2024-07-31-accounts - Sherborne Chamber Choir

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SHERBORNE CHANBER CHOIR

REGISTERED CHARITY NO 1113380

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year to 31 July 2024

SHERBORNE CHAMBER CHOIR

REGISTERED CHARITY NO 1113380

	Page
Trust Information	3
Trustees Report	4
Report of the Independent Examiner	6
Statement of financial activities	7
Balance sheet	8

SHERBORNE CHAMBER CHOIR

LEDGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Registered charity number: 1113380 Trustees: Rachel Greaves, Chair Lynne Harding, Treasurer Oonagh Langrishe Susan Wales, Secretary Andrew White (appointed 30 May 2024) Helen Walter (resigned 4 August 2024) Musical Director Paul Ellis Bankers: CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill West Malling ME19 4JQ Independent Examiner Liz Ashmead 752 The Square Cattistock DT2 0JD

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 July 2024

Structure and Governance

The charity is an unincorporated society registered with the Charities Commission on 21 March 2006 and governed by a constitution, last amended in May 2008.

The Trustees are elected by choir members and form the Committee, along with the Musical Director, who is exofficio.

Objects of the Choir

The choir is established to advance, 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 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.

Activity

The choir holds regular practices and training sessions and gives concerts and other informal performances in Sherborne and the surrounding area.

The choir continues to be full to capacity and we have been delighted to maintain and build on the large audience numbers that welcomed us back after lockdown. We have continued with our online ticket system (with phone provision) and this has been very successful. We gave four performances in Sherborne Abbey during the season:

2[nd] December 2023 O Radiant Dawn . Our popular Advent concert of carols old attracted a large audience of nearly 300. The programme featured plainsong chants for Advent and an eclectic mix of old and new music for Advent and Christmas, ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day by composers including Raphaella Aleotti, Poulenc, Francis Jackson, James MacMillan, Matthew Martin, Mendelssohn, and Carl Rütti.

16[th] March 2024 Duruflé Requiem . Our programme featured Duruflé’s classic setting of the Requiem and also marked the two hundredth birthday of Anton Bruckner, as well as music by David Bednall, Byrd, Gjeilo, Poulenc and Victoria. The concert was dedicated to our two choir members who passed away in late 2023.

2[nd] May 2024 Fauré Requiem. Our annual performance as part of the Sherborne Festival Chorus was the opening concert of the Sherborne Abbey Festival, with a performance of Fauré’s popular setting, to mark the centenary of his death, along with John Rutter’s joyful and colourful setting of the Magnificat, performed to a full house in the Abbey with Chameleon Arts Orchestra.

6[th] July 2024 Serenade to Music . We ended the season with an evening of the best of British choral music, featuring Vaughan Williams’ sublime Serenade to Music , alongside Elgar’s grand anthem Give unto the Lord , Howells’ Collegium Regale setting of the Te Deum, Stanford’s motet Beati quorum via (marking his centenary), and music by Byrd, James MacMillan, John Ireland, Jonathan Dove and John Dowland.

We also sang carols for the switching on of the Christmas lights in Sherborne and for the Weldmar Hospice Light up a Life service in December. During autumn 2023 the choir turned out in force for two particularly sad occasions: the memorial services for choir members Pam Coward and Steve Goodden. Steve was a founder member of the choir, and Pam had sung with us for thirty years, and we miss them both, musically and socially.

Many thanks to all the members of the choir for their continuing dedication and hard work and in particular to all those who help in so many ways behind the scenes to ensure the success of the choir and its concerts. Above all, thanks are due to our Musical Director, who continues to inspire us and raise us to new musical heights.

Public Benefit

In planning the choir’s activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance on public benefit and fee charging. The choir relies on income from ticket sales and membership subscriptions to cover its operating costs. Careful consideration is given to ensuring that ticket prices and subscriptions are set at levels which make the choir’s activities as accessible to as wide a range of the

public as possible, including free tickets for under 18s at all our own-promoted concerts. For over twenty years a proportion of our tickets have been priced at £5; these will increase to £7 next season.

Finance

Principal sources of funds

Our normal principal sources of funds are box office income, members’ subscriptions, income from fee-paying engagements and from our Friends scheme. The choir continues to be in a financially secure position, thanks to consistently good box office income, donations, and a legacy left by a choir member. We expect our costs to rise substantially in the next financial year, largely due to an increase in our performance venue costs, and we are currently in a good position to weather this.

The accounts for the year show an income of £27,609 (2024: £31,683) and expenditure of £18,534 (2024: £28,903), resulting in a surplus of £9,075 (2024: £2,780).

Reserves policy

The trustees usually aim to keep enough reserves to cover concert costs for the season, excluding any box office income which may be received. Our reserves at the end of the financial year were £36,689 (2023: £27,614).

We gratefully acknowledge all our supporters, both in kind and through donations, including our loyal band of Friends of the choir, and our audiences.

The trustees declare that they have approved the report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.

Rachel Greaves, Chair

Date 22 April 2025

SHERBORNE CHAMBER CHOIR

REGISTERED CHARITY NO 1113380 Independent Examiner’s Report

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Sherborne Chamber Choir (the charity) for the year ended 31 July 2024, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account), the Balance Sheet and the related Notes.

Responsibilities and basis of report

The charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination and I can confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 130 of the 2011 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).

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 and in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Liz Ashmead

752 The Square Cattistock Dorset DT2 0JD

Signed

Elizabeth Ashmead

Elizabeth Ashmead : Independent Examiner Date 5.5.2025

SHERBORNE CHAMBER CHOIR

Registered Charity number : 1113380 Income and expenditure account for the Year ended 31 July 2024

Income Box office income Friends Subscriptions Music Hire Weddings Other services Advertising Programme sales Sponsorship Donations Interest Refunds Gift Aid Total income Expenditure Musical Director and miscellaneous	£ £ £ £ 9,701 11,815 495 740 6,286 5,780 55 33 - 400 300 350 210 - 946 892 - 10,000 8,661 330 113 99 - 200 842 1,044 27,609 31,683 31/07/2024 31/07/2023 Year to Year to	£ £ £ £ 9,701 11,815 495 740 6,286 5,780 55 33 - 400 300 350 210 - 946 892 - 10,000 8,661 330 113 99 - 200 842 1,044 27,609 31,683 31/07/2024 31/07/2023 Year to Year to	£ £ £ £ 9,701 11,815 495 740 6,286 5,780 55 33 - 400 300 350 210 - 946 892 - 10,000 8,661 330 113 99 - 200 842 1,044 27,609 31,683 31/07/2024 31/07/2023 Year to Year to
			31,683

Musical Director fees Musical Director concert and wedding fees Promotion and Printing Advertising Postage Printing Music purchase and hire Music hire Music purchase Commissioned music Concert expenses	5,015 750 529 66 704 848 289 -	4,740 420 630 33 1,108 542 470 1,160
Commission on box office	95	369
Additional singers for concerts Organist Orchestra Soloists Refreshments for orchestra Festival chorus fee Meals and welfare for orchestra/soloists Abbey fees Administration Rehearsal Venue hire Auditor fees Making Music Membership and insurance Miscellaneous Equipment Donations Social Social events Bank charges Refunds Excess of income over expenditure	1,800 1,120 - - - 477 25 2,751 1,319 180 259 174 1,793 105 60 175	1,560 1,095 5,750 3,890 200 400 280 3,005 2,290 130 390 111 - 270 60 - 18,534 9,075
			28,903
			2,780

Bank Accounts as at 31.7.2024	Closing balance 31.7.2024 Movement in year		Movement in year
CAF Current and Gold Bank Account Balance	17,454 9,858		2,897
CAF 60-day interest Account balance	12,364 87
Movement in debtors Total	(870) 29,819 9,075		(117)
			2,780

SHERBORNE CHAMBER CHOIR

Charity number: 1113380

Balance sheet : 31/07/2024

	31/07/2024			31/07/2023
Current Assets	£	£	£	£
Cash at bank (incl Deposit Accounts)	29,819		19,874
Stock in hand (library music)	7,000		7,000
Gift aid				870
Total assets		36,819		27,744
Current liabilities
Accruals 2024 - Independent examiner fee		(130)		(130)
Net assets		36,689		27,614
Reserves
Reserves c/fwd		27,614		24,834
Surplus for the year		9,075		2,780
		36,689		27,614