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← London Youth Choir

2023-08-31-accounts

Charity no. 1151714

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

a Charitable Incorporated Organisation

Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 August 2023

London Youth Choirs

Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Road London E1 6LA

Telephone: 07388 623 178 Email: office@londonyouthchoirs.com

www.londonyouthchoirs.com

LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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CONTENTS

Reference and administrative information …………………………………………………. 3 Trustees’ report …………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Independent examiner’s report ……………………………………………………………… 22 Statement of financial activities ……………………………………………………………… 23 Balance sheet ……………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Notes to the financial statements ……………………………………………………………. 25

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

For the year ended 31 August 2023

Founding President

Suzi Digby OBE

Honorary Patrons

Gareth Malone OBE Sir Andrew Parmley Dame Janet Ritterman Dr. John Rutter CBE

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood CBE (Founding Patron) Patrick Russill (Founding Patron)

Artistic Director

Rachel Staunton

Charity registered number

1151714

Registered office

Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Road London E1 6LA

Independent examiner

Trustees

Dame Deirdre Hutton (Chair) Leslie East OBE (Vice-Chair) Mark Gallagher (resigned 5th March 2024) Mike Georgiou (joined 14th November 2023) Michael Llewelyn-Jones Kate Ludlow Lucy Noble (joined 14th November 2023) Duncan Watts George Wills

Jessica Lawrence FCA CTA Azets Audit Services Limited 12 King Street Leeds LS1 2HL

Bankers

CAF Bank Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME14 4TA

Executive Director

Nina Camilleri

Development Committee

Kate Ludlow (Chair) Richard Huntingford Karaca Mestci Mary Quillen Andy Roberts Elizabeth Ross Charles Sandford Fiona Yeomans

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT

For the year ended 31 August 2023

The Trustees present their annual report together with the financial statements of London Youth Choirs for the year ended 31 August 2023. The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity’s governing document and the provisions of “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (effective 1 January 2019) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).

The reference and administrative information on the preceding page forms part of this report.

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

The charity is registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation set up by a Charity Commission Scheme.

The charity is constituted under a Charity Commission Scheme and is a registered charity number 1151714.

The principal object of the charity is to provide high quality choral training and performance opportunities for young people living and studying in London.

Method of appointment or election of trustees

The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Charity Commission Scheme.

Under the requirements of the Constitution, the Trustees are elected to serve for a period of four years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity, after which they must be re-elected.

The Board of Trustees seeks to ensure that its members possess the range of skills and expertise required for the effective administration of the charity. In the event of particular skills or expertise being lost due to retirement, appropriate individuals are identified and approached to offer themselves for election to the Board of Trustees. The charity has produced an induction policy which outlines how a Trustee is approached and

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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introduced to the charity and the formal procedure for appointing them as Trustee. Trustees are also offered the opportunity to visit the charity office and spend time with staff understanding systems and details of the operation of the charity.

Organisational Structure and Decision Making

The LYC Board of Trustees meets four times a year and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. All Trustees give their time voluntarily.

Executive Director and Artistic Director are afforded full artistic and operational control subject to the budgeting limits set by the Board.

Objectives and Activities

Policies and Objectives

The objects of the London Youth Choirs are to advance the education and training of young people living or educated in London in the subject of music and the performing arts, and in particular, choral music. For the purposes of these objects, ‘London’ means the boroughs covered by the Greater London Authority or any successor body, and the City of London.

The charity will achieve this by:

their financial or social background;

experience; and

• financially supporting talented young people to enable them to receive musical education of the highest standard and to achieve their potential.

In reviewing the objectives and planning the charity’s activities, the Trustees have had due regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.

Activities for Achieving Objectives

‘Unlocking young people’s potential through the power of choral singing’.

LYC provides a progression pathway for young people aged 7 to 23, embracing everyone from absolute beginners up to those looking to pursue a career in the performing arts. Our 10 choirs, 6 central and 4 regional, form the core of our work, bringing together young people from all over London for weekly rehearsals and inspirational performances.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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LYC members receive exceptional tuition from our fantastic team of choral conductors, each boasting extensive experience in nurturing young talent. These dedicated mentors not only foster vocal ability, but also inspire and challenge our members, helping to build confidence and develop skills in teamwork, all whilst championing inclusivity and understanding. Under their expert guidance, our choirs explore a wide range of music in a variety of languages and styles, from classical works spanning over 500 years, contemporary pop, gospel, and jazz to brand new commissions and everything in between.

To further enhance their training, our members also benefit from LYC’s partnerships with other organisations such as Tenebrae , whose Associate Artists frequently offer members specialist support through sectional rehearsals, and The Sixteen .

The training received extends beyond musical development, contributing to the holistic growth of our members. There is evidence that young people with mental health challenges benefit both from singing and from the sense of community developed in choirs. While building musical skills is a central purpose, LYC’s Wellbeing Team also assists members in maintaining positive mental health and self-care, ensuring they thrive both musically and personally.

In 2019, LYC committed to grow the number of choirs from 6 to 10 by the organisation’s 10th Anniversary, the year under review. Growing from existing engagement projects in schools, we have now successfully achieved this mission and have established 4 junior choirs for young people aged 7-11 based in further out boroughs of London, with the aim of bringing further affordable or free musical education close to home for the communities who most need it. Following the successful launch of LYC South East in South Bermondsey (2020) and LYC West in Ealing (2021), LYC South West in Streatham and LYC North East in Tottenham were established this year.

These choirs have reached an additional 123 young people in 2022/23, and hundreds more in the last 3 years. Our prediction that these choirs would serve communities with increased need has been accurate, with all 4 choirs seeing a higher rate of members receiving free places. It has been satisfying to see the regional choirs provide progression routes, with 13 members moving from these choirs to the Cambiata choirs for 11-16 year olds for the coming academic year.

Young people can enter the choirs at any age or can work their way from Junior level through the Cambiata Choirs to London Youth Choir or Chamber Choir. Level-appropriate musicianship tuition is provided in all choirs to support members in their singing and development.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Rehearsals for all 10 choirs take place on a weekly basis, during term time. The six central choirs - Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Cambiata Girls, Cambiata Boys, London Youth Choir and LYC Chamber Choir - are held at the City of London School. LYC’s partnership with City of London School continues to have a tremendously positive impact on our artistic output, enabling the implementation of sectional rehearsals and musicianship classes to take place as well as providing a fabulous performance space in the spectacular Great Hall. Grateful thanks are due to Alan Bird, Head of CLS for his unstinting support of our work.

LYC has established a similar in-kind partnership with Streatham and Clapham High School, providing free rehearsal space for LYC South West since September 2022. We are very grateful to Andrew Christie, Assistant Headmaster for his most generous support of this partnership.

Such friendships are the lifeblood of our organisation - critical not only to the ongoing strategic development of LYC but also to our capacity to learn from and connect with inspiring people and institutions. We hope for long and flourishing relationships with the schools.

Many members of LYC go on to audition for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB), who we work closely with to open up further singing opportunities for our members. Around 50 LYC members are also members of NYCGB, demonstrating how LYC’s work offering opportunities to young people of all backgrounds can influence the wider music education and choral landscape.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Widening Access and Engagement

Ensuring that LYC membership is open and accessible to all young Londoners is a core part of our ethos and programme, and we work hard to remove barriers to participation; financial, geographical and administrative. This is particularly important at this time, when arts and music are being pushed to the margins of education policy and becoming less available to those who cannot afford to pay extra, and through a cost-of-living crisis that is squeezing the budgets of those who are already struggling.

All LYC membership fees are subsidised by 80%, costing £300 per year to take part; the true cost of membership is currently £983 per annum. Alongside this, we have a comprehensive financial assistance scheme which offers full or partial help with membership costs, grants for travel to and from rehearsals and concerts, free concert tickets for families, and help with the cost of concert uniform. Those with a household income below £35k are eligible for a free place, and those under £50k for partial assistance, though we also take a personal approach and respond to specific situations.

In 2022/23, 77 members received full financial assistance, and 21 were given LYC funded oyster cards for travel to concerts and rehearsals; this is a growth from 49 members receiving financial assistance in 2021/22, with 14 oyster cards. We regularly offer free workshops for young people to try out our choirs, and all of our friendly auditions are completely free, helping to make LYC accessible to all. We always have snacks on hand for any other children who turn up hungry, making sure young people aren’t facing additional barriers to taking part.

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LYC Experience

While making sure our membership is affordable and that free places are available for all who need them is vital to ensuring LYC’s accessibility, it is also important that we are active in our outreach to schools and communities in disadvantaged areas of London and create progression routes into our choirs.

LYC Experience is an initiative that reaches out to the localities of our new regional choirs and reinstates music as a valuable part of the community. The key aim of the programme is to bring the joy and unifying power of singing to musically underserved parts of our country’s capital. To do this, we work closely with schools, music hubs and families, empowering individuals and organisations to make a difference to young people’s lives through music.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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In 2022/23, 1461 young people took part in our free LYC Experience engagement programme offering singing sessions, assemblies and performance opportunities. Our work focused on providing school children, their teachers, families and partner music hubs with singing support, to improve their communities through music.

This active outreach in disadvantaged areas of London is key to widening access to the choirs and making sure we are engaging the young Londoners who could benefit most from our work.

Our main project for the year centred around LYC’s major 10th Anniversary concert, RISE UP, at the Royal Albert Hall, which brought 1,024 young people together to perform on stage with the LYC choirs.

From January – May 2023, LYC’s artistic team worked with 14 schools (indicated in pink on the map to the right) delivering three two-hour workshops at no cost to the children or the school, thanks to the generosity of our programme funders. All workshops were high-energy, fun and intense. Watch a 1-minute video about LYC Experience here .

Participants ranged from whole-year groups

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of up to 120 children to smaller groups of 35, with most children taking part in choral singing activities for the first time. All children learned six songs, including a new LYC commission, ‘I will glorify’ by Brenda Rattray, and the concert finale. Schools were provided with free online resources, including video tutorials by LYC’s Artistic Director to support further classroom tuition around LYC’s visits.

“Thank you for letting me and my class come to the Royal Albert Hall. I loved it, you made me feel amazing and special. I appreciate it still even if I am not there anymore!” LYC Experience participant

“It feels great to be part of such an amazing community”

LYC Experience participant

Alongside the RISE UP project, LYC organised a series of 'Come and Sing' Days at the heart of our regional choir locations. These events offered free workshops designed for the entire family, fostering intergenerational singing across all age groups. They took place in Ealing, Tottenham, and Streatham. Additionally, the LYC music teams conducted workshops in two additional schools that sought assistance with implementing singing activities. All in all, a very busy year for LYC Experience, expertly curated by our Head of Engagement, Ishani O’Connor.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Achievements and Performance

Review of activities

Building upon the solid groundwork established in our initial decade, LYC has persevered and flourished during the academic year 2022/23. We commend the resilience and commitment demonstrated by each LYC member and our incredible and dedicated team which include 12 core staff in the LYC office, 11 conductors, 8 pianists and 22 assistant leaders. The entire LYC community can take pride in our accomplishments over the past 10 years.

Our membership this year:

We’re constantly working to make our choirs more representative of the amazing diversity of London and measure our progress against London census data. Over the next year, we’re focusing on improving the numbers of young people who take part who receive pupil premium, who identify as Disabled, and on the representation of ethnicities throughout our organisation. This is alongside our commitment to further increase the number of young people receiving financial assistance, and to encourage more boys singing.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Performance Highlights

“I will always remember the applause and cheering at the end, and how it made me feel.”

Member of LYC Cambiata Boys

LYC members receive outstanding teaching and take part in exciting performance opportunities at iconic venues. Our concerts and events give young people the opportunity to build confidence, be inspired by amazing music and venues, and to raise their aspirations.

RISE UP | Our 10th Anniversary Celebration Concert

On 9 May 2023, 1,500 young people performed at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the LYC’s 10th Anniversary in a milestone concert, RISE UP. This included LYC’s 10 choirs, plus 1,024 young people from our LYC Experience programme. For many young people and their families, this was their first time visiting the Royal Albert Hall, making it a night to remember! Aled Jones was our brilliant compere, and the concert featured performances by Anna Lapwood, Camilla Kerslake and LYC’s honorary Patron Gareth Malone, who led the whole audience in a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. Two of the songs performed in the RISE UP programme, received their first performance.

Commissioned by LYC specifically for our 10th anniversary concert, ‘I will glorify’ by Brenda Rattray and ‘In your hands’ by Amy Bryce were created collaboratively by the composers through a series of special workshops. Starting in the summer (2022) Brenda and Amy led sessions with members of LYC Junior Boys, LYC Junior Girls, LYC West, LYC South East, London Youth Choir and LYC Chamber Choir, developing lyrics and melodies for their finished works whilst encouraging every participant to find their inner composer.

Watch a one-minute wrap up of the day here!

“To perform at the Royal Albert Hall for me was worth a lifetime of waiting. I was elated!”

LYC West Member

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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“The kids were completely buzzing from the experience and will no doubt remember it for the rest of their lives!”

Teacher at one of our LYC Experience schools

In addition to the magical Royal Albert Hall performance, LYC members took part in a

further 31 performances during 2022/23. Here are some of the highlights:

All LYC activities feature a diverse range of music in a variety of languages and styles. In 2022/23 we sang a total of 84 songs, of which 16% featured languages other than English

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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and 63% were secular. 69% of songs were traditional choral, with the remainder being Pop, Gospel, Jazz, Folk, Funk & Music Theatre!

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Like many organisations, LYC is on a developmental path. There is a strong understanding among the Trustees and staff that the inequities within society and within the sectors that we serve need to be addressed.

We strive for a creative community where everyone feels able to participate and achieve their potential: a community that is inclusive and representative of the society we live and work in, and which enhances the safety, wellbeing and belonging of everyone.

LYC is committed to prioritising equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles across all aspects of its operations. This commitment is reflected in our dedication to accessibility, anti-racism, respect, and embracing differences as outlined in our statement, which is publicly available on our website . EDI is deeply ingrained within LYC, and we are actively striving to bring about positive changes in various areas. This includes diversifying our choir membership, ensuring representation among the composers of the music they perform, enhancing training for our musical staff, fostering diversity within the LYC management team, and diversifying the composition of our trustees.

To drive these efforts forward, LYC has established an EDI action group, convening monthly to explore opportunities for improvement. Additionally, team members participate in relevant training sessions to enhance their understanding and share insights. Together, we are implementing a comprehensive EDI action plan to guide our progress and ensure that equality, diversity, and inclusion remain at the forefront of our organisation's mission and operations.

Amongst other initiatives, we are working hard to become more actively inclusive of those with different gender identities; although our choirs have a gender split at young ages, in order to better support the vocal requirements of each of those groups, we work with individuals to find the place they would be most comfortable. We also support young people who are neurodiverse and have special educational needs and are committing to openly available access reports for all rehearsal and concert venues over the next year, to improve accessibility.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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We record monitoring data on our members and workshop participants and collect detailed feedback once a year, with all members, parents and guardians given the opportunity to tell us how they are finding LYC and measuring key elements of our impact.

The difference our work makes - Impact & Evaluation

LYC aims to empower young people to enhance not only their singing and musical skills but also their confidence and overall wellbeing. Our aim is to foster holistic development by providing a supportive environment where young individuals feel valued, safe, and heard. We are committed to nurturing their voices in multiple dimensions, ensuring that they thrive both musically and personally.

We regularly conduct surveys among our members and their parents/carers to gauge our performance and gather feedback. In our most recent survey, which received responses from 79% of our members, we've gleaned some key insights, detailed below:

Young people:

Parents/Carers/Guardians:

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Supporting our members’ mental health and wellbeing

“LYC is a very positive place, the people are fantastic, full of joy and enthusiasm for music and for the young people in the Choirs. It has had a truly positive impact on my child's well being.”

LYC has always promised to deliver two things: musical excellence and social change. While our primary activities revolve around choral singing training, our overall aim is to help young people reach their full potential, especially catering to those who have faced barriers to music making because of social disadvantage. We have seen from our work over the last 10 years that having a robust and proactive safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral support provision is vital for the delivery of the LYC programme, without which our music education services would be less effective.

Our pastoral care programme is a crucial part of this, ensuring that all young people are welcomed into the LYC community regardless of any pastoral needs that they may have. This helps us make LYC a safe and supportive environment where all children are nurtured and can grow in confidence.

Since 2021, Alison Bastable has been LYC’s Head of Safeguarding and Pastoral Care, working with our Head of Operations, Executive Director and LYC Trustee for Safeguarding, George Wills to develop our policies and to implement our pastoral care programme at weekly rehearsals. This includes supporting individual members through one-on-one chats, weekly check-ins or programme adjustments, as well as planning the general wellbeing programme for all members. For many, our rehearsals are often the only place where they have a dedicated pastoral support network and someone to talk to.

"I love pastoral! My musicianship, confidence and happiness are all down to LYC and my career choice is totally inspired by the LYC female music educators and conductors!"

Member of London Youth Choir

To ensure that young people in our choirs receive the highest possible level of pastoral care, we have expanded our training opportunities for all staff at LYC over the last 3 years. This now includes:

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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“I am so lucky to go to such a wonderful place and meet such welcoming people.”

LYC Junior Girls Member, 10

Fundraising

September 2022 marked the beginning of LYC’s 10th Anniversary celebrations. This included the launch of an ambitious target to raise £1 million over 2 years (by August 2024) to support the expansion of LYC’s charitable activity and our planning for the future. The target consisted of a £500,000 fundraising target in 2022/23 to be followed by the same in the following year.

To support this, we recruited Will Harriss, formerly of Music Masters, to be our Development Consultant for the year, working from September 2022 - May 2023, with additional administrative help for the department from Gweneth Stabler, from October 2022 - February 2023. Penny Lewis remained for an additional 4 months to manage our Big Give campaign in December 2022, before stepping back from her position as Development Director.

Following on from these arrangements, there was a clear need for longer term support for the Development Department, and we recruited Amy Young to be LYC’s first

Development Officer in April 2023. She joined LYC from the Association of British Orchestras with a passion for singing and access for young people, and has been an invaluable asset.

We are immensely grateful for all of these people’s work on LYC’s fundraising, along with the wider team, who contribute in many ways. As fundraised income makes up 70% of LYC’s income, without this work we would be unable to reach young people with the joys and benefits of choral singing, especially opening up access for young people who would otherwise be excluded from these opportunities.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Alongside investment in personnel, we also worked over the year on introducing a new database to manage LYC’s fundraising data, improving efficiency and aiding compliance with GDPR.

Over the year, a total of £504,095 was raised from individual donors, corporate sponsorship and grants from trusts and foundations.

Individual Donors

We were grateful to receive two major gifts at the beginning of the financial year, which were vital in expanding our work in state schools and community centres as part of our new engagement strategy. Alongside this, the LYC Circle and Patrons scheme remained an important source of income, helping us to plan for the future.

Much of our support from individuals was channelled through the Big Give Christmas Challenge, which we took part in for the 6th consecutive year in late November 2022. Taking place from the 29 November - 6 December, our ‘No Barriers’ Appeal once again focused on raising money for our Financial Assistance Scheme, which offers young people facing barriers free places in our choirs. Match funding for the campaign was provided by Convex Insurance, a new Corporate Partner of LYC’s, along with The Childhood Trust, meaning we needed to raise £50,000 in donations over the week to meet our target of £100,000. We raised £50,150 through 112 online donations, resulting in £106,467 total raised over the week (including Gift Aid), a brilliant contribution to LYC’s fundraising.

Corporate Sponsorship

Alongside their support of the Big Give Christmas Challenge, Convex made a further donation in the year, becoming a major Corporate partner for the charity. This is alongside China Construction Bank London Branch’s continued and much-valued support for our work over the last 5 years. We have continued to receive contributions at a lower level from property company Savills. We are very grateful to all our corporate partners who, alongside funding, have also provided in-kind help for LYC through meeting spaces and other resources.

Trusts and Foundations

We continued expanding our relationships with trusts, foundations and livery companies, with a 30% increase in funding in this area in the 22/23 year. LYC was grateful to receive grants from the following organisations towards our work widening access and engagement in choral music, through our provision of free places and our work in state schools: The Leverhulme Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Swire Charitable Trust, Tallow Chandlers’ Company, Arnold Clark Community Fund, Lucille Graham Trust, Headley Trust, Rainbow Dickinson Trust, Golsoncott Foundation, Sir Edward Lewis Foundation, Three

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Monkies Charity, Findlay Charitable Trust, Boris Karloff Foundation and the Schroder Charity Trust.

The Symondson Foundation continued its 3-year commitment to our pastoral care and wellbeing programme and the City of London Corporation gave repeat funding towards our summer programme of pop-up performances in the City

John Lyon’s Charity, Tesco Community Grants and the Radcliffe Trust supported LYC West, Music for All supported LYC South West, Newcomen Collett Foundation and Sir William Boreman’s Foundation supported LYC South East, and we received continued support from the London Philharmonic Choir and the Garrick Charitable Trust towards our LYC Chamber Choir.

A generous donation from Ruth and Roger Thorpe enabled LYC to commission two new pieces for our 10th Anniversary. Both pieces were written in collaboration with our young people, and we were delighted to be able to match this gift with funding from the Ambache Charitable Trust, Hinrichsen Foundation and Vaughan Williams Foundation to support the participatory workshops, including a Young Composers Day. The resulting commissions were premiered at the Royal Albert Hall, with Brenda Rattray’s ‘I Will Glorify’ performed by 1,300 young people. Amy Bryce’s ‘In Your Hands’ has already been given a second performance by a joint choir of LYC and National Youth Choirs of Great Britain at Snape Maltings Concert Hall.

10th Anniversary Concert

Our RISE UP celebratory concert took place on Tuesday 9th May, bringing together 1,500 young people to perform to an audience of nearly 3,000. We raised £29,500 through concert sponsorship, a further £5,420 through debenture resales and received £7,832 in donations on the night or shortly afterwards.

Finally, we were pleased to negotiate in-kind sponsorship for the provision of LYC’s 10th Birthday cake, which was made by Konditor. The cake company was founded by Paul and Gerhard, who are the parents of one of our LYC Cambiata Boys members.

There are many other organisations which contribute to LYC through in-kind support, which make a big impact for our charity. These include Brand Cooke, City of London School, Clayton Hotel City of London, Streatham and Clapham High School and Tenebrae.

Looking Ahead | 2023/24 and Beyond

With the expansion of LYC’s choir network comes the need to consider the best strategy to engage, nurture and encourage a wide range of young people across London. Next year, building on the remarkable achievement of the LYC Experience programme,

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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we will partner with 16 schools, four within each region of our four junior choirs: LYC South East in South Bermondsey, LYC West in Ealing, LYC South West in Streatham, and LYC North East in Tottenham. The aim of this focussed work is to establish a network of pathways in each locality offering young people opportunities to explore choir singing and providing seamless avenues for their integration into LYC. All schools chosen will have above average (more than 20%) pupil premium numbers and reduced music provision, and we expect the programme will reach approximately 2,500 young people in the capital, over double our engagement this year.

In addition to our concentrated efforts in regional areas of our choirs, we remain committed to our work across various London boroughs. For example, in collaboration with Tower Hamlets Music Education Service, we are crafting a program tailored for secondary schools within the borough. Furthermore, we are actively exploring partnerships with leading choral organisations such as Tenebrae, The Sixteen, and the Bach Choir to jointly deliver engagement initiatives. This strategy responds directly to the refreshed National Plan for Music Education, published June 2022, which states that ‘Music should be embedded in every primary school. Singing should be the golden thread through these years, with a clear commitment to quality teaching and opportunities for progression for all children from the start of their school education.’

As we mark a decade of achievements and explore ways for LYC to significantly enhance young people's access to high quality, inclusive singing education, we reflect upon our approach to working with and for young people. With this in mind, in 2023/24 we are establishing frameworks, which will enable us to more effectively listen to and address the needs of our members.

Youth Voice | LYC Young Leaders Collective

October 2023 will see the launch of LYC’s Young Leaders Collective. This will mark the beginning of a sustained drive to activate youth voice at the top level of LYC’s decision making structure. This project is being designed and overseen by Freddie Aitken, LYC’s Membership and EDI Manager and Ishani O’Connor, our Head of Engagement, with guidance and assistance from an external facilitator.

The purpose of this project is two-fold:

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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We hope to build a sustained, purposeful and dynamic Young Leaders Collective with tangible outcomes. This project will enable us to embed youth voice at the top levels of our organisation, with young people working collaboratively with our charity Trustees and executive team, influencing planning, strategy, and learning about what goes into the effective running of a modern arts organisation.

Business Planning

LYC is in the initial stages of developing its first Business Plan for 2024/25 and beyond. The Plan will be organised around five primary objectives:

These key strands will guide LYC's strategic direction and operational focus in the coming years, reinforcing its commitment to excellence, innovation, and inclusivity in the realm of choral education and performance.

Financial Review

The current level of funds held by the charity at the year end amounted to £241,427 (2022: £235,746) and included a designated reserve of £15,000 (2022: £50,000 and restricted funds of £360 (2022: £360). After deducting designated reserves, restricted funds and funds held as functional assets, the charity had free reserves of £215,479 (2022: £177,155)

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have adopted a reserves policy which, in the long term, aims to build reserves to cover at least two terms’ expenditure amounting to £324,514. Unrestricted free reserves at the end of the year stood at £215,479.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United

Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the charity’s governing document. It is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other Irregularities.

This report was approved by the Trustees of the London Youth Choirs on

............................

and signed on their behalf by:

............................ Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

For the year ended 31 August 2023

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of London Youth Choirs

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (‘the CIO’) for the year ended 31 August 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO 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 CIO’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 examiner’s statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

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:

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.

Dated: ……………………….

Jessica Lawrence FCA CTA

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Azets Audit Services Limited Leeds 12 King Street LS1 2HL

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For the year ended 31 August 2023

Notes 2023
Unrestricted
£		 2023
Restricted
£		 2023
Total
£		 2022
Unrestricted
£		 2022
Restricted
£		 2022
Total
£
Income from:
Donations 2 534,955 - 534,955 383,920 - 383,920
Charitable activities 3 206,396 - 206,396 84,432 - 84,432
Investments 2,846 - 2,846 400 - 400
744,197 - 744,197 468,752 - 468,752
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 4 67,104 - 67,104 54,599 - 54,599
Charitable activities 5 671,411 - 671,411 407,815 - 407,815
738,515 - 738,515 462,414 - 462,414
Net income 5,682 - 5,682 6,338 - 6,338
Transfers between funds 13 35,000 - 35,000 - - -
Net movement in funds 40,682 - 40,682 6,338 - 6,338
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought
forward
General Funds 185,385 360 185,745 179,048 360 179,408
Designated Funds 15,000 - 15,000 50,000 - 50,000
Total funds carried forward 12 241,067 360 241,427 235,386 360 235,746

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All the charity’s operations are classed as continuing.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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The notes on pages 27-37 comprise these parts of these financial statements.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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BALANCE SHEET

As at 31 August 2023

Notes 2023
£		 2023
£		 2022
£		 2022
£
Fixed assets
Intangible assets 9 3,727 4,514
Tangible assets 10 6,861 3,717
10,588 8,231
Current assets
Debtors 11 14,746 8,489
Cash at bank and in hand 251,732 356,611
266,478 365,100
Creditors: amounts falling
due within one year		 12 (35,639) (137,585)
Net current assets 230,839 227,515
Total net assets 241,427 235,746
The funds of the charity
Unrestricted general 13 226,067 185,386
Unrestricted designated 13 15,000 50,000
Restricted funds 13 360 360
Total funds 241,427 235,746

The accounts were approved by the Board on and signed on its behalf by:

………………………………………. Dame Deirdre Hutton Chair

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31 August 2023

1 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the accounts are as follows:

1.1 Basis of preparation

The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

London Youth Choir meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies.

The accounts are presented in pounds sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.

1.2 Status

The London Youth Choir is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA.

1.3 Going concern

The Trustees have at the time of approving the financial statements a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

1.4 Income

Income from donations and grants is recognised when the charity is entitled to the funds, the receipt is probable and the amount can be measured reliably. For donations, this is usually on receipt. For grants, this is usually when a formal offer is made in writing. If a donation or grant contains terms and conditions outside of the charity's control which must be met before the charity is entitled to the funds, or if the donor specifies that the funds must be used in future time periods, then the income is deferred.

Donated facilities and services are recognised at the date that they are utilised and are measured at their estimated fair value.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Income from charitable activities is recognised over the period to which the income relates. Concert fees are recognised at the date of the event. Membership fees are recognised over the period of the membership.

1.5 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised when a present legal or constructive obligation exists at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and the amount can be estimated reliably. It is inclusive of VAT which cannot be recovered.

Direct costs are those costs which directly attribute to its activities. The Trustees consider that there is only one activity, which is running the choirs. Wages and salaries are allocated to direct costs based on an estimate of time spent on charitable activities by staff members.

Support costs are those costs relating to functions which assist the work of the charity but do not directly relate to its activities, and creditors are measured at their settlement value.

1.6 Staff costs

The costs of short term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense where settlement of obligations does not fall within the same period. The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

1.7 Pensions

The charity operates a defined contribution scheme for employees. Contributions are charged as an expense to the SoFA in the period in which they fall due.

1.8 Intangible assets

Intangible assets comprise of software and website development costs capitalised at cost and amortised over the estimated useful economic lives in annual instalments, with a full year’s charge in the acquisition year and no charge in the year of disposal as follows: website costs – 25% straight line.

1.9 Tangible assets

Individual fixed assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised and included at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives in annual instalments, with a full year’s charge in the acquisition year and no charge in the year of disposal as follows:equipment – 20% straight line.

1.10 Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are those funds which are available for use at the discretion of the

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes.

1.11 Critical accounting estimates and judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated

assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised, if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

There are no estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities.

1.12 Taxation

The CIO is a registered charity and has no liability to corporation tax on its charitable activities during the year.

1.13 Financial instruments

The charity only has financial instruments of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. The charity's short term debtors and creditors are measured at their settlement value.

2. Income from donations

Total funds 2023 (£) Total funds 2022 (£)
Donations 304,382 259,972
Legacies - -
Donated facilities and services 23,500 19,760
Grants 207,073 104,188
534,955 383,920

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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The comparative figure for 2022 includes £0 of restricted income.

Donated facilities and services relate to the provision of office space as well as marketing and professional services.

3. Charitable activities

Income Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Membership fees 95,117 66,067
Concert fees 111,279 18,365
206,396 84,432

4. Raising funds

Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Wages and salaries 47,935 11,585
Fundraising consultancy fees 15,971 30,000
Other costs 3,198 13,014
67,104 54,599

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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5. Charitable activities

Expenditure Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Wages and salaries 248,046 190,841
Musical leader and pastoral support
fees		 212,616 72,530
Bursary awards 17,632 16,049
Venue hire 60,315 23,245
Music hire 23,231 12,686
Advertising and marketing 18,887 17,847
Bank charges 60 200
Depreciation 5,685 3,081
Subscriptions 412 202
Professional fees - -
Travel 6,570 6,714
Support costs (see note 6) 77,957 64,420
671,411 407,815

The comparative figure for 2022 includes £0 of expenditure from restricted funds.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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6. Support costs

Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Wages and salaries 30,000 23,047
Accounting & administration fees - 13,750
Staff costs 10,195 6,365
Office costs 16,937 8,478
Printing, postage and stationery 4,550 3,066
Rent 11,652 7,194
Governance costs
Independent examiners fees 3,020 2,520
Legal fees 1,603 -
77,957 64,420

7. Staff costs

Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Gross salaries 298,021 202,991
Employer’s National Insurance 20,913 16,186
Employer’s Pension Costs 7,046 6,296
325,980 225,473

The average number of employees during the year, based on headcount, was 8.4 (2022: 5.2). One member of staff earned over £60,000 in both years.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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8. Related party transactions

The charity's key management personnel are the Trustees, Artistic Director and Executive Director. During 2023 £130,331 (2022: £106,395 ) was paid in employment benefits (including employer's National Insurance & pension contributions) and £27,571 (2022: £51,900) in consultancy fees to key management personnel. None of the Trustees received any remuneration in the year. No Trustees received reimbursement for expenses. The husband of the Executive Director was contracted in the year to provide conductor services, including expenses, totaling £7,568. (2022: £8,034 ).

9. Fixed Assets

Intangible assets Website
£		 Total
£
Cost
At 1 September 2022 18,100 18,100
Additions 3,468 3,468
Disposals - -
At 31 August 2023 21,568 21,568
Depreciation
At 1 September 2022 13,586 13,586
Additions 4,255 4,255
Disposals - -
At 31 August 2023 17,841 17,841
Net Book Value
At 31 August 2023 3,727 3,727
At 31 August 2022 4,514 4,514

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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10. Fixed Assets

Tangible assets Equipment
£		 Total
£
Cost
At 1 September 2022 5,443 5,443
Additions 4,982 4,982
Disposals - -
At 31 August 2023 10,425 10,425
Depreciation
At 1 September 2022 2,134 2,134
Additions 1,431 1,431
Disposals - -
At 31 August 2023 3,565 3,565
Net Book Value
At 31 August 2023 6,861 6,861
At 31 August 2022 3,717 3,717

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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11. Debtors

Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Trade debtors 1,475 900
Prepayments and accrued income 9,613 6,251
Gift aid 3,658 1,338
14,746 8,489

12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Total funds 2023
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Trade creditors 9,040 6,628
Other tax and social security 10,316 5,520
Accrued expenses 11,283 8,419
Deferred income 5,000 117,018
35,639 137,585
Deferred income brought forward 117,018 55,461
Amounts released in the year (117,018) (55,461)
Income deferred in the year 5,000 117,018
Deferred income carried forward 5,000 117,018

Deferred income relates to pledges received in advance, which the donor has specified is to be used in future time periods.

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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13. Movement in funds

Current year Brought Income Income Resources Resources Resources Transfers Transfers Carried
forward £ £ £ forward
£ £
Unrestricted funds 185,386 744,197 (738,515) 35,000 226,068
Designated funds 50,000 - - (35,000) 15,000
Unrestricted funds 235,386 744,197 **(738,515) ** 241,068
Restricted funds:
Cathedral Choirs 360 - - - 360
360 - - - 360
235,746 741,197 (738,515) - 242,428
Prior year Brought Income Resources Transfers Carried
forward £ £ £ forward
£ £
Unrestricted funds 179,048 468,752 (462,414) - 185,386
Designated funds 50,000 - - - 50,000
Unrestricted funds 229,048 468,752 (462,414) - 235,386
Restricted funds:
Cathedral Choirs 360 - - - 360
360 - - - 360
229,408 468,752 (462,414) - 235,746

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LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

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Designated Funds

The Designated Fund of £50k was specifically set up for the celebration of LYC's 10th Anniversary in 22-23. On 9 May 2023, 1,500 young people performed at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the LYC’s 10th Anniversary in a milestone concert, RISE UP. This included LYC’s 10 choirs, plus 1,024 young people from our LYC Experience programme. £35k was used in 22-23 as a contribution to the costs of that concert.

Restricted Funds

The Cathedral Choirs project seeks to engage members with church music and facilitate visits and joint performances with church choirs during the year.

14. Analysis of net assets between funds

Current Year Restricted funds
2023
£		 Restricted funds
2023
£		 Unrestricted funds
2023
£		 Unrestricted funds
2023
£		 Total funds
2023
£
Fixed assets - 10,588 10,588
Current assets 360 266,118 266,478
Creditors due
within one year		 - (35,639) (35,639)
360 241,067 241,427
Prior Year Restricted funds 2022
£		 Unrestricted funds
2022
£		 Total funds 2022
£
Fixed assets - 8,231 8,231
Current assets 360 364,370 365,100
Creditors due within
one year		 - (137,585) (137,585)
360 235,386 235,746

36