2006 / 2007 has been a fantastic year. This time last year I reported on how we would like to grow the group, especially in regards to the Scout organizations 100-year celebrations, but more importantly towards Irthlingborough 100 year celebration in 2008.

Luckily enough when Lyle stepped down from the 'group scout leader' role in 2005 he left it with really good foundations. (Talking of which Lyle celebrates his 50^th year with the group this very week ~ congratulations). We had good equipment & a healthy bank balance. Plus a good team of adults, albeit very low numbers.

We set some very ambitious targets to move forward:

  . To refurbish the Scout hut, make it safer & more practical for the children.

  . To build on our leadership & executive team to support our group membership to 100+ by 2008.

  . To build on the experience of our existing leadership team.

  . Manage a new open relationship with the parents, supporters & interested parties within Irthlingborough & the area.

  . We also set an aspiration target of building the membership to support two evenings per week per section.

I am delighted to report that all of the above are well on the way to being achieved, with some areas significantly further forward than planned.

The refurbishment of the Scout Hut was hugely helped by the generous donation of a lottery grant. This enabled the middle floor of the building to be completely refurbed, and the made safer.

The outside of the building, despite numerous letters to the local council to no avail, has been made safe by our own efforts. Plus the area has been completed tidied up. The front hall area has been completely gutted, decorated, & new notice boards put up, along with the staircases being made safe with carpet & safety strips. Also new fire regulation doors have also been installed.

The last remaining piece of work we want to do is the top floor, and as you can see the work has started and we expect this to be finished very shortly.

The leadership & executive team, after my 'We are at massive risk' speech this time last year has moved forward considerably. Everyone has really rallied around & recruited new adults to support the children. With several helpers wanting to work towards their full leadership warrants. However we must not get complacent here. We still need both helpers & leaders if we want to continue to grow.

The training & development of our leader team has also moved forward. We have a good mix of experience & new leaders within the group. District support us here with the formal training where there are both interactive, classroom or on the job training programmes. Also we have used our more experienced leaders to support informally where we have a lack of experience. A great example of this is the support Adam Noble has given the cub pack over the last 6 months imparting his knowledge to the team.

In terms of building our relationship with parents / supporters etc. We are now in the process of building a brand new web site, which will be critical moving forward. Also as already mentioned the notice boards in the hall also impart messages. Chris our exec chairman now produces a 'Term Newsletter' that has been very well received.

Further to this we are working hard in raising our profile in town, to give you an example for the first time ever we marched to this years St Georges day service from the Scout hut, I'm sure you will have seen the pictures in the local papers

Also we now have a sub committee reporting in to the exec led by Matthew Howell who has the best job in managing the social & fundraising committee. For those of you who experienced the 'Old Speckled Men' at the cricket club the other week I know you all went away after having a great night, along with some great fund raising. Matt I know is working on at least a couple more events this year. So keep an eye on the web site for further details.

The growth of the group towards our aspiration 2 nights per week is on course, as long as we can find those adults. As you've just heard the Kids are just having the best time, and we have grown the membership over the last 12 months by 20% This is on the back of a slight decline with-in the local district.

I could talk here all night & have only mentioned just a few things we have worked hard towards & I am sure I have missed some critical things.

But I think you can all agree that none of this would have been possible without the superb support & help of the leaders & the exec team who have just put in literally 1000's of hours to deliver this year.

They say it is a thankless task being an Adult Scouter, but on behalf of all the children I would like to say a massive thank you to the outstanding work you have done, month after month. You give up your weekends, your holidays to provide fun, adventure, challenge, and learning for our active children. You are a person who hurries home, eats a quick meal, puts on uniform while answering the phone; you arrive smiling to meet the youngsters. You then put in to practice your programmes you've spent hours preparing, then from all the time you spent training & carrying out risk assessments, you give a great evening. So as I say a big thank you to you all.

Moving forward in to 2007 / 2008. We will continue to grow. We've a great product & facility here. Both kids & adults have a great time & I would like to see this building being used a lot more & not just on the 2 or 3 nights we currently use.

We have the Scout district centenary camp to look forward to where the entire group will be enjoying the weekend in Wadenhoe in June. Plus we have the sunrise promise on the 1^st August.

Lyle & David are collating a 100 year journey with pictures & articles from the past. Some of which will be on display tonight. If you have anything at home you think could help with our history, please speak to David.

On top of this we have a new sub committee, led by a previous Scout Leader, Clifford Smith who will be managing our groups 2008 centenary celebrations that will include special events over and above our normal business as usual items. Remember we will be one of the first groups in the world & we will set the standard of celebration that everyone else will want to follow.

That's it from me. Many thanks for every one who came here tonight. If anyone feels they would like to be involved in the group, even if its just an hour a month, please see your Childs leader at the end of the AGM or myself & we'll have a discussion on how you could support us