1 Hedgerley Scout Group AGM 13 July 2018
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1st Hedgerley Scout Group AGM 13th July 2018 Index Page 1 Group Chair’s Report Page 2 Group Scout leader’s Report Page 3 Group Treasurer’s Report Page 4 2017/2018 Summary Accounts Page 5 Beaver Section Report Page 6 Cub Section Report Page 7 Cub Section Report continued Page 8 Scout Section Report Page 9 Scout Section Report Continued ii iii Group Chair’s Report- Lisa James I’ve now been involved with 1st Hedgerley Scout Group for 19 years (8 years as Chair) and am pleased to report that Scouting continues to thrive with more children than ever wanting to be part of the largest mixed youth organisation in the UK. Scouting changes lives by offering youngsters the chance to become confident in taking on fun and challenging activities which you will read more about in the Section Leaders’ reports. In turn children and young adults are able to develop skills including teamwork, time management, leadership, initiative, planning, communication, self-motivation, cultural awareness and commitment – all skills which will help set them up for whatever path their lives take them. At local level, we have a very strong Executive Committee and Leadership team who work well together to ensure the hut remains in good shape, the bank balance stays healthy and each section enjoys a full and varied activity programme. This will only continue with a constant supply of volunteers who are happy to support their children by either joining as a leader or section helper to prevent sections from closure or by responding to any requests for help on an ad hoc basis – we’d like every parent to consider how they can help because we’d like to think that when a child joins 1st Hedgerley their parent(s) join too. An example of ad hoc support is the termly hut ‘sort out’ when we ask parents from one section each term to help with tidying the huts, maintenance and general clearing up the outside area. Thank you to everyone who has joined in so far – it’s made a huge difference and is much appreciated. Another time we need extra help is for our only fundraiser which is held every 18 months or so. This is the Racenight which has been held at Caldicott School for many years. It is always well attended and is a fantastic event that many people in the local community enjoy. Funds raised from this event ensure that we remain in a stable financial position and keep both our huts, the Scout Hut and The Anstey Hut, well maintained and safe to use. Furthermore, Jamboree participants have the opportunity to help run the event which in turn helps their fundraising efforts. I am thrilled to report that 5 young people associated with 1st Hedgerley and 4 Hedgerley leaders will be attending the 24th World Jamboree being held in West Virginia USA next July and a further 2 young people and 1 leader will be attending a European Jamboree in Kandersteg in the Swiss Alps at the same time. Both events will be attended by Scouts from all over the world. Your children and adult leaders too will have the opportunity to put themselves forward for the selection process for future Jamborees during their scouting ‘career’ – an opportunity surely not to be missed and one worth trying for! Finally, I’d like to thank each and every leader, helper, executive committee member and parent for your support over the past year. We all volunteer our time and energy into making 1st Hedgerley continue to grow and we all enjoy learning new skills, meeting new people and most importantly making sure the children enjoy the best we have to offer. I’d like end by sharing a quote from actor and television presenter Warwick Davies who has been appointed the most recent Scout Ambassador (you can read more about Scout Ambassadors at https://scouts.org.uk/about-us/ambassadors) which sums up the Scouting experience: ‘I have really fond memories of being a Cub Scout. I was particularly proud of being made a sixer’ (one of the youth leadership roles in the Cub Pack). ‘It was such a proud moment for me. I’m really happy now to encourage others to join, learn skills and have the same positive experience. I am grateful for what Scouting did for me.’ Warwick says that Scouting had a hugely positive influence on him as a young person and I think that it’s fair to say that it has a hugely positive influence on all of us. Lisa James Chair, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group +44 7752 903942, [email protected] 1 Group Scout Leader –Bob Thorpe Another fantastic Year for 1st Hedgerley The year since our last AGM has flown by; I am not sure whether this is a product of my age or just a fact of life! However, I realise this is now my third AGM as Group Scout Leader. I am almost becoming a Scout. The year has been fantastic, in no short measure, because of the dedication of our leaders and volunteers, who have led exciting and educational activities both in our premises and further afield. Without wishing to duplicate the section leaders reports, it would be remiss of me not to mention some of the exhilarating activities. These include: •Beavers, who have done kayaking, tree climbing, visited a local fire station and enjoyed an obstacle course in the Scout Hut • Cubs, who have learnt drama skills (courtesy of Stoke Poges Players), emergency first aid and sign language, and been hiking and kayaking • Scouts, who have been hiking in Snowdonia, learnt how to cope with the cold on Freezer Camp in February, visited an Army Attack helicopter Squadron and helped make poppies at the Poppy Factory in Richmond. None of these activities would have been possible without the time and effort put in by all our volunteers. Thank you so much all of you; the Executive Committee, our Section Leaders, the Assistant Leaders, Parent Representatives and Parent Helpers. Without you, we would not have had such a great year. On this note, we need more help! All the fun and experiences our young people get are courtesy of people who give up their time to help. So, give me a call and give our young people some of your time and help them have the time of their lives. This year we have also created our own website at www.hedgerleyscouts.co.uk and also have a Facebook page. For all our administrative needs we have also moved onto Online Scout Manager (https://onlinescoutmanager.co.uk) and it has made everything from compliance with GDPR to managing our events and activities so much easier. Financially we are in a very good place and Neil’s work as treasurer makes sure we have healthy accounts to manage unforeseen expenses and also make considerable subsidies into activities. We are also able to help parents, who may sometimes have difficulties coping with the inevitable costs of being involved in Scouting. It has been, therefore, a wonderful year, we have yet again grown the group (we are Growth Champions!) and we have provided our young people with Skills for Life. Scouting in Hedgerley and the Farnhams is in great shape. Bob Thorpe Group Scout Leader, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group +44 7935 796164, [email protected] 2 Group Treasurer’s Report- Neil Williamson 1st Hedgerley Scout Group: Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st March 2018. 2017/2018 As you will see from the summary accounts despite supporting many Scouting activities the Group continues to enjoy a healthy cash balance of some £43 K of which £5 K is currently invested with the Scout Association and the balance is at the Bank. It is important to maintain adequate cash reserves given the age of the Huts and it gives us flexibility to support Scouting activities. There were no major capital expenditures this year. We continue to spend to maintain the Scout Hut and since August 17 the newly donated Anstey Lodge, some £1.6 K this year on new flooring, doors, and pest control measures. Income: Mainly from Subs was £14.2 K, but also from Parents contributions to activities including Summer Camp £ 14.5 K, Hut rental £3.9 K, Donations £ 6.1 K and in total was a healthy £ 36.3 K, including £3.1K collected via Gift Aid. Income is reported net of capitation for 2017 of £ 3.9 K. – this is paid to the District. Our various tenants continued to contribute to the upkeep of the Huts and we thank them for their support. The Youth Club donated the Anstey Lodge to the Scout Group in Aug 17 and we have taken over the running of this Hut. This also added £ 6 K to our cash balances/receipts (see below). Fund Raising: Nothing material in 2017/18 as the last Racenight fund raiser was in the previous year’s accounts. Expenditure: A total of £ 28.7K, of which £15.2 K went on direct support for all the group Scouting activities, £ 7.7 K on both hut running costs, electricity, cleaning, insurance and maintenance. Other Miscellaneous expenditure was £2.8 K including the balance of the costs from the previous year’s Racenight of £1.3K which fell into this accounting period. HMRC - Gift Aid: The years claim for 2017/18 of £ 3.1 K was paid in March 2018 and has increased our cash reserves for this year. Thanks are due to Janet, our subscriptions secretary for the hard work compiling the payment data to support these claims and to our parents for signing up to the scheme.