Annual Report and Accounts

Croydon District Scout Council

to 31st December 2019

One District One Movement Contents

Page(s)

 Summary of current Scout Groups, Explorer Units 3 and Scout Network Section  Minutes of the Annual General Meeting 2019 5 to 8  District Chair Report 9 to 10  District Commissioners Report 11 to 13  District Beaver Scout Report 14  District Cub Scout Report 15 to 16  District Scout Report 17 to 18  District Explorer Scout Report 19 to 20  District Scout Network Report 21 to 22  District Youth Commissioners Report 23  District Chaplaincy Report 24  District Adult Training Report 25 to 26  District Appointments Advisory Committee Report 27  District Safety Committee Report 28 to 29  District PR Committee Report 30  Bears Wood Campsite Report 31  Pinewood Scout Centre Report 32  Mobile Climbing Wall Report 33

Please Note:-

A copy of the Annual General Meeting Agenda will be finalised and published when the date for the AGM is rearranged and confirmed. Copies of the agenda will be available on the evening with hard copies of this report.

Provided as separate booklet:-

 Trustees Annual Report and Accounts 2019

2 SCOUT GROUPS 1st SCOUT GROUP Richmond Hall, Fourth Drive, Coulsdon, CR5 3BD (Access from rear of Lion Green Road car park, CR5 2NL) 16th PURLEY (7th , All Saints) SCOUT GROUP 1st () SCOUT GROUP Cranleigh Close, , CR2 9LH Beverley Hall, Grant Road, Croydon, CR0 6PJ St Matthew’s Church Hall, Chichester Road, Croydon, CR0 5NQ 17th PURLEY (St John’s, Old Coulsdon) SCOUT GROUP Rear of St John’s Church Hall, Marlpit Lane, Old Coulsdon, 6th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP CR5 2HD (top of Marlpit Lane) 11-13 Bynes Road, South Croydon, CR2 0PY 18th PURLEY (Sanderstead URC) Scout Group 7th/12th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP Farm Fields, South Croydon, CR2 0HQ Rear of 35 Birdhurst Rise, South Croydon, CR2 7EJ 19th PURLEY (Riddlesdown) SCOUT GROUP 10th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP Dunmail Drive, off Mitchley Hill, South Croydon, CR2 1EX (Access 113-115 St James’s Road, Croydon, CR0 2UW from bottom of Mitchley Hill, CR2 9HJ)

16th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP 21st PURLEY (St Barnabas ) SCOUT GROUP Large Church Hall, , Church Street, Croydon, St Barnabas Church, Higher Drive, Purley, CR8 2HR CR0 1RN 25th PURLEY (St Mark’s) SCOUT GROUP 23rd CROYDON (1st ) SCOUT GROUP Scout Hut, Rear of St Mark’s Church Hall, Church Road, Purley, The Den, 30 Love Lane, South Norwood, SE25 4NG CR8 3QQ

26th CROYDON (St Andrew’s) SCOUT GROUP 29th PURLEY (Purley Baptist) SCOUT GROUP St Andrew’s Church Hall, Quadrant Rd, , CR7 7NG Purley Baptist Church, Banstead Road, Purley, CR8 3EA St James the Great School, Windsor Rd, Thornton Heath, CR7 8HJ 30th PURLEY MASJID SCOUT GROUP 27th CROYDON (St Mildreds) SCOUT GROUP Rear of Hillars Heath Road, Coulsdon, CR5 2JP St Mildred’s Hall, Bingham Road, Croydon, CR0 7EB (path between numbers 28 & 29)

28th CROYDON (Our Lady of the Annunciation) SCOUT 1st & ADDINGTON SCOUT GROUP GROUP Rear of St John’s Hall, 7a Upper Selsdon Rd, South Croydon, Rear of 20-22 Craven Road, Croydon, CR0 7JH CR2 8DD

29th CROYDON (St John’s) SCOUT GROUP 2nd SELSDON & ADDINGTON SCOUT GROUP Behind Shirley Hall, 81 Wickham Road, Croydon, CR0 8TB Entrance between 89 & 91 Foxearth Rd, South Croydon, CR2 8EN

31st CROYDON (2nd Shirley, St George’s) SCOUT GROUP 5th SELSDON & ADDINGTON SCOUT GROUP Rear of St George’s Church Hall, Elstan Way, Croydon, CR0 7PR Addington Methodist Church, Huntingfield, Addington , CR0 9BA

39th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP The Quest, 105-107 Beulah Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 8JG EXPLORER SCOUT UNITS COULSDON FALCONS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT 44th CROYDON (Air Scouts) SCOUT GROUP Richmond Hall, Fourth Drive, Coulsdon, CR5 3BD Ad Astra, Hythe Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 8QQ (Access from rear of Lion Green Road car park, CR5 2NL)

61st CROYDON (St Oswald’s) SCOUT GROUP CROHAM VALLEY EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT The New Enterprise, Biggin Hill, , SE19 3HT Rear of 35 Birdhurst Rise, South Croydon, CR2 7EJ

63rd CROYDON (4th South Norwood) SCOUT GROUP CRYSTAL PALACE EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT Rear of Holy Innocents Church, Rd, South Norwood, SE25 The Den, 3 Rama Lane, Cintra Park, Upper Norwood, SE19 2LJ 6XX EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT 67th CROYDON SCOUT GROUP 21st Purley HQBP Hut, St Barnabas Church, Higher Drive, Purley, The Endeavour Halls, 273 Crescent, Norbury, SW16 4LF CR8 2HR

1st CRYSTAL PALACE (2nd Croydon) SCOUT GROUP PINEWOOD SEAHORSES EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT The Den, 3 Rama Lane, Cintra Park, Upper Norwood, SE19 2LJ Pinewood Scout Centre, between 157 & 159 Shirley Church Road, Croydon, CR0 5AJ 1st PURLEY (Princess Christian’s Own) SCOUT GROUP 53-55 Purley Park Road, Purley, CR8 2BW PURLEY CROSS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT Purley Baptist Church, Banstead Road, Purley, CR8 3EA 7th PURLEY (All Saints, Kenley) SCOUT GROUP All Saints Church Hall, Church Road, Kenley, CR8 5DU PURLEY OAKS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT Dunmail Drive, off Mitchley Hill, South Croydon, CR2 1EX (Access 8th PURLEY (St Mary’s) SCOUT GROUP from bottom of Mitchley Hill, CR2 9HJ) Scout HQ, St Mary’s Church, Purley Oaks Road, South Croydon, CR2 0NR (Entrance in Beech Avenue) YOUNG LEADERS EXPLORER SCOUT UNIT No regular meeting place 9th PURLEY (St John the Baptist) SCOUT GROUP

St John the Baptist Parish Centre, Dale Road, Purley, CR8 2EF SCOUT NETWORK 11th PURLEY (St James) SCOUT GROUP CROYDON (ROMANS) SCOUT NETWORK Meetings at 19th Purley HQ: (q.v.) No regular meeting place

3

CROYDON AND DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This meeting was held on Tuesday 11th June 2019 at St Pauls Church Hall Croham Park Avenue, South Croydon at 8.00p.m.

1. Dave Rixson District Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting especially:- Chris Dean – Deputy County Commissioner; Vice Presidents –John Ashe; Lynne Hale; Theresa Jeffrey; Les Ling; Tony Rowland; John Seaton.

He thanked the PR team for all the preparation towards the AGM.

There will be a collection for Euro Jam and Sam and Jordan have a display on the forthcoming CROYCAMP2020

A moment of reflection lead by Steve French.

2. Apologies for absence had been received from:-Vice Presidents – Derrick East; Don Johnston; Margaret Ling; Rene Logan; Kate Balzer; Stuart Cheesman; Martin Greenwood; Jenny Robson Appointment Secretary; Mo Haque.

3. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 8th May 2018 had been read and agreed at the District Executive Committee meeting held on 25th June 2018 – accepted by the meeting and signed.

4. A presentation was made by two scouts from 17th Purley. They were part of a team of Scouts and Explorer Scouts who went on the trip organised by Chris Dean called Operation Overload Revisited to Normandy. It was an exceptional presentation with photos as well as verbal account.

5. The Chair presented the District Executive Committee’s report for 2018. Copies were available to those present at the meeting and had been published on the District website. There were no questions from the floor. It was proposed by Peter Pearce that the report be accepted and seconded by John Seaton. Agreed by those present.

Matter Arising – The Chair pointed out with the year we have had that Tony Crackett’s request for the collation of the District equipment and their whereabouts is in hand and will be dealt this year.

The District Treasurer presented the audited accounts which have been included in the report. Hallam pointed out that Miss C Leong previous auditor was not very happy with the way she felt she had been dealt with by the Executive. The Chair pointed out that both Hallam and

4 Miss Leong had offered to resign and this had been accepted. Hallam also pointed out what he considered errors in the accounts. It was agreed that the accounts would be passed subject to investigation with County Finance and the Independent Examiner. Proposed by Sam Linley that the accounts be accepted and seconded by Mandy Giles. Agreed by those present.

A query was also raised with 7/12th Croydon but The Chair said he would be going to their AGM and would sort it out then.

There were no further queries from the floor.

6. Greg Cook (District Commissioner) confirmed his nomination of Dave Rixson District Chair. Meeting agreed.

7. Dave Rixson proposed to elect Pam Grogan as District Secretary who was prepared to stand again. Meeting agreed.

8. Dave Rixson proposed to elect Saiqa Asghar as the District Treasurer who was prepared to stand again. Meeting agreed.

9. District Secretary read the members of the Executive Committee nominated by the District Commissioner in consultation with the District Chair for approval:-

Tony Grogan; Mohammed Haque, John Seaton; Simon Whitehead; Jon Slade..

Agreed by meeting.

10. District Secretary read the District Scout Council’s nominations to the District Executive:-

Heather Clark; Andy Dovey; Mandy Giles; Kevin Moynihan; George Turner.

Agreed by meeting.

11. District Secretary read the members to be co-opted to the Executive Committee:-

George Campbell Chair Pinewood; Theresa Jeffrey Chair Appointments Advisory; PR Committee; Steve French Chair PR Committee.

Agreed by the meeting.

12. District Secretary read out the Vice Presidents in the District. The following had agreed to continue for another year:-

President – no appointment at the present time

5 Vice Presidents:- John Ashe Derrick East Lynne Hale Theresa Jeffrey Don Johnston Les and Margaret Ling Rene Logan Tony Rowland John Seaton Proposed by Yorkie Seconded by Tony Crackett Agreed by the meeting

13. The District Commissioner nominated Dave Rixson to serve on the County Executive. Proposed by Yorkie Seconded by John Seaton. Agreed by the meeting

14. The Chair presented the following nomination and it was agreed:- Badge Secretary – Martin Hewitt

15. The Chair presented the following nomination and it was agreed:- Ian Rowe as Independent Examiner. Agreed by the meeting

16. District Constitution The Chair presented this document. Changes will be made during the year and brought to this meeting for approval next year. If you have any queries regarding the Constitution please contact a member of the Executive committee. Proposed by Theresa Jeffrey seconded by Richard Goad

17. Steve French - District Commissioner for the year 2018 We had increased our membership by 2.8%. Four District Youth Commissioner. Section teams working well. The new PR committee had been formed with 9-10 members. New leaflets had been printed. Banners update with the new branding. As well as being Chair and PR I have been appointment ACC Perception. Jack has run a media workshop. Looking to have social media and other workshops soon.

Greg Cook – District Commissioner 2019 I owe Steve a debt for his support during the first half of the year. Implementation of the Youth Shaped Strategy will continue this year. We are looking to appoint more Youth Commissioners they are the bed rock of the next generation of leaders. Also to deliver Scouting by being friendly, transparent in an unambiguous way. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. When I leave I will want to handover to the youth of today being happy that they are trained to do the job. Groups have been to Normandy and to the Gambia last year. This year Sweden, Poland, Jamboree and Eurojam all coming up. Leaders have fun and leave the youth exhausted. You are responsible and I will back you up if required.

6 We have to increase our numbers by 5% this year get out there and start recruiting.

The Chair – support Greg to make these things work.

18. Chris Dean - Deputy County Commissioner

Neil Findlay sends his apologies as he is away on business.

In Croydon growth in youth membership and a new group but it had fallen 7% over the last 5 years. There were more girls than boys. Pressure at school and technology seem to be the problem. Progress and events important boys stay friendly.

Rebranding- new vision – creditable and relevant delivery of good programmes and leaders also activities. Support team in assisting ADC.

5% increase 2019 would mean 105n new members equals membership 2226.

Nationally top awards explorer and retention. ACC Top Awards has been appointed - Ian Tombleson. Active Support Team = increase focus.

19. Presentations

Theresa Jeffrey presented Emily Cruttenden her Commissioner Award for assisting with the County conference in 2017. Also wood badge for Youth Commissioner.

The District Commissioner presented the following awards:-

Jack Wensley Jon Slade, Francesca Taylor and Andrew Davies were also presented with their wood badges.

Long service awards to Heather Clark and Aiden Devaney.

Steve French introduced Barbara Jones who presented the Roger Jones Award (framed certificate) for people who have no barriers and go the extra mile.

Christie Golder – has given time to other people as well as to mental health issues.

Katherine Carlyle always goes above and beyond. Had a sad loss. Introduced 85 challenges project in her group. Always works behind the scenes.

David Seaman always smiles. Support other leaders and young people. Sadly his wife is ill and will be stepping down.

Plants were presented by Greg to Pam Grogan District Secretary; Saiqa Asghar; Theresa Jeffrey and Margaret Tyler for their assistance during the year.

20. Any other business

7 Hallam Carter Pegg stood up and requested an explanation as to why the Bears Wood Committee had been sacked. Also group were unhappy with the situation.

The Chair replied that they were not sacked and had that they been disbanded. Shawfire and the existing committee were offered the opportunity to re-join the new Management Structure being put in place but refused.

The Chair thanked the Chris Dean for the refreshments and everyone for coming.

Date of next meeting of the District Executive Committee is 1st July 2019 at Shirley High School.

There was no more business.

The meeting closed at 21.20 hrs

8 Chairs Report 2019

It is my pleasure to present our annual reports and accounts. As always, I would urge you to take the time to read the individual section/activity reports as they give a valuable insight into the wide range of opportunities and resources which are available to the many hundreds of young people who are Scouting in Croydon.

During the past year the District Executive Committee has continued to support the delivery and development of Scouting in Croydon. Additionally, the District Executive Committee and its sub-Committees have continued to provide the management and support for Bears Wood, Pinewood, the mobile climbing wall and the water activities at South Norwood Lake.

At the beginning of the year we welcomed Greg Cook as our new District Commissioner. Greg has a clear vision for Scouting in Croydon which is firmly focused on the young people and youth led Scouting. I am pleased to be able to report that the District Executive Committee is already working with Greg to help him to achieve his goals.

You will no doubt recall that in my report last year I explained that we are in the process of conducting a major review of governance in the District. I also explained that this was likely to involve some difficult decisions being made if we are to fulfil our responsibilities as Trustees for Croydon Scouting and to meet our declared aims.

It’s worth remembering that the purpose of this review is to ensure that we are open, transparent, accountable, compliant and professional in everything we do. In addition, we have a responsibility to ensure that everything we do continues to meet the needs of and is in the best interest of and primarily for the benefit of Scouting in Croydon.

As part of this process at the last year’s AGM our District Constitution was formally approved. This document now acts as our primary document of governance. During the year the Constitution has been supplemented by a number of other policies and strategies which are designed to enhance and improve the operations of the District. All of these documents are available on the District website.

You may also recall that I mentioned last year that changes would be made to the various sub-Committees of the District Executive Committee. In this respect I can report that under the leadership of Theresa Jeffrey the operations of the District Appointments Advisory Committee have been reviewed and improvements have been made to the appointments and review processes.

Elsewhere the relaunched District Public Relations Committee under leadership of Steve French have overseen a number of PR and development opportunities during the past year. Currently they are working on a number of projects including the rebranding of the District’s resources and managing/co-ordinating the development of the new District website.

The District Finance Committee under the direction of John Seaton has continued to make changes to our financial management and accounting procedures. There are now clear policies relating to the management of the District Finances and on how the various funds held by the District can be used to support and develop Scouting in Croydon.

9 Under the leadership of George Campbell, the Management Committee at Pinewood continues to improve and develop the facilities at the site. George has also continued to coordinate the water activities at South Norwood Lake. The mobile climbing wall team under the direction of Martin Greenwood continues to operate this fantastic District resource.

During the early part of the year it became necessary to make changes to the management structure at Bears Wood. As you will no doubt be aware the site is now temporarily under the direct management of the District Executive Committee who have already overseen a number of changes and improvements at the site.

In the coming year as well as continuing to review governance at District level we will be extending the review process to include individual Groups and Units. It is essential that at all levels of Scouting we are open, transparent, accountable, compliant and professional.

I am in no doubt that this process is likely to result in more difficult decisions having to be made. Whilst naturally we will be prepared to listen to reasoned argument and adopt a sensitive approach, we must ensure that we are acting in the best interests of the young people in our care at all times. I look forward to receiving your support and cooperation in this process.

Every year I never cease to be amazed by the small army of individuals who freely and willingly donate their time to support and deliver Scouting to the young people of Croydon. No matter how big or small the contribution you make to support Scouting in Croydon to each and every one of you I say a heartfelt thank you.

My thanks also to all the members of the District Executive Committee and the various sub Committees for your continuing contribution and support – it really is appreciated. As always, a special mention and thanks also to John Seaton (my Deputy), Pam Grogan (District Secretary) and Saiqa Asghar (District Treasurer) who have somehow managed to put up with me for another year.

And finally, as I write this report the Scout Association has recently taken the decision to suspend all face to face meetings and activities until further notice as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Already I have been amazed by the ingenuity of our adults who are finding new and innovative ways of keeping our young people engaged.

In the longer term this suspension will present a number of major challenges to Scouting. Locally we must accept that it is likely that the current model used for the delivery of Scouting in Croydon will need to be reviewed and changed to ensure we continue to meet the needs and expectations of our young people.

These are undoubtably unprecedented and challenging times for Scouting but with your continued support and cooperation we can emerge from this in true Scouting style as a stronger and more vibrant movement.

Dave Rixson District Chair Email: [email protected] 10 District Commissioners Report 2019 – 2020

I am pleased to say that during 2019 Croydon Scouting was very busy in all Sections and I will not steal any thunder from the following Sectional reports but this will give you a glimpse of what your young people have been doing in Croydon. 2020 started out to be a great year until a small hiccup came along in late February 2020 – THE CORONA VIRUS. More on this later

Our annual census held on 31st January 2020 recorded another rise in membership of about 5% over the previous year. The average group size is now 62 up from 59 the previous year. Both Cubs and Scouts are showing a healthy increase, Beaver numbers have fallen slightly. Explorer membership has remained broadly the same as last year. My thanks go to Pam Grogan and to our GSL’s for achieving this task in record time and with minimum fuss.

We are moving in the right direction in our ‘Youth Led Strategy’ launched at the District AGM in 2019 with increasing evidence that the members are now starting to shape our future. More details of this can be found on our website (see link below). Emily Cruttenden and Aidan Devaney two of our first Youth Commissioners have now taken up senior roles on the District team and we expect to make further changes in the coming months.

https://www.croydonscouting.org.uk/leaders/you-shape.

Our centres at Pinewood and Bears Wood and the Mobile Climbing Wall have all received significant time and financial investment in the past few months and were all looking forward to record breaking use and bookings this year. Our thanks must go to the teams looking after these two fantastic resources, in particular: George Campbell and his team, Danny Curnyn, Martin Greenwood and Dave Martin for their significant efforts. We must also thank our Executive Committee led by Dave Rixson, John Seaton and Saiqa Asghar for their contributions also. We will be rebranding Bears Wood shortly and I look forward to sharing and discussing our plans with you in due course. Then of course the CORONA VIRUS happened.

We have already seen a huge number of amazing activities undertaken this year with groups going far afield to North America, The Gambia, Sweden, Norway and France. We had a lot planned for this year too:

 VE Day Celebration  Camp 2020  You Day  Euro Jam  Pride Fest  All our Sectional District events

Then of course the CORONA VIRUS happened

11 Our Appointment Advisory Committee (AAC) and Leader Training have been busy this year too:

Our thanks go to Theresa Jeffrey, Jenny Robson and Jon Slade. Meetings and interviews arranged for the coming months and then of Course the CORONA VIRUS happened.

We have had a lot of awards this year for both our members and Leaders. Special recognition should be made to both Steve French and Bernie Farrell who were both awarded the Silver Wolf at the annual St Georges Day Awards 2020.

Amazing effort following years of noteworthy efforts for Croydon Scouting

12 And Finally:

COVID 19

 Suspension of all face to face activities from Tuesday March 17th 2020 as advised by Tim Kidd  All Centres effectively shut until further notice  No meetings until further notice  End of Story?

Not Quite !!!

Croydon Scouting has taken to virtual Scouting in a very big way and Zoom meetings are the new night in.

I don’t know when everything will return to normal but we will be back with a vengeance!!

Stay Healthy & Safe

Greg Cook District Commissioner Email: [email protected]

One District One Movement

13

Beaver Scout Report 2019

We would like to start by once again thanking all the volunteers that give up their time to help out at our Beaver Colonies around the District. Your planning, dedication and commitment is appreciated and without you we would not be running with so many Colonies in Croydon.

In March 2019, we held our Music Fun Day at Bears Wood. The event attracted approx 200 Beavers from different parts of Croydon and the day was packed with different events and included a silent disco in the main hall. The weather was once again really nice. All the Beavers and adults had a great day out and once again it started the District calendar off to a great start.

In May we held another Challenge Day. Like the year before, many colonies were represented at this event which this time round included Caves to explore. Hopefully the event assisted Colonies to achieve their Challenge Badges.

In Sept we held another reward day for those that had achieved their Chief Scout Bronze award. We took about 60 of them to Margate to visit Hornby Model Railway Exhibition where they could control model railways and scalextric cars. In addition they all visited and had a tour of the One:One collection which is also situated there and which is a museum of locomotives and coaches of the past. The day out would not have been complete without a short break on the sandy beach. Feedback shows everyone really enjoyed themselves.

These events and the Leaders meetings which we hold throughout the year are a great way of leaders sharing ideas and organising joint events. It also shows the Beavers how they are part of a much bigger group within Croydon and we encourage all Leaders to attend such events laid on for them in the future.

Sadly 2020 will be very different. We have had to postpone the Fun day for this year and visits to Groups. We would encourage all Leaders however to stay in contact with the children that attend their Colonies either using Google Head or Zoom. Activities can still be carried out and badges earned even if the Groups are not meeting in Church Halls or Scout huts.

Franchesca, Tana & Andrew Croydon (ADC) Beaver Team

Email: [email protected]

14 Cub Section Annual Report 2019

A dry, but blustery Saturday morning in early February saw 18 Cub Packs from the District make their way to RAF Hendon to do the Air Activities Badge. Over 192 Cubs, 45 Leader’s and at least 27 Parents make their way by Bus, Tube, Tram and Rail for a fun day out. Activity Packs were given out that RAF Hendon had drawn up to cover not only the Badge but also the Museum. We all gathered around the mighty Lancaster Bomber to end off the day, and there were a lot of tired faces looking up at us. With the raise of an arm, over 250 of us fell silent and we all said goodbye and wearily we went home.

On 30th April, 58 cubs from 3 Packs, the 5th S&A, 11th Purley and 17th Purley descended on Frylands Wood to compete for the Mang Trophy. The challenge, set by the 5th S&A, was to build the highest tower using plastic cups. Due to the windy conditions, the Cubs used their initiative and instead of stacking the cups like building blocks, kept the cups stacked together. Congratulations to the 11th Purley on winning the Trophy and thank you to Brian Young for organising the evening and to Frylands Wood for hosting the event. Who will be the next challenger?

Our second event in the last couple of months was the Chief Scouts Silver Awards day at Pinewood on 12th May. About 36 young people took part trying their hand at Archery, Climbing and Air Rifle Shooting in the morning before descending on the lake to try kayaking and raft building in the afternoon. I do hope that now they have tried pioneering and the art of tying lashings, they have the opportunity to practice and improve. Some of the raft building resulted in the kids getting very wet. Thank you to all the leaders that helped out on the day, especially Martin Greenwood and his climbing team, Jordan De Saa and Kevin Moynihan on the lake and Tanisha Anderson for taking a lead with the raft building.

15

In June it was the Annual Baloo Trophy. As usual it was a glorious day. Twelve Bases were run during the day and tis year we changed a few Bases around and had Fire Lighting and making Dampers which went down well. And for the first time in Baloo’s history there were 3 winners – 18th Purley, 19th Purley and 1st Coulsdon Hunters.

Well the Summer saw lots of Packs going to Camp and having Days out. One Pack travelled to Windsor and another to the New Forest and made the effort to visit Brownsea Island and whilst there presented 5 Chief Scouts Silver Awards - Well done to those Cubs - but while at Camp this Pack worked towards/gained 13 Badges & Challenges - Well done.

The next Event was going to be another Cubopoly but sadly this had to be postponed due to the weather and school holiday.

Mandy Giles / Peter Pearce Joint ADC (Cubs) Email: [email protected]

16

Scout Report 2019

2019 was a big year for our team, again running a varying programme using a lot of the ideas/suggestions from our Forum held annually with the patrol leaders & assistance patrol leaders. A lot of the events we run were at capacity, which is fantastic and we hope that this continues for years to come.

In February 2019, the team ran a Patrol Leaders Weekend at Bears Wood Campsite. With us not running this event for a couple of years, the scouts were very keen to book on and see what it was all about. We had 32 kids booked and they all had a fantastic time meeting other PL’s & APL’s, whilst playing games, planning programmes and learning other organisation skills. Since this event, several kids have returned to their troops & have ran a meeting. This shows that they had learnt some key skills & will hopefully continue to help plan meetings and push their ideas forward.

In March 2019, we decided to run the Cub/Scout Link Day again at Bears Wood Campsite. This proved to be one of our most popular events so far this year with around 120 cubs & scouts attending! We had 7 bases for the kids to do throughout the day; Fire Lighting, Backwards Cooking, Axe & Saw Skills, Knife Skills, Pioneering, First Aid and Team Building. At the end of the day, we got lots of positive feedback and the best bit, a lot of the cubs said that they can’t wait to become Scouts.

In April 2019, we held our first Archery & Shooting Competition which was held at Frylands Campsite. We had just under 70 scouts competing in; long range archery, short range archery, air rifle shooting. Some of the entrants had no shot before, but still got some very good scores. The long-range archery proved interesting with the windy conditions on the field, but some were still able to get bulls eyes. We were planning to run this event again in 2020 including tomahawk throwing & more capacity, but again it has been postponed to 2021.

The annual Checkpoint Challenge event took place in May 2019 and we were at full capacity for the event with 25 teams entered. As per 2018, we did have a couple of practicing teams with the hope of them taking part unaided next year. 1st place went to 28th Croydon Snowdown troop, 2nd place went to 1st Purley B team closely followed by 29th Purley Titanium B team. A massive thank you to Richard & his team for organising such a great event!

In October 2019, we decided to run a Pioneering Day at Bears Wood Campsite. This was our first one in a few years and had a good attendance from across the district. A lot of kids had not really done much pioneering before and we had some good feedback from some of the kids & leaders on how we could improve this for the next time. We will look at ways to reinvent this going forward.

17 Our annual wide game is always a very popular event and this year was no different. With around 100 Scouts in attendance and lots of very helpful leaders/adults who helped us run 2 different games simultaneously! This years’ event ran even better than previous years, with 2 new games being introduced & no injuries other than a few scratches. It is likely that we will not run this event for 2020/2021, but possibly the year after.

Lastly, all of the above would not have been possible without the amazing support of the District Scout Team (Richard, Claire, Yorkie, Dawn, Jay) along with a lot of the leaders & adults from the troops. I would like to say a huge thank you from myself for helping us to run our programme each year!

Jordan De Saa ADC Scouts Email: [email protected]

18

Explorer Section Report 2019

Duke of Edinburgh Awards in 2019  Bronze Award – Daniel Hughes, Luke O’Dwyer, Conor O’Sullivan, Isabel Thompson, Henry Weiser and Samual McGuire.  Silver Award - Lily Garnett, Anthony Lazar and Harry Warnett.  Gold Award – Laura Howlett and Joseph Parker.

During the year there has been a slight reorganisation of the units within the district Purley Oaks and Sanderstead units merged to form a new unit with Nick Smith as the leader and Alex from Sanderstead staying on to assist, the new unit relocated from their respective venues to the hut in the woods at the 19th Purley. The Unit saw some strong growth in numbers.

Coulsdon also had a change of direction with Ashely and Ken joining John and Andy to strengthen the link with the 17th Purley, the re-vamped unit changed its name to Coulsdon Falcons, again seeing a good increase with the numbers. Sadly we saw the demise of Colliers without as the experiment of weekend meetings saw little interest. Also Phoenix had been struggling with number for a few years and they have started to meet with Kenley bring a few of the remaining members.

Disappointingly with all the changes and the strong increase at Purley Oaks and Coulsdon Falcons the end of year census had exactly the same numbers, 182, as the previous years. But maybe the numbers will grow with a good basis formed with the changed structure.

This year for the first time in a number of years we had a Croydon Explorer gain his explorer belt, congratulations Will Graham. The explorer belt is a special achievement as the candidates travel round a foreign county self-supported for 10 days and embed themselves in the local culture undertaking a number of pre-set challenges, such as attend a civic ceremony . This time the teams went to Galicia.

All the units are working toward top scouting awards with 3 chief Scout Platinum awards and 2 Bronze DoE awards gained at Seahorses. We also have 2 Young Leaders who have just turned 18 who have completed their gold DOEs but have not had them presented yet. Many more Bronze and Silvers are in the pipeline at in all the units. As ever it is a challenge with the schools being able to start earlier than the scouts and registering DOE participants first. I’m hoping in the coming year to use this to our advantage and focus on converting the school DOE efforts to top awards by getting the Units focus on the scouting IVC aspects which will allow us to present Diamond and Platinum Chief Scout Challenges and hopefully a few Queens Scouts after Explorers have completed DOE awards the their school or college. Croydon and GLSW can make a difference at DoE Gold, as the schools are not so set up for that and we can offer that as Explorers transition into Network.

19 Croydon Explorers have been out and camping In Kandersteg with the Network, in Dorset and the Brecon Beacons. Additionally the Explorers attended WinterCamp, Southern 50, Scarefest and had the biggest turnout for Gilwell 24 Croydon has ever with over 60 participants. Additionally Purley Oaks and Seahorses have crewed for Frylands Wood over many weekends. Croydon joined Sutton for our Mountaineering weekend this year and had a good days walking in Snowdonia on the Saturday. On the Sunday the County Mountaineering team excelled themselves by setting up a sea traverse which included a section with a Tyrolian traverse, which spans a gap in the rock with just 2 ropes and the Explorers had to propel themselves across the gap. Something very few mountaineers ever get to do.

As ever the units have been running active and interesting programs, activities as varied as Gliding, Climbing, Cycling at Herne Hill Velodrome, Casualty Simulation, Croquet, Navigation Masterclasses. Handbell ringing and cooking in as many variations as possible (lightweight, backwoods, Ready Steady, etc etc). Seahorses were invited to the Mayor's Parlour in during Parliament Week. Croham Valley visited the Farnborough Air Show and also spent a day flying with Surrey Scouts at Redhill, working towards Air Activities badge.

I’d like to thank all the ES Leaders and Administrators in Croydon, who as ever continue to do an excellent job in offering a full range of activities for their Explorers.

Richard Goad DESC (to Sept 2019) Email: [email protected]

20

Network Report 2019

At the start of the year our focus was Network meetings and getting as many people together as possible, we started the year in a traditional scouting way with a campfire where we discussed all things Network as well as awards people are working on or wanting to work on before eating our way through a mountain of smores.

Over the rest of the year we have challenged ourselves to a few games of beat the buzzer at Oxygen, a round of crazy golf followed up with some practice on the driving range and taking the opportunity to renew our promise while we were there, we have tested our skills on the rifle range at Frylands, enjoyed a Nextwork meeting at the bowling alley and ended the year with our annual Christmas social.

Three Network members were given the honour of attending the Buckingham Palace Garden Party in May, this is the second year running that Network members have been given this amazing opportunity. We have also had 2 members attend events at Kandersteg, Daniel who went out to volunteer for 3 months and Jamie Carroll who took part in Rover Week in late December.

We were delighted to celebrate with Heather Clark and Daniel Bradnam in July as we joined them for a civil reception at Croydon Town Hall for the presentation of their well deserved Deputy Lieutenant’s Certificates. The certificates were presented by the Worshipful Mayor of Croydon with the representative Deputy Lieutenant also in attendance. Daniel and Heather were nominated and received these awards in recognition of their outstanding service and personal achievements made in Scouting, it was a very special evening.

The awards don’t stop there for Network members we also congratulated Laura Howlett and Joe Parker on achieving their Duke of Edinburgh Gold awards, Aidan Devaney and Heather Clark on their 5 year service awards and Emily Cruttenden on her Wood Badge and Commissioners Commendation.

Our final camp of the year was once again at Gilwell Reunion, this year for the first time we extended our stay and met a couple of days before the event. Once again we welcomed some new faces alongside current members, we tried our hand at various activities and attended a variety of training sessions, we enjoyed the discos and evening entertainments and we held our annual meeting and voted in the new exec committee. We were really pleased to be able to appoint a full exec and have members in all roles, with some roles being shared.

21

It has been another really successful year for Network, the exec members have worked really hard to organise a variety of fun and challenging activities and events. We welcome everyone between 18-25, you can find us on Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook or we can be contacted on [email protected]

Cari-ann Bailey Croydon District Network Commissioner Email: [email protected]

22

Youth Commissioner Report 2019

The Youth Commissioner team has continued to expand and grow throughout 2019 and is continuing to go from strength to strength. 2019 saw a lot of changes in personnel to the Youth Commissioner team, with Emily Cruttenden and Aiden Devaney moving on to take up new roles within District. This left us with the need to look to the District and strengthen the team again. Hopefully the official announcement of additional members joining the team will be made shortly once they go through the appointments process.

Throughout 2019, as in 2018, we tried to ensure that there was at least one on member of the Youth Commissioner team present at most events, something that was made slightly more challenging during the period of time where the team was back down to just the two members.

February 2019 saw YouShaped month, part of The Scout Associations YouShape 2019, an initiative to encourage youth lead scouting. The aim being to give the Young People more of a say in helping to draft the programmes for their sections and the older members (such as the PLs/APLs in Scouts) of the Section to help teach new skills to the younger members, as was the way Lord Baden-Powell had originally intended for Scouting. Possibly the most exciting moment for the team during 2019 was announcing the launch of the District Youth Shaped Strategy, something that the team had been working very hard on drafting and getting its approval.

As well as attending District events, 2019 saw Emily participating in the London (walk/run) Westminster Vitality Mile representing Croydon and the Youth Commissioner team – despite a broken arm!! Aiden continued his hard work with the GLSW Eurojam contingent, which included an incredible and emotional weekend visit to Ypres. Megan had an eventful evening leading her first ever campfire with 40 enthusiastic (and very loud) Beaver Scouts. Emily and Jake represented Croydon Scouting by making a presentation to the Croydon Young Major and Youth Council at Royal Russell School as part of a YOU London organised opportunity.

In conclusion, the Youth Commissioner team has had a very successful year in 2019, participating in a wide variety of events both within District and County, and have met the targets established at the beginning of the year. We aim to continue this progress into 2020 and beyond to improve our coverage of events and sectional meetings with the strengthened team.

Jake Belcher / Megan Young / Amy Morgan District Youth Commissioners

Heather Whitehead / Jamie Carroll Asst. District Youth Commissioners Email: [email protected] 23 Chaplains Faith and Belief Report 2019

With much Gratitude to Dr, Canon, Revd Andrew Minister on the 26th January 2019 was an important date in the life of Scouting in Croydon as we marked 100 years since Scouting in Croydon took part in a significant service to remember the 75 scouts who gave their lives in the Great War as Scouts laid a single cross for each life lost.

During the service Graham Baker (ACSL – 28th Croydon) played ‘The Last Post’ followed by a period of silence and then ‘Reveille’. Poppy Wreaths were then placed by Cllr. Bernadette Khan (Mayor of Croydon), Col. Ian McRobbie OBE (Deputy Lieutenant) and Greg Cook (District Commissioner). Then followed a very moving tribute with Steve French (Ex DC) reading out a list of former Croydon Scouts, as 75 current youth representatives from Croydon Scouting each presented and laid a corresponding single wooden poppy cross, at the foot of the alter.

In addition to the above, our Chaplain has provided much pastoral, spiritual and religious support to our Leaders as they cope with difficulties that they experience, not only as Scout’s but also in their private lives.

Our Chaplain is of course the Lead for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care for the whole of Croydon Health Services and has been leading the pastoral, spiritual and religious response to the staff, volunteers, patients and relatives. As such he has the first-hand knowledge and experience to support our Scouting fraternity as we try to understand the impact from this pandemic. Therefore, as we continue to cope with the pandemic of Covid-19, our Chaplain will be focusing on providing pastoral, spiritual and religious support to all of our Leaders, Groups and their families that will be suffering from the consequences of the Covid situation. Our Chaplain will be available to you all by email or mobile in the case of emergencies. Please do not hesitate in contacting him if you feel that you or one of your troop or their families need this support.

Revd. Andy Dovey District Chaplain Mobile: 07527 818816 Email: [email protected]

24 District Adult Training Report 2019

2019 was my second full year in the role, and as appears to be the norm, there have been various changes in the year to training. The main one being First Aid evening refresher courses being stopped, and all renewals have to be full days courses.

These changes to ongoing learning are brought in by the Scout Association to ensure all Leaders are fully up to date with current practices and new guidelines. There will be other changes in 2020 to Safety and Safeguarding. It is critical that Leaders keep their ongoing learning up to date.

Over the last 2 years I have been looking at ensuring Leaders are seen and validated within the timescales for completing getting started and woodbadges (5 months and 3 years respectively). This has been relatively successful, but still some work needs to be done in 2020.

The new First Aid provision has been going for 2 years and appears to be working well with a couple of courses held in Croydon as well as other parts of the County. These courses get booked up very quickly so if you need to renew First Aid you may want to look at booking a course well in advance of the expiry date.

Safeguarding was revamped a year ago and courses held in Croydon twice a year (usually June and November) – courses are held in all 5 Districts twice a year so there are 10 courses a year for people to attend. As well as the course run jointly with Sutton and at County level, Leaders are also going outside County with courses run by GLSE, Surrey and Kent.

Following this report is a summary of all Croydon members having gained their Wood Badges and / or completing their Getting Started training in 2019 and very well done to all of them, and I hope they continue to enjoy their Scouting journey. Incidentally there were 23 wood badges gained and 37 getting started – this compares with 19 and 36 in 2018; the second year in a row there has been an increase. Additionally for information there are 125 people currently in Training in Croydon. The next largest number in County is just over 40.

Finally, a big thank you to all the training advisors – Liz O’Brien; Sean Weston; Jack Wensley; Anthony Eeles; Sarah Turner; Theresa Jeffrey and Margaret Tyler; plus, GSLs and other members of the District team for all their assistance during the year.

Jon Slade District Training Manager

25 Woodbadges completed in 2019 Luke Davis SL 21st Purley Steve Cushman ASL 28th Croydon Chris Chapman CSL 9th Purley Emily Cruttenden YC District Becky Taylor ASL 6th Croydon Cath Andrews ACSL 29th Purley Paul Ashton ASL 6th Croydon Barry Edrupt ASL 5th S & A Jack Wensley ADC District Cubs Andy Sparkes SL 1st Coulsdon Derek Harper ACSL 28th Croydon Peter Low CSL 17th Purley John Edwards ASL 17th Purley Thomas Earley ASL 63rd Croydon Amanda Giles ADC District Cubs Kirsten Eeles BSL 29th Purley Jamie Carroll CSL 44th Croydon Louise Baker CAL 1st S & A Jay Robertson ACSL 8th Purley Peter Pearce ADC District Cubs Aidan Devaney YC District Richard England ASL 1st Purley Mark Kingett ACSL 17th Purley

Getting Started Training completed in 2019 Sean Feeney ACSL 29th Croydon Joanne ABSL 25th Purley Greenslade Michael ABSL 18th Purley Fiona Hall ACSL 25th Purley Bedding James Clements ACSL 1st Crystal Andrew Hancock ASL 25th Purley Palace Kirsten Eeles BSL 29th Purley Gilliam Powell ASL 25th Purley Nimar Kamalaghaan ACSL 1st S & A Emma Powell ABSL 25th Purley Jack Delaney ACSL 29th Purley Kritin Sandaram ASL 25th Purley Michelle Bukaczewska ASL 63rd Croydon Andrew Tasker ACSL 25th Purley Pawel Blasate ABSL 44th Croydon Steven Dyer GSL 63rd Croydon Anthony Rendle ASL 29th Croydon Max Plumbridge ACSL 11th Purley Josie Goddard ACSL 7th Purley Megan Young YC Croydon Rachel Nottage ACSL 1st Coulsdon James Baster ABSL 9th Purley Tia Daley ASL 44th Croydon Terrie Harvey BSL 7/12th Croydon Louise Green ABSL 5th S & A Amy Morgan ACSL 29th Croydon Maggie ASL 6th Croydon Ali Ball ASL 18th Purley Luckhurst Dee Bartells ABSL 26th Croydon James Lamb ASL 61st Croydon Morgan ASL 17th Purley Josh Dumbrill ASL 1st Crystal Flanagan Palace Pez Brown ASL 63rd Croydon Zita Suchanek ABSL 44th Croydon Stuart Marie McCormack ACSL 23rd Croydon Anderson-Cottee ACSL 1st Crystal Palace Gill Payne ABSL 25th Purley

26 AAC Report 2019

The policies and membership of the AAC was reviewed and refreshed at the start of 2019: Theresa Jeffrey was appointed the Chair and new members were added to the Committee team, including two members aged under 25.

Meetings were arranged in response to need, and resulted in 14 meetings during the year on a variety of days and locations. In addition to seeing adults seeking appointments for the first time, the Committee also saw anyone changing role or adding a new role to their time volunteering, so that in total 50 adults were seen by them and over 20 were also approved as Sectional Assistants.

The meetings are used to discuss the new role, including any training commitments, and works closely with our Local Training manager in respect of this. The AAC have also found it beneficial to meet existing leaders who are changing roles as it has enabled them to receive feedback on local scouting matters, and has used the opportunity to thank them for all they have done for Scouting to date.

The AAC is keen to see adults in a timely fashion, ie soon after a new role is added, so a huge thank you to anyone who has helped ensure the appointment process runs smoothly to achieve this. Delays in an adult seeing the AAC are predominantly due to the lag in receiving referees, references or applicants responding to emails!

A huge thank you too, to the Committee members who give up their time in additional to their ‘regular’ Scouting roles.

Theresa Jeffery (Chair) Appointments Advisory Committee Email: [email protected]

27 District Safety Committee Report 2019

The District Safety advisor team exists to offer help and advice to Scout Groups in the District on their statutory responsibility under Health and Safety Legislation and duty of care for safety of persons using their premises.

We have conducted a safety audit of Group and District premises and provided a report to the Group with recommendations for improvement where necessary. These recommendations have been generally well received but not fully implemented by all Groups. We are available to carry out a Safety Re-Audit of premises but only by invitation of the Group safety officers or GSL. members -Tony Grogan TechIOSH , MIIRSM, NEBOSH District Safety Advisor Tel 01959 523649 [email protected] John Ashe, John Hazeldean,

The safety advisor team are seeking new members to join their ranks and help with the safety audit of group meeting places. It is helpful if the willing recruit has some Health and Safety background;- e.g. NEBOSH or of Membership of IOSH, or a workplace appointment or safety training.

Fire Risk Assessments The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Under this reform it is a legal obligation that all premises require a Fire Risk Assessment. The regulation also requires that a documented Fire Risk Assessment be available for inspection on the premises and that all users be aware and trained in the actions required by the assessment.

Other legal requirements Under ‘The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’ other legal requirements have been introduced. In Scouting we may not be at work, but this legislation forms the basis of good practice and is a applicable when premises are let out to other users. In the event of an emergency or incident we may find ourselves judged against these legal requirements. We therefore recommend the following practices, procedures and paperwork as evidence of Duty of Care.  Appoint a Group Safety Officer  Maintain a Group Health and Safety Policy  Maintain a Safety Logbook for your premises  Prepare and maintain a Fire Risk Assessment  Regularly inspect and hold certificates for Electrical and Gas Installation and Fire extinguishers.  Provide training and record training for Users of the premises and Members  Maintain an available First Aid Kit and accident procedures and record.  Provide a welcome pack to all new members and a user pack to all leaders and users of your premises.

28

Below is a list of attachments available on the web site that can be downloaded and adapted for individual group purposes:

Group Health & Safety Policy Group Safety Logbook Group Safety Officer Duties Group_Fire_Risk_Assessment.doc Duty of Care Summary User Training Notes and Welcome Pack Risk Assessment for Group Maintenance Activities Storage of LPG First Aid notice board sign Asbestos in your home Disabled Discrimination Act requirements Electrical and Gas Installations – The Regulation requirements Group Premises Audit Check List Safety requirements for your group meeting place HSE Publication indg236 Electrical Inspections

29 District PR Report 2019

Some may ask, what is the difference between PR and marketing? In my humble opinion PR is all about maintaining the brand and the public image whereas marketing is about promoting or selling a product or service. The analogy would be that District will oversee, promote and support Groups to maintain the brand and the public image, whereas Groups and Units must market Scouting locally and engage within their local communities. Conclusion: brand & message linked with visibility and positive news equals greater awareness, bigger community impact resulting in growth in numbers. Obviously the quality of what we offer will influence our stability and retain members.

Moving forward, we have reformed the District PR Committee and currently have around 10 members who met for the first time in early March. Priorities were identified to prepare and print the new range of advertising Croydon Pride 2019 material for the District and Groups to use on all public occasions and opportunities found during the year. To clarify, PR opportunities will not always utilise the Mobile Climbing Wall. This is a great asset for the District but our default position is not going to be ‘wall or nothing’. Also it is clear that while the wall is highly visible it also carries with it a high financial liability and therefore its use needs to be balanced against projected footfall and support from any local Scout Groups. As a District we will deal with and manage our public image, website, and social media in a proactive and positive way, and maintain high-profile contact with the Council, our local MPs, Ward Councillors, the Mayoral offices (Croydon and London) and liaise with other youth organisations in Croydon as well as local business leaders. We will of course help and support Groups where we can and will loan out District equipment and provide advertising and give-away materials. As a District we will attend public events considered to be inline with the ethos of the Scout Association this being an open and inclusive movement and welcoming to all.

Steve French (Chair) District PR Committee Email: [email protected]

30 Bears Wood Report 2019

As most of you will be aware during the early part of the year it became necessary to make changes to the management structure at Bears Wood. The site is now temporarily under the direct management of the District Executive Committee who have overseen a number of changes and improvements.

As part of this process the District has committed expenditure totalling £15,000 towards an essential programme of works to maintain and improve the site. It should be noted that to date the changes and improvements which have been made at the Bears Wood have been warmly welcomed by all those who use the site.

Additionally, the site is in the process of being rebranded and there will be new pages on the District website specifically for Bears Wood. This will include a new electronic booking system and diary. There is also a new pricing structure which offers a 20% discount for all Croydon Scout Groups and associated Units.

The site has continued to be popular and there has been a full diary of bookings for both the accommodation and campsites. In addition to Group camps and activities the site has hosted a number of District events. As a result, I am pleased to be able to report that income from bookings for the year exceeded that of the previous year.

The past year has seen many challenges at Bears Wood and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to ensuring that the site has continued to operate. In particular I would like to give a special mention and thanks to Danny Curnyn and Martin Greenwood for all their efforts in maintaining the site.

Currently we are in the process of appointing a new interim Management Committee for the site and as part of this process there is a wide-ranging consultation on the future direction of the site. Additionally, we are also in the process of negotiating a new Lease for Bears Wood with Croydon Council.

Following the recent decision by the Scout Association to suspend all normal activities we have decided to “mothball” Bears Wood for the duration. In this respect I am pleased to be able to report that there are currently sufficient funds in the Bears Wood account to support this course of action for at least a year.

Dave Rixson District Chair Email: [email protected]

31 Pinewood Scout Centre Report 2019

Pinewood was incredibly busy during 2019, Scouts and non-Scouts and Scout Groups from further afield, the monies generated have been reinvested into site and ground improvements. During 2019 we had several School and Corporate groups of volunteers working on site during the week, very successfully.

We also had 5 very successful service days during which we:

 Levelled and surfaced the new car park area.  Cleared debris from lake and stream  Cleared more rhodedendra and created a new tree nursery area  Brush cut paths and camping areas.  Litter picked  Installed a tomahawk throwing range.

The working relationship with the District climbing wall team continues to flourish and it’s great to see so many local youngsters experiencing climbing locally at Pinewood. Likewise traditional rafting and kayaking at Pinewood was very busy.

The 5 year refurbishment programme which started under Andy Robson’s stewardship has largely been completed with the boiler and shower refurbishment the outstanding items. Grounds wise much work has been done to clear areas of rhododendron and replace with native tress so as to create an under storey and some succession. Many of the mature trees are of an age when they will start failing.

During 2018 we commissioned and implemented a full tree survey which resulted in 13 mature trees being taken down or reduced. During 2019 we have kept on top of that with several trees being removed after storm damage. We will be repeating this process every 5 years in line with recommended best practise.

The working relationship with Croydon Council Green Spaces Team has continued to flourish into a genuine partnership bringing tangible benefits. Whilst we didn’t run an open day during 2019 we have had lots of free arboreal advice from Croydon Council approved contractors which has saved us thousands of pounds.

2020 was shaping up to be even busier with bookings throughout the year. Sadly COVID 19 has scuppered that, however it will allow the site some respite.

As per Unity Insurance guidance Committee members are visiting Pinewood regularly during lockdown and there has been a noticeable increase in trespass, something to think about.

A huge thanks to all the Committee members and service day volunteers, old and young, who have worked so hard to improve facilities at Pinewood and in so doing helped hundreds of local youngsters enjoy the site and it’s opportunities even more.

George Campbell (Chair) Pinewood Management Committee Email: [email protected]

32 Mobile Climbing Wall

The 2019 season has once again been a really successful year for the Mobile Climbing Wall and you will see, as previously, I have highlighted the figures below.

In total we ran the wall at 26 events, where it was used for nearly 100 hours of climbing, which all had to be staffed by our ever-willing volunteer instructors who gave nearly 500 hours of their time to make it all possible. A huge effort for which we should be grateful to have such brilliant people in our district. All of this allowed there to be over 2000 climbers who attempted over 5000 ascents of our wall.

However, it is not just this year that we should concentrate on. The District Executive pledged their support for three seasons, after which we would carry out an audit and review. This we did and we have recorded some amazing figures over the 3 years:

Climbing Hours: 365 Instructor Hours: 1672 Climbers: 8848 Attempted Ascents: 20382 Events attended: 85

It is hardly surprising then that we have also had to invest in routine maintenance and purchasing of replacement equipment over the 3 years to make sure we are always running with good quality equipment to ensure the safety of users.

In total we have invested over £18000 in servicing, maintenance, insurance & equipment over the 3 years which has been offset by event income of over £11700. The District always knew that there would be financial liability when we took on the wall and it was hoped that we could recoup at least 50% of the running costs from events. This figure represents a 65% recoup, so well within our hope.

We have also been extremely lucky, and are very grateful to many local councillors for their continued support of Croydon Scouting, in securing grants from them totalling over £10000 over the 3 year period which has allowed us to purchase the vital safety equipment to keep the wall running and keep the young people of Croydon “climbing to the top”!

As in previous years, it only remains for me to say a HUGE thank you to all who have given me and the Mobile Climbing Wall such willing support over the year. Just remember without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you from Croydon Scouting and more importantly from all the young people of Croydon.

Martin Greenwood SAS Unit Manager (Mobile Climbing Wall) Email: [email protected]

33 Notes Notes Croydon YOU London Competition Day 2019 Royal Russell School