Beeston Scout Group grips with the business side of running the Group. They have done brilliantly, and have made significant progress on a number of fronts. We are very lucky to have

6th Beeston Scout Group

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Annual Report 2016-2017

Presented at the Annual General Meeting, 3rd July 2017


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Contents

1. The Team page 3

2. Report of the Group Scout Leader page 5

3. Report of the Group Chairman page 6

4. Report of the Group Treasurer page 7

5. Report of the Beaver Section page 9

6. Report of the Cub Section page 11

7. Report of Scout Section page 12

8. Agenda for Annual General Meeting 2017 page 13

9. Minutes of the 2016 AGM page 14

Please note that the 6th Beeston Scout Group Accounts 2016-17 are in a separate document.


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The Team

Group Scout Leader:[email protected] Colyn Kemp (Tigger)

Assistant Group Scout Leader Taryn Donnelly (Taz)

Beaver Scout Leader:[email protected] Carmel Gummett-Kemp (Paddington)

Assistant Beaver Scout Leaders:

Adele Stewart (Foxy)Emily Allen (Rupert Bear)Sarah Danaford-Knight (Cookie Bear)Jennifer Nelson (Panda Bear)Rufus Adams-Mitchell (Yogi Bear)Robert Marlow (Bob Bear)Ioan Espley (Swti Bear)

Beaver Young Leaders: Lily Oates-Harrison (Cucum Bear)Laura Wickens (Gummi Bear)

Cub Scout Leader:[email protected] Richard Needham (Rama)

Assistant Cub Scout Leaders:

Nuttavee Needham (Kim)Drew Allen (Kaa)Rachel Richardson (Raksha)Christopher Kingsnorth (Rikki Tikki Tavi)Lauren FothergillChristiane Kopf (Hathi)

Pack Assistants: Terry Morroll (Bagheera)Martin Walton

Young Leaders: Issie McElhone (Chil)Alex WickensHarry Walton

Scout Leader:[email protected] VACANT

Assistant Scout Leaders:

Trevor Pierce Stuart Kemp Lucy KempHelen DonnellyCharlotte KempPaul Gibson

Troop Assistants: Cliff BoneCyrus GandhiJamie Drummond

Young Leaders: Fredrick Spencer


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Group Chairman:[email protected] Alexander Tarr

Group Secretary: Simon Young

Group Treasurer: Katharina Meyer-Ohle

Maintenance Officer: VACANT

Webmaster: Melanie Graham

Bookings Secretary: VACANT

Quarter Master: VACANT

Fundraising Secretary : VACANT

Health & Safety: Kate Tenney

Executive Committee members: Richard Hill

Holding Trustees: The Scout Association Trust Corporation

Holding Trustees: Jill BarnesColyn KempStewart Robinson

Group President: Richard Moorhouse

Group Life Members: Phil PeckRichard Moorhouse


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Group Scout Leader’s ReportI am pleased to report on another successful year packed full of exciting Scouting events, the highlights of which are detailed in the separate reports from the Beaver, Cub and Scout sections. All of our young people have progressing through the Award Scheme and had a huge amount of fun along the way. Whether they noticed it or not, they have gained not only badges, but skills, knowledge and values that will help to equip them to be effective members of their local, national and international communities.

This success is due to the hard work and dedication of our section leadership teams. Thanks go to all our uniformed leaders and non-uniformed helpers for delivering such an exciting programme for our young people week-in and week-out.

This year, Taz has taken on an Assistant Group Scout Leader role (thanks Taz!) and together, we have been pleased to support our new Group Chairman, Alex as he and the new Group Executive Committee have got to grips with the business side of running the Group. They have done brilliantly, and have made significant progress on a number of fronts.

We are very lucky to have a huge amount of parental support with transporting equipment, fund-raising, camps and events, section meetings and so on. The list goes on. This support is crucial to the success of the Group. Thank you very much!

6th Beeston continues to go from strength to strength with our numbers of young people growing yet again this year. For a couple of years now, we have been at the point where all our sections are effectively full, and we have a joining list that is full out to October 2019. We have turned away more than thirty young people who have no chance of getting in to our existing sections. Two years ago, the District Commissioner challenged us to open new sections to cope with the demand. After a slow start, we have now found a number of adult volunteers willing to join the leadership team. With any luck, we will be able to open new sections in the coming year, and provide the extra capacity needed to meet the obvious demand in the local area.. On the premise that many hands make light work, if you could spare even a couple of hours a month to help these new sections get started, please speak to one of the leaders.

It is a privilege and an honour to support such a hard-working and generous group of leaders and supporters delivering such excellent Scouting experiences helping more young people to achieve more.

Thank you to everyone for what you do. Here’s looking forward to another fantastic year of Scouting at 6th Beeston.

Keep up to date with Group news by following us on Twitter (@6thBeestonScout).and checking our website (www.6thbeeston.co.uk).for pictures and information about everything the Group does! There’s also now a closed Facebook group for parents and leaders to keep in touch (just search FB for 6th Beeston Scout Group and ask to join).

Colyn – Group Scout Leader Taz – Assistant Group Scout Leader


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Chairman's ReportOnce again 6th Beeston Scout Group has continued to grow and thrive. This has been a busy year for the group as we prepared for starting new sections at Beaver, Cub and Scout levels. This increase in capacity will allow us to offer Scouting activities to new groups of children, addressing the Group’s long waiting lists. The increased numbers of scouts at all stages will contribute to the continued success of the group.

This year we reviewed the use of the Scout Headquarters Building outside of the scouting activities we provide. We continue to offer the building for use as a preschool nursery, fulfilling the aim of providing a space for community activity. Following changes in government legislation for childcare provision, we were delighted to be able to offer 345 Preschool the opportunity to increase their use of the building and provide greater time to the children who benefit from the building during term-time. We hope that this will ensure the long-term success of 345 and look forward to continuing our relationship with 345 for the future.

The change in weekday use has allowed us to reduce provision of ad hoc bookings of the facilities at HQ, which in turn provides more time at the weekends for scouting activities. With the introduction of new Sections, this increased availability of the HQ will be essential to accommodating the scouts. The revenue not only offsets the high cost of maintaining a multi-use building such as ours, but also facilitates the closer integration of scouting within the local community.

The financial stability that renting out the building brings directly benefits all the families associated with the Group. For the 11th consecutive year we have been able to maintain subscription fees at the same level, while putting money raised from building rent and fundraising into scouting activities.

The Scout Group could not exist without the dedication and time given by the Group Scout Leader and Assistant Group Scout Leader, the various Section Leaders and the Section Assistants. Their energy and enthusiasm is inspirational, and I can see the positive impact they have on the children that benefit from the Scout Group. The contributions of all of these people are essential to the smooth running of the Group and is greatly appreciated.

While we retain a dedicated core of volunteers who manage the activities of the sections, we still require additional help from parents for specific activities. I would like to thank all the parents who volunteer time and energy to help with the camps, transport, catering and supervising activities at events such as the Summer Event. All contributions of time, no matter how small, are greatly appreciated, and I encourage any parents who are interested to help support the Group by volunteering where possible.

This year has seen significant changes for the Executive Committee. Having taken over from Julian Watson as Group Chair in July 2016, I was delighted that Kate Tenney, Richard Hill and Mel Graham agreed to join the Executive Committee and support the Group. The Executive Committee members devote a significant amount of time to ensure that the Group is a success. I would particularly like to thank Katharina Meyer-Ohle (Treasurer) and Simon Young (Secretary) for their long-term contributions to the success of the Group. Simon will be stepping down as Secretary in July and I have been very grateful for his support and advice as I took over the role of Chair.

I am pleased to report that following the efforts of the Executive Committee and my predecessor, ownership of the building to the Scouts Association Trustees Corporation has been completed, and that the Land Registry have confirmed that they have updated their records.

Finally, I would like to thank David Meatcher for his continuing support of the Group. David has audited our annual accounts for many years and his contribution is highly valued.

Alexander TarrGroup Chair


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Treasurer's Report (Financial year 2016/17)

It has been another good year for the Group’s finances, however as always the work of fundraising continues.

Income

Subscriptions: Membership subscription fees have remained unchanged since January 2006. Standing orders continue to result in more timely payments by parents and also make life easier for the Treasurer. A total of £8083 in subscriptions was collected this financial year. This income to the Group was off-set by the payment of our membership fees of £3784 to the South West Notts District Scout Association.

Fundraising: The Group raised £649 for Group Funds during the year. This included £193 from a stall at the District Firework Display, £19 from Easyfundraising, £285 from bag packing and £152 from glass and paper recycling at the West End recycling centre which we look after on behalf of Broxtowe Borough Council. Please support the group by using Easyfundraising and the recycling centre. The Scout section raised £348 towards the Estonia trip by bag packing and organising a coffee morning.

Donations/Grants: The Group reclaimed £1,570 in Gift Aid, so please make sure you complete the Gift Aid declaration on the standing order form. £250 was received from South West Notts District for use of Scout HQ for meetings and £100 from South West Notts Explorers for use of Scout HQ for their DoE meetings.

Rental Income: We have continued to hire out Scout Headquarters to help with the running costs and received £14,797 in rental income for the year. Our hirers included 6th Beeston Brownies, 5th Beeston Rainbows, Magellan Explorers, Pre-school 345, The Tram and Light Railway Society and an Apostolic Church as well as casual rentals for parties.

Expenditure

Premises: The cost of ownership of land and buildings continues to be the major source of expenditure for the Group. The total premises cost came to £11598 for the year which included: £1,295 for insurance, £349 for telephone provision, £4208 for electricity (which included £1040 arrears from 2015/16 due to an incorrect direct debit calculation), £544 for the water supply, £411 for waste removal, £2178 on cleaning, £2142on general repairs and maintenance and £471 for Performing Rights licences.

Activities: All sections were involved in various activities away from the Group Headquarters throughout the year. The cost of these activities was £5811. Most of the activities were self-financing apart from leaders’ camping fees which were covered by the Group.

Equipment: Equipment purchases for camping and headquarters came to £610.

Neckers/Badges etc.: £817 was spent on neckers, woggles, badges and handbooks.

Admin Expenses: Admin expenses came to £390 covering broadband, training, stationery, stamps and web hosting.


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Treasurer's Report (Financial year 2016/17)

Net receipts for the year The Group showed an operating surplus for the year of £7001.24. This is due to a planned building maintenance program being delayed into 2017/18 and Pre-School 345 increasing the hours that they rent the building. The Group is also planning to replace camping equipment, purchase some computing equipment and increase subsidies for camps and other scouting activities.

Assets The Group’s Assets at the end of the financial year 2016/2017 are £55,086.36. This includes funds for medium term and long term building maintenance, cover in case of loss of a major hirer, camping equipment maintenance and replacement and subsidies for scouting activities.

Katharina Meyer-OhleGroup Treasurer


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Beaver Section ReportOnce again, 6 th Beeston Beavers have shared a very busy and exciting year exploring the world around us. We have been honing our Scouting skills and enjoying adventures both in and out of our Headquarters. We have worked alongside others in our lodges, in our colony, with other Beaver colonies and with other sections in our Group and beyond.

The year began last April with a very low-key St George’s Day celebration at Hemlock Camp. It would be great to see more of our Beavers at these District- and County-wide events.

We had a better turn-out for the District Beavers’ 30th Birthday Picnic at Bramcote Park. Beavers from all over SW Notts enjoyed traditional fun and games together. We enjoyed another picnic with our families in our HQ garden.

Twice during the past year, our oldest Beavers have visited Cub Camp and enjoyed learning how to use a knife safely, pitching a tent, exploring the woods, gathering wood, building fires and cooking on them. We believe this has eased the transition from Beavers to Cubs.

In the autumn, we joined Beavers from all over the County at Sherbrook Camp to celebrate the Beaver Big 30 th Birthday Bash. We had a great time drumming and playing hungry hippos, building dens and cooking on the fire, bouldering and solving puzzles, as well as singing around a campfire and enjoying just being together.

We joined the Scouts and Cubs at JOTI - Jamboree on the Internet. As well as using computers to talk to other Beavers on the Internet, we worked out secret coded messages like spies, we learned some sign language, and we even learned how to sign our Beaver Promise.

We held a sleepover at our Headquarters. Some of the Scouts came early to help us pitch a tent and then we all ate our tea together inside it! Then they taught us how to light a fire and the other Scouts arrived so we toasted marshmallows and sang campfire songs. Later, we said goodnight to the Scouts and went to bed but we were up very early telling jokes and having fun before our families arrived to talk about maybe starting another Beaver Colony.

This year, the choice and arrangement of songs for our Group Carol Service was driven entirely by the Beavers and they did us proud! We have some real performers in our colony and hopefully, we will see them on stage at the Nottingham Gang Show in years to come. The Beaver Leaders really enjoyed watching Lucas, one of our former Beavers, not only performing onstage, but taking a solo part too. Well done Lucas!

Our biggest winter adventure was the NESST Beaver Ramble at Walesby Forest. We followed a trail and had great fun exploring while tramping through the woods. There are some lovely trees to climb there and we always meet lots of Beavers from other colonies too.

As usual we have been enjoying these adventures with plenty of Scouting Skills combining creativity with learning to keep ourselves safe and well. Our programme has been varied and we have worked hard to promote strong links with the other sections of our Group.

Over the past year, we have invested so many new Beavers that we have been at capacity all year. Most of our Beavers have linked up to Cubs proudly wearing their Chief Scout’s Bronze Award. As Beaver Scouting celebrated its 30th birthday, we are proud to say that 6th Beeston Beaver Colony is thriving.


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Scouting is a GREAT BIG Stargazing, Junk-modelling, Robot-inventing, Bird-watching, Garden-planting, Music-making, Cake-decorating, Firework-painting, Promise-making, Domino-Tracking, Story-telling, Game-playing, Song-singing, Knot-tying, Tent-pitching, Fire-lighting, Friend-making, Necker-rolling, Challenging ADVENTURE that starts with Beavers.

Long may the Scouting Adventures continue!

You can find out what we are up to on our website: www.6thbeeston.co.uk

Thank you Beaver Families for all your support.

Thank you Brilliant Beaver Leaders, Young Leaders and our families for being a fantastic team.

Thank you Beavers for being the best and most Brilliant Beavers in the whole wide world and Beeston.

Paddington – Carmel Gummett-KempOn behalf of the Brilliant Beaver Leader Team [email protected]


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Cub Section Report

Wow, where to start….

How about, the Chef’s badge, Bird Identification Walk round Attenborough nature reserve. Disability Awareness badge, Cyclist badge, Road Safety badge, Communicator badge and several Challenge Awards towards the Chiefs Scout Silver Award.

The Halloween night of fun and games with pumpkin carving, thanks to Tesco for providing the pumpkins.

100 years of cub scouting was celebrated at the Oaks campsite and what a camp it was, squeezing so much into one weekend, grass sledging, air rifles, the ultimate jungle trail assault course, The Black Hole, archery, climbing and abseiling including a leader of a certain age who really enjoyed his 80th on camp with us. Congratulations Bagheera (Terry Morroll).

We worked hard on our Christmas play building a snow man from just what Christmas means to a cub.A small number of cubs took part in the NESST walk in January.

We had a cub in the Gang Show taking a lead role in the Cub’s special section, well done Lucas!35 of us went to cheer him on.

With all this success, we did have a bit of a disaster at St. George’s day; it was to be a great opportunity to show off scouting to the public, with 4 bands to march with and a huge venue. The Nottingham Forest football ground…. One cub, just one cub. At least who carried the flag was easy to decide.

Please support this fabulous event next year.

We have had a period of change in the Chiefs Scout Award making it much harder now to achieve the highest award as a cub scout, However, Jack with a huge effort both at home and at cub evenings will be awarded his Chiefs Scout Silver Award before moving on to Scouts . Fantastic Jack, well done.

As usual, I would like to close by praising and thanking the Cub Scout leadership team. Whom I can always rely on to do their very best, namely, Drew (Kaa), Nuttavee (Kim), Terry (Bagheera), Dave (Dave) and Issie (Chil) with some new additions since last year who are most welcome, Alex (grey wolf), Martin ( Baloo), Harry (King Louie), Chris (Rikki Tikki Tavi), Joanne, Lauren and Sophie.

Terry will come and visit us some times but he has stood down as a regular after 15 years of service to the cub section at the 6th Also Dave who has returned home town of Liverpool , however will continue to help with our camps. A huge debt of thanks is owed to you both for your friendship and support over the years. BRAVO, gentleman!

Rich Needham (Rama)Cub Scout Leader


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Scout Section Report

The scout section continues to deliver a wide variety of activities at our weekly meetings. This year these activities included Circus Skills, Political Debate, Bowling, Wide Games, Pioneering, Night Navigation and Cooking. The troop entered the annual District Quiz, and while we didn’t retain 1st place, our teams did take 2nd and 3rd. We organised a troop outing to see the Gang Show on 3/3 for the first time in a number of years.

This year’s summer camp was a county-led international trip to Estonia, where we spent 10 days with Estonian scouts, exploring the country and culture of our hosts and even having a barbeque at the UK Ambassador's home! Following this, we ran a coffee morning so our Scouts could share their experiences with parents and the public.

The troop also ran another successful JOTI/JOTA from the 15th to 16th October, with young people from all sections learning about communications and talking to scouts from all over the world. In November, we were proud to have a good attendance of Scouts at the Remembrance Day parade. Then in January, 5 scouts took part in the NESST hike, along with 3 leaders from 6th and one of our new friends from Estonia. April saw the first join St George's day parade between the South West Notts, City and Rushcliffe districts. Although it wasn’t well attended, it was a good way to meet our neighbouring brothers and sisters in Scouting, and hopefully next year will be a better attended event.

Unfortunately, due to our section leaders having busy schedules, we have no summer camp organised this year. However the rest of the term programme is jam packed with more exciting activities, including Knife & Axe work, Climbing and Sailing, as well as focussing on achieving the Mechanics badge and the Adventure challenge.

Stuart KempScout Leader


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Annual General Meeting, 4th July 2016Agenda

1. Attendance and Apologies

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

3. Any Matters Arising

4. Presentation of Reports

5. Appointment of Group Chair

6. Election of Officers 2016-2017

a. Group Secretary

b. Group Treasurer

c. Bookings Secretary

d. Social Secretary

e. Group Webmaster

f. Fund-raising Co-ordinator

g. Maintenance Co-ordinator

h. Ordinary Executive Members

7. Presentations

8. District Commissioners Address

9. Close of meeting


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Annual General Meeting 2016 Minutes4th July 2016

Documents

Beeston Scout Group grips with the business side of running the Group. They have done brilliantly, and have made significant progress on a number of fronts. We are very lucky to have