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

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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]

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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.

YOUTH CLUB – (ANSTEY LODGE) The Youth Club committee was disbanded in late 2017 and the Hut was gifted to the Scout Group in Aug 2017.

We are now responsible for the upkeep and usage. Thanks to Debbie Anstey and Peter Cathcart for their work to implement this change which will benefit the group in the long term. The balance of the Youth Club funds were also transferred to the group in Jan 2018, some £6 K. We are holding these funds under an agreement with the Youth Club committee ring-fenced in case a Youth Club can be re-instated and needs start-up funding.

2018/2019 Outlook: The 1st Hedgerley Scout Group continues to be strong financially with the active support of parents and the community and this enables us to provide a good level of support for all the many and varied Scouting activities.

I have enjoyed my seventh full year as Group Treasurer and will be happy to continue into 2018/19 and beyond.

Online payments: During the rest of the year we hope to be able to encourage many of the parent’s payments to the sections away from cash and cheques to an online system via Online Scout Manager (OSM) and a new online bank account - this has taken longer than it should have to set up.

Neil Williamson Treasurer, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group

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SUMMARY ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED MARCH 2018

CASHFLOW

Receipts and Payments: Cashflow and Current Account Summary

31st March 2018 Anstey Lodge / Youth Business Scout Group Club Reserve Scout Assoc Total Previous Funds Account Investment Year A/C Total CASHFLOW £ £ £ £ £

Total Receipts for the Year 28,703.05 7,670.45 - - 36,373.50 31,851.14 Total Payments for the Year 26,312.35 1,939.53 - - 28,251.88 21,695.05

Net Receipts / (Payments) for the Year 2,390.70 5,730.92 - - 8,121.62 10,156.09

Transfers between Bank & Investment Accounts - - 0.00 - -

2017/2018 Net Cashflow 2,390.70 5,730.92 - 0.00 8,121.62 10,156.09

CASH BALANCES

Cash at Bank and Investment funds Brought Forward 2016/17 30,343.04 - 262.89 5,050.00 35,655.93 <------> 35,655.64

Cash at Bank and Investment funds Carried Forward 2017/18 32,733.74 5,730.92 262.89 5,050.00 43,777.55 38,046.63 Not directly comparable

£6,059.75 YC Reserve Transfer (Jan 2018)

NOTES: More detailed and fully audited accounts will be available on the Charities commission website by the end of 2018. Charity Status

The Scout Group is a Charity established under its rules which are common to all Scout Groups. Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Policy, Organisation and Rules of the Scout Association and are unpaid volunteers. The detailed accounts have been drawn up on the receipt and payment basis that is consistent with the Scout Association.

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Section Reports

Beavers –Tom Winyard

We presently have 25 Beavers with a regular turn out on section nights of 22+ Beavers. As at the beginning of the summer term, the waiting list for those eligible to join Beavers was reduced to zero. Whilst a few have been added during the course of this term, at present our waiting list is low. This is likely to remain low for the immediate future as this term, 11 of our Beavers move on to cubs, so the section will be relatively young in the autumn and new year.

We aim to achieve a balance program so that each Beaver that joins us has the opportunity to obtaining their Bronze Scout award before they progress to Cubs. This requires each Beaver to obtain their 6 challenge award and achieve 4 activity badges. To do this we have run a 1 year rolling program designed to ensure that each of the 6 challenge badges can each be completed yearly. In reality this rarely happens in a year but this approach then allows us to tailor the program each term to ensure that we fill in any missing blanks for the Beavers that are due to leave that year. This way each Beaver that joins us at the age of 6 has 2 opportunities to obtain each activity required to complete his bronze award.

With a view to keeping the program fresh and new for Beavers that have been with us for more than 1 year, we usually have in place 2 program activities for each badge requirement and the activity badges which supplement the program are run on a 2 year rolling cycle, so that each Beaver has the opportunity to collect 4-6 activity badges each year to accompany the challenge badges.

I am delighted to be able to say that have been able to award 12 Bronze Scout awards in the past 12 months along with numerous activity badges.

During the last year we have engaged in a number of activities and events. Last July saw us taking the Beavers on a Night Away with the district to Phasels Wood, taking part in many adventurous activities, such as Climbing, spider mountain and zorbing. This July we will be going as unit to Paccar to enjoy a night away on our own, but again undertaking many activities, such as Archery and Caving. We have also enjoyed a night away as the National Space Centre and a skills day early in the year, again at Paccar.

In terms of our weekly program, we have enjoyed evenings of: Hikes; Problem Solving; Learning new skills, such as cooking pancakes, packing rucksacks and making beds; Fire/Backwoods nights; Our yearly assault course over the rafters in the hut; Learning about global issues to include making a water filter out of natural materials; Helping in the community but clearing holly in the woods behind the hut; Safety and First Aid; Den Building; Tree Climbing; Kayaking; Trail following; Many other indoor activities and of course games!

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Generally I have been very lucky to have a strong leadership team and this year has been the same, having run a recruiting drive in early months of this year. However, many of my seasoned leaders children are this term all moving to Cubs in September they are therefore moving with them. Come September therefore we will be running on a skeleton leadership team. I am hoping that over the summer a few parents will therefore step up to volunteer to assist and we will be running a recruitment drive to try and get the team back up to 6 regular leaders, which makes the role as BSL that much more enjoyable.

Tom Winyard Beaver Scout Leader, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group

Cubs –Lauren Stevens

Year after year, the cubs amaze me with how much enthusiasm and passion they have to complete badges & try new activities. We currently have 30 cubs with 6 leaving us at the end of term to scouts and 11 coming up from beavers.

During the winter term, we managed to take part in evenings such as road safety, science and home help badge evenings, trying handball and karate for the first time, Guy Fawkes and learning about healthy eating and exercise. We also managed to visit Farnham Common residential home to sing carols to the residents. They absolutely loved the cubs and the presents they received went down a treat. The leaders treated the cubs last Christmas by taking them to see a cowboy/western pantomime put on by the Stoke Poges Players. Our cubs were the loudest in the room shouting ‘He’s behind you!’ and ‘Booooooo’ to the bad guys!

After Christmas, we managed to complete the astronomer and home safety badges, we learnt about burns night and Chinese new year, made jelly bean butterflies for mother’s day and had a visit from the Stoke Poges Players who taught the cubs about acting and performing on stage. Our main trip was to the Thames Valley Adventure Playground where the cubs got to learn about different disabilities and how everyday tasks & activities can be adapted for people who have a disability.

This term, we decided to plan evenings such as emergency aid & photography badge evenings, father’s day crafts, kite making, world cup evening & learning about Deaf Awareness week which will go towards the ‘Our Outdoor’ challenge badge. We had a visit from the Shooting Stars Circus Skills Company who taught the cubs quite a few circus tricks. We also went to HOAC to take part in some kayaking and we will be finishing the term with a campfire full of marshmallows and dampers!

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Group Camp 2017 - We took part in a group camp at Dorneywood last Autumn which had a range of activities including branding, blind trails, climbing wall, fire-lighting and popcorn making. There was a campfire on the Saturday night where the cubs got to show the beavers and scouts their loud singing voices!

Cub Camp 2018 - We went to the Hedgerley campsite in Gregory Road in June where we camped for 2 nights. The theme was movies which the cubs loved. We went on a 3 hour hike around Burnham Beeches to learn about where the different movies were filmed. I was amazed at the cubs’ knowledge; they knew more than the leaders! We finished the hike off with an ice cream and then some fish and chips. We also made ballistas, stretchers and created tracks around the woods for the cubs to follow. I am proud of the cubs for managing to survive the weekend with the hot weather!

A whopping 511 badges were handed out this year (Jul17-Jul18) within cubs. This includes 9 activity badges and 3-4 challenge badges completed during the term evenings and many more earned by the cubs in their own time. We have had 19 cubs that have completed their Chief Scout Silver Awards, congratulations to them all! The cubs are always so enthusiastic to fill their jumpers with badges which is why we include a badge night each term where the cubs can decide what badges they would like to achieve by working either at home or during cubs to complete them.

I would like to thank:  The leadership team – Skip, Nag, Chil, Rama & Mowgli! Thank you for all the hard work you put into cubs and for making it entertaining and fun for everyone. Team work makes the dream work!  Young Leaders – Ben, Robert & David for running a few evenings and looking after the cubs.  Parent Rep - Susanna for helping me with the admin & emails.  At the end of the winter term, we said goodbye to Bagheera (Shiv). I would like to say a massive thank you for all the time and effort he has put into cubs over the years.  Our visitors who kindly put aside time to visit us making our programme diverse and exciting  The Executive team for all the support you give to the group.  Last of all, thank you to all the parents and to the cubs, we hope you enjoy every moment with us.

Lauren Stevens Cub Scout Leader, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group

Scouts –Andy Hawkes

The previous 12 months has been as busy for the scout section as ever. With scout numbers consistently between mid to high 30s the section continues to run at near maximum capacity and continue to offer a broad and balanced programme with the focus on outdoor activities.

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Our annual report takes us back to last summer when 24 scouts including several visitors from other troops visited Clyro near Hay-on Wye for what is known as a “Green Field” camp. That term basically means that there is nothing there but a field and as such, the scouts need to work hard and pull together to turn the field into their home for the next week. That achieved, the scouts enjoyed a week of activities which included kayaking, pioneering, hiking and cooking as well as a group of older scouts completing their Expedition Challenge badge while the younger ones stayed in camp and completed their Camp Cook badge.

Our autumn programme included some familiar activities with the ever present Remembrance Service and Senior Citizens Christmas party as well attended and successful along with our regular Friday evenings including a games night, Patrol Leaders night and orienteering around Church Wood and the RSPB reserve. We also joined with the Cub and Beaver sections for a Group Camp at Dorney Wood. A highlight of the term for scouts and leaders alike was a visit to Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk to meet members of 656 Squadron. Here we met some army pilots and learned all about their Apache helicopters which along with evenings in the hut learning about all things aviation allowed many of the scouts to achieve their aviation badge.

Poor weather affected things both sides of Christmas with the scout party before and a planned circus skills evening after New Year having to be postponed due to snow. Once the term got going though, the scouts enjoyed a challenge night, craft activity, regular games and PLs nights as well as our Millionaires Banquet and a visit from the Stoke Poges players who taught us all about how to produce and act out a short storey using drama techniques. February brought us both “Freezer Camp" at Chalfont where 10 scouts braved the elements for a weekend of exciting activities and the District Cycling weekend at Cranborne Chase near Salisbury where 9 scouts joined others from the District for a full weekend of mountain biking. The term ended with Patrol Camp at Braid Wood with the Patrol Leaders leading their groups in fire lighting, camping and outdoor cooking skills and the leaders teaching safe use of knives.

Our most recent programme has seen us out and about even more regularly and in all sorts of conditions. Following a visit and talk from members of the Salvation Army we have been to Burnham Beeches (in the rain) to learn about how the site was utilised as a transport storage and support facility during the Second World War and to Farnham Park sports ground to play Softball with their coaches on a warm summer evening. The scouts then got wet again after building and sailing rafts at Taplow Lake and hot once more back at the hut for some fire lighting and outdoor cooking. We had 3 teams competing in the BASIC night hike competition and a Patrol Leader led evening of games on The Green.

By the time you read this, we will also have joined forces with members of the Hedgerley Conservation Volunteers to help clear unwanted holly from Kemsley Wood to the rear of our hut (hope you can see the results) and completed our annual cycle ride which this year takes us around Windsor, Dorney, The Jubilee River and Eton. Rounding out the term we have an overnight bivvy when the scouts have to build and sleep in their own shelters which brings us to today and you joining us for our end of year BBQ and AGM.

Looking further ahead, 29 scouts will travel to North Cornwall for summer camp this year where watersports & landsports are on the menu. No information is given out beforehand but wait to hear all the news on their return!

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Overall, we have offered a total of 18 nights away in 7 different locations and continue to have good attendance at camps and sleepovers.

As a troop we have remained committed to our community throughout the year and we have once again supported the Farnhams Horticultural Show, Hedgerley Conservation Group and the previously mentioned Remembrance and Senior Citizens party. Other District activities are also well supported and we have had scouts taking part in climbing days, the Snowdonia mountain weekend, bushcraft skills weekend and kayaking at Longridge. We have also entered teams for The Big O Orienteering competition and Grimsdyke Hike.

The Chief Scout Gold Award is the highest accolade a scout can achieve and this year two scouts have completed all the aspects required of them so congratulations to Scott Robinson and Simi Chavda on their achievements.

Everyone associates scouting with camping and the pinnacle of camping experiences must be an International Jamboree. The ultimate of these is the World Scout Jamboree which is held every four years in a different part of the globe. 2018 sees it visit America and places are highly sought. The selection process for our district centres around a day held at Dorney Wood camp site where the scouts have to take part in a series of teambuilding and skills based challenges. Only a very small number are chosen and we are very pleased to be able to tell you that Daisy Pearson was selected to join others who together form a Bucks contingent. This is all the more remarkable as Daisy has only been in scouting a couple of years but it is testament to her keenness and attitude that she has been awarded a place. World Jamboree is open to applicants who will be under 18 at the time of the event and as such the older Explorer group are eligible. Hedgerley has quite an association with ex-scouts being successful applicants for World Jamborees and this time has been no exception. Our congratulations also go to Zoe Walker, Scout section Young Leader with Hedgerley along with Young leaders from the other sections, Lizzy Cottrell and Ben Gamblin who were also successful. We should also mention Isla Brown, who although a Holtspur scout at the time of her selection, has now transferred to Hedgerley.

In a change from the usual format and to give even more scouts the opportunity to experience an International Jamboree, our County organisers also offered places at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre. Selection for this was run in parallel with the main event and Scott Robinson and Rosie Thatcher were chosen to select Hedgerley and Woodlands at this event. Of course, an event the size of a World or International Jamboree needs a lot of adult assistance and selection for places on the various support teams is also fiercely contested. We would also like to mention Jonny Davies who will lead a team of scouts along with Chris Leister Crow, Patrick Toone and Henri Toone who will join the World Jamboree international service team (i.e. working) Jenny Davies has also been chosen to lead a scout team at Kandersteg.

The leadership team is currently in something of a transition period. With some longstanding members no longer having children in the troop, we have actively sought new blood and have managed to recruit several new Assistant Leaders. We would like to officially welcome Ian Francis, Sarah Pearson and Oksana Jasionis to the troop and hope they enjoy their time in scouting as much as the rest of us have done over the last few years.

Andy Hawkes Scout Leader, 1st Hedgerley Scout Group 9