ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Charity Registration Number: 1153396 (England and Wales)
Trustees’ Annual Report
For the period
Starting: 1st September 2024
Ending: 31st August 2025
English Chamber Choir – Charity 1153396 Trustees’ Annual Report to 31[st] August 2025
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Section A – Charity Reference and administrative details
| Charity Name: | English Chamber Choir |
|---|---|
| Charity Registration Number: | 1153396 (England and Wales) |
| Company Registration Number: | 8198937 (England and Wales) |
| Registered Office: | Flat 103 The Library Building |
| 2A St Luke’s Avenue | |
| London | |
| England | |
| SW4 7EB | |
| Trustees | Marianne Aston |
| Francois Boucard (Treasurer) | |
| Hannah Davies | |
| Martin Douglas | |
| Helen Gironi | |
| Timothy Johns | |
| Hugh Joslin | |
| Deborah O’Connor | |
| Mark Roper (Chair) | |
| Katrina Wooltorton | |
| Charity Registration Date: | 14 August 2013 |
| Bankers: | NatWest |
| Tower Bridge Branch | |
| PO Box 9765 | |
| 201 Tooley Street | |
| London | |
| SE1 2ZH | |
| Independent Examiner: | Karen Bloomfield, FCA |
| Fieldhead | |
| New Road | |
| Liskeard | |
| PL14 4HB | |
| Website: | www.englishchamberchoir.co.uk |
| Contact email: | manager@englishchamberchoir.co.uk |
English Chamber Choir – Charity 1153396 Trustees’ Annual Report to 31[st] August 2025
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9 Trustees held office for the whole period from 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025: Marianne Aston Francois Boucard Hannah Davies Martin Douglas Helen Gironi Timothy Johns Hugh Joslin Mark Roper Katrina Wooltorton
1 Trustee was appointed during the period: Deborah O’Connor served from 18[th] April 2025 to 31[st] August 2025
Hannah Davies was formerly known as Hannah Ainsworth, her legal name was updated in the register of Trustees of the charity on 22[nd] February 2025.
Section B – Structure, governance and management
English Chamber Choir (the Charity, also the ECC) is a private company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital, incorporated on 03 September 2012 in England and Wales with company number 8198937, which was granted charity status on 14 August 2013 by the Charity Commission of England and Wales with charity number 1153396.
The Charity started its activities on 01 September 2013 when a Transfer of Undertaking Deed transferred all assets and liabilities to the Charity from the English Chamber Choir Society, charity number 269245 in England and Wales, which was registered on 13 May 1975 and formally ceased to exist on 28 January 2014. This change of legal structure did not change the nature of the activity of the ECC, which is to run a London-based chamber choir of about 50 singers called the English Chamber Choir which has been in existence since 1972.
The governing document for the Charity is the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 03 September 2012.
The organisation is governed by elected Trustees who are also directors of English Chamber Choir for the purpose of company law. The Trustees are elected by the choir’s membership at the Annual General Meeting. Trustees’ roles include Chair, Treasurer and officers without defined portfolio. The Trustees for the period are listed in section A.
The Board of Trustees holds meetings at least on a quarterly basis. The Trustees are volunteers and do not get any remuneration for their role.
The Charity has no employees. It uses the services of professional experts who work on a freelance basis, including:
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Rufus Frowde, Artistic Director
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Guy Protheroe, Conductor Emeritus
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Richard Hills, Accompanist and deputy conductor
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Andreana Chan, Accompanist
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The Trustees developed and implemented the following policies for the Charity:
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Social Media Policy
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Safeguarding Policy Statement
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Equal Opportunities Policy
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Data Protection Policy
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Health and Safety Policy
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Whistleblowing Policy
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Conflict of Interest Policy
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Complaints Policy
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Privacy Policy (protection of personal information)
Section C – Objectives and activities
Aim and objectives
As per the objects stated in the Articles of Association, English Chamber Choir aims to educate the public in the sciences and arts and in particular the art and science of music by the presentation of recitals and concerts and other activities, primarily by the English Chamber Choir.
The Charity’s main goals include:
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welcoming a diverse choir membership and providing the singers with the environment and support to achieve musical excellence;
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performing a wide range of music styles to diverse audiences;
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promoting English music and rarely performed material;
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supporting living composers by performing their music and commissioning new works.
Membership
The ECC is proud of its diverse SATB membership, which includes about 50 singers with all sorts of professional backgrounds and a wide range of ages, from students to pensioners. Our members are selected through auditions purely on musical criteria and we can provide further musical education by arranging or sponsoring individual singing lessons.
It is an ECC policy that no singer who demonstrates the required high standard of ability and commitment should be excluded on financial grounds. In consequence the choir provides financial assistance to those in hardship or not in full-time employment by way of subsidising travel expenses for out of London engagements, or subsidising singing lessons, or providing discretionary concessions on the annual £276 membership fee.
Since 2017 the ECC has been running a scholarship scheme designed for the recruitment of junior singers, essentially graduates who have just finished university. Under this scheme the new members don’t have to pay any membership fee and are offered complimentary singing lessons in their initial year, and exceptionally for subsequent periods at the Trustees’ discretion.
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Musical activities – Rehearsals
The ECC holds its weekly rehearsals on Tuesdays in the City of London in Holy Sepulchre, the National Musicians Church, Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DQ.
Musical activities – Own productions
The ECC promoted 3 concerts in London or further afield in England.
- 1) 29 September 2024 – St Marylebone, London NW1 5LT Immortal Fire. Conductors: Guy Protheroe & Rufus Frowde
A concert in tribute to the 50 years where Ann & Guy Protheroe led the ECC. The choir was joined on this occasion by many returning members and the programme was curated to include works that have particular significance to Ann & Guy, including:
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Harris: Holy is the True Light
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Britten: Hymn to St Cecilia
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Byrd: Civitas Sancti Tui
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Bax: Mater ora filium
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Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden
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Vaughan Williams: The Cloud-Capped Towers
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Stanford: The Blue Bird
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Frowde: Love Divine
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2) 19 December 2024 – St James Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL A Ceremony of Carols. Conductor: Rufus Frowde.
Programme including:
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Willcocks: Once in Royal David’s City
Poston: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
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Frowde: There is no Rose of Such Virtue
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Tallis: Vdete miraculum
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Chilcott: In Dulci Jubilo
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Vaughan Williams: O Little Town of Bethlehem
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Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
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Chilcott: Good King Wenceslas
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Dove: Run, Shepherds, Run!
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Willcocks: O come, all ye faithful
3) 18 April 2025 – Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, GU1 3RR The Crucifixion. Conductor: Rufus Frowde
Programme including:
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Sanders: The Reproaches
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Stainer: The Crucifixion
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Musical activities – Hired productions
In addition to the ECC’s own promotions detailed in the previous section (3 concerts), the choir was hired to perform a wide range of music styles in various venues (another 18 performances) in the year to 31 August 2025.
Those performances included:
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1) Royal Albert Hall: the ECC was engaged in 5 performances of live music during film screenings (Harry Potter, on 01 & 02 & 03 Nov 2024).
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2) Royal Academy of Arts: carol singing on 30 Nov 2024 at a private event for RAA members.
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3) Garrison Chapel, Chelsea: carol singing for the King’s Trust on 30 Nov & 01 Dec 2024.
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4) Royal Collection, The King’s Gallery: carol singing on 04 & 05 Dec 2024.
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5) Weekend in Staffordshire with
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Concert O Gladsome Light on 01 Feb 2025 in Seighford St Chad (ST18 9PQ)
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Sunday service on 02 Feb 2025 in Eccleshall Holy Trinity (ST21 6BY)
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6) Barnes Festival, in St Mary’s Church Barnes, London SW13 9HL. Final concert of the festival on 29 Mar 2025, with the Barnes Festival Orchestra and the Tiffin Chamber Choir, conducted by James Day, with performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius .
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7) St Mary’s Luton (LU1 3JF), concert On Eagle's Wings at the invitation of the Luton Music Club, on 09 June 2025. Programme including:
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O Gloriosissimi Lux - Hildegard of Bingen
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Seek him that maketh the seven sta rs - Jonathan Dove
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De Angelis - Christos Hatzis
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The Seal Lullaby - Eric Whitacre
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Bird Songs - Richard Sisson
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Stars - Eriks Esenvalds
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8) Hampton Court Royal Chapel – Evensong on 05 July 2025.
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9) Westminster Abbey – Evensong on 17 July 2025
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10) Opera Holland Park – 2 performances of Beethoven, I Shall Hear in Heaven , on 06 & 08 Aug 2025
Section D – Achievements and Performance
The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
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At each Board meeting the Trustees review the outcome of past activities and plan future projects with a view to deliver on the ECC’s stated charitable aims.
The Trustees are confident that the activities listed in section C for the period are in line with our charitable objectives, so there will be no material change in the nature of our activities in the next period.
Our own promotions are very much in line with our charitable aims of performing a wider and more unusual repertoire for the public but they are more challenging than commercial productions for attracting large audiences. Our experience is that nowadays it is extremely difficult to raise funds and donations with the aim of performing live choral music, so the way we found to successfully fund loss-making activities is to also do more commercial and profitable activities. In consequence, the Trustees are very keen to maintain our association with organisations like Royal Albert Hall Productions.
Section E – Financial Review
Financial position
The balance sheet of English Chamber Choir at 31 August 2025 shows total net assets of £28,111. The Trustees believe that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence and meet its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future.
The statement of financial activities shows that during the period the Charity had a total income of £54,420 and a total expenditure of £45,745 hence a total net profit of £8,675.
Reserves policy
The Trustees note that the fixed costs of running the choir (including weekly rehearsal costs and annual administration costs) did not match the annual recurrent income (including the subscriptions by the choir members and the associated Gift Aid).
In the year to 31 August 2025 the recurrent annual income was £12,557 and the annual fixed costs were £17,871 resulting in a shortfall of £5,313.
This year the shortfall was covered by the net profit generated by commercial engagements. However the Trustees are aware of the risk of relying on this commercial income and have identified the following risk factors:
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The income from hired performances could be delayed (including because of dispute or litigation or bankruptcy).
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The profitable commercial relationships could well dry up or disappear.
The 2 years of pandemic evidenced that the risk that performance income could disappear is not theoretical as the ECC experienced it further to the closure of all performance venues.
The Trustees adopted the policy that the Charity should maintain financial reserves that should exceed the net costs of running the choir for at least one year. To this end the level of reserves is targeted at £10,000.
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The Trustees are also satisfied that the actual reserves are held in a physically segregated account (the NatWest Business Reserve account). Those reserves are in effect considered as non-available cash for normal charitable activities. The Trustees keep that in mind when assessing the affordability of any new project, especially for projects that have high upfront costs like studio recordings.
Sources of funding
This year the sources of funding were performance fees from hired productions (56%), membership fees, donations and associated Gift Aid (28%), ticket sales from own productions (14%) and ancillary income (2%).
Investment Policy
Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the board of Trustees of the Charity has the power to make investments however it sees fit in line with the furtherance of its objectives. Given the small size of available cash, the Trustees have not considered investments this year.
Section F – Declaration
The Trustees of English Chamber Choir declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above on 13 February 2026 and they have mandated the Treasurer to sign on their behalf:
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Francois Boucard, Treasurer
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Company Limited by Guarantee
Company Registration Number: 8198937 (England and Wales) Charity Registration Number: 1153396 (England and Wales)
Report of the Directors and Unaudited Financial Statements
Period of accounts
Start date: 1st September 2024
End date: 31st August 2025
English Chamber Choir – Company 8198937, Charity 1153396 Financial Statements to 31[st] August 2025
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Contents of the Financial Statements - Period Ended 31[st] August 2025
| Company Information | page 3 |
|---|---|
| Report of the Directors | page 4 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | page 7 |
| Balance Sheet | page 8 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | page 9 |
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Company Information - Period Ended 31[st] August 2025
Company Registration Number: 8198937 (England and Wales) Charity Registration Number: 1153396 (England and Wales) Registered Office: Flat 103 The Library Building 2A St Luke’s Avenue London England SW4 7EB Directors Marianne Aston Francois Boucard Hannah Davies Martin Douglas Helen Gironi Timothy Johns Hugh Joslin Deborah O’Connor Mark Roper Katrina Wooltorton Date of Incorporation 3[rd] September 2012 Bankers: NatWest Tower Bridge Branch PO Box 9765 201 Tooley Street London SE1 2ZH Independent Examiner: Karen Bloomfield, FCA Fieldhead New Road Liskeard PL14 4HB
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Report of the Directors - Period Ended 31[st] August 2025
The directors present their report and the unaudited financial statements of English Chamber Choir (the “Company” or the “ECC”) for the period ended 31[st] August 2025.
Directors
9 directors held office for the whole period from 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025: Marianne Aston Francois Boucard Hannah Davies Martin Douglas Helen Gironi Timothy Johns Hugh Joslin Mark Roper Katrina Wooltorton
1 director was appointed during the period: Deborah O’Connor served from 18[th] April 2025 to 31[st] August 2025
Hannah Davies was formerly known as Hannah Ainsworth, her legal name was updated in the register of directors of the Company on 22[nd] February 2025.
Principal activity and review of the business
The Company is a private company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. The Company has no employees.
The Company was incorporated on 03 September 2012 in order to run a chamber choir called the English Chamber Choir in replacement of the Society which had been running it since 1972 and was called the English Chamber Choir Society, charity number 269245 in England and Wales. The transfer of operations between the two entities was delayed until after the Company registered 8198937 was also granted charity status on 14 August 2013 by the Charity Commission of England and Wales with charity number 1153396. The Company started actual business further to the Transfer of Undertaking Deed signed between the English Chamber Choir Society and the Company on 01 September 2013.
The Company continued to operate its bank accounts with NatWest during the period, there was no opening and no closing of any account during the period.
As per the objects specified in its Articles of Association, the Company’s principal activity is to educate the public in the art and science of music by the presentation of recitals and concerts and other activities primarily by the English Chamber Choir. The activities of the Company in the period were similar to those in the previous period and the Directors do not anticipate any change in the nature of these activities going forward.
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During the period Rufus Frowde continued to serve as the Artistic Director of the Company. Guy Protheroe remained involved with the ECC on a project basis in his role as Conductor Emeritus.
The artistic team also continued to include Richard Hills and Andreana Chan, who support Rufus as accompanists and occasionally deputise for him in a conducting role.
Results and financial position
The results for the year are shown in the statement of financial activities on page 7. The net profit for the period was £8,675.
The balance sheet as detailed on page 8 shows surplus carried forward of £28,111. The Directors believe that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence and meet its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future.
Responsibilities of the directors in respect of the Financial Statements
The Directors (who are also the trustees of English Chamber Choir for the purposes of charity law) are responsible for preparing the directors’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Directors confirm that they have complied with the above requirements in preparing the financial statements.
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Independent examiner
The Directors (also Trustees for the purposes of charity law) have not required the Company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. They also consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination was needed.
The Trustees appointed Karen Bloomfield, FCA, to perform this independent examination. A separate Independent Examiner’s Report on the accounts was prepared for filing with the Charity Commission.
Karen Bloomfield, FCA
Fieldhead, New Road, Liskeard, PL14 4HB
This report was approved by the Board of Directors on 13 February 2026 and signed on behalf of the Board by:
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Francois Boucard Director
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Statement of Financial Activities - Period Ended 31[st] August 2025.
| Notes Income Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities 4 Other trading activities 5 Investments 6 Other 7 Total Income Expenditure Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities 8 Other 9 Total Expenditure Net Income/(Expenditure) Reconciliation of Funds Total funds brought forward Total funds Carried Forward |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment funds Total Funds Year 2025 Total Funds Year 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 15,019 0 0 15,019 14,165 37,824 0 0 37,824 29,569 980 0 0 980 422 331 0 0 331 274 266 0 0 266 700 |
|---|---|
| 54,420 0 0 54,420 45,130 |
|
| 0 0 0 0 0 (42,343) 0 0 (42,343) (38,521) (3,402) 0 0 (3,402) (4,508) |
|
| (45,745) 0 0 (45,745) (42,759) |
|
| 8,675 0 0 8,675 2,371 19,436 0 0 19,436 17,065 |
|
| 28,111 0 0 28,111 19,436 |
The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.
All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities.
The notes in the next pages form part of these financial statements.
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Balance Sheet – As at 31[st] August 2025.
| Notes Fixed Assets Tangible assets Current Assets Stocks Debtors 11 Cash at bank and in hand 13 Creditors: Amounts falling due Within One Year 12 Net Current Assets/(Liabilities) Total Assets Less Current Liabilities Total Net Assets/(Liabilities) Funds Endowment funds Restricted income funds Unrestricted income funds Total Funds |
At 31 August 2025 £ £ 0 0 1,000 30,214 31,214 (3,103) 28,111 28,111 28,111 0 0 28,111 28,111 |
At 31 August 2025 £ £ 0 0 1,000 30,214 31,214 (3,103) 28,111 28,111 28,111 0 0 28,111 28,111 |
At 31 £ 0 0 19,886 |
August 2024 £ 0 19,436 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,214 (3,103) |
19,886 (450) |
|||
| 28,111 | 19,436 | |||
| 28,111 | 19,436 | |||
| 0 0 28,111 28,111 |
0 0 19,436 19,436 |
The notes in the next pages form part of these financial statements.
The directors are satisfied that the Company is entitled to exemption from the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (the Act) relating to the audit of the financial statements for the year by virtue of section 477(2) and that no member or members have requested an audit pursuant to section 476(1) of the Act.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for
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(i) ensuring that the Company keeps adequate accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Act, and
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(ii) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of the financial year and of its profit or loss for the financial year in accordance with the requirement of section 393, and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Act with respect to financial statements.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 13 February 2026 and signed on behalf of the Board by:
Francois Boucard Director
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ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR
Notes to the Financial Statements - Period Ended 31[st] August 2025.
1. Accounting Policies
(a) Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with:
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the Companies Act 2006 and The Small Companies and Groups (Accounts and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2008
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the Charities Act 2011
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the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP FRS 102) issued in October 2019.
There has been no change to the accounting policies (valuation rules and methods of accounting) since last year.
(b) Cash Flow Statement
The directors have taken advantage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard No 1 (revised) from including a cash flow statement in the financial statements on the grounds that the charity is small.
(c) Fund Accounting
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Endowment funds are those funds which the charity must hold and retain and not spend as income. The income arising is used for charitable purposes and capital gains are retained within the fund.
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Restricted funds are those funds which must be spent as income on the particular purposes specified by the donor or specifically identified in appeal literature.
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Unrestricted funds are those funds that can be spent at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
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Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
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(d) Income
Recognition of income These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when: - the charity becomes entitled to the resources; - it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources; - the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. Offsetting There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income or expenses, unless required or permitted by the FRS 102 SORP or FRS 102. Grants and donations Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met. In the case of performance related grants, income must only be recognised to the extent that the charity has provided the specified goods or services as entitlement to the grant only occurs when the performance related conditions are met. Legacies Legacies are included in the SOFA when receipt is probable, that is, when there has been grant of probate, the executors have established that there are sufficient assets in the estate and any conditions attached to the legacy are either within the control of the charity or have been met. Tax reclaims on Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid donations and gifts declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise. Contractual income and This is only included in the SoFA once the charity has provided performance related the related goods or services or met the performance related grants conditions Income from interest, This is included in the accounts when receipt is probable and royalties and dividends the amount receivable can be measured reliably. Income from Membership subscriptions received in the nature of a gift are membership recognised in Donations and Legacies. subscriptions Membership subscriptions which give a member the right to buy services or other benefits are recognised as income earned from the provision of goods and services as income from charitable activities.
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(e) Expenditure and liabilities
Liability recognition Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty. Governance and Support costs have been allocated between governance costs support costs and other support. Governance costs comprise all costs involving public accountability of the charity and its compliance with regulation and good practice. Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, e.g. allocating property costs by floor areas, or per capita, staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage. Creditors The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts. Provisions for liabilities A liability is measured on recognition at its historical cost and then subsequently measured at the best estimate of the amount required to settle the obligation at the reporting date. Basic Financial The charity accounts for basic financial instruments on initial Instruments recognition as per paragraph 10.7 FRS 102 SORP. Subsequent measurement is as per paragraphs 11.17 to 11.19 FRS 102 SORP.
(f) Assets
Tangible fixed assets All fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated for use by charity depreciation. Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of each asset over the useful economic life of that asset, which in all cases is estimated at 3 years. Stocks and work in Stocks held for sale as part of non-charitable trade are progress measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Goods and services provided as part of a charitable activity are measured at net realisable value based on the service potential provided by items of stock. Work in progress is valued at cost less any foreseeable loss that is likely to occur on the contract. Debtors Debtors (including trade debtors and loans receivable) are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount after any trade discounts or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.
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2. Company Limited by Guarantee
The company is limited by guarantee and not having a share capital, the liability of members is limited to £1.
3. Income – Donations and Legacies
| Donations Grants Legacies Gift Aid Membership subscriptions |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Funds Total Funds Year 2025 Total Funds Year 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 2,462 0 0 2,462 3,521 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,907 0 0 1,907 1,655 10,650 0 0 10,650 8,989 |
|---|---|
| 15,019 0 0 15,019 14,165 |
4. Income - Charitable Activities
| Performance fees Ticket sales Advertising sales |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Funds Total Funds Year 2025 Total Funds Year 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 30,450 0 0 30,450 24,200 7,374 0 0 7,374 5,369 0 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 37,824 0 0 37,824 29,569 |
A material component of performance fees comprises the contracts with the Royal Albert Hall (£22,300 in year 2025; £15,750 in year 2024).
5. Income – Other trading activities
| Merchandising income Rental of music scores Fundraising events |
Unrestricted Funds Restricte d Funds Endowment Funds Total Funds Year 2025 Total Funds Year 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 0 0 0 0 20 980 0 0 980 402 0 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 980 0 0 980 422 |
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6. Income - Investments
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | Total Funds | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Year 2025 | Year 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Bank interest income | 331 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 274 |
| 331 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 274 | |
| 7. Income - Other | |||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | Total Funds | Total Funds | |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Year 2025 | Year 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Other income | 266 | 0 | 0 | 266 | 700 |
| 266 | 0 | 0 | 266 | 700 | |
| 8. Expenditure - Charitable Activities | |||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted |
Endowment | Total Funds | Total Funds | |
| Funds | Funds |
Funds | Year 2025 | Year 2024 | |
| £ | £ |
£ | £ | £ | |
| Hire of halls | 8,733 | 0 | 0 | 8,733 | 8,672 |
| Professional fees - rehearsals | 10,603 | 0 | 0 | 10,603 | 7,685 |
| Professional fees - concerts | 17,498 | 0 |
0 | 17,498 | 17,273 |
| Professional fees - support | 1,150 | 0 |
0 | 1,150 | 2,665 |
| Music hire / purchase | 3,726 | 0 |
0 | 3,726 | 868 |
| Marketing and publicity | 633 | 0 |
0 | 633 | 1,088 |
| 42,343 | 0 | 0 | 42,343 | 38,251 |
9. Expenditure - Other
| Premises costs Independent examiner’s fees Accountancy fees Tax advisory fees Depreciation Bank charges Technology Miscellaneous purchases |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Funds Total Funds Year 2025 Total Funds Year 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 0 0 0 0 1,265 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 0 0 105 92 1,270 0 0 1,270 1,154 2,027 0 0 2,027 1,997 |
|---|---|
| 3,402 0 0 3,402 4,508 |
English Chamber Choir – Company 8198937, Charity 1153396 Financial Statements to 31[st] August 2025
13/16
The premises costs in year 2024 represent the hire of a self-storage box to host the ECC library for a few months in wait for a permanent arrangement.
10. Staff Costs and Emoluments, Directors’ Remuneration
10.1 – Staff costs
The Company had no employees during the financial year (2024: nil). All professionals involved in the charitable activities and supporting activities supplied their services on a freelance basis.
10.2 – Directors’ remuneration and benefits
No Director received any remuneration during the year (2024: nil) and no Director had any personal interest in any contract entered into by the Company during the year (2024: nil).
10.3 – Transactions with Directors
Expenses paid on behalf of the Company were reimbursed to the following directors:
| Name | Position | Amount | Amount | Nature of transactions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 2025 | Year 2024 | |||
| (£) | (£) | |||
| Martin Douglas | Director | 1,396 | 1,356 | Music hire/purchase, postage, self-storage box |
| Mark Roper | Director | 156 | 361 | Technology, printing |
| Marianne Aston | Director | 9 | 0 | Postage |
10.4 – Transactions with other related parties
Related parties in addition to the Company Directors are defined in SORP FRS 102 as:
-
An individual with authority and responsibility for planning, directing or controlling the activities of the entity, either directly or indirectly (the key management personnel).
-
An officer, agent or employee of the charity who has authority and responsibility for the charity as key management personnel. This includes senior staff members who make decisions, or budget holders who have power to spend significant amounts of the charity’s resources.
-
A trustee and their close family members and those entities which they control or in which they have a significant interest.
There was no financial transaction in year 2025 with any individual or entity qualifying as other related party.
English Chamber Choir – Company 8198937, Charity 1153396 Financial Statements to 31[st] August 2025
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11. Debtors and prepayments
| Tax receivable Performance debtors Membership debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income |
At 31 August 2025 At 31 August 2024 £ £ 0 0 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 1,000 0 |
12. Creditors and accruals
| Professional fees creditors Other creditors Accruals and deferred income |
At 31 August 2025 At 31 August 2024 £ £ 1,295 0 1,808 450 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 3,103 450 |
13. Cash at bank and in hand
| Cash at bank and in hand Short term deposits Short term cash investments (less than 3 months maturity date) |
At 31 August 2025 At 31 August 2024 £ £ 30,214 19,886 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 30,214 19,886 |
14. Basic Financial Instruments
Basic Financial Instruments including debtors, creditors and cash, were entered at fair value at inception and there has been no impairment since.
15. Taxation
As a charity the Company is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 466 to 493 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (CTA 2010) to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Company.
The Company is not registered for VAT because its VAT taxable turnover is below the threshold set by HMRC.
English Chamber Choir – Company 8198937, Charity 1153396 Financial Statements to 31[st] August 2025
15/16
16. Going concern
The financial statements are prepared with the assumption that the Company is a going concern. The Company will continue for the foreseeable future and it is not the intention to, nor is there the need to, liquidate the company or cease its activities.
The Company has the adequate resources to continue in operational existence and meet its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future
English Chamber Choir – Company 8198937, Charity 1153396 Financial Statements to 31[st] August 2025
16/16
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name ENGLISH CHAMBER CHOIR members of
On accounts for the year 31 AUGUST 2025 Charity no 1153396 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1 to 16
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
-
examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
-
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
-
• to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
1
December 2017
IER
Independent examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.
I 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.
Date: 25 January 2026
Signed: Name: Karen Bloomfield Relevant professional Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: Fieldhead, New Road Liskeard Cornwall PL14 4HB
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
None
2
December 2017
IER