1st Wash Common Scout Group AGM

1st Wash Common Scout Group AGM

Date: 15 July 2021 Venue: Online Zoom meeting Attendees ● Rob Daniels – GSL ● Mike Goddard - Chair ● Jo Longhurst – Treasurer ● Jane Oliver – Subs Treasurer ● Paul Fisher – Trustee / Scout Leader ● Alex Brooks – Assistant Beaver Leader ● Chris Worby – Trustee/ Cub Leader ● Rachel Fisher – Trustee/ Beaver Leader ● Richard Tiley – Cub Leader ● Jill McCaffery – Assistant Beaver Leader/ TA ● Dave Manton – Scout Leader/QM ● Nick Russell -Parent ● Alan Askey – Disrict exec ● Gemma Hurst - Beaver Leader ● Conor - District Commissoner ● Tracy Pyne – Summit Explorers Apologies – Anita Lemoine, Scout Leader Minutes

1) Welcome by Chair

Mike welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending on Teams again due to Covid. Everyone is waiting to get back to normal. Hopefully next year this will be at family camp with assistance from Rachel. Thanks given to the leadership team for the past difficult year. Everyone is in a good place and the children have had a great time over the last 12 months. Huge thank you to leadership and exec. Special thanks to Rob Daniels GSL for keeping Mike organised and moving forwards and Dave Manton, QM for doing a fantastic job in finding new homes for kit and getting scout hut ready for sale.

2) Approval of minutes of AGM 16th July 2020, seconded by Jo

3) Group Scout Leader Report

Rob played a video giving a whistle stop tour of the year

Group Scout Leaders Reviews

Annual Review – GSL Annual Report 2021

Hi I’m Rob. I’m Group Scout Leader for 1st Wash Common, it’s my role to support our amazing leadership team and make sure they have everything they need to deliver a safe, fun and well-balanced program. This is our second Zoom AGM and Thank you all for attending. This past year, as you can imagine has been again been pretty challenging from a Scouting point of view. Our Leaders are very used to thinking on their feet but with constantly changing rules, trying to stay on top of everything has been particularly challenging. The Scout Association have also introduced a new level of written risk assessment for every activity we do which has added to the challenge with new process and hoops to jump through. I’d like to say a genuinely massive thank you to our leadership team. As these weird times continue, and with our own personal stuff to deal with, our leadership team continue to thread their way through the regulations, juggle programmes and technology to continue to provide high quality Scouting. I continue to be blown over, chuffed and humbled to work with these amazing dedicated people. Thank you. Thank you to Eugene, Eleanor, Liane, Anita for all their work on the woodland over the past 6 months. Thanks to Dave the QM for co-ordinating the hut clearance Thanks to Gemma and Jill for taking on the training and mentoring! Thank you to everyone who helped deliver letters of the final push – we have raised are over £4,000 and still donations are coming in. Finally, Thank you to our chair, Mike who is working very hard right now getting the tenders to the right place to be able to start the final phase of the hut project! I should also welcome Gemma, Nigel, James, Laura and welcome back to Kate to our leadership team! I also need to plug the new shop – where you can purchase your welcome pack along with Teeshirt and brand new Wash Common Hat! The amazing community spirit that we’ve seen over the past 12 months has been wonderful to see. If you would like to join us in a leader role, on the exec or the any other role then please let me kow and helping out in that same community spirit to ensure we can continue to provide high quality Scouting in Wash Common. Thank you for your support during this time. _________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks again to Rob from Mike

4) Treasurers Report

Annual Report currently in draft format Jo – quiet year, no hut bookings, no family camp, no sections inside so reduction in utility costs. 9k spent less than last year. Receipts 8k less. Bank balance healthy £26k. Fundraising account, very quiet no active fundraising but some donations and some match funding. Land bought for £50k – fundraising £59k at end of the year. Section accounts received and consolidated, permission required to get independent review done.

Jane – All subs now paid through OSM and gift aid declarations can also be recorded. Subs numbers are down year on year due to Covid. Hardship fund is available for anyone in need of help.

Mike – recognised that this has been a difficult year but finances are still healthy and supporting hardship fund for families to enjoy scouting.

5) Elections and appointments

Mike handed over to GSL, GSL nomination of group chair. Rob nominated Mike to continue as chair for the next 12 months to see the new hut project through and to celebrate! Seconded by Chris Worby. All in favour. Rob then handed back to Mike.

Election of secretary and group treasurer. Jane Oliver nominated as secretary, seconded by Alex Brooks. Jo Longhurst nominated as group treasurer seconded by Jill McCaffery.

Election of all trustees for exec committee. Firstly message is this is not a closed shop, we want more people to join us, more minds, more ideas the better and stronger we will be. Welcome people to join in and help. Formerly proposed - Anita, Richard, Jill, Dave, Chris and Alex – seconded by Jane.

Huge thank you given to the Fishers, Paul and Rachel. Over the last 12 months and previously they have been fabulous, stepped down from exec but still leaders and part of the family. Thanks given for all of their time and effort over the years.

Jo proposed using Tax Assist Accountants in Newbury to prepare reports for independent review, seconded by Rich Tiley.

6) Hut project update.

Thank you to FCC for help to this point and next phase. Planning signed off, final sign off received for final points. Gone out to tender – 4 tenders, narrowed down to 2. Interviewed today and will be reported back to exec next week. Aim to get to number in accounts. Big number – selling land for old hut, offer received and accepted to be concluded in next 4 weeks. Dave and others working hard to clear out the hut, more space needed for kit. £325k less fees £320k. £57k in account, £12 - £477k total. Pledges from SIL £100k, grant providers - £617k in total.

Starting build in next 8-12 wks (October) current thinking 30wk build depending on supply availability etc. Hut therefore not available until middle of next year. Contingencies in place to keep scouting going in the meantime.

7) Leaders

Conor (District Commissioner) – Wash Common seems to go from strength to strength, largest in Kennet district (scouts overall losing numbers) leaders have provided a fantastic varied programme, lots of awards achieved. Zoom programme difficult to keep 10-14 year olds engaged, testament to leadership team. Three leadership awards Chris Worby, Jill McCaffery, James Fisher recognised for service to scouting. Awards ceremony to be held on 5th Sep at the new Bowlers. Fantastic fundraising effort, will be envy of everyone once new hut built. Impressed with Wash Common shop . Thank you to Rachel & Paul, Rob for their district roles. Alan Askey – personal congratulations on fundraising and successful year, wished us all the best over the next exciting 12 months.

Mike brings AGM to close at 21.01. Looking forward to everything coming through in 2021, new activities, new hut, keeping the buzz going making Wash Common bigger and stronger. Thanks to everyone for attending.

If you have any questions or comments please contact Group Scout Leader