Bristol Samba Charity Number: 1165208
Trustees' Annual Report & Financial Statements for the Period 1[s] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025
December 2025
Bristol Samba
Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements for the Financial Period from 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025 Reference & Administration Details
Charity Details:
Name: Bristol Samba
Number: 1165208
Address: The Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Old Market, Bristol BS20 0NW
Names of the Charity Trustees who Manage the Charity:
| Name | Role | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Gleed | Chair | |
| Carrie Derrick | Treasurer | |
| Maria Paessler | Secretary | |
| Sally Hare | Bulletn Coordinator | |
| Lois Cox | Bookings Coordinator | |
| Tracy Whale | New Members' Coordinator | |
| Claudia Spoto | Social Media Coordinator | |
| Liz Elliot | Web Coordinator | |
| Jackie East | Dancers' Representatve | |
| Sophie Axford | Merchandise Coordinator | |
| Traceydawn White | Transport Coordinator | |
| Sandie Badman | Instruments Coordinator | |
| Jonathan Walford | Vice Chair | |
| Celia Hunt | Non-portolio | Co-opted |
| Michelle Chandler | Beginners’ Representatve | Co-opted |
With thanks to the following non-Trustees who have helped the Committee over the period: Tom Hinton (IT), Kate Ticehurst and Ellie Williams (Social Secretaries).
Structure, Governance and Management
Description of the Charity's Trusts
Type of Governing Document
Constitution.
How the Charity is Constituted
Unincorporated Association.
Trustee Selection Methods
Trustees are elected or reappointed by the members during the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In accordance with the Constitution, Trustees are appointed or re-appointed for a term of three years. Trustees may be co-opted in accordance with our Constitution.
Recruiting New Trustees
Vacant Trustee posts are advertised to existing Bristol Samba (BS) members prior to an AGM via the weekly email bulletin. Advertisements include a person specification and listed desirable qualities for each role. Those interested are invited to talk to existing Trustees, or postholders, to find out further information.
How New Trustees are Inducted and Trained
When a BS member is elected to be a Trustee, they are given various documents detailing their responsibilities, including the Charity Commission’s document Becoming a Trustee . They are given access to the BS shared Google Drive, which contains all previous documentation relating to BS. New Trustees are given a thorough handover to enable them to complete their role.
Trustees’ Meetings
The Trustees had seven meetings during the financial year, with an average level of attendance of over 70%.
Objects and Activities
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in our governing document:
‘... to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music in all its aspects by any means the Trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals.’
Statutory Declaration on Public Benefit
The Trustees of Bristol Samba declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Executive Summary
Trustees were mindful of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when considering both the development of our members and the performance bookings that we accepted as Bristol Samba.
Activities, Achievements and Performance
In accordance with our Constitution, we welcome anyone (18+) to become a member of Bristol Samba regardless of faith, gender, disability, background or personal circumstances.
Bristol Samba engages friendly, knowledgeable, talented, enthusiastic and experienced tutors to teach, inform, encourage and develop the various groups of Bristol Samba through their passion for music and dance, as well as being part of Bristol Samba.
The beginners’ drumming teacher nurtures and develops confidence; the later drumming group’s teacher (and Musical Director) develops and challenges the players to push themselves to excel; the dance teacher encourages and develops those involved to become confident and expressive dancers. Their quality teaching and commitment to Bristol Samba enables us to advance and to achieve what we are today: a distinctive and well-loved samba band.
During this financial year we offered four distinct taught classes per week – two sessions for drummers and two for dancers, for beginners and performers respectively.
Our beginner drumming class starts each January. It develops the participants’ musical knowledge as well as advancing their practical skills in Brazilian percussion. Beginner drummers spend a year learning about Brazilian styles of music before advancing to the later class, which develops the participants’ ability and confidence to enable them to perform, should they wish. Drummers graduate to the performing band with a celebration and public performance around the end of each year (see Members below).
Dancers begin their journey in the beginners’ class throughout the year, moving to the established performance group, which practises alongside the drummers, when appropriate. We have seen a number of dancers start their Bristol Samba journey at our free dance workshops, so we are looking to continue with these to maintain a steady intake of beginners.
Members
We celebrated the class of 2024 beginner drummers’ graduation to the performance group in December, with a debut performance to family and friends – the audience were enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed being part of the celebration.
Dom, in his role as Musical Director, lead the teaching of the performance group with enthusiasm, developing their skills to play together and consolidate their learning. He was also supported by gig directors Sam Baum, who took a break from the band during the year, and Sam Malloy. This year members were invited to try out to be trained as gig directors, and Max Malpas and Sally Hare were selected from the eight candidates. They followed a
course of training over the period, with Sally directing her first gigs in August and Max ready to start directing soon.
A new cohort of drummers started in January 2025, with Silas teaching – from a gentle introduction to samba, sounding out rhythms, to selecting a preferred drum, the group gradually came together. Their first ‘crossover’, where the group played with the performing drummers, created an immense sound, where many of the early group felt part of the bigger BS family for the first time. Members of the later drumming group regularly attended the crossover sessions, held more frequently towards the end of the year, to play alongside the beginners’ class.
Drummers from the class of 2024 have continued to develop along with the other players in the performance group. Former members have also returned to the band, as well as experienced new drummer Fenn Elliott joining us to expand our ‘back line’. We are proud to see our established players helping and supporting both the beginners, and those who have recently graduated, to become confident players.
Our cohort of established, enthusiastic dancers remain at the heart of our performances, with Evie teaching, assisted by Kylie Nott. Our dance performance group has maintained its numbers over the past year or so, and it was great to see so many dancers performing at our larger gigs over the summer such as Pride and St Werburgh’s Farm Fair. The dedication and commitment shown by the newer members of the performance group has been amazing, and it was great to be able to share the experience of performing over the summer to large crowds in and around Bristol.
Performances
Every public performance by Bristol Samba is a celebration of our members’ achievements in developing their skills, whether by playing or dancing.
September 2024 to August 2025 has seen some fantastic performance opportunities for Bristol Samba. We have brought our carnival vibe to the streets of Bristol and beyond, whatever the weather. We saw the return of many of our favourite events as well as new opportunities to share our love of samba:
· In September 2024 we played Party in the Park in Horfield, parading around the sports field and performing a static set at the end to an enthusiastic crowd.
· In October we played with the hula hoopers at SWHoop, starting the after party around midnight, and playing to enthusiastic revellers at our home venue of The Trinity Centre.
· In November we played in support of the Uley Lantern Parade in the Cotswolds, processing along the route with the incredible lanterns following, and culminating in a static set at the marquee.
· In January 2025, we played once more in support of our friends at the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade. We processed through large crowds for around a mile to East Street and played a static set to finish off.
· In March we played for our member Alice’s wedding celebration at the amazing Mount Without in Bristol, dressed in sparkly costumes, with Alice joining us for the finale.
· May featured a blizzard of bookings, starting with our band playing the Welsh Encontro (from the Portuguese meaning samba meeting ) on the scenic coastline of Barry in Wales over two days, with other samba bands. Then we played at the Bristol Half Marathon on the Cumberland Basin in support of the runners, for our longest set of over four hours (our marathon also!) and then in support of Henleaze School at their annual summer fair.
· June was our busiest month, starting with VolksFest at Long Ashton, dressed as Mexicans and processing through a summer downpour, to perform a static set in front of the crowd. St Werburgh’s Fair came next, where we celebrated by playing and dancing through the streets to a large audience and our finale in the long tunnel, with a huge band of drummers and dancers. This was followed by a well-attended busk on Durdham Downs to celebrate the summer weather and lighter evenings. Next was Party in the Ponds at Vassalls Park in Fishponds, where we opened the free community festival with a lively static set to warm up the festivalgoers, and also to celebrate the summer solstice.
· July saw the band perform at Pride in support of the LGBTQ+ community, processing through the city centre with thousands of people marching to our music, in sweltering temperatures, which also included two static sets. We also supported ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent show by providing drummers and dancers for the filming of their regional program opening shots.
· August saw the band back at the Mount Without on St. Michaels Hill, for another members’ wedding: Bex. This time, the band gave a surprise performance to the guests outside the venue.
· August Bank Holiday saw a new development for the band, when a clash of two regular gigs necessitated a two-way split of available performers. One section played Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire, and the other played Forwards Festival on Durdham Downs in Bristol. This proves our resilience and flexibility as a group of performers, to maximise our booking availability and therefore public exposure.
· At the end of August, we played in support of the Naked Bike Ride, on Castle Park, with the cyclists pausing their journey to dance to our sounds. We received very positive feedback from the organisers, who appreciated our efforts to make them feel comfortable.
Our members really enjoy getting involved in such an eclectic mix of events, drumming, dancing, waving, smiling and shouting and we love them all, big and small.
Contribution by volunteers
The Trustees remain hugely grateful for the contribution made by our member volunteers who perform with incredible enthusiasm, promoting Bristol Samba to and for the general public benefit.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to members who volunteer to organise gigs and drive the van, without whom we wouldn’t be able to perform.
Our superb team of directors lead us when we perform for public enjoyment. Without their willingness and commitment to learn to direct and lead, Bristol Samba simply would not be able to perform as often as we do, and in different spheres/arenas/to different audiences. We continue to train gigging directors to maintain our capacity for public performance.
Trustees would like to thank each and every one of our members who have been part of this journey, through either playing or dancing, and who are still with us – being part of the Bristol Samba family. We are so proud to say that we are Bristol Samba – the longestestablished samba band in Bristol.
Social Media
The band maintains an active profile on social media. This helps raise awareness of the band and foster good relationships with our supporters.
Instagram: Numbers growing steadily (+3.3% in last three months to November 2025), with 1,066 followers.
Facebook: we have 1,231 followers as of November 2025.
Financial Review
State of the Charity’s finances
Bristol Samba’s income in 2024-25 was £28,657.97, which was a slight decrease from the previous year. The total expenditure was £26,837.05, giving an overall gain of £1,820.92. Our accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
The principal source of income for the charity comes from members’ subscriptions (£20,984.37), which enable members to access tuition as well as to perform with the band at festivals, carnivals and other events. Our overall income from membership subscriptions has increased this year, mainly due to a high rate of retention of graduating drummers as well as an increase in subs in January 2025. The remainder of our income came from bookings for performances (£5,595). Also listed as sources of income are sale of merchandise and Shambala festival tickets to members, which are sold at cost.
The main costs to the charity are the payment of tutors and directors (£15,075), hire of our rehearsal space and storage of equipment (£6,176), equipment purchase and maintenance (£291.37), the maintenance of our van (£2,331.18), and ad hoc expenses such as our insurance and other sundry items (£1,068.60).
Our expenditure supports the key objectives of the charity: paying for the tutors, the hire of rehearsal space, along with purchasing new equipment to ensure that our sound is suitable for performance standards.
Statement of the Charity's policy on reserves
We do not yet have a policy for the charity’s reserves.
We hold cash at the bank of around £10,000, all of which is unrestricted funds. These funds are held in order to meet any unforeseen expenditure that may occur, for example vehicle repair or to account for a fluctuation in the membership numbers, or for purchasing new equipment.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
The Trustees declare that the charity had no funds which were materially in deficit at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
Restricted funds
We have no restricted funds.
Designated funds
We have no designated funds.
Particulars of any outstanding guarantee given by the Charity
The Trustees declare that the charity has given no guarantee where potential liability is outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
Particulars of any outstanding debt
The Trustees declare that the charity has no outstanding debts which are secured by an express charge on any of the assets of the charity at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the above report and authorised that it be signed on their behalf.
| Signatures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full names | Michael Robert Gleed | Carrie Derrick |
| Positon | Chair | Treasurer |
| Date | 11/11/25 | 6/11/25 |
| Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
Bristol Samba Charity No: 1165208 Receipts and payments accounts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fro m |
Period start date: | To | Period end date: | |||||||
| Day 1st |
Month September |
Year 2024 |
Day 31st |
Month August |
Year 2025 |
|||||
| Unrestricted funds 2024 – 25 |
Restricted funds/ Endowment funds |
Total funds for 2022 - 23 |
Total Funds for 2023-24 |
Total Funds for 2024-25 |
||||||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||
| Subs early group |
£3536.00 | - | £4,419.00 | £1,940.00 | £3536.00 | |||||
| Subs later groups |
£13,686.08 | - | £13,168.00 | £14,603.00 | £13,686.08 |
| Subs dancers | £3762.29 | - | £2,780.00 | £2,739.42 | £3762.29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigs | £5595.00 | - | £5,050.00 | £4,230.00 | £5595.00 |
| T shirts, kneepads, earplugs |
£518.00 | - | £316.00 | £862.00 |
£518.00 |
| Shambala contributons |
£1560.00 | - | £3,582.00 | £4,344.00 | £1560.00 |
| Sub total | £28,657.97 | - | £29,315.00 | **£28,718.42 ** | £28,657.97 |
| A2 asset and investment sales |
- | - | |||
| Total receipts | £28,657.97 | - | £29,315.00 | **£28,718.42 ** | £28,657.97 |
| - | - | - | |||
| - |
| A3 Payments | 2024-25 | Restricted/ endowment |
Total funds for 2022 - 23 |
Total Funds for 2023-24 |
Total Funds for 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching and Directors fees |
£15,075.00 | - | £12,557.00 | £14,072.50 | £15,075.00 |
| Trinity Hire & storage | £6176.00 | - | £6,667.00 | £5,549.60 | £6176.00 |
| General Expenses | £1068.60 | - | £1,578.00 | £1,551.72 | £1068.60 |
| Van Expenses | £2331.18 | - | £1,514.00 | £2,830.70 | £2331.18 |
| Equipment | £291.37 | - | £1,179.00 | £188.89 | £291.37 |
| Merchandise | £0 | £729.00 | - | £0 | |
| Shambala Contributons | £1554.90 | - | £3,581.00 | £4,335.00 | £1554.90 |
| Gig Drivers and Organisers |
£340 | £340 | |||
| Sub total | £26, 837.05 | **£27,805.00 ** | £28,528.41 | £26, 837.05 | |
| A2 asset and investment purchases (instruments**) |
- | - | £1,967.00 | £1106.47 | - |
| Total payments | £26,837.05 | £26,837.05 | - | - | **£29,772.00 ** | **£29,772.00 ** | £29,634.88 | £26,837.05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net of receipts(payments) |
+1729.92 | -£916.46 | ||||||
| Secton B: Statement of assets and liabilites at the end of the period | ||||||||
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024 – 25 | ||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Cash at the bank | £10,055.00 | **£9,118.27 ** | £10,847.49 | ||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charites own use |
Samba Van | £3,200.00 | £3,100.00 | £3000.00 | ||||
| Instruments | £10,500.00 | **£10.500.00 ** | £10,500.00 | |||||
| Stock | £1,648.50 | £862.00 | £720 | |||||
| B5 Liabilites | None | None | None | None |
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Bristol Samba
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Bristol Samba for the period 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Bristol Samba, 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 Bristol Samba 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. There was a slight discrepancy in the final figures presented of minus £91. I discovered this to be due to a couple of mistypes of values which, when corrected, brought the records in full accordance with the bank statements. I am, therefore, happy to 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
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:
Name: Arabella Butler
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): AAT Address: 101 Cottenham Park Road, London SW20 0DS Date: 07/12/2025
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Bristol Samba
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Bristol Samba for the period 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Bristol Samba, 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 Bristol Samba 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. There was a slight discrepancy in the final figures presented of minus £91. I discovered this to be due to a couple of mistypes of values which, when corrected, brought the records in full accordance with the bank statements. I am, therefore, happy to 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
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:
Name: Arabella Butler
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): AAT Address: 101 Cottenham Park Road, London SW20 0DS Date: 07/12/2025