The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
Trustee’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024
1. Reference and administrative details
| Charity name | The Purcell Singers |
|---|---|
| Registered charity number |
1168508 |
| Principal and registered address |
30 Dixie Court Adenmore Road London SE6 4FA |
| Trustees | Mary Clayton-Kastenholz, Chair (resigned 18 October 2024) Tom Asher, Chair (appointed 18 October 2024) Emily Allebone-John (resigned 25 September 2024) Frances Birch Wayne Jones Joanne Kilpatrick, Secretary Bronte Larsen-Disney (resigned 23 November 2023) Matthias Carl Olson Dominic Tighe, Treasurer (resigned 23 November 2023) Paul Waldron, Treasurer (appointed trustee 10 June 2023; appointed Treasurer 23 November 2023) |
| Non-voting Committee Members |
Jessica Cooling, Administration & Events Manager (appointed 08 January 2024) Mark Ford, Founding Musical Director Kim Hawthorn, Administration & Events Manager (resigned 07 January 2024) Benjamin Kirk, Conductor (appointed 02 September 2024) Jonathan Schranz, Conductor (resigned 01 September 2024) |
| President | Sarah Walker CBE |
| Bankers | CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ |
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
2. Charitable objects
The objects of The Purcell Singers (“The Choir”) are:
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To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of choral music in all its aspects, by the presentation of public concerts and recitals, and, if possible, by the making of recordings;
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And other solely charitable objects as defined by The Charities Act 2006, or any subsequent Act as determined from time to time by the Trustees of The Purcell Singers and delivered for the public benefit
The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on all matters relating to the Choir’s charitable objects and activities, including public benefit.
3. Achievements & performance
Six performances in year:
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April 2023: Evensong at St. John Smith’s Square
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June 2023: In Beauty May I Walk, St Gabriel’s Pimlico
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October 2023: Rachmaninoff Vespers, St. George’s Cathedral
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December 2023: Christmas at St. George’s , St. George’s Cathedral
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December 2023: Carol Singing in aid of Railway Children’s charity at Charing Cross Station
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March 2024: Mozart Requiem , St. John’s Smith’s Square
Our achievements in 2023/24 included three self-promoted concerts, two collaborations with St. John Smith’s Square and our annual carol singing fundraising effort for the Railway Children charity.
In addition to these performances a successful round of auditions was held in September 2023.
The Choir had a successful year in terms of enjoyable concerts, new and growing members and cultivating a strong collaborative partnership with St. John Smith’s Square, the Choir is firmly still in a rebuilding phase following the impact of the pandemic, with all but one of our activities incurring losses (not including carol singing for Railway Children). The Committee is mindful of the risks associated with this kind of pattern and continues to have many discussions around the longer-term strategy, pursuing new approaches to income generation, building our audiences, commercial profile, choir and audience engagement, diversity and inclusion.
4. Financial review
Overall income for the year amounted to £11,532 (2023: £10,002) with expenditure for the period of £12,015 (2023: £13,261). Net income was a deficit of £482 compared with a deficit of £3,259 in 2022/23.
Net assets of the charity amounted to £13,394 (2023: £13,883) at 31 March 2024, comprising £8,594 of free unrestricted reserves and £4,800 of restricted reserves. There were no designated funds held.
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
At year end there were no material commitments of unrestricted reserves not provided for as a liability in the accounts.
At year end bank and cash balances were £10,368 (2023: £13,466).
It has been the historical policy of the Choir to ensure expenditure is closely linked to income, although this can vary with the timing of significant projects, and this principle will continue in the future.
Our financial position in future will depend on a number of factors, primarily our ability to maintain and grow our audiences, maintain and grow commercial opportunities and manage our cost base effectively. We currently don’t require membership subscriptions and it is our aim to maintain this approach.
5. Principal risks and uncertainties
The Committee has reviewed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. Organisational risks are reviewed at least quarterly, or more often in times of pressing risk.
The major risk to the Choir is instability of income. We rely on a mixture of self-promoted events, commercial events and recordings making a small surplus or breaking even to fund our activities. Trustees meet regularly to discuss all operational aspects and consider publicity and maintaining a high profile. This is important as it encourages new members, patrons, supporters and good audiences at our concerts, all of which help to improve income. With the departure of Jonathan Schranz we have lost our regular rehearsal and concert venue. Whilst we had been anticipating and mitigating the risk, we are not able to avoid our costs for producing our activities increasing going forward. Our ability to diversify our income streams, maximise commercial opportunities and manage our cost base is critical to the long-term financial health of the Choir.
6. Reserves
The Trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at no less than £10,000. The Choir holds free reserves in order to:
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Provide working capital
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Allow the Choir to provide continuity of activities if income levels fluctuate, thereby giving time to seek new sources of revenue
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Allow the Choir to provide continuity of activities if it had to cope with increases in expenditure that could not accurately forecast
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Ensure that in the worst possible circumstances it would be able to pay all creditors and wind up the organisation.
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
Should the Choir wish to carry out a large London/UK concert with orchestra, reserves would need to be at £30,000 and for a single tour of similar scale outside the UK at £40,000 (without recourse to a loan facility).
The balance held as unrestricted funds at 31 March 2024 was £8,594 (2023: £9,083), representing 86% of the unrestricted free reserves policy target. Whilst reserves are below the policy level, we have £4,800 in restricted reserves earmarked for specific recording liabilities expected in 2024/25. This reduces the pressure on our unrestricted reserves. Whilst achieving 86% of our reserves target is not ideal, in this circumstance it is an acceptable level of risk for Trustees. Trustees will review our reserves policy in 2025/26 to ensure it reflects the evolving financial landscape the Choir is operating in.
7. Structure, governance and management
The Purcell Singers (“the Choir”) converted to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 29 July 2016 and is governed by a ‘Foundation’ model constitution. We are registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales (registration number 1168508).
Trustees have full responsibility for all legal, operational and financial matters. On a day-to-day basis the Choir is managed by a committee made up of a Board of Trustees and non-voting members with specific roles and expertise detailed in section 1. Artistic and musical programming is carried out by the Conductor with support from the Founding Musical Director as needed, and approved by Trustees. The day-to-day management of the Choir’s administration and events is carried out by the Administration and Events Manager who reports to the Chair. The Choir’s finances have been administered by the Treasurer and reviewed by an independent accountant. The Treasurer provides regular reports to the Trustees, expenditure is agreed before it is incurred and two signatures are required for all payments. All trustees and the Founding Musical Director give their services on a voluntary basis and may be reimbursed for expenses only. The Choir employs no staff but contracts for the services of the Conductor and Administration and Events Manager. The Choir is not connected to other charitable organisations.
New trustees are appointed by the Board to meet any gaps identified. Appointments are usually made through an open recruitment round, occasionally by approach to individuals with particular expertise. Training for new trustees consists of invitations to concerts (where they are not already involved with the choir; discussion with the Chair and Founding Musical Director about trustee role and responsibilities; meetings with the Treasurer and other trustees. New trustees are also given access to previous meeting papers and minutes.
In 2024 there were several key Committee membership changes with the Choir’s chair of five years Mary Clayton-Kastenholz, Conductor of six years Jonathan Schranz and Administration and Events Manager, Kim Hawthorn stepping down. Jessica Cooling was appointed Administration and Events Manager in January 2024, Benjamin Kirk was successfully appointed Conductor effective from September 2024 and Tom Asher became the Choir’s new chair of trustees in October 2024.
The Committee uses a rolling 3-year strategic plan as the touchstone against which to take decisions on behalf of the Choir. This plan covers performance and repertoire, recordings, profile, membership
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
and governance. The Committee reviews the plan annually. In the 2023/24 year this was on 02 September 2023.
8. Acknowledgements
The Choir is grateful to Jonathan Schranz, Conductor, for his commitment and for leading the ensemble in new and interesting directions, and Mark Ford, the Founding Musical Director, for his continued support. The Choir is additionally grateful to the Administration and Events Manager and all Committee members for their hard work and dedication.
9. Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signature(s): Full name(s): Tom Asher Position(s): Chair Date: 22 January 2025
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
The Purcell Singers
Balance Sheet at 31/3/2024
| Balance Sheet at 31/3/2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Assets | ||
| Cash | ||
| Current Account | 2,923.48 | |
| Deposit Account CAF Gold- 4190.08 (2000 moved to current on 26 Mar 24) COIF - 3254.34 |
7,444.42 | |
| 10,367.90 | ||
| Prepayments: for Apr 24 Auditions | 103.97 | |
| Prepayments: for June 2024 Recording | 33.78 | |
Prepayments: for July 2024 Concert |
19.29 | |
| Prepayments: for Dec 2024 Concert | 4.78 | |
Accrualof income:invoicefor March 2024concert |
3832.75 | |
| Accrual of income: Expected Gift Aid | 525.00 | £14,887.47 |
| Liabilities | ||
| Accrual –conductor March 2024concert | (1050.00) | |
| Accrual–administrator March 2024 concert | (311.75) | |
| Accrual–music hire March 2024 concert | (21.97) | |
| Accrual–marketing March 2024 concert | (109.81) |
(1493.53) |
| __ | ||
13,393.94 |
||
| Funds b/f 1/4/2023 | 13,882.95 | |
| Deficit from general account | 489.01 | |
| Funds c/f 31/3/2024 o/w restricted for recording o/w unrestricted |
13393.94 4,800.00 8,593.94 ======== |
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
The Purcell Singers
Income & Expenditure Account for the year ending 31 March 2024
Events Account
| Events Account | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||||
| Evensong St John’s Smith Square (April 2023) Income |
|||||
| Administration | (181.25) | ||||
| Music purchase and hire Program Printing |
(104.05) | ||||
| (Gross expenditure) | (285.30) | ||||
| Net income/(expenditure) | (285.30) | ||||
| In Beauty May I Walk, St Gabriel’s Pimlico (June 2023) Ticket income & programme sales 883.37 Income |
883.37 |
||||
| Administration incl.transport | (697.32) | ||||
| Conductor | (1050.00) | ||||
| Venue_(paid last year)_ | (485.00) | ||||
Deputies |
(600.00) |
||||
| Promotion (Program Printing, advertisements) | (235.96) | ||||
Music hire and purchase |
(247.17) |
||||
| Refreshments | (179.82) | ||||
| Royalties (PRS) | (10.62) |
||||
| (Gross expenditure) | (3,505.89) __ |
||||
| Net income/(expenditure) | (2,622.52) |
||||
| Rachmaninoff Vespers, St George’s (October 2023) | |||||
| Ticket income & programme sales | 1687.28 | ||||
| Income | 1687.28 | ||||
| Conductor | (1050.00) | ||||
| Administration incl. transport | (587.38) | ||||
Music hire & purchase |
(57.00) |
||||
Venue Hire |
(300.00) |
||||
| Marketing | (151.55) | ||||
Programme printing |
(70.00) |
||||
| Royalties (PRS) | (61.99) | ||||
(Gross expenditure) |
(2,277.92) | ||||
Net income / (expenditure) |
(590.64) |
||||
| ======== |
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
| Christmas at St George’s (December 2023) | Christmas at St George’s (December 2023) | Christmas at St George’s (December 2023) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income: tickets, programmes, refreshments | 2,018.50 | ||||
Income |
2,018.50 | ||||
| Venue Hire | (450.00) | ||||
| Conductor | (1,050.00) |
||||
| Administration | (493.01) |
||||
| Music hire & purchase | (299.37) | ||||
Programme printing |
(70.00) |
||||
| Marketing | (255.05) | ||||
Refreshments |
(15.70) |
||||
| (Gross expenditure) | (2,633.13) | ||||
Net income / (expenditure) |
(614.63) |
||||
== |
====== |
||||
| Railway Children (December 2023) | |||||
| PerformanceFee | 150.00 | ||||
| Income | 150.00 | ||||
| Administration | (54.38) | ||||
| (Gross expenditure) | (54.38) | ||||
Net income / (expenditure) |
95.62 |
||||
| == | ====== | ||||
| Mozart Requiem, St John’s Smith Square (March 2024) | |||||
| Ticket cut from SJSS | 3832.75 | ||||
| Income | 3832.75 | ||||
| Conductor | (1,050.00) | ||||
| Administration | (298.56 + 311.75) (610.31) |
||||
| Music hire & purchase | (140.94 + 21.97) (162.91) |
||||
| Marketing | (13.00 + 109.81)= (122.81) |
||||
| Expenditure | (1,946.03) | ||||
| Net income / (expenditure) | 1886.72 |
||||
| ======== | |||||
| Total income on events | 8,571.90 | ||||
| Total expenditure on events | -10702.65 | ||||
Total (deficit) / surplus on events |
-2130.75 |
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The Purcell Singers Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2024
Other - General
| Other- General | Other- General | Other- General | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | ||||||||||
| £ | £ | |||||||||
| Income | ||||||||||
| Donations | 2,100.00 | |||||||||
| Royalties (PPL) | £47.68 | |||||||||
| Investment income | 287.74 | |||||||||
| 2387.74 | ||||||||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||||
| June 2023 wedding-net | (0) | |||||||||
Administration -general |
(327.42) |
|||||||||
| Subscription & Insurance | (259.00) | |||||||||
Marketing (incl. website) |
(311.87) |
|||||||||
Auditions – administration + conductor |
(234.76) |
|||||||||
| Sundries | (8.15) | |||||||||
| Bank fees | (60.00) | |||||||||
| -1201.2 | ||||||||||
| Total- General | 1186.54 | |||||||||
| General Account | ||||||||||
| 2023/24 | Memoitem:2022/23 | |||||||||
| Income | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||||
| Donations | 2,100 | 1,360.00 | ||||||||
| Musical events | 8,571.90 | 7,168.29 | ||||||||
| Gift Aid | 525.00 | 1,325.19 | ||||||||
| Income from royalties | 47.68 | nil | ||||||||
CDsales |
0 | 36.00 | ||||||||
| Investment income | 287.74 | 112.08 | ||||||||
| 11532.32 | 10,001.56 | |||||||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||||
| Musical events | (10702.65) | (12,544.16) | ||||||||
| Last year’s costs (not accrued) |
(110.70) | |||||||||
Administration - general |
(327.42) | (157.38) | ||||||||
| Subscription&Insurance | (259.00) | (197.00) | ||||||||
| Marketing (incl. website) | (311.87) | (210.00) | ||||||||
| Auditions – administration +conductor |
(234.76) | nil | ||||||||
| Sundries | (8.15) | (80.35) | ||||||||
| Bank fees | (60.00) |
(72.00) |
||||||||
| (12014.55) | (13,260.89) | |||||||||
___ |
||||||||||
| (Deficit) / Surplus | (482.23) | (3,259.33) | ||||||||
| ======== | ======== |
The accounts were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 22 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
Tom Asher, Chair of Trustees
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