## _Orchestra of the City_
_Registered charity 1106325_
Registered address: 54 Anne of Cleves Road Dartford DA1 2BQ
## _**Trustees’ Annual Report & Accounts for the 2024-2025 season**_
## **Trustees**
Peter Woods – chair Jonathan Stoneman – treasurer Antonia Stoneman – friends’ scheme Tom Miles - trustee Rosy Henderson - trustee Chris Hopkins – music director, ex-officio Anna Hughes – orchestra manager, ex-officio
The board remained the same throughout the reporting period.
The orchestra operates under a constitution adopted on 20 July 2004 (and
supplemental deed of 31 July 2004). It is an unincorporated association registered with the Charity Commission.
There are seven trustees, appointed as volunteers by general acclamation when vacancies occur.
Orchestra of the City’s charitable purposes are stated as follows: “To advance the education of the public in the art and science of music by maintaining an orchestra to provide concerts, with a view to the training and development of amateur musicians in a common effort to bring high quality musical performances to members of the public”.
To this end the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in planning and carrying out the charity's activities, and continue to organise a 5 concert season, in an established pattern, October, December, February/early March, April/May, early July. Over the season under review, playing numbers ranged from 55 to 82, depending on the requirements of the repertoire. There are around 50 core members who play in all the concerts.
Since the summer of 2023 all concerts take place at St Andrews church, Holborn. Attendance has been excellent, with the church pews full, or almost full, for every concert. Capacity downstairs is around 180, and can be expanded by opening the balcony seating, which requires liaison with the church and has to be planned in advance.
Feedback from audiences (informal) and players (annual survey) remains very positive. The audience is made up mainly of family and friends, and others who choose to support us by attending concerts regularly.
In 2024-25 membership of the Friends Scheme doubled to 16. The scheme is in effect a subscription which guarantees the member a “reserved” seat at all five concerts, in return for an annual fee.
The orchestra keeps costs low, rehearsing in a reasonably-priced church, and rarely needing to pay soloists. Broadly speaking, subscriptions from players cover the cost of rehearsal venue and music hire, and ticket sales for the concerts cover concert venue hire and extras including pianos, percussion instruments and other “on-the-day” players.
During the year, two trustees were reimbursed for expenses incurred on behalf of the charity – these were made at cost, and were properly authorized. No Trustee received payment for services to the charity.
The orchestra has generally broken even in most years, but in the season under review, increased attendance at concerts, coupled with the capacity to sell interval drinks and programmes has allowed the orchestra to make a small surplus of £3206.
The orchestra has the luxury of having an excellent music director who does not accept payment for his services. The same applies to its orchestra manager. The Trustees are aware that having to pay a future Music Director would upset the orchestra’s financial equilibrium; consequently the trustees are trying to build up the orchestra’s cash reserves and put a plan in place for such an eventuality.
The Trustees have no concerns as to the orchestra’s ability to remain a going concern.
During the time between end of the reporting year and deadline for filing this report, the trustees have taken steps to agree and adopt the following policies
Financial reserves policy and procèdures
Internal charity financial controts policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses poliw and procedures
The orchestr8 has notclaimed GtftAid for severalyearsfollowinga change of collection
method. It has been necessary to re-establish the correct contact for the orchestra with
HMRC. Atthis point the trustees are collecting Gift Aid declarations and personal
details from the players. and expect to begin receiving Gift Aid in the reporting year,
2026-2027. At the same time the Trustees have taken steps to make the orchestra
eligible to receive Orchestral Tax Relief in future years. These funds will appear in future
accounts. The aim is to build up reserves to 8 polntwhere there 18 a minimum of £10000
8V8ilable.
Peter Woods
Jonathan Stoneman
Chalr
Treasurer
Appendi¢ès-
Concert progr8mmes for 888son 2024-2025
Profit and Loss statement for reportingyear 2024-2025
Balance Sheetfor reportingye8r. 2024-2025
## _Summary of concerts in the 2024-2025 season._
## _All concerts held at St Andrew’s, Holborn_
_Concert 1 - Friday 11th October_ Mayer - Overture in D major Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 4 (original version) Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4 _Piano - Dr. Christopher White Conductor - Chris Hopkins Concert 2 - Friday 20th December_ Coleridge-Taylor - Christmas Overture Respighi - Pines of Rome Respighi - Fountains of Rome Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite Leroy Anderson - Sleigh Ride Helen Caddick - T R A C E S - tales from the anechoic chamber _Conductor - Chris Hopkins_
_Concert 3 - Friday 27th February_
Stravinsky - Symphonies of Wind Instruments Dvorak - Cello Concerto Brahms orch. Schoenberg - Piano Quartet No. 1 _Conductor - Chris Hopkins Cello - Maxim Calver Concert 4 - Friday 11th April_ Svendsen - Romeo & Julia Op. 18 Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23
Dvorak - Symphony No. 8
_Conductor/soloist - Chris Hopkins Concert 5 - Friday 11th July_ Mahler - Symphony No. 9 _Conductor - Chris Hopkins_
## **Orchestra of the City – Profit & loss Account for year ended 31 August 2025**
## **prepared on a cash basis**
## _**Opening balance £11768, net income £3206, closing balance £14794**_
|**_Income_**
_Donations_
_Friends’ subscriptions_
_Other operating income_
_Refreshment sales - rehearsals_
_Refreshments - concert 1_
_Sales_
_Subs_
_Subs - annual_
_Subs concert 1_
_Subs concert 2_
_Subs concert 3_
_Subs concert 4_
_Subs concert 5_
_Subs May Playday_
_Ticket sales concert 1_
_Ticket sales concert 2_
_Ticket sales concert 3_
_Ticket sales concert 4_
_Ticket sales concert 5_|_350_
_1,600_
_156_
_128_
_102_
_1,337_
_2,957_
_225_
_1,405_
_1,805_
_1,520_
_1,050_
_1,680_
_-_
_2,466_
_3,966_
_2,458_
_2,408_
_2,202_|**_2025_**
_£_
_27,815_
_27,815_|_536_
_600_
_300_
_-_
_-_
_6,655_
_2,183_
_-_
_1,485_
_1,244_
_1,520_
_938_
_2,555_
_105_
_1,310_
_1,555_
_1,250_
_1,330_
_1,640_|**_2024_**
_£_
_25,207_|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|||||_25,207_|
## _Expenses_
|_Bank charges_
_Concert expenses_
_Extras concert 1_
_Extras concert 2_
_Extras concert 3_
_Extras concert 4_
_Extras concert 5_
_Instrument hire_
_Music Hire_
_Other legal and prof_
_Percussion hire_
_Piano Hire_
_Postage_
_Printing_
_Professional fees_
_PRS_
_Rehearsal conductor_
_Rehearsal venue - King Solomo_
_Rehearsal venue hire_
_Soloist fee_
_Sundry_
_Venue Hire_
_Website_
_Net proft_|_-_
_(729)_
_(195)_
_(452)_
_(125)_
_(15)_
_(214)_
_-_
_(1,608)_
_(71)_
_(4,022)_
_(1,005)_
_(14)_
_(109)_
_(733)_
_(197)_
_(420)_
_(1,145)_
_(5,060)_
_(400)_
_(241)_
_(7,853)_
_-_|_(24,610)_
_3,206_|_(18)_
_(468)_
_(115)_
_(1,112)_
_(370)_
_(284)_
_(910)_
_(204)_
_(3,816)_
_-_
_(2,005)_
_-_
_-_
_(80)_
_(424)_
_(433)_
_(350)_
_-_
_(6,977)_
_(300)_
_(216)_
_(6,933)_
_(173)_|_(25,188)_|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|||||_19_|
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
_Section A Independent Examiner’s Report_
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Orchestra of the City **On accounts for the** 31/08/2025 **Charity** 1106325 **year ended no (if any) Set out on pages** 6 & 7
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/08/2025 **.**
**Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Date:** 22/06/2026 **Signed: Name:** Hilary Wood **Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 11 Richardson Road London E15 3BB