EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP CHARITY NUMBER 1160841
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
CONTENTS
Page Report of the Trustees 2-3 Annual accounts 4-6 Independent Examiner’s report 7
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EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP (ELMG)
CHARITY NUMBER 1160841
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
Principal address 20 Millers Lane, Stanstead Abbotts, WARE, Hertfordshire, SG12 8AF (moved here 24 July 2025)
Trustees
Sorrel Brookes (resigned 29 July 2024) Sally Gatward George Haggett Elisha Owen Howard Williams Stuart Wilkinson
Structure, Governance and management
The charity is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation governed by a trust deed dated 17 December 2014 and registered as a charity in England on 11 March 2015. New trustees are appointed by the Trustees and serve for a term of three years (renewable).
Objects and achievements of the Charity
The objects of the charity are
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the promotion of the arts, focused on but not limited to music, for the public benefit in East London through the provision of arts-based events and activities for the community at a very low cost or for free; and
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the promotion of the arts in education for the public benefit in East London through the provision of arts-based educational projects in the community; and
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the advancement of the arts through engagement with high calibre exponents of a range of performing and visual arts.
The main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects are the commissioning and premiering of new pieces, engagement with local youth and community music provision in performance projects, and engagement with university level music making.
The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
In this year, East London Music Group continued to build and extend its successful partnerships with Waltham Forest Music Service (WFMS) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). It also established a relationship with Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service (THAMES).
Much of the year was spent in planning and fundraising for two projects in partnership with THAMES, WFMS and QMUL. Firstly, an extended and widened version of the successful Ensembles East project of the previous year. This project, with guest artist Colombian Harpist Diego Laverde Rojas, was planned to involve children from schools across Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets, alongside professional musicians and QMUL music scholars. Bespoke arrangements will be created
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and the children will ultimately come together in a massed ensemble performance with Diego Laverde Rojas and his quartet in July 2026. The project will also involve training and mentoring for ensemble leaders, with the objective of strengthening schools’ ability to offer music ensemble experiences to their children. The project activity in schools was programmed to begin in September 2025. Planning and fundraising took place in the year 2024-25.
The other project we spent significant time working on was the commission of ELMG’s first opera, under the working title “Guilty and Proud”, which will tell the story of the Poplar Rates Rebellion, with councillor Nellie Cressall as its protagonist. Set for performance in early 2028, we confirmed in 2024 that the composer-librettist team who will create the new work will be Lucy Armstrong and Olivia Bell. This year saw a lot of planning, budgeting, and partnership-building for this project. Additionally, we held a concerted fundraising campaign, applying to multiple trusts and foundations, securing £45,000 and enabling the work to be commissioned and design, research, and early promotional work to be completed.
In addition to this above work, significant work was completed on future planning for ELMG’s administration, looking to further professionalise and bring in an Executive Producer to bolster ELMG’s administrative team.
ELMG continued in its partnership with QMUL working with Music@QMUL to administrate its scholarship scheme, providing tutors for talented musicians majoring in other disciplines. This has continued to enhance what the university can offer and help it to build its programme of music activities over time, maintaining ELMG’s good relationship and maintaining the platform for further future collaborations.
Reserves
The trustees consider that minimum level of general reserves that should be retained is £7,000 to meet expenses as they fall due. The general reserves at the year end were £18,785.
Approved by the Trustees on: 25/05/2026
Signed: SALLY GATWARD
Sally Gatward, Chair of Trustees
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EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP
CHARITY NUMBER 1160841
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
| Receipts Grants Fees Donatons Total receipts Payments Website development and IT costs Artsts’ fees and expenses Hire (inc venue hire)/licencing fees Administraton Fundraising Sundry expenses Advertsing and promoton Total Payments Net Surplus /(defcit)for the year Reserves 1 August 2024 Reserves 31 July 2025 |
Unrestricted £ Restricted £ Total £ - 41,035 41,035 6,150 - 6,150 - - - 6,150 41,035 47,185 195 - 195 4,098 500 4,598 - 295 295 4,135 - 4,135 2,042 - 2,042 150 - 150 - 1,830 1,830 10,620 2,625 13,245 (4,470) 38,410 33,940 18,785 - 18,785 14,315 38,410 52,725 |
2024 Total £ 15,000 11,710 90 |
|---|---|---|
| 26,800 | ||
| 441 7,950 - 3,257 548 242 - |
||
| 12,438 | ||
| 14,362 4,423 |
||
| 18,785 |
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31 JULY 2025
| Current assets Bank Total assets Unrestricted reserves Note 2 Reserves |
2025 £ 52,725 52,725 52,725 52,725 |
2024 £ 18,785 |
|---|---|---|
| 18,785 | ||
| 18,785 | ||
| 18,785 |
The Accounts set out on pages 4 to 6 were approved by the Trustees on: 25/05/2026
Signed: SALLY GATWARD
Sally Gatward, Chair of Trustees
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EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP
CHARITY NUMBER 1160841
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 July 2025
1 Basis of accounts preparation
The accounts are prepared on a cash basis with income being recognised when received and expenditure recorded when paid.
2 Charitable Funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
3 Grants and donations received
Grants totalling £41,035 towards the Guilty and Proud project about East London suffragette and workers’ rights campaigner Nellie Cressall, were received from Cockayne Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England: National Lottery Project Grants and The Golsoncott Foundation.
4 Related party transactions
During the year there were no disclosable transactions in respect of trustees, persons connected with them, or other related parties.
There have been no remuneration or expenses paid to any of the trustees during the current or prior year.
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EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP
CHARITY NUMBER 1160841
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 July 2025 (continued)
5 Comparative figures
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2024
| Receipts Grants Fees Donatons Other Total receipts Payments Website development and IT costs Artsts’ fees and expenses Hire (inc venue hire)/licencing fees Commission fees Administraton Fundraising Sundry expenses Printng, postage and statonery Advertsing and promoton Total Payments Net Surplus /(defcit)for the year Reserves 1 August 2023 Reserves 31 July 2024 |
Unrestricted £ Restricted £ Total £ 15,000 - 15,000 11,710 - 11,710 90 - 90 - - - |
|---|---|
| 26,800 - 26,800 |
|
| 441 - 441 7,950 - 7,950 - - - - - - 3,257 - 3,257 548 - 548 242 - 242 - - - - - - |
|
| 12,438 - 12,438 |
|
| 14,362 - 14,362 4,423 - 4,423 |
|
| 18,785 - 18,785 |
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS OF EAST LONDON MUSIC GROUP
Charity number 1160841
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 July 2025 set out on pages 4 to 6
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: PATRICIA NICHOLSON
Date: 26/05/2026
Name: Patricia Nicholson, BA, FCA, DChA
Address: 30 Fitzwarren Gardens, London N19 3TP
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