2025-09-30-accounts - Surrey Hills International Music Festival

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Surrey Hills International Music Festival

TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended

30 September 2025

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) number 1171264

Surrey Hills International Music Festival REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS

CIO name	Surrey Hills International Music Festival	Surrey Hills International Music Festival
CIO number	1171264
Principal office	The Lodge
	Upper Street
	Shere
	Surrey GU5 9JA
Trustees	Julia Pearson	Chairman
	Gary Lloyd
	Henry Pearson
	Lyn Litchfield
	Cindy Peck
	Lynne Robb
	Stephen Goss	(Appointed 1 June 2025)
	Katy Lethbridge	(Appointed 13 November 2025)
	Paul Lethbridge	(Appointed 13 November 2025)
Committee	Julia Pearson	Chairman
	Gary Lloyd	Treasurer
	Henry Pearson	Adviser on Governance and IT matters
	Wu Qian	Artistic Director
	Lyn Litchfield
	Cindy Peck
	Lynne Robb
Festival Manager	Tracy Lees
Bank	Lloyds Bank plc
CONTENTS		Page
Trustees' report		1
Independent examiner's report		F1
Statement of financial activities		F2
Balance sheet		F3
Notes to the financial statements		F4

Trustees' Report for the year to 30 September 2025

1. About the Festival

The Surrey Hills International Music Festival (SHIMF) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with Registered Charity No. 1171264.

The address of the Festival is:

The Lodge Upper Street Shere, Guildford Surrey, GU5 9JA

The Festival was founded by international pianist Wu Qian, our Artistic Director, and co-founded by professional musician and entrepreneur Tessa Marchington.

The Trustees during the year were:

Mrs Julia Pearson Chairman Mr Gary Lloyd Treasurer Dr Henry Pearson Adviser on Governance and IT matters Mrs Lyn Litchfield Mrs Cindy Peck Mrs Lynne Robb Prof. Stephen Goss (Appointed 1 June 2025) Mrs Katy Lethbridge (Appointed 13 November 2025) Mr Paul Lethbridge (Appointed 13 November 2025)

2. The Festival's management structure

SHIMF is run day-to-day by a Management Committee, which meets regularly and comprises the Festival Trustees (less Stephen Goss) and Wu Qian (Artistic Director). Tracy Lees, the part-time Festival Manager, also attends Management Committee meetings.

3. The Festival's activities and objectives in the year

The Festival has brought world-class artists to perform annually in intimate venues in the Surrey Hills and surrounding area for the past 16 years. It is seen by many of its regular audience as a highlight of their musical calendar. A vital adjunct is providing young and emerging artists with performance opportunities, supporting the teaching of violin or cello to whole-year groups

at local primary schools and promoting a biennial Composition competition for Surrey-based students aged 18 or younger, which will be held for the third time in 2026.

Fundraising activities during the year included:

a Quiz Night held at Effingham Golf Club with an associated online auction of donated prizes;
A 'Miles for Music' event during March 2025, during which participants were sponsored to walk 100 miles or more during the month.

The very well-attended 2025 season saw the Festival celebrate its 16[th] season with a beautiful programme of concerts, kicking off on Tuesday, 6 May 2025, with a guided walk and talk by ever-popular Katy Hamilton, with baroque music performed by the prize-winning Londinium Consort at West Horsley Place. Thursday, 8 May 2025, saw 2021 Leeds Piano Competition winner Alim Beisembayev perform a stunning solo recital at the Menuhin Hall, Cobham. On Saturday, 10 May 2025, the renowned choral group VOCES8 performed a programme at Holy Trinity Guildford featuring their 'greatest hits' from 20 years of performing. The initial allocation of seats for this performance sold out within 3 hours, and with an extension of the available seats, the final audience was 404! VOCES8 also ran a workshop for a local choir.

The second week started on Monday, 12 May, with a return to St Michael's Church, Betchworth, for a guided walk and a Young Artists Concert performed by students from the Yehudi Menuhin School. On Thursday, 15 May, we returned to the Menuhin Hall for 'The Late Romantic', a stunning programme featuring romantic music of profound emotional depth, performed by the Sitkovetsky Trio and soloists from the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Centre in New York. The finale was on Saturday, 17 May, at a new and very successful venue for the Festival, St Martin's Church, Dorking. The Lincoln Centre threesome, supported by an all-star ensemble, performed a memorable programme bursting with baroque brilliance, featuring three Brandenburg Concertos.

An essential element of the Festival's charitable support is the continuing String Scheme administered by the Royal Grammar School Guildford. The Scheme, to which the Festival contributed £4,800 in 2024-25, provided violin and cello tuition to year four pupils at three (now two) Guildford primary schools under the expert tuition of professional music teachers. The Scheme has created a string orchestra of pupils from years 5 and 6 who have decided to continue learning. The Festival's String Scheme funding for 2024-25 was focused on Boxgrove School.

After 15 years as Chairman of the Festival Julia Pearson will step down from the position at the 2025 AGM, as planned. She will remain as a Trustee and Management Committee member. Henry Pearson has indicated he will stand for election as interim Chairman while a long-term replacement is identified. During 2025 the Board has been strengthened with the appointment of three new Trustees.

4. Financial review and statement on reserves

The Festival carefully manages its budgets, as ticket sales often do not cover concert costs. The Committee members serve voluntarily and without remuneration and are expected to pay for their attendance at the Festival and to subscribe as Friends or higher-level supporters.

The financial landscape for the 2024-25 season showed a significant improvement from the previous season with continued strong ticket sales, especially for the VOCES8 concert, a less expensive programme and without a commissioned piece, combined with practical fundraising activities during the winter and the generosity of sponsors, Friends and other donors, the surplus in the year to 30 September 2025 provided a net increase in Unrestricted funds of £11,682.

Principal sources of funds were:

Ticket sales totalling £40,343.
Corporate sponsors (RBC Brewin Dolphin, Maybrook Properties, Charles Russel Speechley) provided £8,500.
The Quiz, night, Auction and Miles for Music, which together raised a net £10,000.
Individual sponsorship of artists and concerts, totalling approximately £3,000.
Subscriptions from Festival Friends, the Director's Circle, and the Circle of Angels amounted to £17,900.

The principal expenditures have been:

Concert costs, including: artists' fees, venue hire, staging, piano hire and tuning costs, and PRS charges.
Advertising and other marketing,
String Scheme contributions.
£16,030 cost of the Festival Manager.

Governance costs consisted entirely of necessary expenses incurred in fulfilling committee duties and the Festival Manager's costs.

Consistent with the Festival's policy of retaining sufficient cash reserves to act as working capital for each year's activities and as a buffer against uncertainties in sponsorship income, an Unrestricted balance of £80,509 has been carried forward as of 30 September 2025.

5. The outlook for the future

The Surrey International Music Festival continues to be a much-loved local event with an increasing audience and sponsor base. We look forward to an

exciting future with a rising profile on the national scene, enthusiastic audiences, and exciting programming for the seasons to come. At the same time, we will maintain our focus on providing performance opportunities for emerging musicians and on supporting music education in local schools. We are again adding Sandfield School to Boxgrove School in our String Scheme support for 2025-26, increasing it to £5,800. We are budgeting to maintain a balanced financial position in 2025-26.

2026 sees the Festival celebrate its 17[th] season with an expansion to seven concerts. It starts on Monday, 5 May, with our traditional lunch-time concert and guided walk at West Horsley Place. Italy has been the birthplace of many people who have influenced the evolution of Western music for the past 700 years. This programme celebrates some of Italy's finest composers over the centuries. Historian, writer and TV broadcaster Kate Williams, together with the Flutes and Frets Duo, will explore a chronological journey through Italian music in words and music.

7 May sees a welcome return to the Hilltop Room at RHS Wisley, with the much-loved Julian Bliss and his Quintet. The programme 'The Pioneers of Jazz' features the trailblazers who revolutionised the musical landscape, shaping the genre into a force of artistic expression and cultural significance. This exciting and vibrant programme explores music by Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and others.

Saturday, 9 May sees award-winning vocal ensemble Tenebrae presenting a wide-ranging programme spanning five centuries of sacred choral music at Holy Trinity, Guildford. 'A Celestial Gift' features celebrated choral works such as Holst's majestic Nunc dimittis and Allegri's iconic setting of the Miserere . Alongside these familiar favourites, this programme showcases a wealth of music by some of today's most exciting and popular composers, with special highlights including Joanna Marsh's In Winter's House and James MacMillan's Miserere .

The second week starts on Monday, 11 May, with a return to St Michael's Church, Betchworth, for the third year, with a guided walk and Young Artists Concert performed by students from Yehudi Menuhin School.

On Thursday, 14 May, we reprise a Piano Extravaganza at the Menuhin Hall, a favourite of the 2024 season! Through the hands of four brilliant pianists, we are transported into a fairytale world with a distinct French flavour, for another two-piano, four-hand extravaganza. Prokofiev's Cinderella , full of dances and flashes of humour, is matched with Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé , painting an impressionistic soundscape of love, nature, and ancient myth with shimmering colour. Chaminade's elegant Six Pièces Romantiques and popular works from Mozart and Mendelssohn complete a magical programme where intimacy meets virtuosity.

An additional concert on Friday, 15 May, back at Holy Trinity, will provide a fantastic opportunity to hear a recital by the legendary Dame Sarah Connolly, world-renowned singer and Festival patron, together with leading pianist Julius Drake. 'Songs of Love and Longing' brings together composers who gave

musical voice to the most intimate reaches of the human heart. From Brahms's tender meditations and Schumann's poignant reflections on loss, to Mahler's bittersweet scenes of the earthly and eternal, Dame Sarah's velvety tones take the listener on a beautiful journey through some of the most expressive and captivating songs ever written.

At the Season Finale, Saturday 16 May, again at the Menuhin Hall, the winning composition from our third Young Composer Competition, alongside some of the other entries, will be performed by local students sourced through Surrey Arts in a short early evening concert. A presentation of the prizes will follow the concert.

Following the prize-winners' concert, the Sitkovetsky Trio, with two outstanding students from the Yehudi Menuhin School, will perform a concert entitled 'Vienna', reflecting the strong ties that Mozart, Schubert, and Mahler all had to the city. Schubert lived all his life in Vienna, and his Trout Quintet is a work overflowing with melody, warmth, and playfulness — not least in the sparkling set of variations on his much-loved song Die Forelle (The Trout). Mahler came to Vienna as a student, and Mozart made the city his home in the final decade of his life, creating many of his greatest works there, including the stormy G minor Piano quartet.

Surrey Hllls International Music Festival INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE CHARITY Forthe year ended 30 September 2025 I report on the accounts of thecharity for theyear ended 30 September 2025, which are set out on pages Fl to F4. Respective responsibilitiesoftrusteesand examiner The charity'strustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity'strustees considerthat an audit 15 not required forthisyear under section 144{21 oftheCharitiesAct 2011 Ithe2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It ismy responsibilityto: examinetheaccountsundersection 145 ofthe2011 Act; to follow theprocedures laid down in thegeneral directionsgiven bythecharity Commission undersection 145{5){b)of the2011 Act; and to state whether particular matters havecometo my attention. Baslsof Independent examlner's report My examination wascarried out in accordance with the general directionsgiven bythecharity Commission. An examination includesa review oftheaccounting records kept bythecharity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those record5. It also includes consideration of any unusual itemsordisclosuresin theaccounts, and seekingexplanationsfrom you as trusteesconcerninganysuch matters. Theproceduresundertaken do not provideall the evidencethat would berequired in an audit and consequently no opinion isgiven asto whethertheaccounts present a'trueand fairview'and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examlner's statement In connection with myexamination, no matter hascometo myattention.. 111 which gives me reasonablecauseto believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting recordsin accordancewith section 130 of the2011 Act; and to prepareaccountswhich accord with theaccounting recordsand complywith the accounting requirementsof the 2011 Act have not been met,. or 12lto which, in my opinion, attention should bedrawn in orderto enablea proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. GJ Revill ACIB Fairview, Pilgrims Wayi Westhumble, Surrey RHS 6AP Fl

Surrey Hills International Music Festival

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ended 30 September 2025

Notes Incoming resources 1 Incoming resources from charitable activities Concert ticket sales Programme sales & advertising revenues Merchandise sales Contributions from Friends Contributions from Director's Circle Contributions from Circle of Angels Incoming resources from trading activities Sponsorship & other donations Sponsored 100 mile walk Quiz night, auction & other events Income tax recoverable through Gift Aid Incoming resources from generated funds Net interest received on bank deposits Total incoming resources Resources expended Charitable activities Concert performers' fees Hire of concert venues & instruments Ticket agent sales commission & website fees New commissioned work Promotion, advertising & programme costs Concert food, drink & other costs Support of Strings Scheme in Schools Young Composer Awards Pied Piper Day for young children Governance costs Total resources expended Net incoming/(outgoing) resources and net movement in funds Transfers Fund balances brought forward Fund balances carried forward	Unrestricted funds £ 40,343 2,247 120 3,835 2,650 8,000 10,951 6,012 6,143 5,099 1,842 87,242 26,691 5,938 4,523 0 11,450 1,361 4,800 0 500 20,297 75,560 11,682 0 68,827 80,509	Restricted funds £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0	Total 2025 £ 40,343 2,247 120 3,835 2,650 8,000 10,951 6,012 6,143 5,099 1,842 87,242 26,691 5,938 4,523 0 11,450 1,361 4,800 0 500 20,297 75,560 11,682 0 68,827 80,509	Total 2024 £ 41,195 1,453 0 3,140 2,850 5,000 17,856 0 0 3,330 0
				74,824
				34,532 13,966 4,091 10,000 10,650 1,942 4,000 850 0 16,968
				96,999
				(22,175) 0 91,002
				68,827

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

The notes on page 4 form part of these financial statements.

Surrey Hills International Music Festival BALANCE SHEET Asat 30 September 2025 2025 2024 Notes Current assets Debtors & prepayments Cash at bank 6,695 86,680 93,375 3,330 71,241 74,571 Credltors falllng due wlthin one year Creditors & accruals 112,8661 15,7441 Net current assets/{Ilabllltlesl 80,509 68,827 Total a55ets less current Ilabllltles 80,509 68,827 Capltal & reserves Restrlcted Incomefunds Unrestricted income funds 80,509 68,827 Total charlty funds 80,509 68,827 The notes on page F4 form part of these accounts, The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 4 December 2025. e_ Julia P Pearson Chalrman of trustees on behalf of the trustees F3

Surrey Hills International Music Festival

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 30 September 2025

1 Accounting policies

Accounting convention

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008). They comply with the 2005 Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities. Charitable status was granted on 20 February 2012. The Festival became registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 24 January 2017 and all activities of the previous charity were absorbed into the CIO with effect from that date.

Incoming resources

Incoming resources are accounted for when the charity has entitlement to the funds, certainty of receipt and the amount is measurable. Income is generated principally from the sale of tickets, programmes and refreshments at the festival concerts, together with donations from the Friends of the Surrey Hills International Music Festival and other donors and sponsors.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to use to further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds which have been set aside to fund particular future activities of the charity. Restricted funds are donated for particular areas of the charity work or for specific projects.

Resources expended

Resources expended are recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party. The costs of each category of charitable activity are the direct costs of that activity, including any attributable VAT that cannot be recovered. Governance costs include all costs of compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements, including legal fees, insurance, the costs of meetings and other administrative support costs.

2 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

3 Debtors Gift Aid recoverable Sundry debtors & prepayments 4 Cash at bank Current acount Deposit account - fixed 3.60% to 3/4/25 Deposit account - fixed 2.54% to 26/8/26 Deposit account - 95 day 2.73% variable 5 Creditors falling due within one year Creditors & accruals Expenses due Corporation tax payable 6 Charity funds Unrestricted funds £ Closing balances made up as follows: 80,509 80,509	Restricted funds £ 0 0	2025 £ 5,099 1,596 6,695 2025 £ 26,680 0 40,000 20,000 86,680 2025 £ 11,885 520 461 12,866 Total 2025 £ 80,509 80,509	2024 £ 3,330 0
			3,330
			2024 £ 21,241 50,000 0 0
			71,241
			2024 £ 5,744 0 0
			5,744
			Total 2024 £ 68,827
			68,827