Charity number: 1128730
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Trustees
Mr Simon Rowland-Jones Mr Barry Cheeseman Mr Michael Holley
Charity registered number
1128730
Principal office
Pipers Croft Friars Lane Burnham Market Kings Lynn PE31 8JA
Accountants
Larking Gowen LLP Summerhill House 1 Sculthorpe Road Fakenham Norfolk NR21 9HA
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Charity was established by a Declaration of Trust dated 17 March 2009 and was entered on the Central Register of Charities under Number 1128730 on 23 March 2009.
The Trustees serving during the year ended 31 October 2025, were as follows:
Mr Simon Rowland-Jones Mr Barry Cheeseman Mr Michael Holley
New Trustees, if required, are recruited informally on the basis of their related experience and their interest in the work of the Charity. Nominations are approved and appointed by the other Trustees and briefed accordingly.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The Charity’s objectives are to advance, encourage, develop and maintain public education, in appreciation and involvement in classical music, by promoting a festival of public concerts for public benefit. Furthermore, the Charity seeks to advance arts, especially classical music, by the provision of a public festival of music and lectures in North Norfolk.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
The 2025 Festival, our 20th, was celebrated in great style with big audiences at almost all the concerts.
When we planned the programme, we had intended that the 2025 Festival would be the last one in South Creake and that we would move to The Maltings in Wells next the Sea. This plan was not met with a positive response from the audience for many reasons, so in the end this was not the farewell to South Creake and we went on to plan another festival there in 2026 which took place in May.
The theme of the 20th Festival was one of farewell and renewal. The closing concert was probably the greatest evening ever presented in South Creake where both these themes were represented through the music of Mahler and Wagner, in arrangements made for chamber musicians and soprano by Joint Festival Director, Simon Rowland-Jones.
We welcomed the Italian soprano Rosa Feola who turned The Church of our Lady into the stage of La Scala, Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, combined. The image of Rosa in her gown singing Casta Diva from Bellini's opera Norma will stay in the memories of everyone present that evening.
Expenditure for artists fees and transport rose this year as a result of us planning a very special programme to celebrate two decades.
We still found room to welcome young musicians which provided a nice contrast to the experienced and world-famous artists who came to South Creake to celebrate our 20th year. Our audience always enjoys seeing such talented musicians sharing the same venue and platform as more experienced artists.
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
We donated £2,000 to The Church of Our Lady St Mary and, as usual, greatly augmented through the hire of cushions. This year we had to supply all the seating for the audience following a schism with the church which happily was resolved in time for the recent Festival in May 26.
The 22nd Festival will take place between 25 June and 2nd July 2027, both dates inclusive in South Creake and there will an additional concert in the church of St Margaret's in Burnham Norton to celebrate the life of our patron, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw who died in September 2025 just after the end of the 20th Festival. He had been the Festival's patron since the first festival in 2005 and is buried in the graveyard at St Margaret's.
Although we did not in the end move the summer Festival to Wells Maltings we did present a series of talks, interviews and concerts there in December 2025. The venue is ideal for the winter months and having a variety of events in quick succession on a single day, we felt we were able to communicate with our audience in a more personal way than is possible in South Creake. We were able to link one event around the live broadcast of an opera from The Metropolitan Opera in New York City which was preceded by an informative and entertaining illustrated talk on the opera, Andrea Chenier, given by Joint Festival Director, Barry Cheeseman. After the talk, the audience was able to stay in their seats to watch the live transmission from New York!
To sum up, we are pleased that NNMF will continue in both South Creake and Wells Maltings but on a less ambitious scale, which will involve less work for our volunteers. Most of our original volunteers are still involved with NNMF although it was sad to say adieu to Anne Sinstadt who worked so tirelessly for so many years, but who finally decided to retire at the end of the 2025 Festival at the age of 92! She will be much missed.
FINANCIAL REVIEW AND RESERVES
The Receipts and Payments Account of the Charity is set out on page 1.
Total receipts for the year were £111,030 (2024: £97,132) and total expenditure was £116,073 (2024: £88,262), meaning that net receipts were (£5,043) (2024: £8,870).
As at 31 October 2025 unrestricted funds were £63,099 (2024: £66,960).
The trustees aim to maintain free reserves of £25,000. The current level of reserves held exceeds this. Our non-administrative outgoings, i.e. artists' fees and concerts costs, are generally between 60-70% of the total budget, to which, once we have planned and advertised a festival, we are committed. Recouping such a large sum each year is entirely dependent on ticket sales and donations, which are never guaranteed. Each time we put on a festival we take a risk and we never plan one without knowing in advance that we will be able to pay the fees and meet the other costs associated with it, therefore we do feel the need to have extra funds available beyond the basic reserve in our account.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The Trustees regularly review the main risks that may impact the Charity and implement action and safeguards to mitigate those risks where necessary.
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
| Concerts Ticket Sales Artists' fees Other concert expenses Other Receipts Friends' subscriptions & donations Other concert income Gift aid Payments Marketing Administration Charitable donations Sundries PayPal charges Net receipts for the year Cash at bank 1 November 2024 Net receipts for the year Cash at bank 31 October 2025 |
£ £ 64,223 66,804 35,328 (102,132) (37,909) 33,195 7,880 5,732 46,807 1,892 7,209 3,500 - 1,340 (13,941) (5,043) 66,960 (5,043) 61,917 2025 Unrestricted Funds |
£ £ 57,732 47,194 26,354 (73,548) (15,816) 22,147 12,615 4,638 39,400 2,010 8,084 3,200 328 1,092 (14,714) 8,870 58,090 8,870 66,960 2024 Unrestricted Funds |
£ £ 57,732 47,194 26,354 (73,548) (15,816) 22,147 12,615 4,638 39,400 2,010 8,084 3,200 328 1,092 (14,714) 8,870 58,090 8,870 66,960 2024 Unrestricted Funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33,195 7,880 5,732 |
22,147 12,615 4,638 |
||
| (15,816) 39,400 (14,714) |
|||
| 1,892 7,209 3,500 - 1,340 |
2,010 8,084 3,200 328 1,092 |
||
| 8,870 | |||
| 58,090 8,870 |
|||
| 66,960 |
1
| Unrestricted Funds | Unrestricted Funds | UnrestrictedFunds | UnrestrictedFunds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| CURRENTASSETS | ||||
| Cash atbank | ||||
| Currentaccount | 60,337 | 66,079 | ||
| PayPal | 1,580 | 881 | ||
| 61,917 | 66,960 | |||
| Stock | 1,182 | ‑ | ||
| 63,099 | 66,960 | |||
| a | ||||
| FUNDS | ||||
| Unrestrictedreserves | 63,099 | 66,960 |
NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2025
1 General notes
Basis of accounting:
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis. Accordingly no account is taken of amounts payable or receivable at the period end.
2 Transactions with Trustees
The Charity does not have any employees.
Mr S Rowland-Jones, a Trustee, charged the Charity £4,600 for programme, website and administration work, as well as a recital (2024: £nil)
Mr B Cheeseman, a Trustee, charged the Charity £Nil for the use of his own home as accommodation and administration (2024: £3,500).
3 Other disclosure issues
The Charity has not given any guarantees charged or received a loan secured on any of its assets, or has at the year end any contingent liabilities. The Charity does not receive grants as a material part of its income.
3
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS OF NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
I report to the trustees on the examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 October 2025 which are set out on pages 1 to 3.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the Charity 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 2011 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 Examiners’ 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
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.
Christopher Yeates FCA DChA
LARKING GOWEN LLP CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS SUMMERHILL HOUSE SCULTHORPE FAKENHAM NR21 9HA
Dated: 16 June 2026