Trustees’ Annual Report
January to December 2023
Charity name: Chorleywood Music Charity registration number: Charity No. 1177244
Objectives and activities
Chorleywood Music’s charitable purpose is 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.
The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and provide the following summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes.
Concerts / activities
Chorleywood Orchestra, the main performing ensemble of Chorleywood Music, started 2023 with two performances of a ‘Movies and Musicals’ family concert on 15[th] January at the Chorleywood Memorial Hall, featuring music from Harry Potter, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean and ABBA.
Our 25[th] March concert at St Andrew’s Church featured soloist Henry Wright in Weber’s Horn Concertino, Mozart’s Overture to Don Giovanni and Beethoven’s 7[th] Symphony. On April 15[th] we joined with Chorleywood Choral Society in a charity concert of Fauré’s Requiem and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, with proceeds going to the Red Cross Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. Our Summer Concert on 9[th] July took place in the Barbirolli Hall at St Clement Danes School. The programme was Hamish MacCunn’s ‘Land of the Mountain and the Flood’, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto with soloist Nicola Tait Baxter, and Tchaikovsky’s 5[th] Symphony.
In July we took a stand at the Chorleywood Village Day, at which we ran ‘try an instrument’ sessions to encourage children and adults to take up a musical instrument. In August we hosted and ran an orchestral workshop on Shostakovich Jazz Suite No. 2, at which Chorleywood Music members were joined by other musicians.
Our final concert of 2023 was another family concert, in which we premiered ‘A Chorleywood Guide to the Orchestra’ by our conductor Daniel Hogan and performed Howard Blake’s ‘The Snowman’ with ice-skating legend Robin Cousins as narrator.
All our 2023 concerts were conducted by Music Director Daniel Hogan, who continually inspires and encourages the orchestra in tackling increasingly challenging repertoire. Daniel is fully aligned with Chorleywood Music’s aims to bring music to the local community and to develop participation in musical activities.
Members of Chorleywood Music in various combinations performed in local care homes and at community events during the year.
Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year
The 2023 competition was held on Saturday 18[th] March at The Reach Free School, Rickmansworth. The event was supported by Richard Lawson Pianos who provided the grand piano, and Hertfordshire County Council. The tough economic climate had an impact on securing commercial sponsorship at the levels we had enjoyed in the previous year.
The preliminary video round was adjudicated by Daniel Hogan and Margot Rusmanis. We received twentythree applications representing a broad range of schools and colleges including the Purcell School, the Royal College of Music, Westminster School, Watford Grammar School, Royal Masonic School, and Haberdasher’s School.
Eight competitors were chosen for the final concert, the standard of which made the job of our professional judging panel, headed by cellist Nicola Tait Baxter alongside pianist Elena Vorotko, and clarinettist Fiona Mitchell, extremely difficult. Our winner was Firoze Madon, an exceptional pianist studying at the Royal College of Music, twice runner up at RYMY 2021 and 2022 and keyboard finalist at the BBC Young Music Competition 2023 He gave stunning performances of “Ondine” from Gaspard de la Nuit by Ravel, and the 4[th] movement of Chopin’s Sonata No.3 in B Minor. Pianist Shutian Cheng was awarded second place, and cellist Elizabeth Corbett third.
Achievements and performance
Our concerts have been increasingly well supported by the local community. We have extended the range of venues in which we perform, to make our performances more accessible and to bring the joy of music making, and appreciation of music to a wider audience. We have reached out to those who are not able to join in person, through videos and compilations of our concerts on our YouTube channel.
Our smaller ensembles performing in the community have been warmly welcomed by local care homes, providing enjoyment and engagement with residents and their families. Our work has extended to adding further value though the provision of live music to community events. We have been able to tailor our musical content to suit each occasion to maximise the benefit to the organisers and those attending.
Chorleywood Music relies on the support of our members and players - and their friends and families. We have enjoyed the support of our members in the smooth running of the charity and our activities over the course of the year including:
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Providing cakes for sale at concerts and events,
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Assisting in setting up and clearing venues for rehearsals, concerts and events,
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Manning the refreshments, ticket desk, tombola and raffles etc. at concerts and events.
Financial review
The Treasurer’s report shows income of £26,215 for the year, and expenditure of £27,027 with cash reserves of £12,671 at year-end. The Independent Examiner’s Report is attached at the end of this annual report.
Chorleywood Music Productions Ltd. (CWMP Ltd) was incorporated in September 2022 to handle rehearsal and concert production costs and take advantage of the government’s Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) scheme. The accounts show a payment of £14,150 to CWMP Ltd during the year. This was utilised by the production company to cover rehearsal venue costs, and conductor and leader rehearsal fees. OTR generated in the first year of the productions company’s operation amounted to £4,090, which is of significant benefit to Chorleywood Music’s charitable activities. CWMP Ltd. makes no profit; the tax relief is used to fund ongoing production costs. Making Music (formerly the National Federation of Music Societies) prepares the production company’s annual accounts and submits the OTR claim to HMRC.
| CC16a | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chorleywood Music | 11777244 | ||||
| Receipts and payments acco | unts | ||||
| For the period from |
Period start date | To |
Period end date | ||
| 01/01/2023 | 31/12/2023 | ||||
| Section A Receipts and | payments | ||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |
| A1 Receipts | |||||
| Subscriptions | 6,790 | - | - | 6,790 | 5,790 |
| January concert | 1,534 | 1,534 | 735 | ||
| Spring concert | 1,138 | 1,138 | 4,411 | ||
| Summer concert | 1,257 | 1,257 | 1,528 | ||
| Winter concert | 2,799 | - | - | 2,799 | 1,423 |
| Rivkmansworth Young Musician (RYMY) | 2,803 | - | - | 2,803 | 3,183 |
| Jazz suite Workshops | 1,400 | - | - | 1,400 | 1,513 |
| Charity concerts | 2,132 | 2,132 | 3,028 | ||
| Donations | 70 | 70 | |||
| CWM Productions Lt | 1,188 | 1,188 | 187 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 933 | - | - | 933 | 477 |
| Friends of Chorleywood Music | 220 | 220 | |||
| Easyfundraising | 575 | - | - | 575 | |
| Gift Aid | 3,271 | - | - | 3,271 | 584 |
| Interest on bank account | 105 | - | - | 105 | 8 |
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 26,215 | - | - | 26,215 | 22,867 |
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||
| - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | |
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total receipts | 26,215 | - | - | 26,215 | 22,867 |
| A3 Payments | |||||
| Music Hire | 180 | - | - | 180 | - |
| Charity Quiz Niight | 150 | 150 | 1,295 | ||
| January concert | 1,798 | 1,798 | 878 | ||
| Spring concert | 650 | 650 | 4,740 | ||
| Charity concert | 1,707 | 1,707 | 1,266 | ||
| Summer concert | 1,341 | 1,341 | 1,399 | ||
| Snowman concert | 130 | 130 | 492 | ||
| Jazz workshop | 550 | 550 | 1,894 | ||
| RYMY | 4,757 | 4,757 | 4,284 | ||
| Venue Hire | 246 | 246 | 960 | ||
| Concert expenses | 45 | - | - | 45 | 954 |
| Conductor | 240 | - | - | 240 | 3,160 |
| Lead violinist | 250 | - | - | 250 | 120 |
| Making Music | 499 | - | - | 499 | - |
| CWM Productions Ltd | 14,150 | - | - | 14,150 | 2,000 |
| Miscellaneous | 262 | - | - | 262 | 290 |
| Bank Charges | 72 | - | - | 72 | 76 |
| - | - | - | - | - | |
| Sub total | 27,027 | - | - | 27,027 | 23,808 |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||
| - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | ||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total payments | 27,027 | - | - | 27,027 | 23,808 |
| Net of receipts/(payments) | - 812 | - | - |
- 812 |
- 941 |
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | - | - |
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 13,483 | - | - | 13,483 | - |
| Cash funds this year end | 12,671 | - | - |
12,671 | - 941 |
| Section B Statement of a | ssets and lia | bilities at the e | nd of the period | ||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||
| B1 Cash funds | Current Account | 3,748 | - | - | |
| Deposit Account | 8,612 | - | - | ||
| Petty Cash | 311 | - | - | ||
| Total cash funds | 12,671 | - | - | ||
| (agree balances with receip | ts and payments account(s)) | #NAME? | OK | OK | |
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
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| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||
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Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
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| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||
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| - | - | ||||
| - | - | ||||
| - | - | ||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
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| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||
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| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
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| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||
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| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Sign | ature | Name | Date of approval | |
Structure, governance and management
Chorleywood Music is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation operating under the legal framework of the Charities Act 2011 and registered with the Charity Commission. We have a Board of Trustees who are responsible for the effective governance of the charity, a management committee who support all operational and delivery aspects of our activities and a voting membership of individuals approved by the trustees. We operate under a constitution which sets out our charitable purpose and how we operate to comply with the requirements of the law and good practice.
Trustees are elected by the membership at our annual general meeting. Our trustees are:
Andrew McFarlane, Chair
Joanne Prowse (appointed in April 2023 following the resignation of Robert Elkeles for health reasons) Helen Heneker Fiona Millen Roger Stafford
We have the following officers: Chair Andrew McFarlane Treasurer Alan Baskeyfield Secretary Ruth Colin
Making Music platform
Chorleywood Music has, since 2017, been a member of Making Music, a UK membership organisation for leisure-time music groups of all musical genres. Making Music represents over 200,000 musicians and promoters, providing practical services, guidance, artistic development opportunities, and a collective voice for advocacy. In November / December 2023 we moved on to the Making Music Platform, a web-based service which provides an online administration system, a member database, a member login area and a public-facing website.
Music Director’s report
“The orchestra’s performances and activities between Jan-Dec 2023 not only developed its own abilities, but also grew and cemented the group’s role in the community. We placed priority on performing concerts that would bring music to wider audiences, including a concert in January that focused on ‘Movies and Musicals’, and then in December when we performed the Howard Blake’s ‘The Snowman’, with narrator and children’s chorus. It is our intention to continue thinking of imaginative ways to bring in new audiences so that classical music can reach new ears.
We also pushed ourselves technically, performing increasingly ambitious repertoire, culminating in a fantastic performance of Tchaikovsky’s fiendish 5th Symphony in the summer. We made a bid to find new players by holding our first summer workshop on Shostakovich’s ‘Jazz Suite No.2’, a piece chosen to include instruments that would not always get a chance to play with orchestra, including piano, much percussion and even accordion! We hope that more events like these will increase our membership, whilst also being able to explore some more challenging repertoire.
It is such a pleasure to work with an orchestra that has such a community spirit, and a ‘can do’ attitude. Both qualities I find quite unique to the orchestra, and I am eager to develop them further in the next year to come. ”
Membership
Our membership continues to show slow but steady growth, and currently stands at 39 active playing members.
Reference and administrative details
| Charity name | Chorleywood Music |
|---|---|
| Registered charity number | Charity No. 1177244. |
| Charity’s principal address | Meadowsteep, Berry Lane, Chorleywood, Herts WD3 5EY |
| Trustees | Andrew McFarlane (Chair) Helen Heneker Fiona McFarlane Joanne Prowse Roger Stafford |
Declarations
The company has taken advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the report above. The Trustees declare they have approved the trustee’s report above.
Signed on behalf of the trustees:
Signature (s) A McFarlane
Full Name (s) Andrew Robin McFarlane
Position (s) Chair Date: 14[th] May 2024
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Chorleywood Music, Charity number 1177244
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Chorleywood Music (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
The Trustees have taken advantage of the Companies Act 2006 exemption from producing Group Accounts.
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s 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. I 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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and
content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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: Kevin Deeley
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
Address: C/o Crafty Cats Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London. Date: 10 May 2024