Southend Boys’ Choir and Southend Girls’ Choir Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31 August 2022
Registered Charity Number: 1161752 Principal address: Rosemary Pennington – PO Box 6, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 6ER Email: info@southendchoirs.org.uk Website: www.southendchoirs.org.uk Trustees: Emma Lindsey (Chair), Christine Wallen (Treasurer), Sharon Spivey (Secretary), Julie Cushion, Emer McNeela, Jackie Mullan, Chris Walker, Verina Weaver Bankers: CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling ME19 4JQ
What the charity does
Southend Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs are amongst the leading youth choirs in the country, each choir rehearsing and performing in its own right as well as in joint performances.
The formal objectives of the CIO are to:
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a) promote, improve, develop and maintain public appreciation and education of choral music and related activities in all aspects by the presentation, of public concerts, recitals, broadcasts, recordings or at the invitation of promoters and other artistic bodies; and
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b) educate and enhance the skills and enjoyment of all members of the choirs through a range of performances and musical opportunities, in the UK and abroad.
The Choirs recruit from all schools in the borough and beyond. There are no joining or subscription fees for choir membership, so the Choirs draw on a very wide range of backgrounds, as well as a big age range - singers may enter our main choirs at 8, but our younger groups Little Singers and Step-Up Choir provide an early introduction to the enjoyment of singing from as young as age 3. Members may stay until university and beyond via our offshoot choirs – the Southend Young Men’s Chorus for male voices and the Chorus Sirenum for female voices. We work hard to promote a friendly, inclusive and welcoming culture for members to feel accepted, safe and happy. Additionally, there is no entry requirement to read music or to have had any previous music training. Consequently, the Choirs are open to everyone and our membership is diverse.
Public benefits
The trustees consider the CIO’s activities benefit the public through the provision of high quality, creative musical concerts and opportunities for young people, irrespective of their families’ means, to develop their musical skills and interests positively and to give regular performances for public enjoyment.
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Activities during the year
Following on from a period where the Choirs’ activities were significantly restricted by the Coronavirus pandemic, this year has seen a return to a fuller and busier programme. Notable highlights for the year included:
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Unlocked: an exciting project funded by Arts Council England, which included the commissioning of a new choral work by composer Kerry Andrew on the theme “Together”. This project involved extensive community participation through workshops at local primary schools and with Afghan children who were residing in a bridging hotel in Southend. Over 450 children and young people took part in the first stages of the project, creating and inputting to the final work, and seven schools were involved in learning and performing the commissioned work. The Choirs have had several new recruits and have strengthened their links with several primary schools in the borough. A documentary was made of the project, which featured many of the school workshops, as well as the performances.
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In March 2022, Southend-on-Sea was granted city status as a tribute to the late Sir David Amess. The Choirs were honoured to be able to sing at both the official City Status Civic Service and at the tribute concert for Sir David.
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In addition to many performances in our home city, the Choirs also returned to sing in London with performances at the Royal Festival Hall, Claridge’s and Great St Bart’s. The experience of singing in major concert halls with a professional orchestra is a unique experience for our singers. We were also able to resume our summer tours. The Choirs spent a week in Italy with performances in Florence, Montecatini Terme and Cortona.
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We continued our annual bursary scheme for a second year, in association with the English Speaking Union, to support local young musicians who are continuing their musical studies at a recognised institution of higher education.
Financial Review
Each quarter the Trustees receive and consider a detailed statement of the CIO’s current financial position. During the current year, the adequacy of reserves has been regularly monitored. The Trustees consider that the financial position remains satisfactory during this period of recovery from the pandemic, when the Choirs’ activities and income had been limited. Trustees are actively looking at ways to enhance the CIO’s fundraising efforts as we return to a full programme of activities (and expenses), but remain firmly committed to there being no subscription or other charge for choir membership. In addition, our Artistic Directors have continued to request that they are paid at a significantly reduced rate.
Volunteers
Our volunteers are definitely ‘key workers’ for the Choirs’ operation, whether they undertake direct roles at choir activities or get involved behind the scenes in areas such as fundraising or publicity. They are DBS checked to ensure safeguarding is at the centre of choir work, with the choirs’ specific policies on safeguarding and child protection regularly reviewed to reflect current guidance and any government policy changes. All volunteers and helpers undertake specific safeguarding training - some volunteers are also Southend Council registered chaperones, ensuring a high degree of regard for the welfare of the choristers when they are with the choirs. The Trust are hugely grateful to the team of volunteers that carry out the considerable work needed to run the Choirs.
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Structure, Governance and Management
The Southend Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs registered with the Charity Commission in 2007 and reconstituted in May 2015 as a Charitable Incorporated Association (‘CIO’). This is a legal form enabling a charity to enter into contracts as a corporate body, rather than, with non-corporate status, trustees bearing individual liability for any contracts they enter into on behalf of the charity.
Trustees are expected to show an active interest in the work and benefits of the choirs, and nominees for appointment are given full briefing about these before being considered. In making successor appointments, Trustees have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience offered towards achieving the effective administration of the CIO.
Trustees held frequent meetings over the current year (4 meetings in addition to the AGM). Trustees had previously taken the decision to temporarily recruit 2 additional Trustees, as permitted by the CIO’s Constitution in “exceptional circumstances”, increasing the complement to 9. This was reviewed at the 2022 AGM and will be further reviewed at the 2023 AGM, aiming to return to the normal complement of 7 as and when circumstances allow.
Signed on behalf of Trustees:
....................................... 7 November 2022 Chair of Trustees Date
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Southend Boys' and Southend Girls' Choirs
Summary of accounts for 01/09/21 - 31/08/2022
| Balance B/F 100 Club Admin Arts Council Project Bursury Concerts Christmas Crowstone Gt St Barts Favourite Things Donations Fees-R&R General Hall hire music sundries website Grants Hirings Claridges Royal Festival Hall Southend Council Carmina RFH Carmina SCS Jack Petchey Lion King Little Singers Step Up Choir Tour Funds Tuscany 2022 Uniform Girls Boys Hoodies |
Expenditure 620.50 £ 158.00 £ 17,128.55 £ 500.00 £ 250.00 £ 1,060.00 £ 350.00 £ - £ 4,325.04 £ 2,033.50 £ 16.75 £ 2,809.78 £ 527.00 £ 4,500.00 £ 2,845.60 £ 850.00 £ 650.00 £ 1,244.30 £ 914.50 £ 1,257.50 £ 834.50 £ 2,390.00 £ 30,075.18 £ 67.25 £ - £ 636.00 £ |
Income 1,530.00 £ 37.61 £ 4,683.43 £ 590.29 £ 340.29 £ 404.33 £ 655.67 -£ 799.22 £ 449.22 £ 987.58 £ 2,033.50 -£ 16.75 -£ 415.43 £ 2,394.35 -£ 527.00 -£ 13,047.00 £ 5,720.00 £ 2,874.40 £ 800.00 £ 50.00 -£ 100.00 £ 100.00 £ 700.00 £ 50.00 £ 100.00 £ 100.00 £ 1,350.00 £ 1,152.00 £ 1,030.00 £ - £ 500.00 £ 28,931.92 £ 1,025.00 £ 957.75 £ 192.00 £ 192.00 £ 234.00 £ 402.00 -£ |
Total 61,963.97 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 909.50 £ |
||||
| 120.39 -£ |
||||
| 12,445.12 -£ |
||||
| 500.00 -£ |
||||
| 133.84 £ |
||||
| 987.58 £ |
||||
| 4,325.04 -£ |
||||
| 4,971.60 -£ |
||||
| 8,547.00 £ |
||||
| 3,074.40 £ |
||||
| 105.70 £ |
||||
| 237.50 £ |
||||
| 227.50 -£ |
||||
| 834.50 -£ |
||||
| 1,890.00 -£ |
||||
| 1,143.26 -£ |
||||
| 747.75 £ |
||||
| USA TOTAL Brought forward Balance in Bank Payments outstanding Ringfenced areas Arts Council Bursary Chorus Sirenum Jack Petchey Little Singers Tour Funds Tuscany 2022 US tour Funds Available |
500.00 £ 600.00 £ |
£ | 100.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76,543.95 £ 64,929.81 £ |
-£ | 11,614.14 |
|
| B/F 2021-2022 11,845.00 £ 12,445.12 -£ 4,500.00 £ 500.00 -£ 506.25 £ NIL 2,421.93 £ 105.70 £ 1,207.50 £ 227.50 -£ 12,486.88 £ 1,890.00 -£ NIL 1,143.26 -£ 100.00 -£ 100.00 £ |
£ | 61,963.97 |
|
| £ | 50,349.83 |
||
| -£ £ £ £ £ £ -£ £ |
Balance 600.12 4,000.00 506.25 2,527.63 980.00 10,596.88 1,143.26 - |
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| £ | 32,339.19 |
General includes termly hall hire, music, gifts etc Admin includes postage, bank fees etc
The SoutheThl Boys. Cknir and Southend Girls, Ckb)ir TDJst The charity's ¢ruste¢s coL8ider that an audit is not Yequiruj forthis year under stttion 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Actk And that an independent examination is oe¢d¢d. It is my resnsibility io: examine the accounts under SlI0n 145 of the Charities Act; lo follow the pledureS laid down in the General DIlon8 given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5Xb) of the ACL and stste whether particular matters have com¢ lo my attention. My exomination was carried in aecordance with General Directions given by the Charity Comtnission. An examitwion iludeS A review of the accounting records k¢pi by the charity end comparison of the accounts presented with those rccord%. It also ilUd consideration olany unusual items or disclosures in the ac¢ouots. and seeking explanatio fn)m the trUCeS concerning any such matters. The procedures undertakell do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audil and consequendy I do not expre&s an audit opinion on the 8¢count& In the course of my examiwiow no mat*r has come to my attention: l. Which gives me r¢a50nable cause io believe tha4 in any material resrrtL the trustees have not mei the rtquirements to ensur¢ thai proper accouD¢iti8 le[d$ arc kept (in rdanc¢ with section 41 of the Act). and accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the a¢¢ounlin8 requirements of the ACL or 2. To whiclL in my opinion. attention should be dTawn in OTder to enabl¢ a PToper urMkTrthnding of the accounts to be reached. Siwd Lh Lau Cle88 MA.LT Independent Examiner