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2024-08-31-accounts

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Annual Report and Accounts For the financial year ended 31st August 2024

www.ohmi.org.uk The OHMI Trust 29 Woodbourne Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 8BY admin@ohmi.org.uk Registered Charity England and Wales: 1143623 Scotland: SC052047

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Annual Report and Accounts

For the financial year ended 31st August 2024

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Our Year at a Glance 6

Contents

- OHMI’s Music Maker Manager Faye Oakland leading a ‘Try It Day’ workshop October 2023

Part One: Our Year in 6 Review

Part One: Our Year in
Review
Our Year at a Glance		 6
6
Messages from the Chair and General 8
Manager
A review of our programmes 10
Priorities for 2024-25 16
How we’re making an impact 18
Patrons and Ambassador 19
Part Two: Financial Report 20
Funders 20
Governance Report 22
Financial, Accounts and Reserves 24
Policy
Independent Examiner’s Report on the 25
Accounts
Income and Expenditure Summary 26

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Part One: Our Year in Review
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER
OHMI’s new Music-Maker OHMI led workshops for The first OHMI Research
Manager Faye Oakland children with upper limb Partnership AHRC
started working for OHMI. differences at the Reach Networking event was
Annual Family Weekend held at Royal
in Gateshead, Birmingham
Conservatoire
DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY
OHMI offers training on OHMI was Charity of the OHMI presents its work
how to assess the needs Week on BBC Radio 4 in to primary school
of children about to start a broadcast presented by teachers from across
Whole Class Ensemble Sir Tom Shakespeare. Birmingham.
Teaching using a remote
framework.
MARCH APRIL MAY
OHMI Connect an A new stage of OHMI OHMI launches a new
exciting new website to Music-Makers Whole OHMI Music-Makers club,
allow individuals to Class is launched allowing Individual and
identify musical bringing in three new Whole Class students to
instrument options music services, taking connect with instrument
currently available is the programme to six hirers and teachers in a
launched. across England! variety of ways.
JUNE JULY AUGUST
The Call for Papers for OHMI Music-Maker Four new trustees are
the second OHMI Ensembles, led by appointed to join OHMI’s
Conference is launched. students from Royal Board—Mat Dalgleish,
The event will be held in Birmingham Simon King, Lia Mice
2025 and is aimed at Conservatoire perform at and Liane Todd.
bringing together an Symphony Hall as part of
international, multi- a Services for Education
disciplinary group of event.
delegates.
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A message from the Chair

What a productive year our small but mighty charity had in 2023-24! I am thrilled with all the team has - done to improve accessibility in music making.

We've also seen quite a bit of change within the team itself. We have welcomed four new, very capable trustees to the board, bringing with them important skills and lived experience of working with adapted instruments. Their arrival has made it possible for Martin Dyke, one of OHMI's two - founding trustees, to take his much delayed retirement from the board. I am grateful to Martin for kindly delaying his retirement from the board until we had new trustees in place, and for his dedication and support for OHMI throughout its life. We know

that support will continue in different ways now he is freed from - trustee responsibilities. We also bade farewell hopefully only on a - - temporary basis to another long standing trustee, Nicola McLaughlin. I pay tribute to Martin and Nicola, and to all my fellow trustees, who give their time freely to support the work of the charity.

There has been change too within the staff team. Our dedicated OHMI Music Makers Manager, Faye, joined the team in September 2023 and has quickly made her mark on the programme. Later in the year, we were also able to recruit an Instrument Development Manager; Megan started with OHMI just at the end of the reporting year. On behalf of the Trustee Board, I want to thank our staff for all the work they put in throughout the year to carry out our charity's work. Even with Rachel working on the other side of the world, the effectiveness of the team's work shines out from the pages of this report. Thank you to all of them for their commitment to OHMI.

Looking forward, our forthcoming OHMI competition followed by our March 2025 Conference and Awards, run in collaboration with Birmingham City University and Imperial College London, will once - again make welcome in roads into consigning to history each barrier that disabled people face in music, whether this be a lack of adapted instruments and enabling equipment, patchy understanding amongst - policy makers and teacher about the complex needs of musicians with an upper limb weakness, difference or absence; and poorly designed musical venues, which limit participation. That is certainly the driving force for all of us at the charity, and I look forward to reporting on our progress in another year's time.

Clare Salters

A message from the General Manager

OHMI’s long-standing Music-Makers programme means its work with children is well documented. What is perhaps lesser known is that it offers support to disabled musicians of ALL ages, from school age to active amateurs and virtuoso professionals, and from across the globe.

Spending the last year working remotely in New Zealand, Australia, the US and Canada, has given me the opportunity to meet face to face with new stakeholders beyond the UK, and to learn more about approaches in other countries and how we might share best practice.

Raising awareness of our work in this way is a critical early step in addressing the barriers outlined in the message from our Chair. If we can engage with more instrument makers, we increase our chances of identifying manufacturers with greater capacity to mass produce new instrument solutions and we bring the cost of instruments down as a result. The recent appointment of our new Instrument Development Manager, Megan Steinberg, will play an important role in managing this important development work.

Such awareness raising also helps us to secure critical funds, as was demonstrated when we featured in a BBC Radio 4 charity appeal early in 2024. Every pound donated has made a welcome contribution to OHMI’s Instrument Hire Scheme which allows musicians to try out different instruments at very affordable rates and helps to uncover hidden talent.

Our work is certainly tireless but so is the thirst of disabled musicians who want to make music.

From us all here at OHMI, please accept our sincerest thanks - for all you have done to help us make music making in all its forms a reality.

Rachel Wolffsohn

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A Review of our Programmes

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INSTRUMENTS TEACHING
RAISING AWARENESS RESEARCH
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Instruments

One key development of this year has been the launch of OHMI Connect. This is a web platform that allows individuals with particular impairments to identify all the instruments or apparatus relevant to them, or for someone interested in a specific instrument to find out about all the adaptations that are available. It is free to use and open to everyone. The information leads to the most relevant information, whether that be videos, information about suppliers or the OHMI Hire Scheme. We are delighted to report that at the time of going to press OHMI Connect has been shortlisted for a Music and Drama Award 2025.

Attention has increasingly been given to the more sustainable production of instruments, not necessarily in regard to their environmental credentials, as important as this is, but more in terms of the workforce that create them and their operating scale. As more people become aware of the importance of adapted instruments in offering full inclusion in musical programmes, particularly in connection with schools, demand is increasing. Small batch manufacturing is becoming more important. Even instruments now made using 3D printing methods require much finishing and specialist work, but the people who are skilled and experienced in this work are few and far between. A group of individuals were brought together as part of an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Networking grant to discuss this further and it is planned that the 2025 OHMI Conference will also offer opportunities to discuss this and try and find new ways of working.

For the first time this year we have added treble recorders to the OHMI Hire scheme and these are already in circulation.

During this year we have recruited for OHMI’s first ever Instrument Development Manager. The aim of this role is to be more strategic in our approach to instrument development projects and ensure that the right equipment and techniques are promoted to make instruments and enabling apparatus more easily and affordably available.

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Teaching

- Our OHMI Music Maker programme goes from strength to strength. We have an increasing number of Individual OHMI - Music Makers from broader geographical areas and with ever more variety in the instruments that are being taught. 2023-24 saw two violinists begin with prosthetic based bow holders and both students are doing well. We also introduced a new - ensemble scheme, where Music Makers are connected to students at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and they are forming small ensembles. This has allowed a more bespoke approach to be taken to - the Music Makers and the Conservatoire students, and next generation of music teachers, to gain experience of working with students with physical impairments using adapted instruments. The first public performance from the ensembles was at An OHMI Music-Maker ensemble at Symphony Hall Symphony Hall in July.

- The OHMI Music Makers Whole Class programme was supported largely by Arts Council England and was delivered across local authority areas during this year. Music services from Southampton, Liverpool and Central Bedfordshire joined Nottingham, Birmingham and Northamptonshire to identify the needs of students taking part in Whole Class music sessions prior to the start of sessions. Across all the schools over 50% completed the survey, and in some areas every single school provided information about their students. Solutions for new instruments such as djembe drums were found. This group of music services have been pivotal in refining the scheme for further expansion next year.

Raising Awareness

Having the opportunity to present, explain and exhibit OHMI’s work either in person or online is the perfect way to showcase our work and the capabilities of our instruments. During 2024, OHMI’s General Manager has been working from overseas and making many international connections, as well as finding out what is happening across the world.

Here is a small selection of the organisations and people we met with over the year:

Overseas

UK

· Recorder day at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

· Technology in Music Education Conference

Tom Shakespeare at Radio 4 to record the Charity of the Week appeal with OHMI Chair Clare Salters and General Manager Rachel Wolffsohn

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Research

The OHMI Research Partnership (ORP) was launched in 2019. It is a collaboration between the OHMI Trust, Imperial College London, and Birmingham City University.

ORP’s purpose is to form new research partnerships, on subjects relating to music and disability, with universities, researchers, musicians, educators, sociologists and instrument makers globally. Its research areas include:

Over the last year, the first two AHRC Networking events were held. First was at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in November and brought together 20 delegates to build collaborative and transdisciplinary research partnerships to help understand and overcome the many barriers that disabled people face in accessing music. Second was at Imperial College London to explore the potential impact of research on instrument design. Through a blend of theoretical discussions and debates from those working across different fields of research and practice, the aim was to address assumptions and systemic issues within instrument design, practice, and pedagogy. A further two events will be held before Spring 2025.

may experience barriers to learning a musical instrument.

  1. Music-Makers enabled parity of access within Whole Class sessions and positively impacted children’s musical participation.

  2. OHMI are committed to improving communication with schools.

  3. Music-Makers is beginning to embed in established partner schools.

Delegates at the AHRC Networking event in November 2023 L-R Dr Victoria Kinsella, Ruud Van Der Wel, James Risdon

Birmingham City University was commissioned by OHMI to evaluate the OHMI Whole Class programme. The research, led by Dr Emma Nenadic and Dr Nikki Booth, explored the programme’s impact on schools and identified four key findings: 1. 94% of participating schools identified pupils who

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- Priorities for 2024 25

Priorities for the year ahead will focus on the four key strands of our work, as well as raising funds:

Instruments

Some instruments and equipment currently available in the OHMI Hire Scheme

Teaching

Raising Awareness

Research

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How OHMI is Making an Impact

OHMI’s impact is best assessed by speaking to the musicians who have benefitted from our instruments and from our teaching, and from those within the music industry who advocate for the rights of disabled musicians.

Here’s how OHMI is making a difference:

“In the last year, OHMI have provided me with two fantastic opportunities to showcase the skills I’ve learnt – a solo performance at a concert by Barton Music Makers and at Symphony Hall. Without the support from OHMI I feel that wouldn’t be possible.”

- Husna, OHMI Music Maker

“It’s probably taken me eight years to accept my condition but certainly now the recorder has given me a real energy to set myself new goals.”

“Working together with OHMI to find the right instrument for me really has put me on an exciting path. As well as providing my one-handed flute, the charity has been really helpful in providing Fingering charts.”

Patrons and Ambassadors

Our thanks go to our Patrons and Ambassadors for their ongoing support of the work of the OHMI Trust:

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John Harle
and
Alison Balsom
OBE
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Dame Evelyn
Glennie CH,
DBE
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Nicholas
McCarthy
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Part Two: Financial Report

Our income and expenditure were fairly well-matched in 2023-24, with £150,834 income and £144,041 expenditure. We are particularly grateful to have received more unrestricted donations, especially as a result of the Radio 4 Charity of the Week appeal, which raised £19,783. We are very grateful to all who contributed. OHMI relies on - financial support from private donors and grand making organisations - to make our work possible. In 2023 24 we were grateful to receive support from:

Aloysia Trust

BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal of the Week donors Birmingham Bodenham Trust DMF Ellis Charitable Trust E Slater Charitable Settlement Grantham Yorke Charitable Trust Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust Lillie C Johnson Charitable Trust

Limoges Trust

We would also like to thank those organisations who have chosen to support OHMI as their ‘Charity of the Year’. Organisations include:

All Saint’s Church, Yatton, Herefordshire

Queen’s University Belfast Staff

We have also received many donations from private individuals and would like to thank each one for their invaluable contributions to the work of the OHMI Trust—EVERY penny makes a huge difference to the work we are able to undertake.

This positive year of fundraising leaves OHMI in a good position to plan our coming year's work and longer term goals with some confidence. Our policy of not undertaking work until we have built up or secured sufficient funding for it means we need to accumulate enough resources before we can commit to particular projects. One - long term goal that the trustees are saving towards is the establishment of an OHMI Centre, to become a physical focus point for the charity's work. To date, £38.5k has been designated for this project.

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Governance
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Charity Numbers: 1143623 (England and Wales) SC052047 (Scotland)

Registered office: c/o Tyndallwoods Solicitors 29 Woodbourne Road Harborne

Birmingham

B17 8BY

Telephone 07491331599

Trustees at the point of signing off the annual report and

accounts:

Martin Fautley

Andrew McPherson

Clare Salters

Emma Brown

Matthew Wright

Simon King (appointed September 2024) Mathew Dalgleish (appointed September 2024) Eleanor Logan (appointed September 2024) Liane Todd (appointed September 2024)

Other trustees who served during the reporting year:

Nicola McLaughlin (resigned June 2024) Martin Dyke (resigned November 2024)

Trustees, Management and Governance

The OHMI Trust was formed by a declaration of trust on 20[th] May 2011.

The Trust is governed by a board of trustees, who are appointed for their skills, knowledge and experience. The trustees are supported by a small staff team, who manage the day to day work of the charity. Trustees always have regard to the public benefit requirement when taking decisions on behalf of the Trust.

Trust meetings cover trust business, governance, and management. In practice, communications between Trustees and the management team are more frequently. Core topics in these communications include a full range of reports on progress of the Trust’s work, financial and budgetary matters, and the quality of our work.

Objects of the OHMI Trust:

  1. To advance and enable the creation of musical instruments:

  2. a. that can be played by people with a range of physical disabilities.

  3. b. that are capable of fully and accurately emulating a traditional musical instrument to enable disabled individuals -

  4. to enjoy undifferentiated participation in music making.

  5. To advance and enable these objectives by:

  6. a. providing and assisting in the provision of appropriate facilities and funding.

  7. b. the creation of partnerships with existing institutions and organisations, both in Great Britain and internationally.

  8. c. bringing together different kinds of creative people.

  9. d. creating a competitive environment to promote the research and development of such sophisticated musical instruments.

  10. e. other such means as may be determined from time to time by the Trustees subject to the prior consent of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

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Financial, Accounts and Reserves Policy

The reserves policy of The OHMI Trust states that it must hold at least 6 months’ core funding and winding up costs, which currently equates to £71,000.

Additionally, the Trust’s policy remains that no work can be undertaken until it is fully funded in advance. This policy consequently requires a reserve fund so that early exploratory work and fundraising itself can be undertaken. It is an aim of the Trust to grow the reserve fund as work progresses.

That policy also results in apparent cash surpluses as funds are raised before being expended over the life of each project. These funds are, though, fully committed.

Barton Music Makers presenting a cheque to the OHMI Trust

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OHMI Balance Sheet as at 31/08/24

OHMI Income and Expenditure Account

Year Ended 31/08/24

Income
Donations
Charities
Voluntary Receipts
Promotional Events
Other Fundraising
Interest
Total Income
Expenditure
Competition
Promotion
Travel
Administration
Instrumental Hire Scheme
OHMI Research Partnership
OHMI_Music-Makers_
Instrument Acquisition
Depreciation
Total Expenditure
Net movement in funds
Funds as at 1st September 2023
Funds carried forward at 31st August 2024		 Unrestricted £
Restricted £
Total £
34,310.25
2,613.02
36,923.27
32,864.37
78,273.00
111,137.37
67,174.62
80,886.02
148,060.64
1,269.91
1,269.91
738.67
738.67
765.18
765.18
2,773.76
-
2,773.76
69,948.38
80,886.02
150,834.40
-
-
-
7,047.63
73.16
7,120.79
4,276.27
4,276.27
1,712.97
40,104.38
41,817.35
280.61
783.53
1,064.14
72.00
-
72.00
-
86,592.24
86,592.24
800.44
2,298.60
3,099.04
13,307.18
14,189.92
143,159.09
144,041.83
55,758.46
62,273.07
-
6,792.57
86,700.77
134,030.53
220,731.30
142,459.23
71,757.46
214,216.69
Fixed Assets
Cash at Bank
Petty Cash
Savings Account
Debtors
Creditors
- Refundable deposits
Net Assets
Represented by:
Funds
Note 1
Fixed Assets
Cost
At 1 September 2023
Additions
At 31 August 2024
Depreciation
At 1 September 2023
Charge for Year
At 31 August 2024
Net Book Value
At 1 September 2023
At 31 August 2024		 Unrestricted £
Restricted £
Total £
36,625.22
36,625.22
97,525.88
51.96
75,452.94
10,060.00
79.31
-
5,420.00
-
-
-
214,216.69
142,459.23
71,757.46
214,216.69
Instruments
Office Eqpt
Total
£
£
£
60,960.00
3,415.54
64,375.54
9,000.00
0.00
9,000.00
69,960.00
3,415.54
73,375.54
22,469.75
973.39
23,443.14
12,168.67
1,138.51
13,307.18
34,638.42
2,111.90
36,750.32
38,490.25
2442.15
40,932.40
35,321.58
1,303.64
36,625.22

Note 2

Accounting Policies

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the charity that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the charity. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the charity are also unrestricted. The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the charity is responsible.

Fixed Assets

Instruments will be depreciated on a straight line basis over 5 years Office Equipment will be depreciated on a straight line basis over 3 years

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OHMI Instrument Hirer with her one-handed pBrock Bagpipe Chanter, as heard on Radio 4’s Charity of the Week appeal

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