TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT For the Period 2022/23
1st Ballymacash Scout Group
Charity Reg number: NIC 103867
Trustees Annual Report
1[st] April 2022 – 31[st] March 2023
- 1stBallymacash Scout Group–based at:
St Marks Church, Ballymacash Road, Lisburn, BT28 3EZ
- Current charity trustees, acting for the whole year :
Margaret Irwin (Group Scout Leader) Linda Walker (Treasurer) Emma Moriarity(Secretary) Noel Irwin (Acting Chair and Assistant Group Scout Leader) John G Clarke (Leader in charge Explorers)
- Governing Document
Scout Association Royal Charter and supplemental Charters
• Our purpose
The purpose of Scouting is to actively engage and support young people in their personal development as individuals and as responsible citizens, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.
• Public and private beneficiaries
Public Beneft Statement
The benefit which flows from our purpose is that young people are empowered to make a positive contribution to society through being engaged and supported in their personal development, including physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually. 2. This benefit is demonstrated through Scouting making a positive impact in our communities; preparing young people to be active citizens; embracing and contributing to social change; being as diverse as the communities in which we operates. These are evidenced by feedback from our beneficiaries and the wider community. 3.There is no harm arising from our purposes. Scouting operates within a framework of safety to enable young people to take part in adventurous activities safely. 4. Scouting’s beneficiaries are children and young people. 5. The only private benefit from this purpose is that Adult Volunteers are trained to deliver the programme, but this is incidental and necessary because it is needed to operate in today’s society working with young people
- Public benefit arising from activities
Throughout the year each section has enjoyed taking part in various activities that concentrate on the overall development of each member
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT For the Period 2022/2023
• Summary of activities and achievements
Squirrels
Having successfully been assimilated into the Scout Group, the Squirrel Drey enjoyed a very successful year during 2022/23, with over 18 children and 2 adult leaders and 2 young leaders and 2 Scouts volunteering as part as DOE attending weekly meetings and taking part in an active, engaging and varied programme.
The Drey worked its way through the new Squirrel Activity Badge Programme. We have completed, Challenge Awards All About Me Challenge Badge All about adventure All about me Just need to earn one more for our Chief Acorn Award. Badges Be Active Brilliant Builder Exciting Experiments Explore Outdoors Feel Good Get Creative Go Wild Let it Grow Local Superhero Super Chef
We enjoyed trips to Ardnavally Outdoor Activity Centre, Crawfordsburn Activity Scout Centre, Hillhall Presbyterian Church fun day, Geek Retreat, Scout Woodland in Lisburn, Hillsborough Park and the local Fire Station. We celebrated the Kings Coronation in Wallace Park with games, music and cheese and crackers.
Squirrels play an active part in the Scout Group's activities and are looking forward to another good Squirrelling year in 2023/24.
Thanks go to Victoria, Eloise, Charlotte, Evie and young leaders Ruby and Lydia for their great work throughout the year.
Beavers
The Beaver section had a packed calendar during 2022/23. Their average attendance was 23 Beavers and 4 Leaders. We completed our:
Health and fitness badge Money Skills badge Builders badge Faith badge Book readers badge My Skills Challenge Award
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT For the Period 2022/2023
We enjoyed visits from NI Chest Heart and Stroke and Monkeytastics who helped us with our health and fitness badge and had a great night at Lisburn Library as part of our Book Readers Badge. We enjoyed a visit from Rev Gibson who helped us complete the faith Badge. A highlight of the programme was a visit from Armagh Planetarium.
On 20 May 2023 the beavers headed off to Beaver Day at Crawsfordsburn scout Centre where the theme was Around the World which was enjoyed by everyone. We also attended the District’s Annual St George’s Day Parade in Hillhall Presbyterian church.
We had several visits throughout the year to the Lisburn District Woodlands, including a hedgehog themed day camp in October. Our year ended with our day camp at the Woodlands on 5 August where the beaver learned some traditional scouting skills of knot tying and tent pitching; a campfire, s’mores and lots of singing brought a great day to an end.
Thanks go to all the beaver leaders for their constant enthusiasm and help throughout the year.
Cubs
The Cub Scouts had a particularly busy year during 2022/23. The average weekly attendance was over 25 children and 3 leaders during which some 367 activity and challenge badges were awarded as part of our badge programme.
This included Communications, Home Safety, Personal Safety, Road Safety, Hobbies, Home Help, Sportsman, Athletes Badge and Artist Activity Badges alongside of the Outdoor, Adventure, Team and Global Challenges Badges. The Pack held a Summer Camp in 2022 to Greenhill YMCA alongside a winter camp to Gosford Forest Par. The Pack held outings to Lisburn Bowling Alley, Clip n Climb (Dundonald Ice Bowl), the Ulster Aviation Society, Lisburn Cinema, an Orienteering event with 44[th] Belfast Cubs around Hillsborough Forest Park an took part in three hikes.
Thanks to Ian, Reuben and Noel alongside Young Leader Joshua Parkes has become such an integral part of the leadership team.
Scouts
The Scout Section had a busy year in 2022/23, during which the average weekly attendance was 25 children, 4 leaders and 3 young leaders.
During the year we completed over 300 activity badges, with 14 Scouts working towards the Chief Scout Gold Award. Badges awarded include Global Awareness, Navigation, Hiking, Mechanics, Nights Away, Craft, DIY, Astronomy, Climbing etc. In addition to the Friday night programme, Scouts got involved with N.I. Events with ten Scouts attending The Big Sleep Out in Crawfordsburn in aid of the Simon Community and another ten helping at the District “Trash the Trash2 event - collecting a special badge at both events.
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT For the Period 2022/2023
Camps and overnights continue to be an important part of our programme. We started the year off with a Hammock Camp at the Lisburn District Woodland, throwing tomahawks, playing games, cooking and campfire activities. The Big Sleep Out involved bivying out under the stars on a chilly November night at Crawfordsburn, while Easter Camp took place in slightly warmer surroundings as we were hosted by Randalstown Scouts in their hall. The Scouts took part in archery, games, a local treasure hunt and a litter collection in Randalstown Forest for Live Here, Love Here. Our year ended with TOE Camp (The Outdoor Experience), held at Crawfordsburn Scout Centre. Scouts camped under canvas for two nights and enjoyed a wide range of activities such as: climbing, shooting, drumming, rafting, abseiling and dodge ball.
Trips and special activities were scattered throughout the year. We had our traditional Walk for Tea along the towpath to McDonalds. We visited the Army twice at Thiepval barracks where Scouts got to learn how to work as a team on various challenges, how to pack a ruck sac for going out on manoeuvres, problem-solving tasks and use the outdoor climbing tower. We had a full Christmas dinner in the hall and Santa even visited the group. In January we had visits from The Gathering Drum and The Astronomy Dome, which brought much excitement for all sections. In March a group of the Scouts visited Belshaws Quarry to carry out environmental work and we enjoyed a Mothers Day walk up both Divis & Black Mt, with parents enjoying the walk too. We celebrated the Kings Coronation with a treasure hunt in Wallace Park and earned a special badge to mark the occasion.
We are looking forward to another fantastic scouting year in 2023/24, with the hopes of our older Scouts achieving their Chief Scouts Gold Award. Thanks to Carol, Victoria, Mark and Michael along with Connor Johnston, Connor Davis and Charlotte McGuicken our young leaders, who provide such an interesting and wide-ranging programme on a weekly basis.
• Explorers
The 2022/23 year for explorers has been a busy and changing one. during which the average weekly attendance was over 5 young people children and 3 leaders. During the year, we completed the activity and challenge badges as part of our programme.
We met fortnightly usual fortnightly meetings however between Christmas and Easter run weekly which was useful in completing tasks and working towards badges. We welcomed 2 scouts moving up to explorers and said goodbye to 1 explorer heading off to university.
Thank you to Karen, Gee, Kai and Ruth in facilitating such an interesting and wide-ranging programme.
Group
The Scout Group participated in District led events attending the annual Christmas Carol Service and St George day parades. In addition, the individual sections within the Group took part in numerous District, County and Northern Ireland organised events. The Group also attended events hosted by our sponsors, St Marks, such as monthly family services, the Remembrance Day service and Christingle service. The Rev Gibson conducted a specially organised St George’s Day service involving young people , leader and parents.
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT For the Period 2022/2023
We held monthly Group Scout Council meetings each month except for July and August and all of the Sections from Squirrels to Explorers conduct their business through the Online Scout Manager system , including the collection of membership fees and applications for Gift Aid.
All adults involved within their Group have completed all aspects of the mandatary training, including First Response, Safety and Safeguarding Training. Thanks must go to all the leadership teams and young leaders who support our Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers in developing a very enjoyable, interesting and diverse programmes. Thank you also to parents who support and encourage not only their own young people but the group. Finally, thank you to St Marks Parish for the use of their premises, as our Group sponsors, allowing us to be a part of the church community, and for working with us to provide opportunities for local young people.
• Financial Review
Our Scout Group runs on one main bank account held in the name “1[st] Ballymacash Scout Group Council”. All funds held in reserves are for the use of the Group or any section within the Group (Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and the partnered Explorer Unit) for future use in line with the aims and objectives and activities of the Scout Group. The agreed portion held for such use will be subject to the agreement of the Trustees.. Subscriptions fees received are acknowledged for the use of that member section. Our funds at the end of March 2023 are in a satisfactory state and there are no debts or funds in deficit.
• Declaraton
The trustees declare that they have approved the above report, ratified at the Annual General Meeting and signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees by
Noel Irwin Assistant Group Scout Leader 30[th] November 2023
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