2022-03-31-accounts - 20,000 Voices

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20,000 VOICES

ANNUAL REPORT

For the Period Ended 31 March 2022

20,000 Voices 258 Frome Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 0DS

20,000 Voices is a company limited by guarantee Company Number 3550680 and a Registered Charity Number 1073394

20,000 VOICES

DIRECTOR’S REPORT for period ended 31 March 2022

1. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY

20,000 Voices promotes, supports and develops participation in singing principally, and in music making in combinations with instrumental music for all. The organisation encourages activities which enhance enjoyment and develop skills across a wide range of vocal styles and across the widest possible community. Originally founded and based in Northumberland and the North East, the organisation now enjoys a widening reach across all sectors of the community across the UK and beyond.

Singing is important:

Singing is a basic natural human activity
Singing develops physical, mental, social, emotional and creative capacities
Singing promotes the health and wellbeing of individuals and groups
Singing develops self-confidence and self-esteem
Singing is enjoyable

Objectives:

Empower all people through singing;
Engage people in the development of vocal & communication skills;
Enrich lives through learning and participation;
Enhance health and wellbeing through the benefits of singing;
Extend access to participation in singing

We aim to meet our objectives by:

working with people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities
providing activities in a wide range of vocal styles
providing workshops, courses and projects
using highly skilled leaders
developing the talents and skills of a variety of participants and potential leaders
encouraging the creation and performance of new vocal music
disseminating information about best practice in singing and vocal events
working in partnership with organisations in voluntary, public and private sectors

Key activities:

Advocacy - promoting the benefits of singing and encouraging others, including decision makers, to share our beliefs
Developing Networks - offering singers and leaders opportunities to learn from each other, and developing partnerships with other organisations
Providing - delivering a unique programme with energy, enthusiasm & efficiency.

2. FUNDERS

During the current accounting period 20,000 Voices has continued to enjoy support from The Early Music Shop and the North East Early Music Forum (NEEMF).

20,000 VOICES ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2021-22 Page 2

3. ACTIVITIES

OVERVIEW

20,000 Voices as a small charity principally involved in promoting the benefits of singing, for well being and life enhancing experience, in common with all other arts and cultural organisations continues to experience considerable challenges during this period, threatening its survival. The severe restrictions placed on all businesses, but especially and particularly those engaged in communal activities, and singling out singing, have continued to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to singing in particular, but many group activities, and especially those engaging with older members of the community remains restricted.

We are at a stage where a major reset is required to enable forward movement for the organisation. Steps being put in place include Board recruitment, which will in turn refine forward strategies for our sphere of activity. The choral landscape in the UK, and elsewhere, has undergone a radical change in recent years. Old models no longer work. The regular weekly attendance at a choir gathering has taken a back seat to the proliferation of one-off events, such as Come & Sing days, workshops, and other “instant” events. This has put a halt on the planned development of the organisation, and at the time of writing, it can only be hoped that the new initiatives we are putting in place will prove fruitful for our future.

The ethos of 20,000 Voices has always been to encourage people to engage with singing, through a variety of introductory workshops, and the subsequent formation of choirs, supplemented by further workshop opportunities and a range of creative and performance projects. The absorption of the summer school HISS (Historically Informed Summer School) has maintained this principle, and also extended it to instrumental involvement.

ESTABLISHED ACTIVITIES

Choirs & Singing Days

The suspension of our community choirs and the Silver Singers programme (for over 50s) came to an abrupt halt with the lockdowns in 2020. These choirs have not returned, or have restarted on a much more localised and informal ad hoc basis, which has made them unviable for us as an organisation to sustain. Therefore, there has been no activity of this kind during the current accounting period.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Courses & Workshops

The major activity in recent years has again been the annual summer school, HISS (Historically Informed Summer School). This residential summer school runs for a week in August, based at Bishop Burton College, near Beverley in east Yorkshire, attracting up to 100 participants from across the world (eg including New Zealand, Japan, USA, as well as across Europe in previous years). The course was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. We were able to run again in 2021 which provided some hope that the course could run as normal. In fact booking was late, and there was a good deal of caution from would be attenders. It is hoped that in August 2022 we will be able to run

20,000 VOICES ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2021-22 Page 3

the course in a more “normal” fashion. However, indications are that numbers may be down again in the future.

Advocacy and Networking

20,000 Voices has continued to provide an informal service for the region and beyond supporting singers, students, choirs and other community musicians, by offering information and advice to those wanting to develop their singing and musical skills.

4. FIXED ASSETS

The Company holds no fixed assets.

5. DIRECTORS

The Directors who served during this financial period are:

Peter Carey (1998) – chair

Following consultation with Making Music and its recent guidelines on management structures, additional Board members have been identified, and once activity resumes, the Board will again be fully functional.

7. FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

It is hoped that 20,000 Voices will see an improved prospect for its future, as the music industry recovers after the privations that Brexit and COVID have caused. At the time of writing, HISS ran successfully in August 2022 (activities falling into the next accounting period) and this points to a hopeful return to increased musical, and especially singing activities, as a powerful force for mental as well as physical wellbeing.

Maintaining the organisation as a viable concern continues to represent a challenge in these difficult times, but also remains a priority task, with a target of replenishing core funding with continuing funding streams, as a result of regular work and ongoing projects, still high on the target list.

Signed dated 28 December 2022 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Graham Coatman, Company Secretary

20,000 VOICES ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2021-22 Page 4

Registered Number 03550680

20,000 Voices

Micro-entity Accounts

31 March 2022

20,000 Voices Registered Number 03550680

Micro-entity Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2022

Notes Fixed assets Current Assets Prepayments and accrued income Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets (liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year Provisions for liabilities Accruals and deferred income Total net assets (liabilities) Reserves	2022 £ - 8,220 - -450 7,770 7,770 0 0 0 7,770 7,770	2021 £ - 7,023 - -450
		6,573

		6,573
		0 0 0
		6,573

		6,573

For the year ending 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime

Approved by the Board on 24 March 2023

and signed on their behalf by:

Peter Carey, Director

20,000 Voices Registered Number 03550680

Notes to the Micro-entity Accounts for the period ended 31 March 2022

1 Employees 2022 2021 Average number of employees during the period 0 0

This document was delivered using electronic communications and authenticated in accordance with the registrar’s rules relating to electronic form, authentication and manner o delivery under section 1072 of the Companies Act 2006

Registered Number 03550680

20,000 Voices

Micro-entity Accounts

31 March 2022

20,000 Voices Registered Number 03550680

Micro-entity Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2022

Notes Fixed assets Current Assets Prepayments and accrued income Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets (liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year Provisions for liabilities Accruals and deferred income Total net assets (liabilities) Reserves	2022 £ - 8,220 - -450 7,770 7,770 0 0 0 7,770 7,770	2021 £ - 7,023 - -450
		6,573

		6,573
		0 0 0
		6,573

		6,573

For the year ending 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime

Approved by the Board on 24 March 2023

and signed on their behalf by:

Peter Carey, Director

20,000 Voices Registered Number 03550680

Notes to the Micro-entity Accounts for the period ended 31 March 2022

1 Employees 2022 2021 Average number of employees during the period 0 0