**St Colmcille’s Guide Unit**
## **ANNUAL REPORT CHARITY COMMISSION FOR NORTHERN IRELAND**
|**1.Charity Name as listed on the Charity Register**|**St Colmcille's Belfast Guide Unit**
**- CGI**|**St Colmcille's Belfast Guide Unit**
**- CGI**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**2. Any other names the charity is known by**|N/a|||
|**3. Financial year the report is for**|Year ended 31 August 2023|||
|**4. CCNI Charity Registration Number**|107414|||
|**5. The address from which the Charity Operates**
**(usually your Meeting Place)**
_This should be the address that the charity used_
_when registering unless it has changed._|St Colmcille's Guide Unit,
St Colmcille's Parish,
191 Upper Newtownards Road,
Belfast,
BT4 3JB|||
|**6. The names of all our Trustees at the date this**
**report was approved plus any who stepped down**
**as a trustee during the year**|
Miss Roisin McMullan
Miss Philomena Dawson
Mrs Annemarie Hunter
Mrs Sarah Greene
Miss Lisa Owens|||
|||||
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## **7. A summary description of the purposes of the charity**
The purpose of the Unit is to provide the Guiding Programme of the Catholic Guides of Ireland, which promotes and fosters the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual, social, and physical development of its members, to girls and young women at a local level.
|**7. A summary description of the purposes of the charity**
The purpose of the Unit is to provide the Guiding Programme of the Catholic Guides of
Ireland, which promotes and fosters the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual, social, and
physical development of its members, to girls and young women at a local level.|**7. A summary description of the purposes of the charity**
The purpose of the Unit is to provide the Guiding Programme of the Catholic Guides of
Ireland, which promotes and fosters the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual, social, and
physical development of its members, to girls and young women at a local level.|
|---|---|
|**8. The name of any person, or body of persons,**
**permitted by the trusts of the charity to appoint**
**one or more new charity trustees and a**
**description of the method used to make such**
**appointments**
_If there is any individual or organisation with the_
_power to appoint charity trustees, such as another_
_charity or a government department, provide their_
_details, the relevant powers, and methods of_
_appointment._|**N/A**|
|**9. Include details of any funds held by the**
**charity as a custodian trustee**
_This is mandatory for charities preparing accruals_
_accounts_**_._**|**N/A**|
## **10. Charity’s Main Activities and Achievements during the year.**
The following is taken from the report made at the Unit’s AGM on 25[th] October 2023 by the Unit Leader Miss Roisin McMullan
**Membership** : Total membership at the 31[st] August 2023 was 53 youth members consisting of 7 Rangers, 13 Guides, 18 Brigini and 15 Cygnets,
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**Leadership** : The Unit had 13 leaders and 4 parent helpers throughout the year. The Ranger section was headed up by Kerry McEvoy with other leaders helping out when needed. Guide section was headed up Roisin McMullan, Lauren McKissick, and Lisa Owens. Brigin section was headed up with Anne Marie Hunter, Katriana Rodgers, Lily Maxwell, Nichola Kelly and Rachael Kelly with Joanne Gallagher and Laura Stitt as parent helpers. The Cygnet Section was headed up with Sinead Verdon, Anna McLaughlin, and Lucia Murphy with Maureen Verdon and Rebecca Thompson as Parent Helpers. Philomena Dawson has the role as Unit Treasurer.
## **Programme and Unit Activities:**
All sections met regularly and participated in various activities throughout the year.
**Rangers** - At the of the year the girls made a list of activities they would like to do in the months ahead, these included Ready, Steady, Cook which is always a firm favourite. Other activities the girls participated in included carving pumpkins, a trip of the Christmas market, using diamond art to make coasters, Easter egg milkshakes and a colouring in evening to relax during the exams. The Northern Region organised a Ranger Day in Lorne which the girls participated in and learnt some skills in to manage their mental health.
**Guides** – The numbers increased this year 6 girls moving up from the Brigin section. The year started with team building challenges such as building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows, this helped to promote the patrol spirit, time was also spent on the pre-enrolment challenge to prepare the girls for their Enrolment ceremony. The annual Christmas outing to the Christmas market is always a enjoyable evening and a lovely way to finish to term off. This year 4 girls took on the Chief Commissioner’s Award and this involved participating the craft fairs to raise funds, hiking, campcrafts and planning and running programmes in the Cygnet and Brigin sections. A Spanish evening was held to celebrate the National Day of Spain, where the girls learnt some Spanish, decorated fans, and made non-alcoholic Sangrias. Other activities included bowling at Dundonald, a walk to CS Lewis Square. The section invited Guide Dogs to a meeting to hear about their amazing work and agreed to sponsor a Labrador puppy in training called Toby for 2 years. The weekly meetings finished in June with the very popular water fight and pizza
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**Brigin** - The Brigin section had a varied programme throughout the year, incorporating badge work into the programme. Parents were kept up to date via the parent/guardian WhatsApp group, which proved very beneficial. The girls raised £60.80 for Autism NI by filling Smarties Tubes and £120 for Marie Curie by the Strava Challenge. As well as the normal weekly meetings in the den the girls hiked around Stormont, had a trip to CS Lewis Square followed by a McFlurry, an evening in Victoria Park and 10 pin bowling. Joanne Gallagher, a parent helper, spent a night, discussing bullying, via role play. The girls also attend that National Brigin Day held in October.
**Cygnets** - The girls did a range of activities throughout the year, including a pyjama party, Christmas crafts, party night to wish Sinead Bon Voyage on her travels to New Zealand, Easter crafts, animal themed activities. Away from the den the girls enjoyed bowling, a visit to the Fire Station and a trip to Moat Playpark at Dundonald. The Community Safety Police Officers also visited the section to talk to the about keeping themselves safe and what the police were there for, the girls had the opportunity to try on some of the police clothing and explore inside the police land rover.
**Unit camp** – all sections participated in Unit camp in March were the theme was pirates. During the weekend the girls took part in on site activities including, crate climbing, grass sledging, caving and 3D swing. A Pirate treasure hunt was organised, which included ‘authentic’ old pages with clues to the next point in the trail. The traditional campfire was held on Saturday evening. During the weekend the girls were able to practise their camping skills with backwoods cooking and making stretch chairs using poles tied together with knots and lashings.
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**Summer camp** - 17 guides and rangers along with 5 leaders participated in a week’s camp at the Venture Centre, in the Isle of Man. Despite the overnight ferry going over and the late night ferry coming home, the girls had a fantastic trip. During the week the girls participated in a wide range of activities including, a 7km hike around Ramsey Nature Reserve, assault course, raft building, swimming, campfire, team building exercises, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, raft building, paddle boarding, mini golf, and abseiling. The girls even managed to find time to have a day in Douglas for some retail therapy and a visit to the Manx National Museum.
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## **Equipment** :
The unit continued to look after their equipment and replacing some of the smaller items such as cooking utensils, plates, and bowls, which are used during the weekly meetings.
## **Trustees** :
In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity’s purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.
## **Conclusion** :
A very successful year for all sections. It was lovely to see Rachael & Nicola Kelly returning to the unit as leaders, after a couple of years break, both girls have come up through the sections. Rachael & Nicola also completed their Step 1 training and Safeguarding training.
Philomena completed her term as Regional Treasurer, after 5 years. Philomena is still a Regional Trustee and will continue to stay on the Regional support team.
## **11. How is the Group doing financially?**
A review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the year:
In the financial year ended 31 August 2022 the Charity had an income of £20,427.00 and an expenditure of £22,129.00
## **12. How has the Unit ensured members have not come to harm?**
All leaders and parent helpers receive training in Safeguarding, which is renewed every 2 years and are Access NI every 3 years. Leaders are required to attend Step One Guiders Course. Other training is available to leaders such as Step 2 and Advanced Leaders training. A valid Camp Warrant must be held by at least one leader who wishes to take the young people away either indoors or outdoors, this includes doing First Aid which needs to be updated every 3 years. Parents are regularly updated with planned activities. All activities are carefully planned and the appropriate equipment used.
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**13. How has your Unit ensured that any private benefit to your volunteers has been incidental to the public benefit of your work?** Volunteers gain additional transferrable skills but this is incidental to the work that they do and are the skills that they require to undertake that work. **14. A statement that the Trustees have had regard to the CCNIs guidance on Public Benefit.** We the Trustees of St Colmcille’s Guide Unit can confirm that in setting our objectives and planning for the year that we have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the charity’s purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.
**15. This report was approved by the Trustees at Unit Council on 11[th] June 2024 16. Signature of Trustees Trustee 1** : **Roisin McMullan Date: 17[th] June 2024 Trustee 2: Philomena Dawson Date: 11[th] June 2024**
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