Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date T From 12 7 2024 o 11 7 2025
Section A Reference and administration details Charity name SONGBOUND ~~a~~ Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1170427 ~~ae~~ Charity's principal address 17 OAK HALL ROAD WANSTEAD LONDON Postcode E11 2JT ~~——~~
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Trustee name Office (if any)
Dates acted if not for Name of person (or body) entitled whole year to appoint trustee (if any)
1 JOE WALTERS
- 2[NINA KANTER]
3[OLIVER HUNT]
Section B Structure, governance and management ~~EE~~
Description of the charity’s trusts
Constitution Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) ~~oo~~
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Charitable incorporated organisation
How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company)
Trustee selection methods
Appointed by trustees
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
The trustees assess and approve/deny proposals for charity initiatives.
Songbound’s previous partnership with Salaam Bombay Foundation, based in Mumbai, India, came to end in 2020, due to concerns from Salaam Bombay about recent regulatory changes in India regarding working with overseas charities. This change has led to the trustees considering how to accelerate plans for establishing a charity in India to run Songbound projects directly. This has been a long term ambition for the trustees. However, there have been significant challenges during recent financial years, and this year, due to the regulatory environment for overseas funded projects in India, and COVID-19. COVID-19 forced the pause of lessons for the children that Songbound was previously funding, and it has been difficult to recover from there. During this period that trustees have taken the opportunity to reflect on the future of the charity, improve safeguarding processes and documentation and continue the search for trustees of the new charity in India. The new regulatory burdens of being a role of an Indian charity receiving funds from overseas has hampered our search in finding suitable and willing candidates for the new Indian charity. During this period in particular the trustees have explored options for closing down the charity and distributing its funds.
Section C Objectives and activities
| Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document |
Our charitable objects are: “to advance the education of the public by encouraging the understanding, appreciation and development of music in India and Sri Lanka”. This means we exist to: - provide psychological and physical relief for very disadvantaged children through regular and ongoing singing in choirs - provide professional training and employment opportunities for local adult musicians so that they can become leaders of their own children’s choirs - provide workshop and leadership opportunities in India and Sri Lanka for expert practitioners in music education and performance - provide a broad and non-denominational curriculum of varied music from around the globe. - provide the opportunity for children to feel empowered through the composition of their own music and lyrics |
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When planning our activities for the year, Trustees referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and our own agreed objectives to aid decision-making. The main activities undertaken for the public benefit were as follows, but had to be adapted due to COVID-19 restrictions:
As stated above, unfortunately the charity’s work in Mumbai had to be paused due to the closure of schools and community centres (where singing sessions usually take place) due to COVID-19. The trustees have been making plans to restart the sessions as soon as possible after the schools and centres reopen, or alternatively to focus our efforts on finding founding trustees to set up an Indian charity which could take over these activities, and local fundraising, directly. Given the challenges mentioned above, the charity undertook no significant activities this year.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
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You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
Section D Achievements and performance
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Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the See above charity during the year
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Section E Financial review
Songbound has few regular administrative expenses, each of which is Brief statement of the charity’s small. It does not employ staff or have premises, and all governance policy on reserves resources are donated in kind by the trustees. On that basis the reserves can be set lower than a charity with higher regular expenses, and the trustees have set the level at 5% of income. Given that the income for the current reporting period was lower, the trustees met this reserves policy and held excess cash above this reserve amount. The trustees are examining whether this reserves policy is still appropriate.
Details of any funds materially No funds were materially in deficit. in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
There was very little movement in the charity’s finances this year, given You may choose to include the pause in operations. Overall, the charity made a small surplus this additional information, where year (£97), meaning it has year end funds of £25,048. relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
N/A
Section G Declaration
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The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
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Signature(s)
Full name(s) [Joe Walters] Oliver Hunt
es
Position (eg Secretary, Trustee Trustee
Chair, etc)
es
Date 11 May 2026
Fo
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Songbound 1170427 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 12/07/2024 11/07/2025 ~~<=~~ Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total funds Last year funds funds funds to the nearest to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ £ A1 Receipts Cash funds b/fwd 24,951 - - 24,951 25,107 Donations 489 - - 489 331 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sub total (Gross income for 25,440 25,438 AR) [ 25,440 ] =—===== A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - Sub total - Total receipts 25,440 - - 25,440 25,438 ———— ~~——~~ A3 Payments Website - Travel - Administration, payments to contractors, sundry - Insurance 392 - - 392 487 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sub total [ 392 ] - - 392 487 =—===== A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) - - - - - - - - Sub total [ - ] - - - - ——— Total payments 392 - - ~~——~~ 392 487 Net of receipts/(payments) 25,048 - - 25,048 24,951 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end - - - - - Cash funds this year end = 25,048 - ~~==~~ - 25,048 >= 24,951 > Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Categories Details funds funds funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ B1 Cash funds 25,048 - - - - - CCXX R1 accounts (SS) ~~——~~ 1 - 11/05/2026 -
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Total cash funds 25,048 - -
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(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s)) OK OK OK
Signed by one or two trustees on Date of
Signature Print Name
behalf of all the trustees approval
Oliver Hunt 11-May-26
Joe Walters
ae
11-May-26
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CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
11/05/2026
2