charity's own Use|||
|Motor Vehicles|6,500.00|6,500.00|
|CampingEquipment|4,118.65|2,670.69|
|Computer Equipment|242.48|111.48|
|**Sub total**|**10,861.13**|**9,282.17**|
|Liabilities|||
|Accounts notyetpaid|0.00|159.42|
|Other liabilities|0.00|0.00|
|**Sub total**|**0.00**|**159.42**|
||||
|74th Oak Street had no contingent liabilities or future obligations at the 31
March 2024.|||
||||
|The above receipts and payments account and statement of assets and
liabilities were approved by the Trustees on the 23 September 2024 (the
date of the GroupTrustee Board meetingthat approved the accounts)|||
||||
|Signature|Name||
||Emma Foster (Treasurer)||
## **Section E: Financial Review**
## **Treasurer’s Report**
Financially we have had another good year at Oak Street. We were able to claim back a lot of gift aid from previous years, now bringing us up to date. This was a whopping £8000.00, keeping our accounts healthy. We have been able to afford the continuation of our ongoing hut renovations. Our hut rentals are still thriving with both regular and ad-hoc bookings.
Emma Foster
Treasurer
## **Reserves Policy**
The Group’s policy on reserves is to hold sufficient resources to continue the charitable activities of the Group should income and fundraising activities fall short. The Group Executive Committee considers that the Group should hold a sum equivalent to 2 months running costs, circa £1,500.
The Group held cash reserves of £13,585 at 2024 year end. This is above the level required for operating expenses, as we are currently saving to complete building renovations and the purchase of a second minibus.
## **Principal Sources of Income**
These are monthly subscriptions from all members which covers most activities and some maintenance of the property. Fundraising activities events like bag packing and bonfire night also raise money to subsidies some activities and allow us to maintain and improve the building and the activities we offer. Renting the building to the community groups and parties allows us to collect further funds.
The Group Executive regularly monitors the levels of the bank balances and the interest rates received to ensure the group obtains maximum value and income from its banking arrangements.
## **Investment Policy**
The Group does not have sufficient funds to invest in longer term investments. The Group has therefore adopted a risk averse strategy to the investment of funds. All funds are held in cash using only mainstream banks or building societies.
## **Section E: Financial Review**
## **Plans for the Future**
The continuation of current activities and fundraising. Further fundraising will enable us to improve disabled access to the building and its facilities, to ensure our sustainable renting activities can be continued.
## **Basis of Accounting**
The accounts have been drawn up on the receipts and payments basis which is consistent with the previous year. In line with the Charity Commission Statement of Recommended Practice and the Scout Association rules non-monetary assets do not need to be valued and shown within the accounts. 74[th] Oak Street’s non-monetary assets predominantly consist of a large quantity of camping equipment, computer equipment, the minibus and other items used in providing activities for the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers. Items are replaced as and when they reach the end of their serviceable life. The current value of all items of equipment is in the region of £20000.00. All of these assets are fully insured with Unity Insurance Services on the basis of their current values (with the exception of tents which are insured on a new for old basis regardless of their ages).
## **Donations and Grants**
During the last financial year, the Group received grants and donations totalling £1100.00, including £1000.00 from the Gleadless Valley Ward Pot and £100.00 from Paper Design Limited.
## **Section E: Financial Review**
## **Gift Aid**
This Group is registered with HMRC as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC).
Where possible Gift Aid is gathered at source (e.g. via online payment of subscriptions).
## **Declaration**
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
On behalf of the Group Trustee Board
**Signed Name Leslie Rochester Emma Foster Date 23/09/2024 23/09/2024**
Independent Examiners, Report
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of 74th Oak Street
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the 74th Oak Street Scout
Group for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charty trustees of the 74th Oak Street Scout Group you are responsible for the
preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act
2011 {'the Art.).
I report in respect of my examination of the 74th Oak Street Scout Group 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 ACL
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 giving me cause to believe that in any
material respect:
. accounting records were not kept in respect of the 74th Oak Street as required by
section 130 of the ACL or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Signed:
Name: IJ Ofw rtJPf KJ
ProfessionaL Qualification: Otr ¢EL4 ÉeEb o) fvhTerNI I
Date: J bloql2£)
## www.74thoakstreet.com
74th Oak Street Scout Group, Canterbury Road, Sheffield, S8 9QS.
Registered Charity Number: 524801