Stratherrick Scouts helping at the Great Lochardil Litter-pic
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey District Scout Council Annual General Meeting 2025
scoutsinverness.org.uk/join #SkillsForLife
Index
| Index | |
|---|---|
| Trustee Board Report | 3 |
| District Lead Volunteer’s Report | 4 |
| Appendix 1 – Census 2025 Report | 7 |
| 14-24 Team Leader Report | 8 |
| District Youth Lead Report | 9 |
| Statement for OSCR | 11 |
| District Treasurer’s Report | 12 |
| Statement of Accounts | 13 |
| Independent Examiners Report | 19 |
Trustee Board Report
The Trustee Board has met five times over the past year. The number of Trustees stands at 8. Sadly, we have been unable to recruit a minute secretary, but we have continued to operate making some progress with capturing minutes through the use of AI. Whilst not ideal it does allow trustees to focus on the matters in hand and not taking minutes. The focus for the year has been establishing the routine and adjusting our focus onto Charity Trustee matters such as reviewing safety incidents when reported, monitoring compliance of mandatory learning for all Volunteers in the District, preparing a charity risk assessment and monitoring the funding available for District activities. A task schedule has been prepared for the Boards responsibilities along with a role profile for the Chair.
Finances remain healthy despite the need for significant electrical upgrade to Dalneigh Hall. Further calls on funds are likely over the next 18 months as the District Store is being moved from Kingsmills Scout Hall to allow them to develop their hall further.
Regrettably our Chair, wishes to step down at the AGM and we are actively recruiting for a new one. Our thanks to Grant for leading the Board over the last 18 months. All Trustees are still within their three-year term so have no need to be reappointed. The inclusion of new trustees is always welcome to avoid a “cliff edge” loss of trustees in two years’ time.
INBS District Trustee Board
SkillsForLife 3
District Lead Volunteer’s Report
Scouting continues to grow in the District with a heartening increase in the number of nights away, Top Awards and youth led activities.
There were 41 Nights Away forms received with trips to Orkney, Sweden, Fordell Firs, London, Dragnet as well as more local activities.
Eight Explorers attended Blair Atholl Jamborette as part of a H&I contingent with providing excellent leadership in bringing the three patrols together from across the H&Is. Leading a Nights Away is a big ask and involves lots of work organising and filling in the paperwork! It’s thanks to leaders’ commitment that Young people can attend these events.
18th Inverness (Muirtown) Sea Scouts ran a water activities day for the older sections to allow land based scouts to have a go with the excellent equipment they possess. A “Transformation & Development” day for leaders were also held at Dalneigh to brief and coach on the new system.
A standout success has been the formation of the District Youth Team under the guidance of Ryan Macintyre, District Youth Lead. The team consists of Explorer and Network Scouts with three sub teams – social media, events, and a leadership team. Among their successes has been a Patrol Leader development weekend and a District Squirrel/Beaver activity day all organised by the young people and creating an active presence on social media – Instagram and TikTok – with the aim of raising the profile of scouting to attract more volunteers. This is a great youth led team gaining valuable skills both for career aspirations and as future scout leaders. See the section below for more detail.
Census at January 2025 is showing an increase in overall numbers to 599 young people (574 in 2024) with a breakdown in the table in Appendix 1.
Explorers continues to thrive, and Squirrels is slowly gaining a foothold. There was a reduction in the number of Scouts for the second year running but the younger sections will hopefully feed through to fill the gap. We are still not back up to pre 2020 levels but are 97% of the way there.
Although Volunteer numbers are overall down, the number of Adults who are Team members or leaders (i.e. front facing adults) actually slightly increased. Adult Recruitment still remains a key constraint to expanding Scouting in the District and ensuring the continuing success of all sections.
Section changes include a new Squirrel Drey at Crown, a new Beaver Colony at Croy, the Scout section reopened at Grantown, Cairngorm Explorers reactivated. Nessie’s Network is also now active again. Unfortunately, a lack of leaders and the loss of their venue combined with the impact of the pandemic restrictions resulted in Aviemore Beavers and Scout sections closing down. This necessitated the closure of the Group and its Charity Registration. Leader shortages at Nairn ESU resulted in Ness ESU providing a temporary home for the young people. The stronger Groups continue to support satellite sections in Strathglass Scouts (Crown), Kiltarlity Beavers and Cubs (Aird) and Cathedral Beavers (Kingsmills).
SkillsForLife 4
Top Awards - The number of Top Awards across all sections has almost doubled since 2024 which is a fantastic testament to the programmes run by each group. Crown did particularly well. I am delighted to congratulate Cameron Kelly on achieving his King’s Scout Award, the first in the District for a while, achieved his Scouts of the World Award. There were Gold DofE Awards for , and Silver DofE Awards for and
Explorer Belts were achieved by seven Explorers from Glen Albyn ESU’s trip to Sweden.
Safety and Safeguarding – A significant effort was achieved in bringing volunteers into training compliance prior to the closing of Compass and the opening of the new membership system. First Response continues to be a challenge as The Scout Association (TSA) now requires all front line members to hold this learning. Several District members are supporting Region as trainers and train the trainers to expand capacity
to meet this demand. A focus on mandatory learning continues as all Volunteers have to complete a new Safety learning module mandated by TSA commitment to recommendations from a Prevention of Future Deaths Report from a fatality in Wales.
Transformation - The long-promised switch over to a new membership system happened in December and has had several teething issues. These are being addressed but it is taking time. All members are now required to log into the system to complete a new declaration with all learning being done online through this system. For members unused to using such systems it has proved a challenge to keep their learning compliant. A local workshop was held to support people with the new system and individual support provided when requested. Noncompliance is now being enforced through suspensions which is providing a little focus but also leading to some frustration. These frustrations are feeding back to TSA and hopefully will be acknowledged and addressed. As ever though a quick response to reminders to complete mandatory avoids this.
The new team structures are now largely in place across Groups and the District, although much of the new ethos of working as a team was already embedded. Hopefully this will make recruitment of new volunteers easier to permit task sharing and thus the time required of each Volunteer.
One plus point is that it is now much easier to nominate volunteers for Merit Awards and a significant increase in nominations is happening. This is great to see as it’s a great way to say thank you to those who go above and beyond in Scouting. Awards presented include:
-
3 Bar to Award for Merit for
-
3 Awards for Merit for
-
3 Chief Scout’s Commendation for
SkillsForLife 5
Sadly, we marked ‘Gone Home’ for Robert Preece’s death Robert, a Silver Wolf Award holder, was a long-time stalwart of Scouting In Inverness, particularly at Kingsmills Scout Group and Scouting in Inverness owes a big debt of gratitude for the time and experience he showed both young people and adults. He collected an extensive archive of Scouting material for which I am grateful that his family have asked the District to act as custodian for and we have agreed to keep this at the Highland Archive Centre. In this digital age continuing this archive will be a challenge and would encourage Groups to add to the archive each year This Annual Report will be going there.
Finally, I am pleased to report that
continues
to wash its face with bookings for community activities from Highland Dancing to church groups to drama groups
Sadly, still no sections are based in the hall. The insulation installed last year has made a big difference to comfort and to electricity consumption. A significant electrical upgrade to the distribution boards was required to achieve a compliant Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) costing some £8000.
Fundraising was again through Inverness Scout Post with £5990.83 raised overall with £4326.54 returned to Groups. Overall, 10,326 cards were collected and delivered.
In conclusion Scouting is delivering programmes for all age groups with increased numbers and evidence of strong programmes delivering Top Awards.
District Lead Volunteer
SkillsForLife 6
Appendix 1 – Census 2025 Report
SkillsForLife 7
14-24 Team Leader Report
Explorer Scouts
Explorer Scout numbers are steadily increasing in the District with five Explorer Scout Units (ESU) that are active and two that are temporarily inactive.
Nights Away Activities that have been completed throughout the year both within and out-with the District including: Sub Zero camp - Auchengillan, Explorer Belt expedition to Sweden, Hunted (teams), DofE and other expeditions.
Programme activities have included: Cooking and kitchen skills, listening skills, orienteering, paddle sports, team building, nautical skills, camp skills, power boating sessions, fishing, geocaching, litter picking, crafts, walks at various levels; First aid, safety badge work, team building skills; Design and build games; Fund raising with Ceilidhs and other fundraising events all promoted via social media.
Young leader courses attended included - First Aid / Module K, and Module A.
Top Awards: Bronze and Silver DofE, Young Leader Belts, Kings Scout Award, Explorer Belts.
Many Explorers help at the younger sections as Young Leaders, and this is an encouraging and growing trend. Training towards the Young Leader belt has also been provided by both District and Region.
Nessies Network
Network Scouts has restarted and continues to grow in strength as young people migrate from Explorers to Network when they turn 18.
Networkers have enjoyed informal meetings. They have represented the District at the Scottish Scout Network Winter Ball.
They have also supported various events such as Youth summit, Halloween Disco, Patrol leaders residential, younger units, squirrels/ beaver Easter activity day.
Awards: Scouts of the World award( Network)
Team Leader - 14-24 Team
SkillsForLife 8
District Youth Lead Report
This past year has marked a transformational period for youth involvement in INBS, with our District Youth Team firmly establishing itself as a driving force for youth-led Scouting.
We began our journey with a hugely successful Youth Summit in September, bringing together Explorers and Network members from across the District. This set the tone for a year of meaningful participation, where young people not only contributed ideas but actively shaped the programme and direction of our events.
In October, we hosted a vibrant Halloween Disco that offered a fun and inclusive social space for Cubs & Scouts to connect beyond their individual sections. This was followed by a Patrol Leader Development Residential in November, focused on growing leadership skills, encouraging teamwork, and supporting new and existing PLs to step into their roles with confidence. The residential also tied in with UK Parliament week where we heard from decision makers about the importance of youth voice. It was then topped off with a visit to Infinity Trampoline Park.
Through the winter period and into the new
year, our older members delivered a series of wellbeing workshops, designed to help Explorers navigate exam pressures and maintain a positive headspace. These sessions were well received and formed part of our wider commitment to youth wellbeing.
April saw a much-loved Squirrels and Beavers Easter Activity Day, with older youth team members playing a hands-on role in planning and running engaging, age-appropriate activities. It’s been fantastic to see young people leading the way across all sections.
We’ve also been active outside the District. Our team took part in a Region Youth Team trip to Edinburgh in April for the UK Youth Forum providing ideas and feedback to the UK team to shape the new 10 year national strategy. The team also visited the Dundee Gang Show in March, building connections and gaining wider insights into youth involvement across Scotland.
Over the year, we’ve supported young people working towards a range
of top awards, including the Chief Scout’s Platinum and Diamond Awards. Our increased focus on the YouShape Award has ensured that young people are being recognised not only for participating but also for taking charge of planning and delivering events. We’ve also promoted the Team Leader Challenge Award (Scouts) and the Leadership Activity Badge (Explorers), helping integrate youth leadership into everyday Scouting.
SkillsForLife 9
Importantly, many of our Explorers have begun the process of achieving their Youth Achievement and Participative Democracy Certificates, while also clocking valuable hours towards Saltire and High Life Highland Youth Volunteering Awards, showing how Scouting continues to prepare young people for life.
We’ve also made strides in communication and recruitment, launching new Instagram and TikTok pages and expanding our presence on Facebook. These platforms are being used to promote our work, highlight youth voices, and support recruitment through direct links to the membership system and volunteer opportunities.
Our work here in INBS has started to gain national recognition for how we’ve embedded youth leadership in a practical, structured, and sustainable way—firmly placing Inverness on the map when it comes to youth voice in Scouting.
As I step into the new role of Regional Youth Lead for Highlands & Islands, succession planning has become a priority. We’re now in the process of appointing a new District Youth Lead, and I’m confident the work started will continue to thrive under fresh leadership.
I’d like to thank everyone who has supported the team this year—especially our Network members, who have gone above and beyond to mentor young people, lead activities, and model what youth-led Scouting truly looks like. A huge thanks to all the volunteers who have also came along to support our various events.
The foundations are strong and the future of youth voice in INBS is skibidi. Most importantly though, young people across the District are being heard meaningfully.
District Youth Lead
SkillsForLife 10
Statement for OSCR
INVERNESS, NAIRN, BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL
Scottish Charity No. SC041542
Name & Address
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey District Scout Council may be contacted c/o 123 Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5PD.
Constitution and Purpose
The Scout Council is constituted in terms of the Rules of the Scout Association, which is a charitable body incorporated by Royal Charter.
The purpose of the Scout Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The method of achieving the aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law guided by adult leadership.
Trustees
District Chair District Lead Volunteer District Secretary District Treasurer Trustee Trustee Trustee District Youth Lead Team Leader - 14-24 Team
Trustees are recruited and appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) of the Scout Association.
Approved by the District Trustee Board on 28/05/2025 and signed on its behalf by:
District Lead Volunteer District Treasurer 28/05/2025 28/05/2025
SkillsForLife 11
District Treasurer’s Report
The accounts presented are a consolidation of all those accounts held on behalf of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey District Scout Council.
We appreciate all groups and units for promptly paying their 2025 Memberships Fees. As mentioned in the accounts notes, we had a late payment from Croy Scout Group and Explorer Unit due to a change of treasurer and signatories. Their payment will now show in next year’s accounts.
We have also had the last money come in from the parent of Explorers attending Blair Atholl 2024, and our final payments to H&I Region.
Letting Donations have increased again, and we’ve had more bookings throughout the year. Please spread the word about Dalneigh being available for birthday parties and general lets. The increased income has helped cover the cost of cleaning, electricity, and broadband, but we still need to lower our energy usage to reduce our electricity bill.
Over the past few years, significant work has been completed on Dalneigh HQ. This year we’ve replaced all the very old distribution boards and fuses with modern equipment to futureproof the hall and ensure its safety for continued use.
With the unfortunate closure of the Aviemore Scout Group, funds from the Beaver Colony have been transferred to the District where they will be held in the restricted funds. Former volunteers from the group are working on closing and transferring the remaining accounts held for the cubs, scouts and group.
With the new transformation in Scouting, we now have a 14-24 Team. The Trustee Board agreed to combine the District Explorer and Scout Network accounts into a new 14-24 Team account.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who has helped over the last year, especially the Independent Examiner, for giving up his time to check all the accounts.
District Treasurer
SkillsForLife 12
Statement of Accounts
SkillsForLife 13
SkillsForLife 14
SkillsForLife 15
SkillsForLife 16
Invemess. Nalm, Badenoch and Strathspey Dlstrfct Scout Councll Notes to the Accounts for tho year to 31st March 2025 2024r2025 Not•• for 1024r2015 1 Trustee Renumeratlon: The Trustees di¢J not received eny renuffrat'on dunng the year. 12023R4: Nill Trle• Exp•M•s: Expén#es 0.00 3 Momb•r6hlp Fee Croy Scout Group gnd Croy Explor8rs w8r8 unable to pay membership fee on due lo ¢h8nge in treasurer. The ba18n¢e of£320250 hag ¥inca been paid bj INBS District. Tot21 incom8 trom mernb8r5hip f8e lo district. e2343.50 0.00 3 Donatkx Northem R8Gycling Masonlc Lodgo Inv•m•$8 Hi9hland Cros5 146.36 223.00 8500 20.00 35.00 67.00 500.00 1 055.35 gn Al>yn- Half MaretrKJn èn Albyn - Scout Scotlgnd •n Albyn- lknunthwrrtl( UK 4 Fundr4185ng gn Albyn 6 880.99 FuThdralng for Explorer 80112024 688099 5 Actlvllltr Blgir Athol 2024 PUAPL Evont Youtr Gano Show on Albyn 1,700.00 P•ymont from P4rfjclp4nt4 •tt•n¢Ylng 81glrAthol 2024. 270.00 Youth T8am PL&APL Evont 176.00 Youth T8am Trip ts Ounde8 Gang Show 1.932.45 ExplorerAdtte3 4 078.45 Subtotal Paymgnl to H&1 R•glo YDulh Gano Show Dislri¢l an Albyn (3,220.00) 61glr Athol p4ymgntfg0$ to H&1 Rgglon {150 00) Youth T88m Trip kn Dund88 Gang Show (648.03) Activitiès 1456.13 Explorer AdwlO88 5474.16 1395.71 Subtotal Pr(yfrrty H911 C1ganing Elgctrldty Hall Inranc8 Broadband Building IT Equipmonl Flre Equlprngnl Equipment l R8paitS 12,990.00) OiAmond Cleaning Sorvioe8 14,626.53) EDF Enorgy (1,393.70) Zurlth and Unlty {310.08) EE Broadband (1.811.33) PainL Toilet Paper, Paper Tow818. Keys. Grass Culbng •tG. {245.17) SpoCtuli6o Limited - Websito Ho61"ng 183.82) Grahsm Hro Prolgctbon 138 18 Equipm8nt Rep8irs 11599.41 7 Equ*m•nt aen Albyn- Equipment (2.211.79) 2211.79 Purch$so ol Ev•nl Sh81tors.18mp$, map5. gas and kltfor Explornr 8811
SkillsForLife
17
SkillsForLife 18
Independent Examiners Report
Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey District Scout Council
Scottish Charity No. SC041542
I report on the financial statements of the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey District Scout Council (“The Council”) for the year ended 31st March 2025.
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The Council’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) 2005 Act and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The Charity Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10 (1) (d) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44 (1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiners Statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention ~~[other than disclosed below*]~~
-
1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: a) To keep accounting records in accordance with section 44 (1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
-
b) To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations have not been met, or
-
2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name:
Relevant Professional Qualification / Professional Body: CA BA (Hons)
Address:
Date: 28/05/2025
* Please delete the words in brackets if they do not apply. If the words do apply set out those matters which have come to your attention.