Like all charities, ScoutsCymru is governed by a Board of Trustees. But what, exactly, does that mean? Kirsty Palmer, who was appointed chair of the Board in February 2024, explains all.
ScoutsCymru gives young people in Wales access to all the positive things that Scouting can bring to them, from outdoor adventures, to improved team-working and communication skills, to making lifelong friends. Thousands of volunteers give their time each week to make sure that Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers can come together to learn, grow, and have fun.
There is another category of volunteers, though, who support ScoutsCymru’s work from behind the scenes: The Board of Trustees.
The ScoutsCymru’s Board of Trustees is a combination of trustees who are elected, appointed and ex-officio (this means they are automatically become a trustee due to another role they hold with ScoutsCymru). Elected and ex-officio trustees are adult members of ScoutsCymru and include representatives from all the Wales regions, up to four 18-24-year-old trustees, the Wales Youth Lead Volunteer, and the Wales Chief Volunteer.
They ensure that the Board is well-connected to the needs and wants of the wider movement, and makes decisions that take into account the impact on local volunteers and young people.
Appointed trustees are recruited through a structured process, and bring specific skills. They often come from outside Scouting, but always have to be aligned with the values and principles of Scouting. Appointed roles include the Chair, Treasurer, and up to four other members. At the moment, this includes people with finance and risk expertise, a background in charities and governance, and knowledge of government and legislation.
Having this mix of voices and perspectives makes sure that the Board makes better decisions and brings value to ScoutsCymru.
As in all charities (including local Scout groups), the Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and stewardship of the organisation. For ScoutsCymru, this is about making sure that all our money and assets are directed towards our charitable object which is “to encourage the physical, mental, and spiritual development of young people so that they may take a constructive place in society”.
In practice, this means that the Board holds the staff and senior operational volunteers to account for the delivery of the strategy (currently Skills for Life), oversees the finances, ensuring that we have enough funds to keep operating, and that we are using those funds properly.
This includes making decisions such as the recent one to dip into our reserves to allow us to freeze the Wales element of the membership fee for another year. For that decision, the Board looked carefully at the finances of ScoutsCymru, and the impact that any increase in fee would have on local groups, and determined that the best way to ensure the long term health of the organisation was to deploy the funds in this way.
The Board of Trustees meets four times a year – twice online and twice in person, and in between meetings, our subcommittees focussing on Finance and Resources, and Nominations and Governance meet to scrutinise these key areas in more detail, We also have an annual residential weekend with the senior volunteers of Team Cymru – these are the highest level volunteers in Wales, headed by Chief Volunteer Rhian Moore – to make sure that we are fully-aligned in our plans and hopes for the organisation.
As a Board, we are planning on communicating much more frequently about the work that we do, so that you all can get more insight into our role. We are always on the lookout for people who want to join the Board, and I’m always happy to have an informal chat with anyone who might be thinking about standing for election or stepping forward for appointment. Email us on admin@scoutscymru.org.uk and we’d be delighted to tell you more.
The board of trustees reports on the achievements, plans and finances of ScoutsCymru as a charity through its annual report and accounts. The report demonstrates how ScoutsCymru is meeting its charitable aims, and outlines its plans for the future. A copy of the 2023-2024 annual report and accounts can be found on the Charity Commission website, or on the ScoutsCymru website here in English and here in Welsh
ScoutsCymru is currently seeking a finance trustee to replace Dom Winfield, who stepped down recently after many years in the role. For more details or an informal chat, visit the website here or email admin@scoutscymru.org.uk