2025-03-31-accounts

Annual Charity Report

AGM: 16[th] June 2025

Scout District Trustees Report

Joe Gallucci : District Chair

It is time once again to reflect on our past year as a charity offering significant positive impact on the lives of hundreds of young people across Keighley. The most important sentiment to share is that of great pride in the work that we continue to do for those in our care.

From a trustee point of view, it is our responsibility, as a team, to manage and oversee proper governance of the charity on behalf of the Keighley District Scout Council. We take that responsibility very seriously and it has continued to present its challenges as we continue to navigate the changes to scouting during this period of transition.

We have continued to support the District Lead Volunteer and her team in delivering scouting across Keighley and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jeanette specifically for her tireless dedication throughout this last year.

The most significant element of the transition process that we have experienced this year has been the change to the digital systems. Whatever your personal opinion of the system, everyone can agree that the transition to this system has been monumental. I would like to pay credit to those involved in ensuring that our records continued to be maintained and that everyone has been reorganised and refocused within the new system. Particular thanks to JW who I know did a lot of work to support JY in making this transition as smooth as it was possible for it to be.

Another element of our work as trustees is ensuring that we have systems in place to remain compliant, and this includes leaders having the appropriate training. We are of course not directly involved in making sure people have completed their training, so credit is due to the members of the leadership team who work so diligently to make sure leaders are appropriately supported in delivering quality scouting, safely.

As you may remember from last year, one of the key changes included the new rules on terms of office for the trustees. We began this by committing to securing the two officer roles on the board, Chair and Treasurer. We opened up the opportunity for people to apply for these roles this year and they will begin a new 3 year term.

Linked to this, it is essential that I recognise the work of a vital member of our trustee board who

will be retiring from his role this year. KM has been our district treasurer for many years, serving 3 different chairs. He has worked incredibly hard to ensure that our finances were always in good order and we had everything recorded in meticulous detail. On behalf of the Chairs and trustees that KM has supported in his years of service, and on behalf of all of you and all of the young people that he has served in his time as district treasurer, I would like to thank him for his dedicated service.

Finally, I believe it is an important part of my report to recognise the ‘back-room’ volunteers who support scouting throughout the year. To all of the trustees in our groups and ‘invisible’ people who do essential work to ensure that our groups can continue to provide amazing experiences for all of the Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network, Young Leaders and adult volunteers across Keighley – THANK YOU!

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Scout District Leadership Report

Jeanette Young : District Lead Volunteer (District Commissioner)

Scouting has changed in many ways over the years, and is still changing, however Scouting still encourages the same spirit of adventure and challenge it initially set out to achieve all those years ago.

We encourage all our young people to have fun while building friendships, taking part in indoor and outdoor activities, across the District and further afield.

We all work hard in developing our young leaders of today into leaders of tomorrow by supporting them and encouraging them in all aspects of scouting.

This year our numbers in Keighley have dipped slightly, therefore, our main aim is to grow again by continuing to promote scouting and all it offers to our local community. We are gaining more new leaders which is great news. Our young leaders are growing in numbers, giving them a position of responsibility and leadership that is challenging and fun. This can be a great addition to their CV when applying for a job, university, apprenticeships or college remember they are the Scouters of the future. Thank you to everyone involved in developing our young leaders.

There have been many changes this year with the new digital system becoming live. We need to continue to ensure that all our members understand how to navigate the new system. HQ are continuing to improve things, focusing on making sure members can easily find what’s relevant to them.

I am always astounded at the range of activities delivered by our members and helpers, who give so much time and commitment to scouting. Although the role names have changed you are still preparing more young people with essential skills for life.

Our District campsite continues to go from strength to strength, thank you to all our volunteers, wardens and all those attending working party days throughout the year.

We have a team of young people travelling to Peru with the County team, they are all working so hard to raise funds to pay for the trip, please support them as much as you can.

Thank you to everyone who plan, organise and help at all our district events throughout the year. There are too many to mention and the range of events is so varied. Everyone working so hard giving many hours to scouting, contributing to the success of our District.

Our Chair and Trustee board continue to work behind the scenes ensuring governance and stability for our District, thank you all for your support.

If I can also thank the County Team, for all their support. We say goodbye to IW and welcome TH as our new County Lead. We wish both all the best and look forward to working with TH over the next five years.

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Congratulations to TP who was presented with his Silver Wolf at Windsor, so well deserved.

Unfortunately, we were unable to hold our public celebration of St George’s day this year. It was certainly not through lack of trying; however, we were simply unable to find a date that was feasible, suitable and safe. Thank you to the groups who shared their own celebrations with us all. We will be looking for your ideas and thoughts of how we celebrate St George’s day in the future.

I want to say from the heart a huge thank you to all for all you do for scouting, being there for each other when we are in need, to give us strength to face challenges we all endure at times. I have had to step away from scouting for a couple of months due to undergoing heart surgery, I am hoping to be firing on all cylinders very soon, so please bear with me in my recovery.

Yours in Scouting

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District Accounts 2024/2025

Keith Moor

District Treasurer

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Low Wood SCAC Report

Alex Thewlis

Chair of Low Wood Sub-Committee

The year to June 2025 has been busier than ever at the Low Wood Scout Campsite and Activity Centre.

As previously, we are continuing to work towards completing the Community Asset Transfer from Bradford Council. Some progress has been made, in that we are reassured that Bradford have confirmed the site is not on the list of salable assets – as the CAT counts as a ‘disposal’ from the council’s point of view. Since then, there has been little progress towards completion. We continue to push this, with the help of our Member of Parliament.

Site maintenance continues to be performed by our small Maintenance Team, to tend the site and support the availability of the various activities. Grass cutting, tree management, maintenance of buildings, pathways, walls and fences, water capture and treatment, all need to be constantly attended, such that the facilities can be available for use when needed.

Development projects are mainly ‘on-hold’ until completion of the CAT can support grant and planning applications.

Working days are essential to this maintenance of the site. The team meet on Monday and Wednesday mornings every week and a number of scheduled Working Days (most recently 11[th] May) that are published in the District Diary.

Bookings have been particularly strong, especially from outside Scouting. Duke of Edinburgh groups are regular one-night stays and we have been used by a number of schools as part of their ‘additional provision’ programmes. As always, it would be good to see the centre used more extensively within Keighley.

Summary of days booked over the past year:

• Keighley District activities = 10

• Keighley scout groups = 28

• Other scout groups = 30

• Non-Scouting bookings = 76

The Keighley District activities included the hosting of:

• The Big Help-Out 2024 volunteering day;

• Challenge flag competitions for all sections;

• Easter egg hunt;

• The Master at Arms day

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• …and a number of other working activities / days.

For the future, we will continue to push the completion of the CAT, which will open opportunities for further development of the site and the activities we can offer. In addition, we will be able to apply for grants and funding, much of which we cannot currently access.

As previously, we need your help in a number of areas…

• Firstly, make use of the site and its facilities. Camps, activity days, weekly meetings. It’s going to be a long, hot summer, so make the most of it!

• Secondly, come to the planned working days (see the District Diary). There are always plenty of jobs to be done – from easy, safe tasks suitable for a group of youngsters, to larger construction projects.

• Volunteer (or persuade someone you know to volunteer) as a Site Warden. Duties are light (receiving site users and opening the building, being a point of contact during the weekend – mobile phone provided – and locking-up when the users leave. A team of a dozen such wardens would limit duties to three weekends per year.

• Similarly, we’d like volunteers to become instructors for the various activities (crate stacking, archery, shooting, axe-throwing, grass-sledging, laser-tag, etc.) This will enable you to lead your own group / section in these activities and run the odd session for other groups.

And finally, the Management Team would like to thank everyone who has played a part, however large or small, to enable and support the operation, maintenance and development of the site and the activities we are able to offer.

I would also like to add my own thanks to the members of the Management Team, who put in so much time and effort to keep things running and to plan the future development of the site. Like all areas of Scouting, we often don’t appreciate how much goes on ‘behind the scenes’.

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Low Wood Accounts 2024/2025

Keith Moor

District Treasurer

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Accounts Scrutineer Report

Waters & Co Chartered Management Accountants

Nominated Scrutineers

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