## **ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023** **Charity number 1162618** Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 1 ## **Contents** |**Contents**|| |---|---| |About Lace City Chorus|3| |Our charitable aims|3| |Board of Trustees (Management Team)|4| |Structure, Governance and Management|5| |Membership of the CIO|5| |Eligibility|5| |Admission Procedure|5| |Duty of Members|5| |Membership Fees|5| |Member decisions|5| |Trustees|6| |Priorities for 2022/2023|6| |Meeting our charitable aims|7| |Weekly rehearsals|7| |Coaching and education|7| |Shows, performances and special events|8| |Financial position 2022/23|9| |Summary|9| |Income|9| |Expenditure|9| |Reserves|9| |Future finance considerations|9| Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 2 ## **About Lace City Chorus** The only barbershop chorus for women in Nottinghamshire was founded in 1992 by a group of teachers and students at Arnold Hill Comprehensive School. After two years of lunchtime rehearsals at the school, there was a need to take it all rather more seriously and the Lace City Chorus was born. The chorus now has over 75 members from all over the East Midlands ranging in age from 14 to 80+. Women of all ages, backgrounds and all musical abilities join together to sing, have fun and make lifelong friendships. Our members are from a variety of backgrounds and hold jobs such as sales manager, accountant, nurse, doctor, solicitor, chemist, social worker, student, executive director, and teacher - as well as being wives, partners, mothers, grandmothers and aunties. These days the chorus is highly regarded as one of the premier barbershop choruses in Europe, having won the regional championships (UK, Ireland and the Netherlands) a total of seven times. These successes have led to the chorus competing at the Sweet Adelines International Convention (the world championships of Barbershop) in Detroit in 2005, Calgary in 2007, Nashville in 2009, Houston in 2011, Las Vegas in 2015 and St Louis in 2018. At the International contests in 2015 and 2018 we were ranked 16[th] in the world. ## **Our charitable aims** Lace City Chorus is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charities Commission as Registered Number 1162618. The Chorus is also a member of the Sweet Adelines International organisation with complementing governance arrangements. ## **Objectives** The objectives of the CIO are: 1) To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of barbershop music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 3 2) To further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit but in particular through the making of grants and donations. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 4 ## **Board of Trustees (Management Team)** _Table 1: Board of Trustees / Management team for the period April 2022 to March 2023:_ |_Table 1: Board of Trustees_
_March 2023:_|_/ Management team for the period_| |---|---| |Name|Position| |Deborah Pollard|Team Coordinator / Chair of
Trustees| |Tasha King|Chorus secretary / Trustee| |Eleanor Blackeby|Musical Director / Trustee| |Liz Clunie|Treasurer / Trustee| |Carole Bowman|Trustee| |Heather Ankers|Trustee| |Sara Grant|Trustee| |Lynn Woods|Trustee| |Sue Wheeldon|Trustee| ## **Directing Team** _Table 2: Chorus Directing Team for the period April 2022 to March 2023:_ |Name|Position| |---|---| |Eleanor Blackeby|Musical Director| |Helen Abbott|Assistant Director / Choreographer| |Jo Bird|Assistant Director| The team are supported by a Music Team consisting of Section Leaders and Assistant Section Leaders. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 5 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The Charity is governed by its chorus constitution which describes the charitable aims, how the chorus elects the trustees and how members are involved in the governance of the charity and chorus. The Constitution lays out the governance and decision-making powers the structures that sit beneath the Board of Trustees have. The Sub Teams are expected to report regularly to the Board of Trustees making recommendations for approval at Board meetings. The Chorus is a member of an International Barbershop organisation called Sweet Adelines International. This membership requires the Chorus to be compliant with their respective governance rules and regulations largely translated for choruses into a document called the ‘Standing Rules’. When the CIO was established the leadership team ensured alignment between the two documents (Charity Constitution and Standing Rules). ## **Membership of the CIO** ## **Eligibility** Membership of the CIO is open to women aged 14 and upwards interested in furthering its purposes, and who, by applying for membership, has indicated her agreement to become a member and acceptance of the duty of members. ## **Admission Procedure** The admission procedure is laid out in both the Chorus Constitution and the Chorus Standing Rules which contain the detail of the music and performance level that needs to be attained before admission is recommended to the Trustees. ## **Duty of Members** The duty of members is also laid out in both the charities governing documents (Constitution and Standing Rules). This is usually described in the Sweet Adeline International by laws as being in 'good standing’. ## **Membership Fees** The monthly fees are set by the Trustees and voted on by the CIO. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 6 ## **Member decisions** Most decisions are made by a simple majority vote including the appointment of Trustees. ## **Trustees** The Board of Trustees is constituted by up to a maximum of 9 trustees. During the period of this report the Board was made up of 9 Trustees. Half of the Trustees stand down each year on rota by those longest standing on the board subject to re-election or substitution. Trustees are voted for at the chorus Annual General Meeting (AGM). The arrangements for the AGM and elections are detailed in the Constitution. ## **Priorities for 2022/2023** Our priorities for the year included: 1. To strive for excellence in everything we do, whether in rehearsals, performances, competitions, show planning, rehearsals, music learning and section work. 2. To recruit excellent new members through singing courses and open evenings and to further develop a high-quality Public Relations function which makes full use of social media platforms. 3. To develop our skills by training our members in a variety of different ways (individual and collective vocal lessons, developing visual and performance skills including emcee work, blending rehearsals, and by developing and expanding the song evaluation process) and enlisting the help of high-quality coaches. 4. To enhance our members’ own skills by encouraging attendance at regional educational workshops. 5. To build our reputation and increase our target audience. 6. To strengthen our finances. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 7 ## **Meeting our charitable aims** ## **Weekly rehearsals** Weekly rehearsals are held at the Colonel Frank Seeley school, Calverton, Nottinghamshire every Wednesday from 19:15 to 21:30. Rehearsals feature: - Physical and vocal warmups and mental check-in to prepare members for a productive rehearsal. - Song learning, although members are expected to use the learning media provided to learn the songs at home before rehearsals. During rehearsals the aim is to bring all the voices together into a well-blended unit. - Skills building (vocal, mindset and visual) during the development of songs for performance and competition facilitated by a team of in-house coaches and the director. - Section rehearsals facilitated by section leaders during which section unity is developed. Section rehearsals are also part of the process for learning new songs. - Teaching and practicing visual plans for selected repertoire and competition songs. - Preparation (vocal, visual and mental) for performance and competition depending on where we are in the annual cycle. - Vocal and visual evaluations in the lead up to competition. ## **Coaching and education** We bring in a variety of coaches every year to help us develop our skills and understanding of our music. Two coaching weekends were held during the year with our regular coach, Nicky Salt in November 2022 and March 2023. We welcomed Anna Rosenberg, director of the Pearls of the Sound chorus (Sweden) for an evening in February 2023 to help enhance our visual communication. We were also delighted to host a joint education day in July with Ignite UK chorus. This event used our own musical leaders to provide a variety of educational classes. In addition, we reinstated our Quartet Club to build confidence in our singers. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 8 As members of Sweet Adelines International, (UK and Netherlands region) many of our members attended national workshops, including the ‘Big Dreams’ quartet workshop in Birmingham in July, the ‘Spotlight’ event in Stockport in October and the ‘Let it Go’ workshop in Coventry in February 2023. The opportunity to learn alongside barbershop singers from across the UK is invaluable in building networks to learn from each other and to share our experiences. ## **Shows, performances and special events** In May 2022 we were delighted to place fourth in our first regional competition in five years, the first under the direction of Ellie Blackeby. Scoring over 600 points meant that Ellie became a ‘master director’, a prestigious award presented to Directors of high scoring choruses. In September 2022, we celebrated the chorus’ 30[th] anniversary. It was a joyous occasion reflecting on the life of the chorus to date and welcoming back some familiar faces from the past. Performances during the year included the Arnold Women’s Institute, the Museum of Timekeeping in Upton and the Winter Wonderland in Caythorpe. We ended 2022 with a sell-out Christmas Show. During the year our membership increased with six new members and four ‘returners’ – past members who rejoined after a period of absence. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 9 ## **Financial position 2022/23** ## **Summary** Our income and expenditure this year had returned to the normal ‘prepandemic’ levels due to an increase in membership and funds generated from our Christmas Show. Costs, however, also increased resulting in a small surplus of just over £1,454 for the year. ## **Income** Total income for the year was £44,282, a significant increase on the previous two years, where income and membership had been impacted by Covid19. Just under £21k of this was from member subscriptions. Approximately £3,200 came from our Christmas show and other performances and a further £1,993 from Gift Aid. Just over £580 came from fundraising efforts. £16,293 of income represented deposits for convention costs collected from members to cover registrations and accommodation. ## **Expenditure** Expenses were £46,259 including £18,198 of convention costs. Our biggest expenses were member subscriptions to our international organisation and regional dues (£7,221) and compensation for our Musical Director (£3,675). We also spent £4,675 for rehearsal venue hire and riser set up and £2,540 on coaching. There was also £1,472 of direct show-related costs covered by ticket sales. We spent £596 on new music and a little over £2k on new costumes for the chorus. ## **Reserves** The chorus has reserves of £17,900 at the end of the 2022-23 financial year – a small reduction on the previous year’s balance (-£1,451). £81 was held as Petty Cash. ## **Future finance considerations** Appropriate use of the chorus reserves will be considered, such as, purchase of new technical equipment to use at rehearsals. Lace City Chorus Annual Report 2022-2023 Page | 10 ||**1**
**Lace City Chorus**|**1**
**Lace City Chorus**|**1**
**Lace City Chorus**|**1**
**Lace City Chorus**|**CC16a**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**For the period**
**from**|01/04/2022|**To**||| ||||||| |**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||| |**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
20803
10
295
144
443
2843
375
650
322
6
16293
21
-764
848
1993

**44,282**
**523**
**-**
**523**
**44,805**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**20,803**
**-**
**-**
**10**
**295**
**144**
**443**
**2,843**
**375**
**-**
**650**
**322**
**-**
**6**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**16,293**
**-**
**-**
**21**
**- 764**
**848**
**1,993**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**44,282**
**523**
**-**
**523**
**44,805**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| |Members' Dues|20803||||**13,794**| |Donations|||||**9**| |Grants|||||| |HappyBirthdayrecordings|10||||| |SingingCourse|295||||**-**| |Easyfundraising|144||||**161**| |Other Fundraising|443||||**56**| |Show Revenue|2843||||| |Performances|375||||| |Funeral Singouts|||||| |Riser HiringOut|650||||| |Visitors Fees|322||||**1,084**| |Bonus Ball|||||**125**| |Interest|6||||**4**| |Water Sales|||||| |SundryIncome|||||| |Social Events|||||| |Angel Fund|||||**400**| |Convention deposits|16293||||| |Annual Dinner|||||| |Deposits|||||| |Sundry|21||||| |SAI|-764||||| |SundryCreditors|848||||| |Gift Aid|1993||||**1,516**| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| |**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|
**44,282**||||**17,149**| ||||||| |**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||| |**Costume Sales**|**523**||||| ||**-**
||||**-**| |~~**_Sub total_**~~|**523**||||**-**| |**_Total receipts_**|||||| ||**44,805**||||**17,149**| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 21/01/2024 1 |**A3 Payments**|1472
2488
2015
439
44
290
2585
2090
85
3675
34
2540
596
54
34
13
53
202
251
50
1430
5791
1830
18198
**46,259**
**-**
**46,259**
**- 1,454**
**-**
**19,508**
**18,054**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**

**-**
**-**
**-**

**-**|**1,472**
**-**
**2,488**
**2,015**
**-**
**-**
**439**
**44**
**290**
**2,585**
**2,090**
**85**
**3,675**
**34**
**2,540**
**596**
**54**
**34**
**13**
**53**
**202**
**251**
**50**
**-**
**1,430**
**5,791**
**1,830**
**18,198**
**-**
**46,259**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**46,259**
**- 1,454**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |
Show Costs|1472||||| |Publicity|||||**150**| |UK Convention|2488||||**52**| |Costume|2015||||| |International Convention|||||| |PRS Fees|||||| |Website|439||||**390**| |SundryItems|44||||**78**| |Gifts|290||||**141**| |Rehearsal Venue|2585||||**1,329**| |Risers PayMen|2090||||**380**| |Riser Transport|85||||| |Director Compensation|3675||||**3,300**| |Director Expenses|34||||| |Training& Education|2540||||**1,703**| |Music Purchase|596||||**215**| |Repairs & maintenance|54||||| |Telephone/Internet|34||||**144**| |Printing,Stationery& Postage|13||||**31**| |MakingMusic fees|53||||**52**| |Social Events|202||||| |Angel Fund|251||||| |Accountancy& Audit Fees|50||||| |Charter|||||**45**| |Regional Dues|1430||||**1,340**| |SAI subscriptions|5791||||**5,021**| |MHBO|1830||||| |Convention|18198||||**665**| ||||||| |**_Sub total_ **|**46,259**||||**15,036**| ||||||| |**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**|||||| |
Costume|||||**157**| |Equipment|||||**37**| |**_Sub total_ **|**-**||||**194**| |**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|||||| ||||||**15,230**| ||||||| ||**- 1,454**||||**1,919**| ||**-**|||**-**
**19,508**|**-**| ||**19,508**||||**17,589**| ||**18,054**|||**18,054**|**19,508**| CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 21/01/2024 2 ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B1 Cash funds**|**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Office equipment
Costumes
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**
Nat West
Petty Cash
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**17,973**
**81**
**-**
**-**
**18,054**
**-**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||OK| ||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**293**| ||||**1,888**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**When due**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||Date of
approval| ||||| ||||| CCXX R3 accounts (SS) 21/01/2024 3 SWEET ADELINES I￿ERNATIONAL CORPORATION 9110 South Toledo Avenue Tul4 okla1￿￿ 74137 1.800.992.7464 1.918.622.1444 Fax: 1.918.665.0894 VEIUFICATION OF AUD CH CBAFtERK%TJ REGI￿4 JSREQblREDTh1s￿¥TrAWF￿nCAnO￿ oFAuD￿ AhThWALLY. to WIL for tsxyear 202L (tl*s is rrfxmally May I. ￿ A￿1] 3￿. wJ1¢55yow y¢areThd is Decemtr*r 311 have F*¢* by an aulii r(¥Dwiutt third pry 5u¢h L8 an )mUD8 firnL Wl*n making arran8¢￿ts thÉrd rArry thc ll￿]11 be swe io disrpxss ftt. li is f(* W￿1￿10 th) a LMwl¢t¢ a￿ll iss* a form8] or w4ualified opinhoiL Name.. Emall: si￿¢yI¢.. PLFASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOIVING INFORMATION. k5 APPLICABI4 FOR KIIIIEB THE CHAPTER OR THE REGION. IONI 31 OR REGION NAME REGION # Th¢ T#￿d5 ¢Jfthc kr(rfe meMi(ttd ¢*rtyregi￿ hAve bt£nTeviewcd an￿OraUdI￿a SIGNA DATE C(X)RDINATO **•PLLLSE cO￿lPL￿rE THIS FORM AND RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL HEAWUARTEKS IN PDF ORWORD t￿￿UMENT FOR￿ ON OR BEFORE JULY IS 21123.