2025-08-31-accounts - Benson Choral Society

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BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] AUGUST 2025

Registered Charity No: 1001958

BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

INDEX TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] AUGUST 2025

Trustee’s Report 3 Independent Examiner’s Report 7 Income & Expenditure Account 8 Balance Sheet 9 Concert Accounts 10 Notes 11

BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] AUGUST 2025

Reference and Administration

Benson Choral Society is a Registered Charity (number 1001958, registered on 19[th] February 1991).

Principal address of the Charity: Witta’s Ham Cottage High Street Long Wittenham Abingdon, OX14 4QH

Bankers: Lloyds Bank, Newmarket Branch

The Charity is administered by a Management Committee listed below, who are all Trustees recruited from and elected by the Membership, except Michael Lewers. There are no other Trustees. There are no employees of the Charity.

Kevin Lawson Chairman Charlotte Kerr Secretary Martin Mellor Treasurer Celia Barnshaw Sara Boorman Beatrice Earland Gillian Nahum Claire Speirs Philip Smyly Anthony Winters (resigned July 2025) Michael Lewers (coopted July 2025)

There were 111 Members as at 31[st] August 2025

Aims and Objectives

The objectives of the Charity shall be to advance, improve, develop, and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music, in all its aspects by any means the Trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals.

Review of the Year’s Activities

The members attended rehearsals for each of three Concerts for two hours on Tuesday evenings throughout September to June. In addition two Workshops were staged: 9[th] December 2024

To rehearse Mozart’s Mass in C major

22[nd] March 2025

To rehearse Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius

The concerts staged were: 23[rd] November 2024 Performances of: Zadok the Priest by George Frideric Handel Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne by George Frideric Handel The King shall Rejoice by William Boyce Mass in C major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

5[th] April 2025 Performance of The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar

28[th] June 2025 Performances of: Dorchester Canticles by Tarik O’Regan Requiem by John Rutter

We performed three concerts during the year with an overall programme designed to be attractive to the public but also to introduce less familiar works whilst also raising standards within the choir. The autumn concert, Music for Royal Occasions, combined the very well-known anthem Zadok the Priest with works by Mozart, Boyce and Handel which are performed rather less often. We chose to perform with an amateur orchestra which had a series of extra rehearsals with our music director (MD) resulting in an excellent performance from choir and orchestra, much appreciated by the good audience.

To help raise the musical level of our concerts in future we have decided to perform at least once per year with fully professional orchestras. A donation from two choir members enabled us to perform Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the excellent English Sinfonia. We also teamed up with our MD’s superb chamber choir, the Wooburn Singers, as semi-chorus. With an extra full day’s rehearsal together, we achieved one of the best performances of any work we have ever given to a sell-out audience in Dorchester Abbey.

Very few choirs will have heard or performed British/American composer Tarik O’Regan’s Dorchester Canticles. It is a fiendishly tricky work to sing but, with striking accompaniment from organ, harp and percussion, highly rewarding for both choir and orchestra. We worked with a professional ensemble to deliver the concert which also featured a wonderful performance of Mozart’s concerto for flute and harp in which our highly accomplished choir accompanist played the orchestral accompaniment on the piano.

With expert vocal tuition from our two most recent musical directors the choir is now singing at an extremely high level for an un-auditioned choir and all our performances this year have reflected that. Our MD has sadly had to leave us owing to new commitments outside the country but our reputation is now such that we attracted a high-level field of candidates for the position. We have now chosen a new MD who we believe will continue to raise the choir’s performing standards and help us bring highquality music to an ever wider group of people.

Financial Review

Our Accumulated Fund (unrestricted) as at 31[st] August amounted to £20,234, after incurring a surplus of £3,200 for the year. Additionally, there is a restricted fund amounting to £1,000 representing a grant from South Oxfordshire District Council. made specifically to support the Society to engage in outreach projects including, for example, an approach to schools and other organisations to encourage young people to participate in the Society’s activities.

There are no fixed assets other than staging which has a current replacement cost of £20,250. This does not appear on the Balance Sheet because it was purchased in stages and written off in full against income.

We consider that we need to maintain a minimum Accumulated Fund of £18,000 to satisfy our cash flow requirements and to cover the risk of a loss of income, whether through a drop in membership or a poorly attended concert, and to meet any unforeseen expenditure that may occur. The Committee is planning to apply the excess of £2,234 towards engaging a professional orchestra for our Winter 2025 Concert,

A main source of funds is from the sale of tickets for our concerts. However, in April 2025 a number of sponsors donated a total of £2,724 with instructions that it should be applied to the Spring Concert. Including ancillary concert income, concerts are usually in deficit after applying direct costs in staging them. The deficits are for the most part funded by other main sources of income ─ Membership Fees and the related Gift Aid claimed from HMRC, Friends and programme advertising.

BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st AUGUST 2025

£ £ 216 15,395 3,388 711 20,680 970 261 512 308 935 22,696 3,300 3,400 2,490 9,444 254 1,883 619 19 791 525 233 2,575 3,649 9,265 3,041 22,779 (83) (83) 2024	INCOME Interest Receivable Subscriptions Gift Aid Donations SODC Grant (Restricted) Nore 2(d)(ii) Friends Profit on Rehearsal Refreshments Staging Hire & Scores Loan Profit on Parties Note 4(a) Profit / (Loss) on Workshops Note 4(b) EXPENDITURE General Musical Director's Fees Accompanist's Fees Guest Conductor Guest Accompanist Hire of Rehearsal Venues Subscriptions & Insurance Printing, Stationery & Postage Website & IT Expenses New MD Selection Costs Staging Sundry Expenses Concerts Loss on Winter Concert Loss on Spring Concert Loss on Summer Concert Surplus / (Deficit) for the year: Unrestricted ─ General Fund Restricted Note 4	£ £ 246.27 - 15,940.00 3,418.01 521.45 1,000.00 1,250.00 22,375.73 294.82 459.99 489.63 (454.16) 23,166.01 4,200.00 3,500.00 1,350.00 400.00 9,450.00 2,209.25 728.85 27.72 294.10 40.00 - 151.95 2,031.28 1,832.99 2,200.04 6,064.31 18,966.18 3,199.83 1,000.00 4,199.83 2025

BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31[st ] AUGUST 2025

2024 £ 15,604 16 1,422 17,042 8 17,034 17,117 (83) 17,034 17,034	ASSETS Balance at Bank 10,216 Deposit Account 5,388 Current Account Subscriptions Account Cash in Hand Concert Wine Stock Debtors and Payments in Advance Less Creditors REPRESENTED BY: Accumulated Funds Unrestricted ─ General Fund: Balance at 1 September 2024 Surplus / (Deficit) for the year Restricted	2025 £ £ 10,462.70 10,865.70 - 21,328.40 126.00 84.00 529.04 22,067.44 833.34 21,234.10 17,034.27 3,199.83 20,234.10 Note 2(d)(ii) 1,000.00 21,234.10

Page 3

BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

CONCERT ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31[st] AUGUST 2025

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RECEIPTS PAYMENTS
2024 2025 2024 2025
£ £p £ £p
Winter Concert (see Note 5(a))
-
5,000 Sponsor (Restricted Fund) 8,762 Orchestra 3,090.00
6,050 Ticket Receipts 4,542.24 700 Conductor's Fee 700.00
4 Profit on Score Hire 92.63 2,500 Soloists 1,150.00
(30) Profit on Programmes 24.07 Orchestral Scores 522.84
490 Profit on Interval Drinks 204.07 1,136 Venue & Facilities Hire 1,082.00
750 Instrument Hire -
37 Printing & Advertising 118.00
105 Gifts 107.45
99 Staging take down 124.00
11,514 Total Receipts 4,863.01 14,089 Total Payments 6,894.29
2,575 Loss on Concert 2,031.28
14,089 6,894.29 14,089 6,894.29
Spring Concert (see Note 5(b))
Sponsors (Restricted) 2,723.67 4,060 Orchestra 6,500.00
4,395 Ticket Receipts 5,317.54 700 Conductor's Fee 700.00
181 Profit on Score Sales/Hire 2.20 1,975 Soloists 1,625.00
33 Profit on Programmes 968.00 354 Orchestral Scores -
286 Profit on Interval Drinks 500.60 939 Venue & Facilities Hire 1,916.00
51 Organ Hire 51.50
99 Staging take down 99.00
117 Printing & Advertising 126.50
117 Gifts 87.00
132 Sundry Expenses 240.00
4,895 Total Receipts 9,512.01 8,544 Total Payments 11,345.00
3,649 Loss on Concert 1,832.99
8,544 11,345.00 8,544 11,345.00
Summer Concert (see Note 5(c))
3,970 Ticket Receipts 2,726.64 3,409 Orchestra 2,634.00
41 Profit on Score Hire/Sales 26.68 772 Conductor's Fee 700.00
74 Profit on Programmes 789.82 1,500 Soloists 900.00
273 Profit on Interval Drinks 200.62 335 Orchestral Scores 233.30
1,052 Venue & Facilities Hire 1,131.00
Hire of Piano & Tuning 129.00
117 Printing & Advertising 116.50
106 Gifts -
108 Staging take down 100.00
-
Sundry Expenses
4,358 Total Receipts 3,743.76 7,399 Total Payments 5,943.80
3041 Loss on Concert 2,200.04 Profit on Concert
7,399 5,943.80 7,399 5,943.80
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BENSON CHORAL SOCIETY

NOTES ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] AUGUST 2025

1. Committee Responsibilities

(a) The Committee is required to prepare accounts for each financial year which gives a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and the results for that period.
(b) The Committee confirms that appropriate accounting policies have been used and applied consistently, and reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates have been made in preparation of these accounts.
(c) The Committee also confirms that the applicable accounting bases set out in note 2(a) have been followed.
(d) The Committee is responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records, for safeguarding the assets of the Charity, and for taking steps to prevent and detect fraud and other regularities.

2. Accounting Policies

(a) Accounting Bases

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Charities SORP.

(b) Income

Income is accounted for in the year to which it relates.

(c) Expenditure

is accounted for on an accrual basis in the year to which relates.

(d) Restricted Funds

There were restricted funds:

(i) Sponsors for both the Winter and Spring Concerts. All monies received were applied to these concerts.
(ii) A grant of £1,000 from South Oxfordshire District Council made specifically to help support the Society’s decision to approach schools and other organisations to encourage young people to sing in the choir and attend workshops which we hold from time to time. We expect to start to progress this project next year, 2025/26.

3. Payments to Trustees

The only payments to Trustees were to reimburse them for expenses incurred on behalf of the Charity.

4. Income and Expenditure Account

Description a) Profit on Parties Wine Summer Party Tickets Raffle Hire of Hall Beer Food Serviettes b) Fees Hire of Hall Musical Director Accompanist Piano Tuning Food Fees Hire of Hall Musical Director Accompanist 5. Concerts a) Winter Concert (i) Profit on Music Sale/Hire Sales Rental ad Postage Christmas Party Profit / (Loss) on Workshops 9th November 22nd March	Income Expenditure £ £ 74.88 74.88 629.83 333.91 135.00 53.18 201.96 9.09 963.74 399.23 1,006.61 239.80 450.00 275.00 1,006.61 964.80 444.03 140.00 450.00 350.00 444.03 940.00 927.79 835.16 927.79 835.16	Profit (Loss) £ 489.63 (74.88) 564.51 (454.16) 41.81 (495.97) 92.63

Description
(ii)
Profit on Programmes
Sales
Printing
(iii) Profit on Interval Drinks
Sales
Purchaes
b) Spring Concert
(i)
Profit on Music Sale/Hire
Sales
Rental ad Postage
(ii)
Profit on Programmes
Advertising
Sales
Printing
(iii) Profit on Interval Drinks
Sales
Purchaes
c)
Summer Concert
(i)
Profit on Music Sale/Hire
Sales
Costs
(ii)
Profit on Programmes
Advertising
Sales
Printing
(iii) Profit on Interval Drinks
Sales
Purchaes

Income
Expenditure
Profit (Loss)
237.07
213.00
237.07
213.00
24.07
299.88
95.81
299.88
95.81
204.07
311.88
309.68
311.88
309.68
2.20
783.34
494.16
309.50
1,277.50
309.50
968.00
530.60
30.00
530.60
30.00
500.60
921.00
894.32
921.00
894.32
26.68
783.32
162.50
106.00
945.82
106.00
839.82
263.26
62.64
263.26
62.64
200.62