LBFS season report 2023-2024 # Leighton Buzzard Festival Singers Season Report 2023-2024 1 LBFS season report 2023-2024 |**Contents**|**Page**| |---|---| |President and Vice-presidents|3| |Agenda for the annual general meeting|4| |Minutes of the Annual General Meeting March 2023|6| |List of Members|9| |Trustees’ reports|10| |Treasurer’s report|13| 2 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## **President** Mr Philip Stopford ## **Vice-presidents** We are grateful to the following for their continued support as Vice-presidents during the 2023-2024 season Mr P Dickens Mr N Woolford Mr R Watts 3 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## Annual General Meeting ## To be held on Monday 23 September 2024 at 7.30pm at Barnabas Church ## **Agenda** 1. To receive apologies for absence 2. To approve the minutes of the: - i. 2023 Annual General Meeting held on 4 September 2023 3. To consider any matters arising from the above meetings 4. To note the appointments of: - i. Paul Dickens as Chairman - ii. Kathryn Emerson as Secretary - iii. Ros Mennie as Treasurer 5. To receive a report from the Trustees 6. To approve the accounts for the year ending May 31[st] 2024 7. To consider subscriptions for the season 2023-2024 8. To confirm the election of the President and the Vice-presidents 9. To confirm as continuing Trustees: - i. Richard Watts - ii. Miriam Juviler - iii. Leanne Morgan - iv. Valerie Fielder - v. Paul Dickens - vi. Kathryn Emerson - vii. Ros Mennie 10. To confirm the resignation of the following trustees: - i. Roger Chapman - ii. Kathy Guess 4 LBFS season report 2023-2024 11. To confirm the continuation of the following as members of the Management Committee: i. Angela Felsom ii. Kathy Guess iii Jean Lawson iv. Pauline Lyons 12. To confirm the Trustee officers - i. The Chairman - ii. The deputy Chairman - iii. The Secretary iv. The Treasurer 13. To consider electing additional Members of the Management Committee. Please consider whether you may wish to put your name forward. 14. To appoint a responsible person to examine the accounts for 2023-2024 15. Any other business 5 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## _**Minutes of the annual general meeting held at St Barnabas Church 4[th] September 2023**_ The meeting, the AGM for the year 2022-23 was held during the weekly rehearsal in St Barnabas Church, Linslade, attended by 36 members of the Festival Singers with Paul Dickens, the Chairman, in the Chair. 1. To receive apologies for absence - Apologies were received from Anneke Amsden, Anne Chapman, Jacki Hillier, Graeme Lockhart, Margaret Oliver, Judith Watts, and Richard Watts, Janet Wearmouth. 2. To approve the minutes of the 2021-2022 Annual General Meeting held on March 27th 2023 - The Minutes of the Meeting held on March 27th 2023 were approved unanimously. 3. To consider any matters arising There were no matters arising that were not included in the Agenda 4. To receive the Annual Reports of the Trustees - The Annual Report of Trustees was received and no questions were raised. 5. To approve, subject to receipt of a satisfactory report from the independent examiner, the accounts for the year ending May 31st 2023 It was reported that Mary Hardy, as independent examiner, had provided a satisfactory report and it was: Proposed by: Kathy Guess Seconded by: Janet Miller And passed unanimously that the accounts be approved The meeting also noted their thanks to Ros for her work on the accounts and as treasurer through the year. 6. To propose that Roger Chapman, Paul Dickens, Kathryn Emerson, Valerie Fielder, Jean Lawson, Leanne Morgan and Richard Watts, all of whom have indicated their willingness to continue in post, be re-elected as Trustees Proposed by: David Bannister Seconded by: Bridget Watson 6 LBFS season report 2023-2024 And passed unanimously 7. To consider electing further Trustees Kathy Guess offered to be a Trustee and the meeting voted in favour unanimously 8. To confirm the re-election of the current President and the Vice-presidents Proposed by: Kathy Guess Seconded by: Jean Lawson And passed unanimously 9. To appoint a responsible person to examine the accounts for 2023-2024 It was reported that Mary Hardy was willing again to act as the independent person responsible for examining the accounts. The offer was accepted unanimously - 10.To make members aware of the draft safeguarding policy Members were made aware that LBFS now has a safeguarding policy, which will be available on the website. 11. Any other business Valerie Fielder reported that Margaret Oliver is very ill in hospital. Ros Mennie (Treasurer) reminded members that subs are now due - £150 for the year or £75 per term. She noted that bank transfers are now preferred, especially after 18[th] October as there will no longer be a bank branch in Leighton Buzzard. The secretary will send the bank details around in an email. Leanne (Social Coordinator) asked if anyone would be prepared to bring some biscuits or cookies to have with the welcome tea and coffee on 23[rd] September at Come and Sing – please let her know if so. Leanne also noted that some members would be going to the pub after the rehearsal, and that all were invited as a chance to socialise. 7 LBFS season report 2023-2024 Bridget Watson asked if everyone could sign up to do the refreshments at one rehearsal – if everyone does, we should each only need to do one per term. Roger Chapman (Membership Secretary) requested that members bring their name badges to wear to rehearsals, or ask for new one. Paul Dickens (Chairman) welcomed the new singers who were trying the choir this evening. The meeting was closed by the chairman at 7.50pm. 8 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## **LBFS Members 2024** Anneke Amsden Brian Bainbridge Adrian Baluta Nigel Bibbings Jill Brace Anne Chapman Roger Chapman Maurice Crowe Paul Dickens Louise Dove Barbara Ellis Helen Elves Kathryn Emerson Helen Ewles Angela Fensom Valerie Fielder Edmund Flach Dorothy Fletcher Kathy Guess Tim Hatton Jacki Hillier Mary Hirst Liz Inglis Sally Johnston Miriam Juviler Jean Lawson Pauline Lyon Stephanie Mann Sarah Marsh Ros Mennie Janet Miller Leanne Morgan Peter Mundy Christine Oliver Margaret Oliver Alan Perrott Vincent Pirillo Linda Plowright-Pepper Elysia Pughe Saffron Pughe Martin Shrubsole Anne Smart Fay Smithson Gill Tarbox Clare Thompson Philip Titcombe Bridget Watson Judith Watts Richard Watts Janice Wearmouth Jo Ayres David Bannister 9 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** ## **2023-2024** ## **Trustees holding office during the year** Paul Dickens Kathryn Emerson Valerie Fielder Miriam Juviler Ros Mennie Leanne Morgan Richard Watts ## **Members of the Management Committee** Angela Fensom Kathy Guess Jean Lawson ## **Musical Director’s report** Over the past year, my first full season with the choir, we have successfully put on a wide range of events: two large-scale concerts, a lighter summer concert, a ‘Come and Sing’ day, and a performance at the Leighton Linslade May Fayre. The season began with our ‘Come and Sing’ day, which focused on opera and musical theatre choruses. While the day itself went well, attendance was lower than we had hoped: we'll need to plan similar future events carefully to ensure that we know exactly whom we’re aiming to attract. Our Christmas Concert at St Barnabas was based on JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The choir performed cantatas one and three from the Oratorio alongside smaller works and congregational carols. The Aurelian Ensemble provided accompaniment, and we were joined by four professional soloists. A special highlight was the encore, a new version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ in all twelve keys, composed by our President, Philip Stopford, which was an instant audience favourite. 10 LBFS season report 2023-2024 In the Spring, we performed a concert featuring Fauré’s famous Requiem. I was especially pleased that we were able to showcase talented local musicians in this concert: organist John Wearmouth and soloists Olivia Olleson, Richard Ball, and Saffron Pughe. We attracted a full house of around 200 people at St Barnabas, and I was impressed with how the choir handled some of the more obscure pieces in the first half of the concert. Our performance at the Leighton Linslade May Fayre was also a success. Given the limited rehearsal time for this, we combined a selection of pieces from last year with a few new works, including my arrangement of Stanford’s _The Flight of the Earls_ and _Strange Adventure_ from The Yeomen of the Guard. The final event of the season was an hour-long light concert, accompanied by John Wearmouth on piano. The concert featured selections from G&S operettas, popular opera choruses, and Purcell’s semi-opera King Arthur. I’m keen to programme a balance of sacred and secular music where possible, and the opera choruses provided a change from our usual repertoire. The concert was unticketed, and afterwards we celebrated the end of the season with a fantastic spread put on by the choir’s members. In the future, we may consider ticketing similar concerts for logistical reasons, but I was very pleased with the event's basic format. Henceforth, we plan to alternate between cathedral visits and light concerts in the summer, with a cathedral visit once every three years. This year also brought change as our accompanist, John Wearmouth, retired at the end of the season. I want to extend my thanks again to John for his dedication and support over the past 18 months since I joined LBFS. Becky Holt has been appointed as his replacement from a strong field of candidates, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she will bring to the choir in the coming years. We have an exciting few months ahead as we round off 2024. Our Autumn/Christmas Concert on 30 November will feature music by British composers from the past 100 years. We will be accompanied by a quintet from Milton Keynes Brass, as well as harp, organ, and outstanding soloists Emily Rooke and Richard Decker. ## **Samuel Huston** 11 LBFS season report 2023-2024 ## **Chairman’s report** We started our 2023/24 season with magnificent performances of Parts 1 and 3 of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols. Also included in the programme were a couple of carols by Hector Berlioz (including his well-known Shepherd’s farewell) and a superb arrangement (in 12 different keys) of the 12 days of Christmas by our own President, Philip Stopford. The church was full to overflowing and there were, deservedly, many complimentary comments from a knowledgeable audience. The concert was accompanied by the Aurelian Ensemble and John Wearmouth on the organ. Our Spring 2024 concert, at St Barnabas Linslade, featured Faure’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Hear my Prayer with its famous “O for the wings of a dove” treble solo at the end, beautifully sung by Olivia Olleson, the Deputy Head Chorister at All Saints’. Again, the choir sang well under our Musical Director’s excellent leadership, accompanied sensitively by John Wearmouth on the organ. The Mendelssohn is available to listen to on our website. We sang again in the High Street for May Day and our Summer concert on July 13 featured a selection of opera choruses which went down well with a good-sized audience. Our accompanist, John Wearmouth, retired at the end of the year. We thank him for everything he has done for the choir over the years he has been in post and wish him well for the future. Our membership has continued to increase over the year, and we look forward to our next season with confidence that the choir continues to go from strength to strength. With my eternal thanks to our Musical Director, Sam, and to the many who take on volunteer roles for the choir. ## **Paul Dickens Chairman** ## **Membership secretary’s report** The singing membership of the Choir at the end of June 2024 was 52 (soprano 14, alto 23, tenor 7, bass 7), an increase from 6 over the previous 12 months. There has been a very welcome number of expressions of interest in the choir, most of which have translated into membership. However, recruitment is central to the future success, both musical and financial, of the choir, especially if we are to perform much of the standard choral repertoire 12 LBFS season report 2023-2024 and the Management Committee will continue to look for opportunities of promoting the choir and all members are encouraged to look out for potential recruits. During the Spring and Summer term, the choir noticed a reduced number of Tenor and Bass members but we welcomed friends from other local choirs to boost these sections in the April concert. ## **Leanne Morgan** ## **Treasurer’s report for year 2023-2024** The choir had another successful year financially with income exceeding expenditure by over £1500. One reason for this was the large size of the audience for our two concerts. The concert in December 2023 did make a loss of £1827 (without taking concert specific grants into account) but this was well within expectations given the cost of the orchestra (£3159). I see no reason why the choir cannot continue to have one such ‘expensive’ concert every season. This loss was more than balanced by the Faure Requiem concert in April this year which produced a profit of £2630. The second reason for the financial success was various grants we received, namely £500 from Leighton Linslade Arts Forum, £1000 from Osborne, Morris and Morgan and £1000 from the Wixamtree Trust. We are very grateful for these as they are an essential part of our income. My thanks goes to the many members of the choir who have recently signed gift aid declarations (and thanks to Roger Chapman for organising this). As a result of these, I was able to claim over £500 back from HMRC for the tax year 2022-23 and will hopefully get a similar amount when I put in a claim for 2023-24. We have also made a saving of over £400 a year by removing our music stock from commercial storage – after some pruning the music is now being looked after by Richard Watts. I am now more than happy with the financial situation that the choir finds itself in and hope that things will continue in this way to ensure a secure future. ## **Ros Mennie** 13 L8FS season report 2023-2024 14 L8FS season report 2023-2024 15 ## **LEIGHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SINGERS INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2024** |Note
**Incoming Resources**
Subscriptions and donations
Subscriptions from Members
Donations
Fundraising Events
2
Grants and Gift Aid
Coach Tickets
Concert tickets, programmes & other receip
Other
**Total Incoming Resources**
**Resources Expended**
Hire of halls & rehearsal facilities
Music Hire and Purchase
Music Storage
Orchestra & Soloists
Musical Director
Rehearsal Accompanist
Insurance & Subscriptions
Sundry Concert Expenses
4
Postage & Printing
Other
3
**Total Resources Expended**
**NET INCOMING RESOURCES**|**2023-24**
£
£
£
5,975
_-_
5,975
1,040
_-_
1,040
22
_-_
22
3,048
_-_
3,048
501
-
501
t
7,357
-
7,357
0
0
0
**17943**
**0**
**17943**
2,416
-
2,416
544
-
544
0
-
0
4,009
-
4,009
4,875
-
4,875
2,150
-
2,150
488
-
488
357
-
357
369
-
369
1,141
1,141
**16349**
**0**
**16349**
**1594**
**0**
**1594**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**|**2022-23**
**Total Funds**
£
£
£

5,590
_-_
5,590

856
_-_
856

23
_-_
23

1,770
_-_
1,770

463
-
463

6,570
-
6,570

70
0
70

**15342**
**0**
**15342**

2,501
-
2,501

82
-
82

415
-
415

3,066
-
3,066

4,320
-
4,320

1,950
-
1,950

326
-
326

208
-
208

452
-
452

1,090
1,090

**14416**
**0**
**14416**

**926**
**0**
**926**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**|| |---|---|---|---| ## **Note 1** ## Accounting Policies The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the society's financial statements Basis of accounts: The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention ## **Note 2** Fundraising receipts are payments from Easyfundraising ## **Note 3** Other expenditure includes depreciation; choir refreshments and coach hire ## **GHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SIN OME AND EXPENDITURE ACCO R THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 202** **Incoming Resources** Subscriptions and donations Subscriptions from Members Donations Fundraising Events Grants and Gift Aid Coach Tickets Concert tickets, programmes & ot Other **Total Incoming Resources Resources Expended** Hire of halls & rehearsal facilities Music Hire and Purchase Music Storage Orchestra & Soloists Musical Director Rehearsal Accompanist Insurance & Subscriptions Sundry Concert Expenses Postage & Printing Other **Total Resources Expended NET INCOMING RESOURCES** ## **Note 1** Accounting Policies The following accounting policies the society's financial statements Basis of accounts: The accounts **Note 2** Fundraising receipts are payment **Note 3** Other expenditure includes depre ## **GHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SIN OME AND EXPENDITURE ACCO R THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 202** **Incoming Resources** Subscriptions and donations Subscriptions from Members Donations Fundraising Events Grants and Gift Aid Coach Tickets Concert tickets, programmes & ot Other **Total Incoming Resources Resources Expended** Hire of halls & rehearsal facilities Music Hire and Purchase Music Storage Orchestra & Soloists Musical Director Rehearsal Accompanist Insurance & Subscriptions Sundry Concert Expenses Postage & Printing Other **Total Resources Expended NET INCOMING RESOURCES** ## **Note 1** Accounting Policies The following accounting policies the society's financial statements Basis of accounts: The accounts **Note 2** Fundraising receipts are payment **Note 3** Other expenditure includes depre ## **LEIGHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SINGERS BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MAY 2024** |||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note
CURRENT ASSETS
Music Stocks valued by officers
Debtors & Prepayments
Cash in hand and at bank
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Creditors & Accrued Income
ASSETS
GENERAL FUND
U
Balance 1 June 2023
Balance of Income over Expenditure
Balance 31st May 2024|**2024**
nrestricted

£
7,195
1,594
8,790|**581**
**0**
**8,524**
**315**
Restricted
£
0
0|**9,105**
**-315**||**2023**
Unrestricted
£
6,270
926
7,195||**645**
**955**
**7,042**
**1,447**
Restricted
£
0
0|**8,642**
**-1,447**| ||||**8,790**|||||**7,195**| ||||**Total**
**7,195**
**1,594**
**8,790**|||||**Total**
**6,270**
**926**
**7,195**| ## **GHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SINGE LANCE SHEET AT 31 MAY 2024** CURRENT ASSETS Music Stocks valued by officers Debtors & Prepayments Cash in hand and at bank CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors & Accrued Income ASSETS GENERAL FUND Balance 1 June 2023 Balance of Income over Expenditure Balance 31st May 2024 ## **GHTON BUZZARD FESTIVAL SINGE LANCE SHEET AT 31 MAY 2024** CURRENT ASSETS Music Stocks valued by officers Debtors & Prepayments Cash in hand and at bank CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors & Accrued Income ASSETS GENERAL FUND Balance 1 June 2023 Balance of Income over Expenditure Balance 31st May 2024