Annual Report 2026
#8thmacc #SkillsForLife
www.8thmacc.org.uk/agm
Report From the Chair
Here we are at another AGM!
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!
Our GLV’s (Group Leader Volounteer) have really settled into their role well. A huge thank you for all you do for ensuring compliance for our unit.
Thank you to Piotr who took on the running the cubs on a Wednesday evening to prevent the unit closing. We are also pleased to now welcome Karen who is leading the unit and Piotr will continue with support.
Thank you to Simon and Nick for their work with the Scouts over the year and grateful thanks to Simon following his stepping down from the role of leader a few months ago and for Nick taking on the mantle! A fair few of our older scouts have moved on to Explorers, meaning we do need to boost numbers in Scouts.
Finally, thank you to all of the parents for your support and commitment, it is very much appreciated.
Matt Cooper
#8thMacc
#ScoutsForWorldPeace
Trustee Board
Chair
Vacant
Treasurer
Mark Alston
5 Year 2024-2029
Youth Trustee
Vacant
Group Lead Volunteers
Piotr Kula (ex-officio)
Helen Cruse (non-trustee)
Leaders
Beavers
Katharine Poupard
Fred Marshall
Cubs
Karen Moss
Piotr Kula
Scouts
Nick Mottershead
Group Lead Volunteer Report
This last 12 months has been quite emotional. After the previous AGM we started to settle into our new roles over the course of 6 months and headed into our last activities before Christmas. One of our Scout youth had suddenly fell ill and had been diagnosed with leukaemia. This came as a shock to everyone and has been an extremely difficult time for the family. Our support and prayers have been with you all this time.
Piotr Kula
Helen Cruse
We would strongly encourage everyone reading this sign up to a bone marrow transplant foundation and/or help fundraise some money towards a children’s charity of your choice. The amount of support these charities (and volunteers) have provided the family and young person is overwhelming and deserves recognition.
Moss Rose, Scout group of Macclesfield announced that their group will be closing down around March time. This is a sad reality of Scouting and is becoming harder to find people to volunteer regularly. The group ran on limited numbers for a very long time but just could not carry on as it was. Karen Moss, a passionate Beaver and Cub leader from Moss Rose did not see this as the end of the road and had opportunity to attend many groups before deciding where to carry on volunteering.
We would like to give Karen Moss a very warm welcome and huge thanks for taking leadership of the Cubs groups.
Scouts have had Simon step down as leader due to change in work life commitments with Nick stepping up to drive Scout events forward for the past half year. Simon is still volunteering for scouts as a Active Support member which we all deeply appreciate. Nick and Simon still spend time to help plan events and we appreciate the time put into this. Just shows that every little bit of time can make a huge difference.
🎖️Robert Kwan, better known as Bob has been awarded 30 years of service in Scouts Awards this year. Thank you very much Bob for the years of being a role model to Young People and ongoing support!
🎖️Karren Moss has been awarded her 5 years of Service. We thank you for striving through difficult times and always showing up with a smile to brightening everyone’s day. Your experience is deeply appreciated by the Young People you help shape lives for.
We have also decided to increase capacity of our groups almost doubling the size of our unit. With this we accepted a lot of new young people directly into Beavers and Cubs and welcomed a lot of new adult help. Thank you to Beatriz for contributing regular time every week in heling to prepare Risk Assessments and general admin work. This little bit of time takes a massive burden of planning exciting events and helps Leader Volunteers focus on the fun and new skills for the children.
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.
We have also had great support from Bollington Brewery with various donations for fund raising and gifts. Thank you very much for your ongoing local community support!
Next year cubs are celebrating 110 years birthday with some exciting district events taking place. This year the Beavers celebrated 40 years Birthday with a fantastic Beaver fun day and Katie taking a few beavers on their first ever sleep over too.
If you could spare a little bit of time to help with the smallest task please let us know. Strength is in numbers if more people can help the easier it is for everyone to run the Scouts group. If you enjoy hiking, climbing, archery, axes, camping, fires or rifle shooting you can help us to provide a bigger variety programme.
Nobody gets paid to run the group and all time is volunteered. Subs that get paid are used to purchase equipment and consumables to complete events. A lot of businesses also offer us huge discounts sometimes even completely free services.
Thank you to all our volunteers for spending extra time to keep our young people safe and deliver a quality programme!
Katie Poupard
Over the past year, the Beavers have enjoyed a wide array of activities and events that fostered both fun and learning. Among the highlights is the District Beaver Sleepover in autumn at Abney, where members engaged in various group activities that strengthened their bonds. The District Fun Day was another significant event, providing group members with exciting opportunities to participate in various games and challenges, including the giant inflatable climbing wall
The Beavers also held numerous meetings throughout the year. These sessions included badge work in areas such as cooking, gardening, and emergency aid, alongside fun activities like games nights and celebrating cultural events such as Chinese New Year. Through their meetings, the group facilitated a great mix of skill-building and fun, ensuring that each Beaver was actively involved.
In total, the group participated in several events, including a fantastic Christmas party, a memorable autumn camp, and a site visit to Barnswood, allowing the Beavers to experience different aspects of scouting. The annual JOTA event in Autumn was a fun chance to mix with Cubs and Scouts from our unit and the wider district
Throughout the year, an impressive over 157 badges were awarded, reflecting the dedication and achievement of the members in their scouting journey. Additionally, five Chief Scout Awards were presented, recognising those who made notable contributions and demonstrated commitment to the principles of scouting.
I would like to express our gratitude to the leaders of the Beavers, particularly Fox, Steve, and Paul, for their exceptional commitment over the past year. Their efforts play a vital role in creating an enjoyable and enriching experience for the children. And also to Beatiz who helps write the risk assessments we need each week, and the district team who organise extra events.
Looking ahead, the Beavers can look forward to even more fun and new badge opportunities in the coming year, promising a host of engaging activities to enrich their scouting experience.
Lastly, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the children for bringing joy to our weekly meetings and to the parents for their continuous support. A special mention goes to the volunteers who work behind the scenes, ensuring that the group runs smoothly and effectively. We look forward to another successful year of scouting adventures together.
Karen Moss
I joined the 8th Macc Cubs in February and, although it’s taken me a little while to find my feet and settle into a new group, everyone has made me feel very welcome.
At the beginning, we focused on plenty of team-building activities, and it’s been fantastic to see the Cubs really get involved. Watching their confidence grow and seeing them work together has been one of the most rewarding parts of joining the section.
Our first outing together was the Chip Shop Challenge, which was a brilliant way to get to know each other outside of our usual meetings. More recently, we visited Macc forest, where the Cubs had great fun building dams—although I think they actually got wetter splashing through the puddles on the way back to the car park than they did in the water itself!
Before joining this group, I was lucky enough to enjoy activities such as caving at Alderley Edge and bird box making with my previous Cubs, and it’s reminded me just how many amazing opportunities Scouting gives young people. I’m looking forward to creating many more memorable experiences with this pack.
I’d like to thank all of the leaders, volunteers and parents for your support since I joined. Your dedication and encouragement make such a difference, and it’s been a pleasure to become part of the team.
One thing we’re continuing to work on is helping the Cubs settle more quickly when it’s time to listen. We know they’re full of energy and excitement, but if they can focus a little sooner during activities and instructions, it means we can get through more of our programme and leave more time at the end for the games they all enjoy. We’d really appreciate it if parents could have a quick chat with their Cub about listening when leaders are speaking, as it will help everyone get the most out of our evenings.
I’m excited to see what the next year brings and to continue helping our Cubs learn new skills, challenge themselves, make friends and, most importantly, have lots of fun..
Nick Mottershead
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! 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 2026 ( 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
Big thank you to the parents for continuing to pay the subs, on time, as cash flow is key to our survival/success… The increase in gift aid numbers will certainly help us maintain/increase/subsidise the equipment/activities that we are able to buy/provide for the group.. Anyone who hasn’t completed one and is able to please action asap… It’s been another successful year and I’m confident that this will be another one for the group..
Mark Alston.
Treasurer