Annual Report 2025
#8thmacc #SkillsForLife
www.8thmacc.org.uk/agm
Report From the Chair
It looks like it has been another superb year for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts with plenty of fun activities and new skills learnt throughout sessions.
I’d like to pass on grateful thanks to the section leaders, their assistants and any one else who helps so that these sessions can go ahead. These people give their time (and more!) freely to ensure that the all the children get to enjoy a rich variety of experiences. Thank you!
Piotr and Helen, our GLV’s (Group Lead Volunteers) have really settled into their role well. A huge thank you for everything that you have done to ensure compliance for our unit.
Thank you to Piotr for taking on running the cubs on a Wednesday evening. There was a danger that once district had assisted for a term, and no leader had been found, the section would close. Thankfully not!
Thank you to Simon and Nick for their work with the cubs and now the Scouts are benefiting from them leading their sessions on a Friday evening.
This is my last period of time as ‘Chair’ of the group before a willing someone takes on the role. It has been a pleasure to be a part of such a great set up.
Finally, thank you to all of the parents for your support and commitment, it is very much appreciated.
Matt Cooper
Trustee Board
Chair
Matthew Cooper
3 Year 2024-2025
Treasurer
Mark Alston
5 Year 2024-2029
Youth Trustee
Fred Marshall
1 Year 2024-2025
Group Lead Volunteers
Piotr Kula (ex-officio)
Helen Cruse (non-trustee)
Leaders
Beavers
Katharine Poupard
Fred Marshall
Cubs
Piotr Kula
Scouts
Simon Adams
Nick Mottershead
Group Lead Volunteer Report
This year has seen some big changes in the group, with Bob retiring and Simon and Nick moving up to become our new Scout leaders. This left us without any Cub leaders, so in the autumn, Jo and John Penneyston (the District Cub leaders) stepped in to run our Cubs sessions. We’re very grateful to them for their support and for helping the four oldest Cubs to complete their Chief Scouts Silver Awards.
Helen Cruse
Piotr Kula
Jo and John could only help us for one term and sadly we didn’t have any success in recruiting new volunteers to help at Cubs. But in the spring Piotr agreed to become the Cub leader, meaning that we didn’t have to close our Cub pack.
Piotr has taken on this role in addition to continuing as joint Group Lead Volunteer. Most of you probably aren’t aware of how much work Piotr does behind the scenes – amongst other things he has identified exciting new opportunities for the children (such as the trip to the RIAT airshow next week), come up with new fundraising ideas and set up a new website for the group.
But he really does need more support… For safeguarding reasons, two adults need to be present at each Cubs session – we’re currently managing this with parent volunteers, but in the longer term we need a second Cub leader. Please get in touch if you know of anyone who could help!
Despite all the changes, plenty of fun activities have taken place this year, including night-time hikes, a camp-fire evening and the Beaver and Cub sleepover in Chester Cathedral. We are still experiencing some problems with discipline, which have prevented us from running some of the activities that we had planned. We would love it if every child turned up wanting to join in with the activities and ready to listen to the leaders.
I’d like to thank all our leaders for the programme of activities that they run every week and for all the new opportunities that they give the children: Katie, Fred and Emily in Beavers (sadly Emily has now moved away from Macclesfield), Piotr in Cubs and Simon and Nick in Scouts.
I’d also like to thank our chair, Matt, for his continued support of the group. And I’d like to thank our treasurer, Mark, who is another person who does a lot of brilliant work behind the scenes. This year he has been busy fighting red tape to set the group up to receive gift aid. So far, he’s managed to claim over £1000 in gift aid, which will allow us to do more exciting activities with the children. You’ll have noticed that next week’s bell boating trip is free for everyone – this is something that we can afford because of the extra money from gift aid. Please do sign up for gift aid if you can and haven’t already – it is making a difference.
We have exciting things planned for next year too, including the JOTA camp at Barnswood in October with groups from all over the district. The Scouts and Cubs will be camping for two nights, and the Beavers will be visiting for the day.
We rely on the support of volunteers to make this happen – please let us know if you can help in any way.
Helen has played a key part in making activities outside of the hall as safe as possible by reviewing all our risk assessments, especially last-minute ones. Thank you to Helen for being thorough and highlighting potential risks. Without this, we are not allowed to go and enjoy many outdoor activities.
The Scout movement in the UK has been transforming, updating procedures and policies over the past 2 years, with more changes still in progress.
This is good for safety, but it means there have been a lot of changes that entail mandatory training for our volunteers in safety, welcoming, data protection, disclosure checks, first response (basic first aid) and changing procedures.
These are things parents do not see or hear directly. Please bear in mind that it’s usually more than just 1 hour a week volunteered by most of us.
Thank you to all our volunteers for doing those extra actions to keep our young people safe and deliver a quality programme!
Katie Poupard
This year has been another exciting and action-packed one for the 8th Macclesfield St Paul’s Beaver Scouts, filled with learning, adventure, and personal achievement.
Our Beavers earned a remarkable 91 badges over the year, showcasing their effort and enthusiasm across a wide range of activities. We are especially proud of Oscar, Emma, and Rohan, who each received the Chief Scout’s Bronze Award (CSB) — the highest award a Beaver Scout can achieve.
We also enjoyed two fantastic overnight camps:
- One in autumn at the Abney Centre in Cheadle, featuring outdoor games, crafts, and campfire fun.
- The other was a county-wide overnight camp at Chester Cathedral, where our Beavers joined Cubs from across the area for a unique evening of activities and discovery in a truly special setting.
Our calendar was packed with exciting visits and memorable experiences, including:
- A brilliant trip to The King’s School bushcraft area, where Beavers toasted marshmallows, paddled in the stream, and even had a few adventurous moments with some getting stuck in the mud — all part of the fun and learning in the great outdoors!
- A magical evening under a clear, starry sky at Tegg’s Nose, where the Beavers earned their Space Activity Badge and spotted several planets — a truly awe-inspiring experience.
- A visit to Pets at Home, discovering more about caring for animals.
- A much-anticipated tour of the local fire station, which had to be rescheduled after the firefighters were called out on a shout during our first attempt. The follow-up visit gave Beavers a fantastic hands-on look at fire safety and emergency services.
In the hall, the Beavers also focused on developing important skills for life, including learning how to safely light a candle—an activity so popular that most of the Beavers are eager to do it again! These sessions help build confidence and teach responsibility in a fun and supervised environment.
A standout highlight was taking part in a very wet but very enthusiastic Reindeer Run, raising money for East Cheshire Hospice. Despite the weather, our Beavers showed true spirit and kindness while supporting a great local cause.
We are incredibly proud of everything our Beavers have achieved this year and look forward to another year filled with friendship, discovery, and fun!
Piotr Kula
Last year, our Cub section faced the real possibility of closing and has been kept on life support for over 6 months thanks to District Cub Leaders Jo and John Penneyston.
I have always been hesitant to engage with younger people. However, having seen our current and previous leaders deliver exciting programmes, it convinced me to try this leadership role. Simon and Nick are great mentors, and the Scouts programme provides outstanding online training and hosts numerous events led by highly experienced volunteers, many of whom have dedicated decades to the movement.
Scouts have a very flexible badge system that lets leaders choose activities they are interested in. This is important as this lets leaders with experience feel comfortable with more adventurous activities they want to provide.
- I love hiking and mountaineering, and this is why I am undertaking rigorous (but very fun) training in the Terrain 1 permit. I can run safe and valuable hiking sessions within our beautiful Peak District (up to 800m in elevation). Shutlingsloe will see much traffic from me and Beavers/Cubs/Scouts but many more exciting hikes are in plan for 2026!
- I have a respectful interest in target sports and will also complete an Air Rifle permit. This will allow me to set up temporary air rifle activities for all our local Scout packs. There is a long-term plan to build a static range at Barsnwood of which I will be directly involved in.
Between weekends away for training and planning activities for weekly cubs meetings it has used a significant chunk of my family time. I’m deeply thankful to my wife, Kasia, for her support during my time away. We do both agree that this will allow me to deliver a quality programme for all the children in Scouts!
Simon and Nick helped me kick things off in January with a thrilling night hike, where the Cubs explored local trails under the stars. With NO torches and plenty of enthusiasm, they learned about navigation skills in the dark.
Thank you to all the cubs and parents who took part in St George’s parade in Poynton, a district-organised event with many of our neighbouring groups taking part. I will encourage our group to take part in District and County events as they are very important to support the Scout movement in UK!
I had a lot of good hall activities over the weeks following. Some things went better than expected, and other things were a flop! But it is all part of learning and the Cubs are very understanding and helpful. Special thank you to Hanna, Franklin and Ayden for teaching me the finer details and also exercising their leadership skills by partially running parts of our meeting! Well done, this is what Scouts is about!
As soon as the weather turned warm, I ventured into the woods with Cubs and parents for a forest den-building session, litter picking, and activities run outside. Thank you to Katie for inviting us to Chester Cathedral sleepover – earning our Cubs another level of nights away!
I have spent a lot of time organising the day trip to the Royal International Air Tattoo, promising an unforgettable experience for Cubs and Scouts for an extremely great value. I have been here several times personally and humbled that the RAF Trust gave young people the opportunity to visit, probably the largest military style air show in the world!
For the remainder of the year, I have planned in 2 cave visits for Cubs/Scouts for our group and then Scouts/Explorers for a Scout Explorer-linked activity for moving on after Scouts. Looking forward to that as only Scouts are allowed in these mines under Alderly edge and no public admittance is available to purchase!
As younger Cubs will be joining Katie/Simon/Nick suggested I organise a small one-night young cubs camp, which is booked in at Gradbach. This will prepare our younger cubs for sleeping away from home for the first time but also allow me to gain experience on how to lead and manage such events., This is important as I will be leading activities at JOTA this year while also being assessed for Nights Away Permit! You may have noticed Cubs talking about Polish wafers and or drinks.. as I have chosen to represent Poland for JOTA. This is to advertise the fact that the World Scout Jamboree 2027 is being hosted in Gdansk, Poland.
I just wanted to extend my gratitude to everybody who has been helping me out. To the parents, our group volunteers and all the volunteers in Macclesfield and Congleton District – even leaders and groups from outside of our county that I met in the past several months. They are also helping me train, plan and run activities for our local Young People!
#ScoutsForWorldPeace
#8thMacc
Simon Adams
As we come to the end of our very first year with the Scouts section, I’m delighted to reflect on what has been a truly exciting and rewarding journey. It’s been a year full of energy, learning, and growth—not just for the Scouts, but for us as leaders too.
One of the highlights of our year was a fantastic community project where the Scouts took on the challenge of building wooden planters for the other groups that meet at our church. This project not only allowed them to develop practical skills like measuring, sawing, and assembling, but also gave them a real sense of pride in giving back to the wider community.
Another memorable moment was when the Scouts took the lead in teaching the Cubs how to safely build and cook on open fires. This peer-led activity was a brilliant example of leadership in action. The Scouts showed great patience and maturity as they passed on their knowledge, and the Cubs were thrilled to learn from their older peers. It was a wonderful way to build connections between the sections and reinforce our values of cooperation and mentorship.
Looking ahead, we’re all eagerly anticipating our trip to the air show, which promises to be a thrilling way to round off the year. We’re also preparing for our much-loved annual bellboating activity—a firm favourite that always brings plenty of laughter, splashes, and memories. These events are a great way to celebrate the achievements of the year and to strengthen the bonds within our group.
Finally, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the year—parents, volunteers, fellow leaders, and the wider community. Your encouragement and involvement have made a huge difference, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s to many more adventures to come!
St Paul’s Church
A huge thank you to all of the Scouting Groups for their support to the church by attending and participating in the Parade Services. Attendances have been fantastic at all of these throughout the year with an average of around 120 people attending. We have worked on making these services accessible and fun for everyone and we hope that the support continues.
We have enjoyed some great services this last year including Flower Sermons, Mothering Sunday and Remembrance Sunday and Christmas fun! The highlight though of this last year was the 180th Birthday parade service where nearly 300 people packed the church to the rafters. An amazing sight
We really do appreciate everyone’s support and participation in the services. We are very lucky with our Uniformed Groups and the support and attendance they give the church.
Here’s to great services for the rest of 2025 ( Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas!)
Thank you all for your support of St Paul’s Church.
Matt & Nick.
Churchwardens.
Mark Alston
Treasurers report for 8th Macclesfield Scout Group
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has paid the subscriptions in a timely manner throughout this last year 2024/2025. This has enabled money to be deposited quickly and used as and when required for the benefit of the group. Cash flow is the key to our survival.
Over the last twelve months I have been successful in applying for Gift Aid Status with HMRC. This has brought a new line of revenue for the group. The first payment received, £1160.07, was a considerable amount because I was able to backdate the gift aid request for the last few years. Moving forward Gift Aid will add approximately £400 per year to the revenue to help with the cost of replacing valuable equipment as required.
From the expenditure figures you will see there has been a notable increase in the cost of the church hall room hire. The room hire cost has increased and the payment made for 2024/2025 also included backdated fees. The church hall room hire cost will be re-negotiated again for 2026.
Mark Alston.
Treasurer
