The Ceramic City Choir
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 30[th] June 2025 Charity Registration Number: 1169759 Company Registration Number: CE008297
The Ceramic City Choir
Year ended 30[th] June 2025
Index
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees and professional advisors | 1 |
| Trustees’ report | 2 – 3 |
| Independent examiner’s report | 4 |
| Statement of fnancial actvites | 5 |
| Balance sheet | 6 |
| Notes | 7 - 8 |
The Ceramic City Choir
Year ended 30[th] June 2025
Trustees and professional advisors
Registered Charity number Correspondence address
Trustees
Chorus Master
Chairman
President
Independent Examiner Bank
1169759
47 Sneyd Avenue Westlands Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire ST5 2PZ
Geoffrey Hall - Chairman Jillian Edwards - Librarian Pauline Scadden Kathleen Miller - Treasurer Nicola Urion Jennifer Hall - Secretary Susan Ray – Registrar
Anthony Rose
Geoffrey Hall
Angela Tams
Mr A. Addis
NatWest 1 Upper Market Square Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1QA
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The Ceramic City Choir
Year ended 30[th] June 2025
Trustees’ report
The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements for the period from 1[st] July 2024 to 30[th] June 2025.
Governing instrument and constitution
The charity is governed by its rules adopted on 18 October 2016 as registered with Companies House and the Charities Commission
Objectives and activities for the Public Benefit
The objectives of the charity are the study and practice of choral music as a non-profit organization in order to foster the public knowledge and appreciation of such music in Stoke on Trent by means of public performance.
Public Benefit
We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
We believe that we meet the principles relating to charities and public benefit described in the Charity Commission guidance and that our report demonstrates the availability of all our services to the local community and in particular evidences our work to foster the appreciation of choral music locally.
Financial review
The statement of financial activities is set out on page 5. This shows a loss for the year of £640. The choir now pays market rates for its musical director which has resulted in increased costs. The musical director is not a trustee and works alongside the committee in his professional capacity.
The choir was able to perform three concerts in the season. An October concert featuring music by Elgar, a Christmas concert of seasonal music along side the North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra, and in May a concert of music by Puccini. These concerts were held in St Andrew’s Church, Newcastle, the King’s Ha;ll Stoke and Stoke Minster. The inclusion of NSSO enabled the use of the large public venue of the King’s Hall as it attracted a more significant audience but incurred increased costs for the hire of the venue.
The trustees are satisfied with the results for the year and are of the opinion that providing high quality concerts, when possible, are an essential part of the charitable activities, within the constraints imposed by the level of reserves.
No trustee expenses were paid during the year.
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The Ceramic City Choir
Year ended 30[th] June 2025
Trustees’ report continued
The accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis. Whilst the charity is not required to prepare accounts on an accruals basis, the trustees believe that this is a more appropriate method and gives a fairer representation of the results for any particular year enabling concert receipts to be matched with concert expenditure.
Reserves Policy
It is the policy of the trustees to maintain unrestricted funds, which are the free reserves of the charity, to continue to operate, should incoming resources fall, whilst replacement sources of income are found. The major expenditure of the charity is the payment of orchestras and artists. Such costs depend on the type of orchestra required for the individual concerts performed in a season and vary from concert to concert. The trustees monitor the charity’s reserves carefully in the light of future concert programmes to ensure that adequate unrestricted funds are maintained to enable appropriate orchestras and artists to be obtained. The trustees feel that the unrestricted funds available at the year end are adequate to meet these needs.
Officers’ responsibilities
The following statement, which should be read in conjunction with the independent examiner’s statement of independent examiner’s responsibilities in the independent examiner’s report, is made with a view to distinguishing the respective responsibilities of trustees and of the independent examiner in relation to the financial statements.
Under the Charities Acts, the trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which properly present the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of the excess of income over expenditure for the financial year. They are also responsible for preparing the financial statements on a consistent basis.
The trustees have responsibility for ensuring that the charity keeps accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that they comply with the governing document and the Charities Acts.
The trustees have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the charity and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
Trustees
The trustees of the charity throughout the year are as detailed on page 1.
Approved by
G W Hall 4[th] November 2025 Chairman & Trustee
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Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of
The Ceramic City Choir
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30[th] June 2025, which are set out on pages 5 to 8
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with the Regulations made under the Charities Act 1993. My work will be undertaken so that I might state to the charity’s trustees those matters that I am required to state to them in my independent Examiner’s Report and for no other purpose. In those circumstances, to the fullest extent permitted by law, I will not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for my work or this report.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner.
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts (under Section 43(3)(a) of the 1993 Act) and to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under Section 43(7)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:
-
1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
-
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act
-
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met
-
2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
A Addis
Date 4[th] November 2025
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The Ceramic City Choir
Statement of financial activities For the year ended 30[th] June 2025
| Unrestricted | Unrestricted | |
|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | |
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Incoming resources | ||
| Actvites in furtherance of the charity’s objectves | ||
| Ticket Sales | 8,422 | 9,271 |
| Programme sales and adverts | 15 | 365 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| 8,437 | 9,636 | |
| Subscriptons | 10,185 | 8,130 |
| Gif Aid | 2,035 | 1,288 |
| Donatons | 29 | 515 |
| Legacy | - | 450 |
| Investment income received | 196 | 195 |
| Actvites for generatng funds | 183 | 369 |
| _____ | ______ | |
| Total incoming resources | 21,065 | 20,583 |
| Direct charitable expenditure | ||
| Donatons | - | - |
| Orchestra and artsts | 4,293 | 3,475 |
| Hall hire, front of house etc | 3,480 | 3,223 |
| Programme printng/publicity | 476 | 594 |
| Performing rights | 77 | 80 |
| Hospitality | 373 | 148 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| 8,699 | 7,520 | |
| Management and administraton | ||
| Music | 317 | (161) |
| Rehearsal room hire | 2,350 | 2,010 |
| Making music subscripton/insurance | 337 | 259 |
| Musical director & accompanist | 9,230 | 9,450 |
| Other expenses | 772 | 229 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| Total outgoing resources | 21,705 | 19,307 |
| Net (loss)/proft for the year | (640) | 1,276 |
| Fund balance brought forward | 13,843 | 12,567 |
| Fund balance carried forward | 13,203 | 13,843 |
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The Ceramic City Choir
| Balance Sheet As at 30th June 2025 Note Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Debtors 3 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 4 Net assets Funds Unrestricted funds 5 |
2025 2024 £ £ 12,329 13,239 4,153 3,408 __ _ 16,482 16,647 3,279 2,804 13,203 13,843 ___ 13,203 13,843 |
|---|---|
These financial statements were approved by the trustees on and signed on their behalf by:
G W Hall Trustee
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The Ceramic City Choir
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30[th] June 2025
1. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost accounting rules and the Statement of Recommended Practice ‘ Accounting and Reporting by Charities’.
The trustees adopted the accruals basis of preparation of the accounts for the year ended 30[th] June 2005 for the original charity and have continued to adopt this policy for the CIO.
Incoming resources
Subscriptions received are taken into account in the year in which the monies are received. As there is no legal obligation for payment of subscriptions due, unpaid subscriptions are not included in the financial statements.
Concert income and expenditure is recognized at the time at which the concert occurs. Programme advertising income is taken into account in the year to which it relates.
Donations and fund raising income are taken into account in the year the monies are received.
Investment income is taken into account in the year to which it relates.
No income is designated as restricted funds.
Resources expended
Expenditure is charged as incurred inclusive of irrecoverable value added tax. Direct charitable expenditure comprises those costs directly incurred in the pursuance of the charity’s charitable activities. All other costs are of an administrative nature and so are classed under the category of management and administration. Resources expended include attributable value added tax which generally cannot be recovered. Some advertising expenditure qualifies for exemption from VAT.
Liabilities are recognized when an obligation occurs.
2. Trustee remuneration and expenses
No trustee remuneration was paid in the year (2024 – £nil)
No trustee expenses were paid in the year (2024 - £nil)
3 Debtors
2025
2024
7
| £ | £ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposits held by third partes | - | 100 | |
| Other debtors | 4,153 | 3,308 | |
| _____ | _____ | ||
| 4,153 | |||
| 3,408 | |||
| _____ | _____ | ||
| The Ceramic City Choir | |||
| Notes to the fnancial statements for the year | ended 30th June 2025 | ||
| 4 | Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ | ||
| Concert expenditure owed to third partes | - | - | |
| Other creditors | 3,278 | 2,804 | |
| ______ | _____ | ||
| 3,279 | 2,804 | ||
| ______ | _____ | ||
| 5 | Unrestricted funds | 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ | ||
| Debtors | 4,153 | 3,408 | |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 12,329 | 13,239 | |
| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | (3,279) | (2,804) | |
| ______ | ______ | ||
| 13,203 | 13,843 | ||
| ______ | ______ |
6 Controlling body
The charity is controlled by the trustees as detailed in the trustees’ report.
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