Trustees' Annual Report for Ipswich Chamber Choir Year Ended 31[st] August 2025
Charity No 1074813 Registered Charity Address: 1 Morris Road, Wickham Market, IP13 0TF
Objectives and Activities
The objects of the charity are to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all its aspects by the presentation of public choral concerts and for the general purposes of such charitable bodies or for such other purposes as shall be exclusively charitable as the committee may from time to time decide.
Trustees who served during the year
Carol Scotland (Chair) Marian Stephens (Secretary) Michael Cooper (Treasurer Glynis Buckmaster Terence Gaussen Tony Mason Jennifer Haxell
Management
Ipswich Chamber Choir is managed by a Management Committee, comprising (at 31[st] August 2025) the above Trustees excluding Jennifer Haxell who resigned on 14th January 2025.
The Committee is responsible for selecting a Musical Director and an Assistant Musical Director. The Committee works with the Musical Director in selecting concert repertoire. Administrative and concert tasks are handled by the Committee and choir membership volunteers. Trustees are selected from the choir membership and are appointed or re-appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
The Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or benefits.
Activities and achievements in the year
The year ending 31[st] August 2025 was a very busy year for the Choir, as we celebrated our 40th Anniversary. There were three full concerts plus our annual Christmas Crackers with the Raedwald Ensemble, a collaboration with Ipswich Choral Society and a Quiz night.
The highlight was the conclusion of our four-part Easter Bach Passion Cycle with a performance of the St Matthew Passion.
Financial Review
The Statement of Financial Affairs shows a deficit of £617 (2024: surplus of £6,349). This would have been a surplus except that the annual gift aid receipt of £2,755 was received after the year end. The main financial contribution for the year was the Bach St Matthew Passion performed at Snape Concert Hall in March 2025. The Ticket sales and concert expenses were considerably higher than our normal concerts and there was a resultant and expected concert loss of around £5,500. This was better than anticipated and was broadly covered by the £6,000 grant received in 2024. At the year end our Monetary Accumulated Funds stood at £15,600, near to our long term level of £15,000. This is deemed sufficient to fund at least six months of costs.
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Concerts
In November our Anniversary concert had an audience of 147 and returned a profit of £793. In December we performed Handel's Messiah at Ipswich Corn Exchange with Ipswich Choral Society which was followed by our Christmas Crackers Concert with an audience of 100 and a profit of £819. Our main concert in March was the Bach St Matthew Passion at Snape, performed with The Geldart Ensemble and soloists from Amici Voices. It was a tremendous success musically and attracted an audience of 618. The loss of £5,500 was £2,800 better than budget.
The more informal June concert had an audience of 103 and made a £88 profit.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 8th September 2025
Treasurer M D Cooper
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Ipswich Chamber Choir, Registered Charity No 1074813 Accounts for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
Statement of Financial Affairs
| Receipts Members and Supporters Members Subscription Gift Aid Friends, Patrons and Sponsorship Grants received Folder sales Donations and sundry income Fundraising and Social Quiz evening Garden Party Concerts and Choral Workshops Ticket sales Venue deposit refunded Music score receipts Brochure sales (net) Donations for refreshments (net) Raffle tickets Investment income Bank Interest Total Receipts Payments Administration and Contracted Musicians Music Director and Assistant Music Director Subscriptions, Insurance and Fees Website, admin and sundry Accountancy Fundraising and Social Quiz evening Garden Party Concerts and Singing days Musicians Music Instrument hire Rehearsals Venue hire Publicity and other Total Payments Surplus/(Deficit) for the year |
2025 £ 8,080 - 2,380 - 40 2,996 13,496 1,419 - 1,419 21,686 600 760 297 528 195 24,066 263 39,244 10,320 757 464 300 11,841 907 - 907 16,110 1,043 470 610 7,670 1,210 27,113 39,861 (617) |
2024 £ 8,080 2,322 2,290 6,000 40 649 |
|---|---|---|
| 19,381 | ||
| 1,279 270 |
||
| 1,549 | ||
| 6,895 - 624 157 296 200 |
||
| 8,172 | ||
| 169 | ||
| 29,271 | ||
| 9,005 750 612 - |
||
| 10,367 | ||
| 518 12 |
||
| 530 | ||
| 7,295 1,306 250 680 1,525 969 |
||
| 12,025 | ||
| 22,922 | ||
| 6,349 |
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Ipswich Chamber Choir, Registered Charity No 1074813 Accounts for the Year Ended 31 August 2024
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Assets Bank current account Bank deposit account Total Monetary Assets Debtors - debtors and payments in advance Total Assets Less: Creditors - accruals and receipts in advance Net Assets Movements in Accumulated Funds Represented by Monetary Assets Balance brought forward Surplus/(Deficit) of Receipts over Payments for the year Balance carried forward |
31-Aug-25 £ 359 15,241 15,600 2,881 18,481 (371) 18,110 31-Aug-25 £ 16,217 (617) 15,600 |
31-Aug-24 £ 589 15,628 |
| 16,217 845 |
||
| 17,062 (390) |
||
| 16,672 | ||
| 31-Aug-24 £ 9,868 6,349 |
||
| 16,217 |
Approved by the Management Committee on 8th September 2025
Treasurer M D Cooper
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Ipswich Chamber Choir, Registered Charity No 1074813 Accounts for the Year Ended 31 August 2025
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st August 2025 which are set out on pages 1 to 4.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- 1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2 the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Dated: 4th November 2025
Gary Scarff ACA FCCA MAAT Walter Wright 89 High Street Hadleigh Suffolk IP7 5EA
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