CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WAIES
Independent examiner's report on the
accounts
Report to the trusteesl
menibers of
ASHFORD (KENT) CHORAL SOCIETY
On accounts for the year
ended
Charlty no
(if any)
3110512024
1041943
Set out on pages
I report to Ihe trustees on my examinallon of Ihe aGcounls of the above
charity ("Ihe Trusl") for the year ended 3110512024
Responsibilities and
basls of I'eport
As Ihe charily's trustees, yoii are responsible for Ihe preparation of the
accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charitle5 Act 2011
('Ihe Acl").
I report in respect of my examinalion of the Tr(Ist's accounts carried out
uiider section 14Jf of the 2011 Acl aiid in carryii)g out my exainlnallon, I
liave followed all the applicable Direcllons given by11)e Charily Coinmission
under secllon 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examinalioii. I confirm Ihal no Inaterial Inatters have
examiner's statement coine to my allentlon In coiinection wllh the examiiiatlon which gives me
cause to believe that in, any Inaterial respecl:
the accoiinting records were not kept iii accordance wllli section 130
of the Charities Act; or
the accouiits dld not accord with the accounling records,, or
the accounts did not comply wilh the applicable ieqiiireineiits
concerning Ihe form and content of accouiils sel oul in Ihe Cliarities
(Accounts and Reports) RegLilatioiis 2008 other Ihan any reqiiirement
tliat the accounts glve a 'true and falr. view wl)Icli Is iiot a Inatler
considered as part of an Independent exaininalion.
I have no concerns and have come across no olher mallers in connection
with the examination to which altenlion sliould be drawn in this report in
order to enable a proper understanding of the accoiints lo be reaclied.
Signed:
Date:
8-10-2
Name:
K<1 1 14 Klb,
Relevant professlonal
qualification{s) or body
(If any):
dlA
Address:
ous<
I<L*y
C¢(Sr guisn,
IER
Oct 2018

Only coinplete if the examiner iieeds lo highliglit material matters of concern
(see CC32, Independent examination of chaiity accounts.. dlreclions and
guldance for examiners).
Glve here brlef detalls of
any Items that the
examlner wlshes to
dlsclos6.
IA.
IER
Oct 2018

ASHFORD IKENT) CHORAL SOCIETY
CHARITY NO. 1041943
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024

ASHFORD (KENT) CHORAL SOCIETY
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 01/06/23 TO 31/05/24
SECTION A- OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY
TD promote, Improve, develop and malntaln publlc educatlon in and appreclation of the art and science of muslc In all its
aspects by tlie presentatlon of public concerts and recitals; and for the general purw)ses of such charltable bodles or for
such purposes as shall be exclusively charitable a5 the Executive Committee may decide from time to time.
SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT IN RELAIION TO THESE OBIECTS:
The triistees have consldered the Charity Commisslon's guldellnes on public beneflt and are satisfled that the Soclety
meets the requlrements both In its oblectlves and In actuality. The Soclety Is proud of Its coi)trlbutlon to tlie cultural life
of Ashford and tl)e surrounding area, of the opportunitles It offers to l)ear live music of a hlgh standard wltli f ull orchestra
and of the inembershlp and ticket-prlcing policles whlch allow wide access to all menibers of soclety.
The Society rehea I'ses weekly and perforrns three or four public concef ts In the year for the ticket-buying publlc. These
tickets are heavily subsldlsed by the members through the membership subscrlptlon, through donations and through self-
help f undralslng a¢tivitles.
Oiie of the concerts each year Is a 'Carol Concert. at whlch a retlrlng collection is made for charitles. I n addition, a number
of meinbers do carol-slnglng sesslons, the proceeds of which also go to tliarlties, Each year, followlng consultatlon wlth
the full membershlp and subject to slgnlflcant fundlng, tl)e commlttee nomlnates two c17arltles to beneflt from these
actlvitles.
Members of the Soclety periodlcally make themselves available to sing at weddings and funerals at a stiitable rate of
remuneratlon.
Sllghtly more abstract (though there Is now Increasing research on thlsl are the physical, soclal ai)d therapeutlc benefits
of slnging for the 110 members themselves, a good nuinber of whom are retired and mlght otherwlse experlen¢e soine
of the Isolatlon or other problems assoclated with that age group.
At the other end of the age spectrum, members under 25 andlor In full-tlme educatlon beneflt from the walvlng of the
subscription; f Lirther, as a polnt of prlnclple, special arrangements are made for job-seekers and other hardshlp cases,
whose subscrlption rate is negotiated Indivldually.
Publ1¢ benef It Is signlf icantly enhanced by the open.access pollty: there Is no formal auditlon and ilo age Ilmlt (we liave
had meinbers slnglhg well into their nineties).
ADDITIONAL DETAILS OF ACTIVITIES:
The Soclety coiild not operate without the hundreds of hours of work done by the offlcers, the members of the full
Commlttee a nd by several otliers. Altho(Igh this is an organisation wlth a slgnif icant turnover. no remuneratlon is glven
except to professlonal muslclans. General expenses and admlnistration amounted to just £753 in 2023-24.
SECTION B- ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE 2023-24
It Is the pollcy of the Sotlety to perform at the very highest standard possible and to thls end we employ a professional
conductor, accompanlst, soloists and instrumentalists for rehearsals and concerts.
In November 2023 we performed Rosslni Petite Messe Solennelle, tliere was a Carol Concert In December, and In April
2024 we performed a Concert of shorter pieces by Schubert, Mozart, Rheinberger and Durante.

SECTION C- FINANCIAL REVIEW, INCLUDING RESERVES POLICY
The baslc flgures for the year ended 31/05124 are:
INCOME
EXPENDITURE
OPERATING SURPLUS
40897
NET ASSETS AT YEAR-END
(Current account +
Deposit AccoLint + cash)
26413
14484
25715
Due to the financlal pressures from wior seasons and the continued increase ofcosts in all areas of operatlng as a Choral
Socletyi it was declded that the annual subscription was to Increase substantlally In an ef fort to malntain the sustaina bll ity
of the Soclety. The general reaction to thls move seems to be that membershlp nevertlieless represents extraordlnary
value-for-money. Thls year the Society also recelved funding erants from the Kent Cominunity Foundation Award ai)d the
Ashford Federatlon of the Arts, whlch have been allocated towards the November 2023 concert costs and the purchasliig
of new carol muslc as capltal expenditure respectively.
The Soclety operates a deposit account which 15 drawn upon for each major concert, The Trustees have decided that a
separate reserves f und Is inappropriate. They ¢onsider that the So¢lety is vulnerable to f Iii¢tuatlon In recelpts and recent
events have shown that money may be necessary for contlngeneies and rlsks.
The trustees monltor the f Igures regularly and are prepared to set up a separate reserves f und should tl)e flnanclal climate
Improve.
SECTION D- STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Tlils orga nisatlon Is a Soclety governed by a Constitution {adopted 1994, ameiided 1997 and 2012). Trustees are electe d
by aiid out of tlie Soclety's ii)embership at tlie Annual General Meetingi tliey hold offlce for one year and are ellglble for
re-election. Full Committee Ineeting5 take place three times a year and the AGM follows one of the rehearsals everv
October. The Muslc Dlrector, tl)e Asslstant Conductor and the Accompanist are Invited to attènd ExecLltlve Coinmittee
Ineetlngs as noii-trLlStee ex off l¢lo members.
SECTION E- REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
ASHFORD IKENTI CHORAL SOCIETY
1041943
PRINCIPAL ADDRESS: Mr T Whorlow, 4 The Saddlers, Maln Road, Sellindge, Ashford TN25 6BZ
TRUSTEES WHO MANAGE THE CHARITY:
Domiiiic Urand
Jane Mlller
Vlrglnla Brown
Timothy Whorlow
Eleanor Bartram
Peniiy Town
Beryl Walker
Mary Walte
Emanuèle Malndron
Rachel Cook
Paul Bltcheno
J ulia Blackwell
Chalrman
Vice-chalrman
Secretary
Treasurer
Frlends Secretary
Eletted by full membershlp of the Soclety at AGM 2021
Elected by full InembersliSp of tlie Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the Socièty at AGM 2023
Elected by full membership of the Soclety at AGM 2023
Elected by full menibershlp of the Soclety at AGM 2021
Elected by full membersliip of the Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the Society at AGM 2021
Elected by full membership of the society at AGM 2021
Elected by full meinbership of the Society at AGM 2021
ADVISERS AND AGENTS:
Mr Keith Ford
HSBC plc
Inde
ondent Examlnei
Bai)kers

SECTION F- EXEMPTIONS FROM DISCLOSURE
This section 15 not a pplicable to our organ15ation.
SECTION G - FUNDS HELD AS CUSTODIAN TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF OTHERS
This sectioi) Is not applleable to our organisation.
SECTION H- OTHER OPTIONAL INFORMATION
Or8anlsatlon for the season 2024-25 is well undeNay. A concert In November 2024 will feature CPE Bach's Magnlflcot &
Mozart's Coronation Moss, there will be a Carol Concert In December; In March 2025 a concert of Vauglian Wllllams Flve
Mysticalsongs arid other shorter pleces, and flnally a concert in May 2025 to perform Pouleiic Glorlo and Beetlioven Moss
Anc.
SECTION J- DECLARATION
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above.
51gned on behalf of the charity's trustees:
SIGNATURE
FULL NAME
POSITION
DATE
g/iol&
END OF TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

ASHFORD CHORAL SOCIETY
TREASURER'S REPORT { SUMMARY)
TRANSACTIONS RELATING TO THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024
INCOME
NOV
DEC
MAR
Flll
IAY (APR
4,901.00
225.00
GENERAL
TOTAL A
8,642.00
443.50
Ticket Income (gross)
P¥ograinme Sales
1.1LlSiC Hlre
3.067.00
218.50
674.00
130.¢JO
224.60
525.00
879.60
14,421.00
1,862.00
1,128,25
420.00
14embers subscilptlons
Frlends subscrlptlons
Fundi'alsli)Q.' Rallle
Fundralsliig.. Sale of Produce
Fundraislng., eags
Fiii)dralsing.' Other fLJndralsln9 actlvlties
Advertisen)eiits
14,421.OD
1,862.00
1,128,25
420.00
190.00
190.00
1,193,00
345.00
2.800.00
3,002.26
S,230,04
40.00
300.11
40.896.76
1,193,00
345,00
300.00
Fu17dralslng.' Fees and Grants
Glft Atd
Doiiallons/bequests
011)ei- Incoiiie
Bank and other Interest
2,500.00
3,002.26
5,184.04
40.oa
30,00
16.00
300.11
28,385.66
TOTAL
5,945,50
914.60
5,651.00
EXPENDITiIRE
Sololsls, Fees & Expenses
Peiloriners, Fees (excl sololsts)
Coiiduclors, fees and expenses
Accon)panlst Fees
Hlre ol vocal scores
Hlre ol orchestral parts
Purchase of keyboard
Venue Hlre
NOV
2,OSO.00
780.00
500.00
450.00
91.50
DEC
hlAR
MAY
APR
1,600,00
3,040.00
605,00
200.00
1,309. 79
97.49
GENERAL
TOTAL A
3.650,00
3,820.00
4,612. 16
3.6S0.00
1,544,54
97.49
210.00
3.297.76
2,805.00
143.25
195.00
300.CK)
1,007.60
750.00
1,050.00
1,2LO.50
2,560.50
1,007.60
1,780.00
496.22
I,S24.00
382.00
140.OCI
753.11
Stagliig & Equlpinent
Hlre of Inslruniei)Is
8ox Ollice Comn)1ssloi) J Tlcket fees
uplroiit payinent for tlckets
Pi Inllng prog¥ammes
A(Ivertlslnglposters
Adirlnlstratlon
NACilnsurance
PRS
8ank charges (HSBC & Sumvp)
660.00
370.00
496.?.2
1,524.eO
180.00
145.00
55.00
57.00
45.00
40.00
753.11
147.08
147,08
111.99
135.73
26.4 13,0?
111.99
135,73
8,862.43
TOTAL
6,129.10
507.00
10,914.49
QPEfiATING SVRPLUSIDEFICIT
183.60
407.60
5,263.49
19.523.23
14,483,74
Otlier Fiiiidralsln8 acilvltles..
Received
GA Upllft Costs
Surplus1 {Dellclt)
Slnglng day 2023
457.60
J14.40
644.01
72.01
Qulz nlgl)t 2024
778.00
81.75
696.25
ACS Bags Ireceived $0 larl
190.00
634.43
In addillon to Ilie figures here, the society ralsed £1270 foi charity diiiing the year.
Included ¥¥itl)In donatlons Is the very generous bequesi Irom Charles Dawe5' Estate
Page 4

Ashfoid (l(ei)t) Choral Sociey
Balaiice Sheet & Statement of Proflt or L05$
Year elided 31105124
Profit a￿d Loss Statement
For the year to 31 May
May-24
May-23
Incoine
Grants
Tlcket Incoine
Programnie Sales
Music Hlre
Members Subscrlptlons
Friends Subscrlptions
Fundraislng: Raffle
Fundralslng: Sale of Produce
Fundralslng,. Ba8S
Fundraising.. Other fundraising actlvities
Advertisements
Glft Ald
Donations / Bequests
Other
Bank and other Interest
2,800.00
8,642.00
443.50
879.60
14,421.00
1,862.00
1,128.25
420.00
190.00
11,132.09
555,88
S60.49
9,633.46
1,765.00
1,259.20
422.00
1,193.00
345.00
3.002.26
5,230.04
40.00
300.11
480.00
2,090.17
938.85
280.41
50.71
Suspense & data to move out of P&L
40,896.76
29,168.26
Total Income
40,896.76
29,168.26
Expeiises
Soloists, Fees & Expenses
Performers, Fees (excl sololstsl
Conductors, fees and expenses
Accompanlst Fees
Hlre of vocal scores
Hlre of orchestral parts
Piirchase of keyboard
Venue Hlre
Staging & Equlpment
Hlre of Instruments
Box Office Commlssion / Tlcket fees
Upfront payment for tlckets
Printlng programmes
Advertlslng/posters
Admln5str3tlon
NAC/ln5urance
PRS
Bank charges (HSBC & Sumupl
3,650.00
3,820.00
4,612.76
3,650.00
1,544.54
97.49
3,250.00
9,600.00
5,280,00
3,270.00
436.14
561.10
2,560.50
1,007.60
1,780.00
496,22
4,427.70
310.00
483.55
1,524.00
365.00
158,00
1,611.56
162.60
1,524.00
382.C(I
140.00
753.11
147.08
111.99
135.73
153.40
26,413.02
31,593.05
Total Expenses
26N13.02
31.593.05
14,483.74
2,424.79
Page 5

Balance Sheet
For the year to 31 May
May-24
May-23
Assets.
Debtor5
otlier Debtors (Glft ald)
Prepayments
Total Assets
72.00
3,002.26
135.00
2,090.17
324.50
2,549.G7
31174.26
Baiik balances..
HSBC Current alc 0100 7513
HSBC Deposit a/c 4302 3486
Cash In Hand
Float
Total Bank balances
4.421.40
18,560.40
18.65
100.00
23,100.45
2,052.71
6,598.S9
loo.00
8,751.30
Total Assets
26,174.71
11,300.97
Current liabilities
Creditors
Other Credltors
A¢cruals
Deferred Income
Siib.total
Net Assets
370.00
70.00
90.00
460.00
25.714.71
70.00
11,230.97
Reserves
Current yea r eariilngs
Total Reserves
11,230.97
14,483.74
25,714.71
13,655.76
2,424.79
11,230,97
0.00
Notable results
November Concert
December C017cert
Marcl) Concert
May Concert IAprll thls yearl
other fundralslng actlvities:
Bags, produce & Raffle
Slngliig day (20231
Qiilz (May 20241
183.60
407.60
4,185.36
2SS.05
124.15
6,246.90
5,263.49
1,738.25
72.01
1,681.20
696.25
This report is an accurate siimmary of tl)e financlal transactions for tlie year, as declared separately
land In (Ilfferent format} to the Charity Commisslon.
Signed by Independent Examlner:
Date,.
Page 6

Summary figures for past seasons
Season
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2020
2020-2021
2021-2022
2022-2023
Income
Expenditure
24,047
30,927
41,412
35.412
36,456
38,520
39,732
24,044
3,748
29,253
31,593
26,413
Deficit/Surplus
3,574
4,826
5,257
81
747
2,105
2,752
3,145
4,870
3,499
2,425
14,484
Assets at fye
20,838
16,011
10,753
10,673
9,787
11,892
9,140
12,285
17,155
13,656
11,231
25,715
27,621
26,100
36,154
35,331
35,709
40,625
36,980
27,189
8,617
25,754
29,168
40,897
2023-2024
Page 7