CHELMSFORD MALE VOICE CHOIR
Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2024
Trustees’ Report
The Trustees present their Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies and comply with the Charity's Constitution and applicable law.
Registered Address
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir (CMVC) is registered as a charity at: Cowell’s Court, Nathans Lane, Highwood, CM1 3RF.
Structure, Governance and Management
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir (CMVC) was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) number 1164392 on 12 November 2015 and is governed by the Trustees in accordance with a constitution adopted by the members on 10 November 2015.
The Trustees
The current Trustees of CMVC are as follows:
| Alan Cowell Richard Knight Sue Edwards Phil Stamper Roy Brackley Alan Clay Mick Townley Kevin Thomas The following were also James Johnson Brian Farmer Keith Ellis Paul Smith Trevor Smith |
Role Appointed as a Trustee Chairman (Appointed 28 April 2025) 28 February 2023 Recruitment and Publicity (Appointed Deputy Chairman 28 April 2025) 28 February 2023 Music Director 1 January 2025 Secretary 1 July 2024 Treasurer 28 February 2024 Concert Manager (Appointed 28 April 2025) 28 April 2025 (Resigned as Chairman 31 March 2025) 27 August 2024 Webmaster 28 February 2023 Trustees in office during 2024: Chairman Retired 27 August 2024 Deputy Chairman Retired 26 March 2024 Secretary Retired 1 July 2024 Music Director Retired 31 December 2024 Treasurer Retired 28 February 2024 |
|---|---|
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir To be Submitted to the AGM on 27 May 2025
Trustees to Retire by Rotation
Trustees are expected to serve for an initial three-year term and may then stand down, or, if eligible, offer themselves for re-election. In accordance with the provisions of the CMVC Constitution, one-third of the Trustees are required to retire from office at each Annual General Meeting. If the number of Trustees is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third shall retire from office, but if there is only one Trustee, he or she shall retire. This allows the Choir to benefit from the experience of the Trustees during their 3-year term and, if continuing, to be able to guide and support newly elected Trustees in their roles.
Pursuant to clause 13 (1)(b) and (c), of the CMVC Constitution, one-third of the Trustees who have been longest in office since their appointment as a Trustee are required to retire on a rotational basis and accordingly Kevin Thomas will retire at the Annual General Meeting but does not seek reelection.
Trustees Appointed Since the 2024 Annual General Meeting
A person appointed by the charity trustees during the year shall retire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting after the date of his or her appointment and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining which of the charity trustees is to retire by rotation at that meeting. Accordingly, pursuant to clause 13 (1(f) of the CMVC Constitution, Mick Townley, Phil Stamper and Alan Clay, having been appointed since the 2024 Annual General Meeting, are required to retire at the Annual General Meeting. Phil Stamper and Alan Clay, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election but Mick Townley does not seek re-election as a Trustee.
Ex officio Charity Trustee
Pursuant to clause 13 (2) of the CMVC Constitution, the Music Director for the time being (“the office holder”) shall automatically, by virtue of holding that office (“ex officio”), be a charity trustee, unless such appointment be declined. Sue Edwards has confirmed her willingness to be a Trustee.
Chairman
Mick Townley decided to step down as Chairman of CMVC on 31 March 2025 and the Trustees wish to record their appreciation of his considerable contribution to CMVC during his time as Chairman. The Trustees are pleased to note that Mick will continue to provide support to CMVC on an ad hoc basis.
At a meeting of the Trustees held on 28 April 2025, Alan Cowell was appointed as Chairman and Richard Knight was appointed as Deputy Chairman.
Concert Manager
Alan Clay was appointed as a Trustee in the position of Concert Manager on 28 April 2025 and accordingly at the Annual General Meeting will offer himself for re-election by the members as a Trustee. He will be supported in the role of Concert Manager by Alan Cowell.
Webmaster
Kevin Thomas has decided to step away from CMVC due to family commitments but has generously agreed to continue supporting the CMVC website until a new webmaster has been appointed. The Trustees wish to record their appreciation of Kevin’s splendid work in the development of the CMVC website.
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir To be Submitted to the AGM on 27 May 2025
CMVC Music Director
The Trustees consider that during 2024, CMVC developed substantially under the guidance of Paul Smith as Music Director. Whilst the Trustees noted with regret that due to his other work commitments Paul decided to step down from this role at the end of the year, the Trustees were delighted to learn that Sue Edwards had offered to step into the role of Music Director in place of Paul. The Trustees, on behalf of the members, accordingly, wish to express their gratitude to Paul Smith for all his hard work for CMVC since 2023.
CMVC Accompanists
Sue Edwards in addition to being an exemplary accompanist during the year, has supported the Choir in undertaking a variety of additional roles, not least in organising the sheet music. The Trustees, on behalf of the members, duly wish to record their gratitude and appreciation of Sue Edwards in her unstinting support of the Choir.
Following the appointment of Sue as Music Director, CMVC is delighted to welcome Claire Howell as our accompanist and Claire’s excellent support to Sue Edwards and CMVC is much appreciated. CMVC is also grateful for Simon Schultz’ assistance as accompanist on an ad hoc basis.
Objectives
The objectives of the CIO are to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in the appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all its aspects by the presentation of public choral concerts and by such other ways as the members, through the Trustees, shall determine from time to time.
Activities
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir conducts rehearsals at Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford on Tuesday evenings. The choir has 38 members and has established itself in the local community through a programme of concerts covering a wide variety of music. CMVC members are encouraged to improve their skills by memorising the repertoire, actively listen to each other singing to maintain a well-balanced sound and to work at home on their individual parts so as to make the best use of time at weekly rehearsals.
Public Benefit
The Trustees are aware of their responsibilities to work for the public good under the guidance of The Charity Commission. CMVC will also work with other registered charities for the mutual benefit of both CMVC and such other charities, where the Trustees consider such collaboration contributes to meeting the Objects set out in clause 3 of the CMVC Constitution.
Additionally, during 2024, £198 was collected for the charity Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, generously donated by members of the audience at our concerts in Chelmsford. The importance of this support was much appreciated by one of our members who had personal experience of the disease within his family.
Financial Review
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the choir. Finances are discussed at committee meetings and forecasts are used for guidance throughout the year. This enables the Trustees to be aware of the financial position of the choir and to ensure that the accounts comply with Charity legislation. It is
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir To be Submitted to the AGM on 27 May 2025
also the Trustees’ responsibility to safeguard the assets of the choir and to take reasonable steps to prevent or detect fraud and other irregularities.
CMVC’s income is below the threshold at which the law requires it to have its accounts audited, and the Trustees submit the accounts to members for review before being considered for approval at the Annual General Meeting.
The fixed costs of running the choir are principally met through members’ subscriptions, donations and income from ticket and merchandise sales at concerts. Additionally, the choir runs other fundraising activities which are intended to create a surplus for the benefit of the choir itself and for third-party good causes.
Total income for 2024 was £11.780 (2023: £13,873), total expenses were £13,416 (2023: £13,013). The deficit for the year was £1,636 (2023: surplus £860).
At 31 December 2024, the balance held in the CMVC CIO account at Metro Bank plc was £4,231 which included £524 in members’ donations in “Vic’s Box”; £853 in the Members’ Social Fund and £198 collected for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees have not currently set a reserves policy for 2025 but will keep this under review.
Risk Management
The Trustees are responsible for identifying, assessing and managing risk. They use website information including that provided by The Charity Commission and Making Music - a national organisation to which the choir is affiliated - in order to maintain awareness of changing legislation. The Trustees are responsible for obtaining appropriate insurance cover and for ensuring that the choir complies with copyright and performing rights law.
Privacy
The Trustees have considered and adopted a new Privacy Policy to safeguard the interests of its members in accordance with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
Financial Risks
In addition to keeping proper accounting records, the Trustees review projections of the costs and revenues of forthcoming concerts and events to assure themselves that there is a reasonable expectation that these will produce a surplus; or that in the event of making a loss, this can be offset from choir funds.
Health and Safety Risks
For rehearsals at Trinity Methodist Church, the choir complies with the policies laid down by the church. For concerts in other venues, the concert manager will check venues in advance to assess risks and formulate an appropriate strategy. On the day of the concert, he will perform a visual check for hazards, assess the Health, Safety and Fire risks and will take action to prevent accidents such as securing loose cables, or dealing with trip hazards. The concert manager will ensure that an appropriate person from either the Choir or the venue makes a Health and Safety announcement at the start of each event.
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir To be Submitted to the AGM on 27 May 2025
Financial Assistance Opportunities
The Trustees have registered CMVC CIO with HMRC in order to benefit from Gift Aid, which can be claimed on part of the choir’s eligible income. Additionally, the Trustees pursue opportunities to submit grant applications to charitable foundations where appropriate.
CMVC is registered as a “Good Cause” with The Essex Lottery, has its own page on the Essex Lottery website and receives 50% of all ticket sales made where the Choir is the nominated “Good Cause”. Supporters who buy lottery tickets have a chance of winning prizes of up to £25,000. During 2024 the Choir received £699 from The Essex Lottery and the Trustees consider that participation by members and their friends and family in the Essex Lottery is of substantial benefit to CMVC.
Approved by the Trustees on 9 May 2025
Alan Cowell - Chairman
Phil Stamper - Secretary
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir To be Submitted to the AGM on 27 May 2025
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir CIO
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs to run CMVC CIO | 2024 | 2023 | |||
| Income £ |
ExpenditurSurplus/ £ (Defcit) £ |
Income Expenditure Surplus/ £ £ (Defcit) £ -4740 -2850 -213 -79 -651 -248 -714 -9495 2715 851 446 569 4581 |
|||
| Honoraria Hire of Trinity Methodist Church Music Making Music Subs, & Insurance Printing Zoom Fees New Folders, Stickers & Banners Website & Domain Name Defbrilator & Training MD Interview Expenses Keys to Music Cabinet Joanne Schultz Leaving Gift New Shirts Running Expenditure How memberspay for it |
|||||
| Member's Subscriptions Donations Payments Received for Masks Payments for Shirts $ Jumpers Vic's Box Income from Members Current Surplus / (Defcit) Concerts and Fundraising |
|||||
| 4581 -9495 -4914 1130 -550 580 4616 -1536 3080 0 0 1726 -1400 326 240 -32 208 512 512 28 28 491 491 550 550 |
|||||
| 100 Club CMVC Concerts Christmas gathering 2021 Christmas gathering 2022 Christmas gathering 2023 BBQ at Alan Cowell's Essex Lottery Amazon Smile Gift Aid Essex Dementia Care Collection Income from Concerts / Fundraising / Charity Collection TOTAL Choir Funds: Balance brought forward Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Christmas Gathering Rafe Adjustments for roundings |
|||||
| 13874 | |||||
| Bank Balances at year end: Current Account Member's Social Fund Essex Dementia Care Collection Total Care at Bank |
5867 | ||||
| 4715 602 550 |
|||||
| 5867 |
Chelmsford Male Voice Choir CIO 2024
| What it costs to run CMVC CIO | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Expenditure Surplus/ £ £ (Defcit) £ -7363 -1950 -90 -417 -116 -50 -55 -877 -240 -377 -11535 4165 423 964 232 582 6366 |
Income Expenditure Surplus/ £ £ (Defcit) £ -4740 -2850 -714 -213 -79 -651 -248 -9495 2715 851 446 569 4581 |
|||||
| Honoraria Hire of Trinity Methodist Church Clothing Making Music Subs, & Insurance Printing Banking Costs New Folders, Stickers & Banners Website & Domain Name Sound Equipment MD Interview Expenses Keys to Music Cabinet Leaving Gift(s) Miscellaneous Expenditure Running Expenditure How memberspay for it |
||||||
| Member's Subscriptions Donations Miscellaneous Leaving Gift(s) Payments for Shirts $ Jumpers Vic's Box Income from Members Current Surplus / (Defcit) Concerts and Fundraising |
||||||
| 6366 -11535 -5169 900 -450 450 2645 -481 2164 0 0 125 125 1044 -400 644 0 699 699 0 0 0 -550 -550 |
4581 -9495 -4914 1130 -550 580 4616 -1536 3080 0 0 1726 -1400 326 240 -32 208 512 512 28 28 491 491 550 550 |
|||||
| 100 Club CMVC Concerts Christmas gathering 2021 Christmas gathering 2022 Christmas gathering 2023 Christmas gathering 2024 BBQ at Alan Cowell's Essex Lottery Amazon Smile Gift Aid Essex Dementia Care Collection Income from Concerts / Fundraising / Charity Collection TOTAL Choir Funds: Balance brought forward Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Christmas Gathering Rafe Adjustments for roundings |
||||||
| 11780 | -13416 -1637 |
13874 | -13013 860 |
|||
| 5867 -1637 |
4997 860 10 |
|||||
| Bank Balances at year end: Current Account Member's Social Fund Essex Dementia Care Collection Total Cash at Bank |
4230 3649 582 4231 |
5867 | ||||
| 4715 602 550 |
||||||
| 5867 |
| What it costs to run CMVC CIO | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Expenditure Surplus/ £ £ (Defcit) £ -7363 -1950 -90 -417 -116 -50 -55 -877 -240 -377 -11535 4165 320 430 232 582 5730 |
Income Expenditure Surplus/ £ £ (Defcit) £ -4740 -2850 -714 -213 -79 -651 -248 -9495 2715 851 446 569 4581 |
|||||
| Honoraria Hire of Trinity Methodist Church Clothing Making Music Subs, & Insurance Printing Banking Costs New Folders, Stickers & Banners Website & Domain Name Sound Equipment Leaving Gift(s) Miscellaneous Expenditure Running Expenditure How memberspay for it |
||||||
| Member's Subscriptions Donations Miscellaneous Leaving Gift(s) Payments for Shirts $ Jumpers Vic's Box Income from Members Current Surplus / (Defcit) Concerts and Fundraising |
||||||
| 5730 -11535 -5805 900 -450 450 2958 -481 2477 125 125 1044 -400 644 126 126 699 699 0 0 0 -550 -550 198 198 |
4581 -9495 -4914 1130 -550 580 4616 -1536 3080 1726 -1400 326 240 -32 208 512 512 28 28 491 491 550 550 |
|||||
| 100 Club CMVC Concerts Christmas gathering 2023 Christmas gathering 2024 BBQ at Alan Cowell's Essex Lottery Amazon Smile Gift Aid Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Income from Concerts / Fundraising / Charity Collection TOTAL Choir Funds: Balance brought forward Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Christmas Gathering Rafe Adjustments for roundings |
||||||
| 11780 | -13416 -1637 |
13874 | -13013 860 |
|||
| 5867 -1637 1 |
4997 860 10 |
|||||
| Bank Balances at year end: Current Account Member's Social Fund Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Total Cash at Bank |
4231 3326 707 198 4231 |
5867 | ||||
| 4715 602 550 |
||||||
| 5867 |
| What it costs to run CMVC CIO | 2024 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honoraria Hire of Trinity Methodist Church Clothing Making Music Subs, & Insurance Printing Banking Costs New Folders, Stickers & Banners Website & Domain Name Sound Equipment Leaving Gift(s) Miscellaneous Expenditure Running Expenditure How memberspay for it |
|||
| Member's Subscriptions Donations Miscellaneous Leaving Gift(s) Payments for Shirts $ Jumpers Vic's Box Income from Members Current Surplus / (Defcit) Concerts and Fundraising |
|||
| 6366 -11535 -5169 900 -450 450 2645 -481 2164 0 0 125 125 1044 -400 644 0 699 699 0 0 0 -550 -550 198 |
|||
| 100 Club CMVC Concerts Christmas gathering 2021 Christmas gathering 2022 Christmas gathering 2023 Christmas gathering 2024 BBQ at Alan Cowell's Essex Lottery Amazon Smile Gift Aid Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Income from Concerts / Fundraising / Charity Collection TOTAL |
|||
| 11978 | -13416 -1637 |
||
| Choir Funds: Balance brought forward Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Christmas Gathering Rafe |
0 -1637 |
| Adjustments for roundings Bank Balances at year end: Current Account Member's Social Fund Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Total Cash at Bank |
1 |
|---|---|
| -1636 | |
| 3200 833 198 |
|
| 4231 |
| What it costs to run CMVC CIO | 2024 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honoraria Hire of Trinity Methodist Church Clothing Making Music Subs, & Insurance Printing Banking Costs New Folders, Stickers & Banners Website & Domain Name Sound Equipment Leaving Gift(s) Miscellaneous Expenditure Running Expenditure How memberspay for it |
|||
| Member's Subscriptions Donations Miscellaneous Leaving Gift(s) Payments for Shirts $ Jumpers Vic's Box Income from Members Current Surplus / (Defcit) Concerts and Fundraising |
|||
| 5776 -11535 -5759 900 -450 450 2958 -481 2477 0 0 125 125 1044 -400 644 0 699 699 0 0 0 -550 -550 198 |
|||
| 100 Club CMVC Concerts Christmas gathering 2021 Christmas gathering 2022 Christmas gathering 2023 Christmas gathering 2024 BBQ at Alan Cowell's Essex Lottery Amazon Smile Gift Aid Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Income from Concerts / Fundraising / Charity Collection TOTAL |
|||
| 11700 | -13416 -1915 |
||
| Choir Funds: Balance brought forward Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Christmas Gathering Rafe |
0 -1915 |
| Adjustments for roundings Bank Balances at year end: Current Account Member's Social Fund Essex Dementia Care Collection Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) Total Cash at Bank |
1 |
|---|---|
| -1914 | |
| 3200 833 198 |
|
| 4231 |