The Bristol Reggae Orchestra
Charity registration number: 1180167 Annual report and Unaudited Financial Statements
For the year ended 30 September 2023
1
The Bristol Reggae Orchestra Contents
| Report on activities – orchestra and choir | 4 |
|---|---|
| Trustees Report | 5 |
| Statement of Receipts and Payments | 10 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 11 |
| Notes to the Statement of Receipts and Payments | 12 |
2
The Bristol Reggae Orchestra Reference and Administrative Details
| Charity Registration Number | 1180167 |
|---|---|
| Patron | Gary Crosby OBE |
| Chair | Arusha McKenzie (since January 2024) |
| Arden Tomison (until January 2024) | |
| Orchestra Leader | Norma Purnell (appointed August 2023) |
| Choir Leader | Melanie Otto |
| Trustees during the year | Arusha McKenzie |
| Barrington Chambers | |
| Kat Branch | |
| Kevin Millwood | |
| Norma Daykin | |
| Sharon Folland | |
| Rebecca Scott | |
| Kristian Sharpe | |
| Wesley Guinchard-Cox | |
| Arden Tomison (resigned January 2024) | |
| Adam Wilson (resigned October 2023) | |
| Treasurers | Sue Lamble (Orchestra) and Marie James (Choir) |
| Musical Director | Ben Jenkins |
| Choir Director | Orgena Rose (until February 2024) |
| Kim Samuels (since April 2024) | |
| Principal Address | Malcolm X Community Centre |
| 141 City Road | |
| Bristol | |
| BS2 8YH | |
| Bankers | Lloyds |
| Charity Website | https://www.bristolreggaeorchestra.com/ |
3
Report on activities - Orchestra and Choir
Bristol Reggae orchestra
What a year we’ve had! A group of unrelated people playing our individual instruments for the love of music. At times working alongside the now up and (almost) independent Windrush Reggae Choir. We went to Glastonbury Festival, performing on the Pyramid Stage – opening for Sir Elton John himself, alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Community
We continued the Reaching Out programme through the summer of 2023. As well as workshops with schools and mid-term youth programmes, the orchestra performed at the local community centre at Filwood in Knowle West and partnered with the Bristol Beacon’s grand opening.
Choir
Although the choir is almost independent of the orchestra in the running and the management committees, the orchestra is still involved for support and guidance. We hold joint committee meetings as and when needed. Amongst other events, the choir performed independently at the SS Great Britain to support their inaugural Windrush celebration event. The choir continues to bring in new members, raising the profile of both the Orchestra and the Choir, thus leading to further performances. The choir continues into 2024 with a new leader Kim Samuels.
Operations
We are currently recruiting for a 16 hour per month role to assist with administration on the charity.
The Management Committee has been reinstated and meets on a 6-weekly basis. There are also several sub-committees who oversee key areas of the organisation such as music development and asset management. I am grateful to the extremely dedicated team of member volunteers who support these operations. We have made updates to the website to streamline booking processes by introducing an integrated booking form, publicising rates and a new FAQs section. This piece of work is ongoing and there are plans in place to further improve this platform.
We are looking forward to various joint performance events at Valley Festival and others.
We are in consultation with our members about a proposed structure of governance that would see new, paid roles for the orchestra, skills development for members, development of the youth music and outreach programme, and support for the choir.
Singers
We are planning a pool of singers to support the orchestra on various tracks which will be led by the BRO musical director and WRC music leader.
Overall, we have enjoyed a happy year supporting the communities we live in.
Norma Purnell Orchestra Leader
4
Trustees Report
The trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2023.
Objectives and activities
Objectives and aims
The objectives of the charity are to advance the art of music, particularly reggae and other related music genres of Jamaican origin for the benefit of the public by performing and providing opportunities to develop musical skills.
Public benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Achievements and performance
During the course of the year the Windrush Choir has been incorporated into the charity and a number of successful joint performances have been given. Both the choir and the Orchestra are excited by this new partnership and future joint performances continue to be identified and planned. The orchestra performed for the local community of Montpelier at its annual Guy Fawkes celebrations. The charity also continued to serve the community of St. Paul’s in which it was founded and held open sessions of music and singing for its elders and the wider community.
During this year a number of new trustees joined the board whilst Adam Wilson stepped down. Arden Tomison also chose to step down from the board of trustees in January 2024 due to ill health. Arden joined the Orchestra in 2012, became Orchestra Leader in 2017 and joined the board in 2018. He remains a playing member of the orchestra and we look forward to his continued contribution to the charity in a musical capacity.
Arusha McKenzie – appointed 14/02/2023 Kristian Sharpe – appointed 14/02/2023 Sharon Folland – appointed 16/03/2023 Wesley Guinchard-Cox – appointed 15/05/2023 Rebecca Scott – appointed 19/09/2023
Rebecca Scott chose to step down as leader of the orchestra during the year, subsequently joining the board of trustees instead. Norma Purnell assumed the role of leader of the orchestra.
In February 2024 Orgena Rose chose not to accept a renewed contract as choir leader and subsequently left the role. This role was subsequently taken up by Kim Samuels.
During the course of the year board meetings returned to being mainly in person, although remote attendance was maintained as an option for those who found it useful after the pandemic.
The Bristol City Council Imagination Grant applied for in the year ending 2022 was not successful due to administration errors by Bristol City Council resulting in the fund offering being withdrawn.
5
In summary, the choir has been successfully integrated into the charity and the post year-end task of finding a new Choir Director was handled in a swift and successful fashion, involving a minimal hiatus with Kim Samuels assuming the role just a few weeks later.
Thanks are due to all Trustees, to the Orchestra Leader, Norma Purnell, and especially our Orchestra Music Director, Ben Jenkins, our former Choir Leader, Orgena Rose, and our current Choir Leader, Kim Samuels.
Financial review
The total cash fund position at the end of the period was £14,826 (Unrestricted funds: £9,792, restricted funds £5,034). The Charity reports a deficit during the period of £11,096 (Unrestricted funds: a surplus of £2,987, restricted funds: a deficit of £14,083).
The Windrush Choir joined the Bristol Reggae Orchestra Organisation during the year. This is the first year that their finances will be reflected in the accounts. The choir does not currently have its own bank account, the choir is in the process of setting one up and will have one in the year ended 2024.
Income
The Charity received total income of £24,646, meaning that there was no need for an independent examination of the accounts.
Income from members subscriptions to the orchestra and the choir totalled £5,526 (2022: £3,009). Members continue to remain committed to paying their subscription fees and it is recognised that these fees enable the Charity to meet its minimum annual operating costs, as reflected in the Statement of Receipts of Payments.
In 2022 the charity received a restricted grant from Windrush Choir Fund, £21.998, at year-beginning the remaining £14,584 of this grant that remained unspent from the prior year was required to be spent during the year and eventually only £303 of this remained unspent and needed to be returned to the Windrush Choir Fund. A breakdown of the grant expenditure can be seen at note 1 to the statement of receipts and payments.
The charity received performance income which generated £14,011 of income as a result of playing at a number of gigs, the most notable being the joint gigs at Glastonbury Festival and Bristol Harbour Festival from which the charity received fee income of £4,050.
The Charity has begun claiming gift aid this year for the first time and will do so on an ongoing basis going forward.
Expenditure
The Charity’s core operating costs were £4,436 (2022: £4,692), which is roughly consistent with the prior year. The Charity incurred costs of £351 (2022: £1,380) in relation to the hire of rehearsal spaces, a reduction due to the Malcolm X Centre experiencing staffing issues during the year and consequently not invoicing the organisation for the usage of their space. These invoices were issued post year-end and will be reflected in the accounts for the year ended 30/09/2024.
Musical Director’s fees were £4,700 for the orchestra and the choir (2022: £1,635), an increase which is a result of the increase in activities throughout the year, as described above. The charity recognises the significant commitment and key role of the Musical Directors.
6
The charity spent all but the £303 of the Windrush Choir Grant that was awarded to the charity in 2022, with the remainder being returned to the Church Urban Fund.
Plans for future periods
Grant funding applications
As noted in last year’s report, the organisation applied for a grant from the Arts Council post year-end. This application was sadly unsuccessful, the reasons given being that the application was undeveloped in nature and insufficiently detailed. The trustees will take learnings from this and are assessing the options available for furthering the long-term goals of the organisation. Decisions will be taken on this issue in due course and this matter will be reported on in the 2024 trustees’ report.
Structure, governance and management
The Bristol Reggae Orchestra is a registered charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and is governed by its constitution dated 2 October 2018. The CIO was registered with the Charity Commission on 2 October 2018 .
During the preparation of the annual return, it became clear that the charity did not have policies and procedures for the following areas: safeguarding, serious incident reporting, internal risk management and social media. The trustees are aware of this and are endeavouring to put these policies and procedures in place by the end of the year ended 30/09/2024.
The CIO is administered by the Board of Trustees. The Board has begun to meet more frequently than its original quarterly basis to accommodate the additional work arising from the projects. A management committee and formal action groups are appointed to assist with orchestral section management, planning, development, communications and finance who meet every 6 weeks.
The action groups consist of the following:
Finances and income: responsible for managing the money, generating income, pursuing funding opportunities, sales and merchandising
Membership: responsible for managing recruitment, keeping a balance of musicians, involving members and volunteers, running rehearsals with refreshments
Musical development: responsible for working closely with the Musical Director to define our repertoire, manage the music library, commission new works and arrangements, seek educational and funded projects.
Media and marketing : responsible for publicity, recruitment strategies, managing social media and web-based activity, marketing and point of contact for bookings.
Performance logistics: responsible for maintenance and storage of all equipment, managing all aspects of performances including contracts, liaison, logistics (including transport), set-ups and take-downs.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
Trustees are appointed at the Annual General Meeting and are appointed on the basis of their skills and relevant experience to meet the objects of the charity. Trustees are elected by the membership to serve terms of one year and are eligible for re-election at the next Annual General Meeting.
7
Induction and training of trustees
Once appointed, new trustees are fully briefed by the board with regard to:
-
their obligations as members of the Board of Trustees, including relevant publications from the Charity Commission;
-
relevant documentation regarding the legal framework of the charity, e.g. Constitution;
-
relevant financial information as set out in the most recent published annual accounts;
-
strategic plans and objectives.
Reserves Policy
The Charity recognises that it requires a certain level of funding in order to meet its core operational activities. The Charity anticipates holding one year’s operating costs in reserve which will be monitored by the Treasurer and Board of Trustees on a regular basis.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee’s report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
…………………………….
Arusha McKenzie
Trustee
26 July 2024
8
Statement and Receipts and Payments
| RECEIPTS Donations, legacies, grants Note 1 Membership subscriptions Performance income Merchandise sales Glastonbury income Other income Asset and investment sales Total receipts PAYMENTS Musical director Musical project costs Note 1 Musician fees (non- members) Rent / Hire of rooms Advertising Insurance Website maintenance / Digital media Merchandise Sundry Orchestra administration costs Sound technician costs Musical equipment Glastonbury costs |
2023 2023 2023 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total Funds £ £ £ 3,185 500 3,685 5,526 - 5,526 9,961 - 9,961 - - - 4,050 - 4,050 1,425 - 1,425 - - - 24,146 500 24,646 4,700 - 4,700 2,161 14,583 16,745 954 - 954 351 - 351 - - - 239 - 239 152 - 152 - - - 559 - 559 4,357 - 4,357 1,587 - 1,587 - - - 5,649 - 5,649 |
2022 2022 2022 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total Funds £ £ £ 183 25,580 25,763 3,009 - 3,009 4,225 - 4,225 - - - - - - - - - |
|---|---|---|
| - - - |
||
| 7,417 25,580 32,997 1,635 - 1,635 440 10,337 10,777 370 - 370 1,380 - 1,380 - - - 193 - 193 207 - 207 378 - 378 89 - 89 - - - - - - - - - - - - |
9
| Asset and investment purchases Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) Transfer between funds Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
450 - 450 21,159 14,583 35,742 2,987 - 14,083 - 11,096 - - - 6,805 19,117 25,922 9,792 5,034 14,826 |
- 448 448 |
|---|---|---|
| 4,692 10,785 15,477 |
||
| 2,725 14,795 17,520 |
||
| - - - |
||
| 4,080 4,322 4,080 |
||
| 6,805 19,117 25,922 |
10
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Details Cash funds Cash at bank Other monetary assets - Investment assets - Assets retained for the charity's own use Merchandise Musical equipment Liabilities Creditors Details Cash funds Cash at bank Other monetary assets - Investment assets - Assets retained for the charity's own use Merchandise Musical equipment Liabilities Creditors |
2023 2023 2023 Unrestricted Restricted Total £ £ £ 9,792 5,034 14,826 |
|---|---|
| - - - - - - 1,730 - 1,730 |
|
| 7,903 - 7,903 |
|
| - - - |
|
| 2022 2022 2022 Unrestricted Restricted Total £ £ £ 6,805 19,117 25,922 |
|
| - - - - - - 1,730 - 1,730 |
|
| 7,903 - 7,903 |
|
| - - - |
11
Note to the Statement of Receipts and Payments
Note 1
Restricted funds
Breakdown of grant receipts and payments
| Balance Brought Forward1 October 2022 Total receipts during year: Payment: Musical project posts: Project co-ordination Workshop lead Workshop musicians Choir room hire Launch events - musical director Launch Events - sound engineer Launch Events - publicity Launch Events - photography Choir development Orchestra development Photographic record New composition Gala performance Gala expenses Other project expenses Funds returned to provider Subtotal Asset purchase (bass amplifier) Total payment during year Balance Carried Forward30 September 2023 |
BCC - Reaching Out Windrush Choir Co-Op Community Fund Total £ £ £ £ |
|---|---|
| 1,490 14,5843,043 19,117 | |
| 500 - - 500 |
|
| - (4,183) - - 0 - - 0 - - (848) - - 0 - - 0 - - 0 - - (88) - - (2,475) - - (950) - - (1,850) - - (1,000) - - (1,445) - - (1,442) - - 0 - - (303) - |
|
| 0 (14,584) 0 (14584) |
|
| - - (450) (450) |
|
| 0 (14,584) (450) (15,034) |
|
| 1,990 - 0 2,593 4,582 |
12
| Balance Brought Forward1 October 2021 Total receipts during year: Payment: Musical Project Costs: Project co-ordination Workshop lead Workshop musicians Launch events - musical director Launch Events - sound engineer Launch Events - publicity Launch Events - photography Choir development Photographic record New composition Other project expenses Subtotal Asset purchase (bass amplifier) Total payment during year Balance Carried Forward30 September 2022 |
BCC - Reaching Out Windrush Choir Co-Op Community Fund Total £ £ £ £ 4,322- - 4,322 |
|---|---|
| - 21,998 3,582 25,580 |
|
| (755) (2,350) - (3,105) (1,388) - - (1,388) (459) - - (459) - (240) - (240) - (100) - (100) - (242) - (242) - (150) - (150) - (1,450) - (1,450) - (1,500) - (1,500) - (1,125) - (1,125) (230) (257) (91) (578) |
|
| (2,832) (7,414) (91) (10,338) |
|
| - - (448) (448) |
|
| (2,832) (7,414) (539) (10,786) |
|
| 1,490 14,584 3,043 19,117 |
The financial statements were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on 26th of July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
………………………….
Arusha McKenzie Trustee 26 July 2024
13