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2025-05-01-accounts

Greater Manchester North Scout County

Annual Report

1[st] May 2024 – 30[th] April 2025

Greater Manchester North Scout County

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Charity Registration 701997

Contents

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|||| |---|---|---| |Chairman’s Report ....................................................................................................................................... 3| |County Lead Volunteer ................................................................................................................................. 4| |Bolton Moorland District ............................................................................................................................... 5| |Bolton South with Farnworth District ............................................................................................................. 6| |Bury & Ramsbottom District and Prestwich, Radcliffe & Whitefield District ................................................... 7| |Oldham Borough District .............................................................................................................................. 8| |Pennine District .......................................................................................................................................... 11| |County Youth Lead ..................................................................................................................................... 12| |Volunteering Development Team ................................................................................................................ 13| |International ............................................................................................................................................... 14| |Awards ....................................................................................................................................................... 15| |County Treasurer’s Report ......................................................................................................................... 16| |Accounts for the year ending 30|[th]|April 2025 .............................................................................................. 18| |Scrutineer's Report to the Trustees .........................................................................................................22|

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Chairman’s Report

The County Trustees again provided essential support to The County, and Lead Volunteer and I appreciate all the skills and knowledge our trustees contribute.

The transformation project was finally completed and we all breathed out. A huge amount of time and effort went into the project in Greater Manchester North and Liz and her support team worked many hours to get everything in place. Thank you to each of you.

Many of the trustees are mid-term in two-year appointments and I am delighted to be able to rely on all of them for another year, especially as all our 1-year Trustees are extending their terms for another year. Welcome to Michael Hope who joins us to liaise with our newly appointed Jamboree leaders who are preparing for Poland in 2027.

During this year I have completed 50 years in Scouting, and that inevitably leads you to look back on all you have done. There have been so many fantastic memories but above all else, the thing that stands out for me are all the special people, younger and older that I have scouted alongside. It's one of the joys of scouting to meet interesting. entertaining, dedicated and enthusiastic leaders and there have been so many. Long may that continue.

Stephen County Chair

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County Lead Volunteer

What a year it has been – there has been so much going on across the County which has been absolutely wonderful to see and hear about although I think it’s fair to say that none of us could have anticipated what was around the corner.

The Transformation project was all implemented, not without its challenges as far as the membership system went but monthly updates continue to be planned with the exception of the summer holiday period, to improve the system. The Go Live and Transformation teams coped with the small number of queries we had locally. I would like to thank those teams, particularly the Transformation team for their support and hard work over the previous 2-3 years for helping me to plan and implement the changes.

I want to take a moment to talk about compliance, it’s been a really tough few months which I never want to repeat. From the hard push we had earlier in the summer on Safety, we have now stabilised the compliance for Safety and Safeguarding at 99.4% and 99.5% respectively (as I write) but we can’t be complacent. I don’t want to see that figure slip at all now that we have achieved it. I would like to thank everyone who completed the learning ahead of the deadline and made all of the Lead Volunteer’s roles better than they would otherwise have been. Some Districts are consistently reporting 100% compliance which is where we all need to get to. We do have a small challenge around DBS & First Response compliance – neither of these is where we need it to be, currently in the red at 94.1% and 90.4% respectively so some work needed there to increase our compliance.

We have had a mass exodus of GMN on various overseas expeditions and camps right through the summer. I look forward to hearing about them as I get around the County this year.

I was also really pleased to see the County Youth Forum being held this year, the first time in many years. My thanks to the County Youth Team and their counterparts in Districts for making this happen. The Youth Leads will be busy next year too, lots of plans for the future.

Our Local Growth Officers, Adele and Beth have been working hard on our behalf to open Sections and Groups across the County. We have just over four months to go on this 2-year project so we need to get every opportunity put forward to achieve the best possible benefit.

We have expanded our County Adult Awards Team, many thanks to Anne Williams for pretty much doing this role single handedly for many years. I’m pleased to say we have been commended by the National Awards Advisory Group for the quality and quantity of our Award submissions recently – some Counties have not submitted any Award nominations. This new team will be responsible for Scout awards but also looking at where we have volunteers who could be eligible for National Honours.

The County Shop managed very successfully by Lee Renton has gone from strength to strength this year and has had its busiest year yet. For all your Scouting supplies see Home | Greater Manchester North Scout Shop

Thank you so much for everything you do in your local teams, without you we couldn’t make a difference to so many young people’s lives and, in this day, & age, it is as important as ever. Sometimes we don’t realise how influential we can be to a young person and we need to do everything we can to give the same opportunity to more young people.

Liz

County Lead Volunteer

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Bolton Moorland District

Bolton Moorland continues to be a thriving Scout District. Our membership numbers dropped fractionally in the last census, and all our groups, like many others, continue to struggle to recruit new leaders. Unfortunately, this means far too many hold multiple roles. Sadly there is no magic wand that delivers new volunteers but we are seeing a slow but steady recruitment of individuals new to groups.

Despite this the groups and explorer units in the district continue to provide interesting and engaging programs for all their young people. A number have recently undertaken international trips or are planning them for the coming 12 months. The Cub section team is developing an active series of events for the whole District.

The district held a successful District camp at Forest Camp in early May. Those there will remember the close fought battle between the various cardboard canoes constructed by the young people.

The last 12 months has seen the introduction of the new digital membership system. Like any new system it has had its teething problems. However, the online nights away notifications and nominations for awards is beneficial. Leaders are successfully navigating the online training platform and as a district we completed the mandatory safety training by the deadline with few casualties.

We have presented a number of awards to leaders, including several Silver Acorns, along with King Scout Awards.

As DLV I am now entering my final year in post. I look forward to passing on a thriving district to my successor in 2026 and thank all leaders for their support.

Kim

District Lead Volunteer

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Bolton South with Farnworth District

As I reflect on the past nine months since stepping into the role of District Lead Volunteer, I want to take a moment to thank all the Group Lead Volunteers for their dedication and support. Together, we’ve taken great strides in rebuilding our district and navigating the recent restructure. I’m pleased to say we now have both a Trustee Board and a Leadership Team meeting regularly, helping to bring stability and direction back to our district.

Over the past year, we’ve had some standout moments. Our participation in the Remembrance Parades was a particular highlight, with representation in Bolton and four other cenotaphs — a proud moment for BSWF Scouting. Our first district event, the St George’s Day Parade at Bibby’s Farm, was a huge success, with a significant turnout from across the district. Looking ahead, we hope to alternate this with a more traditional church service in future years.

We have seen a slight decline in membership since Rob stepped down two years ago, but with continued teamwork and renewed energy, I believe we can reverse that trend and grow stronger together.

Congratulations to Adele Gillibrand on receiving the Medal of Merit — a well-deserved recognition! I’d love to see more of our amazing volunteers nominated for awards in the coming years, as we know there are so many doing exceptional work who deserve to be acknowledged.

A large part of my time over the past nine months has been focused on compliance, especially following the Great Orme incident. I'm proud to report that we’re now close to 100% compliance again — a fantastic achievement, especially considering everyone had to redo their safety training this year. Thank you for your efforts in getting us back on track.

We have 1 new group starting in September 7[th] Kings and a new Network group setup called Kelpie.

Lastly, I want to pay tribute to every member, executive, helper, and volunteer involved in Scouting across our district. The past few years have been challenging, but your unwavering support and commitment to our young people have been truly inspiring.

Thank you all.

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Darren District Lead Volunteer

Bury & Ramsbottom District and Prestwich, Radcliffe &

Whitefield District

As DLV for both of the Districts, I felt it easier to write as one report as the same things have been happening across the two Districts over the past 12 months.

It has been a great year for both Districts. Our overall numbers on the census were only a few down from last year. However, Explorer numbers in both Districts have increased which is great and shows that the leaders are doing a great job.

Unfortunately, due to leaders retiring we had to close two groups in Bury & Ramsbottom District last year, and also two groups in PRaWS which could account for the drop in numbers.

We are now starting to get more young people into Scouting across the Districts with numbers rising in most groups.

We have an increase in Adult Volunteers I have noted this from the number of welcome conversations that keep appearing in my notifications.

Over the year many camps have been undertaken by all Sections across both Districts both indoor and outdoor, giving the young people great experiences.

We have had visits abroad from both Districts within the last 12 months and more planned for next year.

The activities / visits the groups are undertaking away from their normal meeting place are also varied. Visits to ice cream parlours, the Mayor’s Parlour, museums, bowling, crazy golf to name but a few. We also have groups out supporting their communities litter picking and helping keep church yards clean and tidy.

I would like to thank all the leaders for their support, understanding and patience during the changeover late 2024. Everyone has logged into the new system and is getting training completed as and when required.

The district teams are working hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly across the board.

Thank you.

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Stacey District Lead Volunteer

Oldham Borough District

New Squirrel Groups

The 6th Royton will be opening a Squirrel Drey in September, which will operate on Saturday mornings. There is also potential for the 127th Moorside to open a drey in Autumn, with details to be confirmed.

Taqwa Reopening

The Beaver section will open with 40 new Beavers, and there is the potential to open 30 Cubs and 20 Scouts throughout the remainder of 2025. Best wishes were extended to Sanna Rashid for success in reestablishing the group.

St Matthews Closer

Leaders from St Matthews have either been reallocated or retired. Funds and accounts have been transferred to District Trustees, resolved all group concerns. Items from the group are available for reallocation, and a list will be made available. Chadderton old group flags have been passed to Dog Hill for display. Funds have been ring-fenced for 18 months before being returned to the Borough.

St Annes Building and Lease Update

Work continues with the council regarding the lease agreement and sale of the location. The option to sublet the building to a drama group is being explored to help reduce running costs. Any group interested in taking over the building is invited to submit a proposal. Planning permission has been granted for redevelopment

and rebuild. One group has enquired about operating costs. To be provide by Trustees ASAP. Borough

District Awards & Leaders Celebration Night

The Leaders celebration & Awards Night is scheduled for 12th December at St Edwards this includes a meal and entertainment. The venue is already booked, and tickets will be available soon. All members are encouraged to nominate anyone eligible for an award as soon as possible via the digital system. Michela Exton and Joanne Taylor are sorting for this year

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International Opportunities

The District Borough international trip to the Ardeche in France was successfully held in conjunction with Wardle and a group from Bolton in August. The aim is to organise an international trip at least every three years, offering opportunities for all members throughout their Scouting journey within the Borough.

World Scout Jamboree in Poland 2027, Leaders In place next is Scouts and Explorers selection. Please contact County on selection Process.

Explorer Groups Discussion

Recent meetings have focused on the current Explorer groups and whether the District Borough is catering to all groups, particularly regarding transitions into the existing three groups. It was noted that some groups are operating with Young Leaders rather than Explorers. There are plans to address the potential for establishing satellite Explorer groups connected to the current ones at the upcoming Trustee board meeting and GLV discussion.

District Activities and Initiatives District team run

activities & Programme

Following the last GLV meeting, District Camps have been set at a £40 limit. The District Cub and Scout camps have already taken place successfully, with positive feedback received, though attendance numbers could be improved with greater involvement. The next event is for Beavers, and all groups are encouraged to utilise current District support. Next years will go up to a Maximum of £50.

Activities done so far included Guy Fawke Bonfire Night, Dog Hill Open day, Leader Celebration, Cub Camp, Scout Camp, 5 A side competition, Founders Day St Georges Celebration, Winter Camp, Beaver trip and Lots of Explorer activities.

Upcoming Beaver Camp, 2[nd] District Scout camp, Master at arms badge, Ardeche trip Massive

Thank you to all whom have supported running these Activities.

Please take advantage of these sessions as it benefits the YP across our Borough.

DLV would like a joint Squirrel, Cub, Scouts and Explorer Oldham Borough day out trip to London or alternates to celebrate 40 years of Beavers.

Safeguarding

To many safeguarding concerns this year for my liking: we have had 4 down to the behaviour of young people to others in their peer group or to Adult Leaders, 3 others on DBS and legacy Issues. Plus, concerns on buildings and tenants’ relationships.

Growth & Fundraising

The DLV after consultation with Fundraiser from groups proposed hiring a professional funding officer to help secure larger initiatives, since only smaller ones were getting approved. After discussion, the Trustees agreed, pending a decision on funding such a role. A trustee member is coming up with proposal and costings

Current Borough Funding support areas:

Facilities

Major refurbishment of facilities at Dog Hill, planning Permission given but funding needs to be established. Fund raising officer to support.

The District Team, GLV’s and Trustees agreed to finance a sanitation tank up to £30K for facility redevelopment, with spending to begin only when construction starts. Trustees are coordinating with the DH

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site team on timing and accurate costs, as current estimates have been deemed unsatisfactory and require further review.

Permits & First Aid Compliance

As at 2024 Trustee session we agreed that a funding priority would be to spend money on Leaders gaining permits to support their learning but also the YP on gaining the most out of their programme. We now need to act: -

For Adventurous Activity Permit Scheme courses: We have budgeted to spend money cover anything which the district would like to cover.ie. GB affiliated archery courses, hill walking etc.

District Opportunities

Trustee board

At meeting we decided to remain at status quo with the Board, 3 strikes and out rule in place on nonattendance though. The existing members have a 3-year appointment which will get next reviewed. at the AGM in 2026.

Youth Lead

We need to begin the search for a new youth Lead, if you have any suggestions, please pass them on to me as this would be a District role with an automatic position on the Trustee Board. Jack will continue in role until successor is found.

Web Page IT Support

Mark Askell has agreed to support the team with the implementation of the new Web page, if you would like anything to be included in this application please forward them on to myself and I will work with Mark to get them included up and running.

Ossie’s Passing .

Thank you to all attended his funeral and Fund-raising event he will be missed by all.

Regards

Chris District Lead Volunteer

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Pennine District

Thank you for a great 2024/25 scouting. Pennine had a fabulous time, and the district grew more than any other in the County (and more than most in the country). This is all down to the hard work and effort put in by our many volunteers.

Unfortunately, we have had to close off one group – the 27th Rochdale at Lowerplace. We have been trying for 5 years to get it restarted after Covid and have not managed to find enough leaders to keep it active. The good news is that the building is being rehomed to be one of the 1st Milnrow buildings so it will be used, and the Scout name will still be active in that area.

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We’ve opened a new group – the 99th Pennine. Well done to Farzana and her team for the massive effort it takes to start new groups. They have Cubs & Scouts at the moment while they settle down but are already into double figures for both sections.

We’ve opened a new Squirrels section at the 17th Wardle Scout group. Thanks go to Norma and her team for that – I know the squirrels are already having fun and becoming great scouts.

We’ve opened a new Explorer section at the 3rd/4th Heywood group. Thanks, Dave & Team – that’s great news from a group that, only 5 years ago, was on the verge of closing due to lack of numbers.

We’ve resurrected a group, the 17th Middleton, thanks to Julie and her team. This has Beavers and Cubs at the moment and meets in a place the 1st Middleton used to meet.

We have had some excellent support from County & Region with grants (thousands of pounds overall) and assistance in forming and growing sections. This is good and is a sign of what we can expect in the future.

St Geeorges Day was held at Queens Park in April ‘24 and Springfield Park in April ’25. I mention both because they were both very successful and we plan to continue the same theme in future years – with the short ceremony and the many activities. Thanks go to Matt & his team for the effort he puts in to make it such a success.

Our campsite at Ashworth Valley continues to expand with new activities and refurbishment where necessary. We are now looking at introducing camping pods and you will hear more about all that over the coming months. We have recently lost two long serving and well-respected members of AVSC, but we will always remember Rod Lloyd and Keith Duckworth.

As a whole, at the last census, Pennine District grew by nearly 8%. This is down to the excellent efforts of all of you and I cannot thank you enough. It’s been a great year. And I anticipate more growth at the next census.

I must mention the excellent Appointments board led by Colin Tunnicliffe. Under the new system, there is no appointments board, so I just want to say THANK YOU to Colin and his team for the superb work they did.

Many of you may know that a DLV can only be in the post for 10 years and I am sad to say that my time is up next January. So, this will be my last AGM as DLV. But I am not retiring from Scouts. I still have my own group, and I will still be active at District and County, helping the new DLV to fit in and keeping in touch with everyone.

I will close this message on a high – PENNINE DONE GOOD! We can’t do this without all of our volunteers – so thank you again for everything you do.

Alan

District Lead Volunteer

County Youth Lead

It’s been a fantastic year for youth engagement across the County, and I’m proud to share some of the highlights and progress we’ve made together.

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Highlights from the Year

• UK Youth Forum: We were proud to have representation at the national level, giving our young people a voice in shaping Scouting across the UK. Well done, Dylan, Ben, Tobias and Abel for representing GMN!

• New Team Members: We welcomed Sasha and Caleb to the County Youth Team, bringing fresh energy and perspectives to our work.

• Group Visits: We’ve started visiting local groups to support youth-led activities, support volunteers, and promote youth voice at all levels

Looking Ahead

Thanks & Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to all the volunteers, youth members, and supporters who continue to champion youthshaped Scouting in our County. Your commitment to youth voice and empowerment continues to inspire!

Sam

County Youth Lead

Volunteering Development Team

The start of this year was a time of change from County led adult training to a more District focused and Team based system. The Transition, through the latter part of 2024, was a busy time with the priority of ensuring adults were up to date with Safety and Safeguarding training compliance. Also, some learning was launched online for adults to complete in their own time not needing to attend centralised courses.

There is still a need to continue to run the now optional Wood Badge Course which started in October and bridged the transition and completed in January 2025. Further learning modules are planned for 2025/2026

The new learning programme is now based in Districts ad groups to manage their members learning and starts with a “welcome Conversation outlining the Organisation and processes. Following completion of some basic learning online called “growing roots”, a leader or supporter can opt to complete further training on a more face to face basis and come together to more in-depth learning and share experiences.

We have introduced and completed five workshops to support Group and District adults with the main tasks of the role such as managing the membership online system and the welcome conversation. Also, we have

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completed two Nights Away workshops and are planning a skills camp to enable learning of that much needed set of skills. These workshops will continue covering a range of topics to upskill our leaders and managers.

First aid courses are now completed in two parts with an online and interactive course that all leaders and supporters can complete followed by a highly practical first response skills learning that tests emergency procedures. This two-part course has been completed by over 235 adults who are now competent to carry out basic first aid.

We have added much needed training resources to the infrastructure of the Headquarters building and to the nights away camping equipment and will continue the programme of providing up to date materials to enable learning for all adults in the County.

All the learning events are free of charge to attend by anyone in the County to ensure we can make learning easy and accessible as possible.

A huge thank you has to go to all the Volunteering Development Team. All have worked tirelessly in their Groups and Districts to provide support and learning for all adults in the County and deliver super skills that benefit our young people.

For information see: www.gmnscoutstraining.org

Pat

Volunteering Development Team Lead

International

Last year saw people from 4 separate Districts travelling abroad.

Bolton Moorland

8[th] Bolton East travelled to Disneyland Paris taking 15 Cubs, 15 Scouts and 3 Explorers. They travelled with PGL and had a full programme for the 4 days they were there.

Pennine

1[st] and 12[th] Heywood had a joint trip travelling to Kandersteg during the summer taking 22 Scouts for 8 days. They did a wide variety of activities including High Ropes, Swimming, visits to Lake Oeschinessee (including

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the cable car and toboggan) and Lake Blausee, along with a visit to Bern and a hike. They also celebrated Swiss Day on 1[st] August which is a great day at Kandersteg.

Prestwich, Radcliffe and Whitefield

14[th] Ainsworth (with leader visitors from other groups) travelled to Adelboden, Switzerland taking 15 scouts and 9 explorers. Activities undertaken included tubing down a mountain, High Ropes, Swimming, visits to Lake Oeschinessee (including the cable car and toboggan) and Lake Blausee, along with a visit to both Interlaken and Bern. They also enjoyed a very wet Swiss Day in the village. However, the thunderstorm in the evening was amazing.

Oldham Borough

Royton Explorers, 1[st] Royton Scouts and Chadderton Scouts all travelled together to Czechia with Jeka in the summer also. They took 12 Scouts, 17 Explorers, and 5 Network for 8 fun packed days. They had a day trip to Prague, took part in a variety of water activities including paddleboarding and white-water rafting. They had two days canoeing and did some high ropes too.

Keep an eye out for next year’s report as we have had a lot of groups travelling 2025/2026 also.

If you are thinking about travelling abroad please contact me as soon as you start thinking about it so I can pass on information and get you started on your way.

REMEMBER from October 2025 the EU Entry/Exit systems come into play across Europe, including Switzerland. Of you require more information, please feel free to contact me.

Stacey

Programme Team - International

Awards

National Honours

You may have heard in the press that there is a push for more National Honours in the North West of England. The lack of National Honours in Scouting is also a big problem the Cabinet Office wish to rectify. Please contact the team if you know someone who is deserving of such an honour.

Good Service Awards

Good Service Awards are now coming through the new Membership System.

The following County Good Service Awards have come through:

Silver Wolf - 1

Bar to Silver Acorn - 0

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Silver Acorn - 11

Bar to Award of Merit – 28

A special well done to Keith Williams, who received his Silver Wolf Award in this period.

Length of Service Awards

Length of Service awards are also coming through on a quarterly basis. I wanted to highlight the following. B.R.A.V.O to all:

Doug Sutton – 60 years

Alan Hart – 50 years

Alan Whittaker – 50 years

Stephen Allan – 50 years

Ken Savage – 50 years

Meritorious and Gallantry Awards

The National Award’s Panel has been impressed with the number of Meritorious Conduct Awards coming through to them. Please speak to me if you have a young person or adult who has done something brave and courageous. The following awards have come through:

CC – Performed first aid on a man who collapsed on the side of the road.

RH – Walking home from college, she saved 3 of her friends from being run over on the road and performed CPR on a fourth friend

LC – Her Granddad tripped and hurt his ankle. LC phoned Mountain Rescue to save him and take him to the hospital.

Previous recipients include:

If you think anyone in Scouts deserves one of these awards, please don’t hesitate to contact the GMN Award’s Team at awards@gmnscouts.org.uk

GMN Awards Panel

County Treasurer’s Report

The CAF and NatWest Bank Accounts are all functioning well with a minimum of two signatories on all payments.

The year being reported is the fourth full year of trading for the Scout Shop since Covid and the County taking over the Scout Shop in 2019. The Scout Shop is on-line and largely operates a cashless system. During the year sales and expenditure increased by around 25% and 15% respectively with income over expenditure in the last year nearly £2,000 under the management of Lee Renton. Thanks Lee and your team of volunteers for all you do throughout the year.

Now looking at the financials, both income and expenditure were significantly down on the previous 12 months as the current year being reported was not skewed by a Jamboree. Income exceeded expenditure in the

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financial year to 30[th] April 2025 by some £5,000 which showed a corresponding increase in our reserves. At the end of the financial year there was around £27,000 reserved funds – the vast majority being held for the next Jamboree and around £5,000 in a Hardship Fund.

The County Levy was held at £12.00 per young person for the second year in succession. Moving forward it was agreed we would increase the County Levy annually roughly in line with the increase in inflation. We raised just under £44,000 from 3,644 young members. Despite our best efforts, this level of Membership shows a further 2.5% reduction in numbers and is more than 20% lower than the most recent peak prepandemic of 4,672 members in 2020. The County is rebuilding its numbers and we hope we will recover the ground lost in the next few years. After all, our young members and adult leaders are our most important asset. Without them we would not be here.

The HQ building at Middleton continues to be our largest valued asset with an estimated value of around £900,000 (the building is insured with a re-build cost of £1,500,000). In recent years we have heavily invested in the property to get it into a good condition and attract local businesses to use the site for meetings and training activities in conjunction with Cardinal Langley School’s use. Much of this work has been co-ordinated by the Building Team who are unpaid volunteers headed by Andrew (Eddie) Edwards. We should express our thanks to all who work on our behalf and to the benefit of Greater Manchester North County Scout Council’s young people.

Clive County Treasurer

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Accounts for the year ending 30[th] April 2025

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Scrutineer's Report to the Trustees

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