Trustee Annual Report Form
All Girlguiding Ulster Charities are governed by the Royal Charter and Bye-laws.
The Purpose of each of these Charities is to educate girls and young women to help them develop emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually so that they can make a positive contribution to their Community and the wider world.
Name of Charity as it appears on the Register and any other names it may be known by
1[st] Hillsborough Guides
NI Charity Commission Number
NIC105039
The principal address of the Charity
Downshire Centre, Hillsborough Parish Church Main Street, Hillsborough, BT26 6AE United Kingdom
The names of all Charity Trustees on the date the report was approved and all individuals who served as Charity Trustees during the year
Miss Jenny Lindsay
Mrs Emma Mathers
The financial year the report relates to
1[st] July 2023 – 30[th] June 2024
A summary of the Charity’s main activities to further its purposes for the public benefit and the main achievements in the year
This year we had 26 Guides in the unit. We worked towards the Know Myself theme award, completing the Stage 3 Network skills builder badge, Guiding History interest badge and various unit meeting activities. A favourite was making and cooking calzone and apple crumble in cardboard box ovens. The girls also decorated tote bags illustrating their interests and talents and what makes them unique and special. Eight Guides were awarded their Bronze award and others worked independently on their Confectionery and Geocaching interest badges.
The Guides also completed the Girlguiding Ulster Civil Engineering and Ulster Scots badges. We opted to make soda bread on trangias which was a great success with the girls reporting that they tasted better than those bought in the shops! Learning some ceilidh dances was also fun.
The Guides always enjoy outdoor activities and this year we headed to Hillsborough Forest Park for a nature trail and wide game. On our last night (due to popular demand) we had some water-based relay games. It’s safe to say that no-one was dry at the end of the evening!
Other activities included Christmas flower arranging and a visit from the Army Engagement Team who set the girls a series of enjoyable challenges which encouraged teamwork.
For our Christmas outing this year we joined with the Rangers for a trip to the inflatable park at We Are Vertigo Titanic. We also had a great end of year trip paddleboarding at Moira Lakes.
In April we headed to Carlingford Activity Centre for a fantastic action-packed weekend away. The girls and leaders experienced some of the many activities on offer including the high ropes course, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing and a nightline. Of course no camp was complete without a campfire and smores!
We organised a fundraising bake sale with the girls busy making delicious traybakes to raise money for Children in Need. At Harvest time we decorated the church porch and the girls were very generous bring non-perishable food items which afterwards were donated to Storehouse.
Finally some Guides got involved in activities outside the unit. One girl headed to Our Chalet in Switzerland with a group from Girlguiding Ulster. Three Guides participated in ICE (International Community Experience) which included sleeping in hammocks under the stars. One Guide was selected to sit on a UK wide working group to help create new resources to develop girls’ leadership roles in Guiding. As well as online meetings, she travelled over to Foxlease activity centre in England for an in-person weekend and to meet the rest of the group. There was no harm flowing from the Charity’s purposes and there was no private benefit.
A statement that the Trustees have had regard to the Commission’s Public Benefit requirement statutory guidance
Trustees are familiar with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit and have ensured that when planning activities they help achieve the charity’s purposes and make a difference to the lives of the girls within the unit.
A review of the Charity’s financial position at the end of the year
Opening Balance £6398.93 01/07/22; Closing Balance £6489.78 30/06/23 Opening Balance £6489.78 01/07/23; Closing Balance £6595.82 30/06/24
Details of any fund held by the Charity that was materially in deficit at the end of the year and steps taken by the Charity Trustees to eliminate the deficit
1[st] Hillsborough Guides have no material deficit.
One or more of the Charity Trustees must sign and date the box below.
05/04/2025