2023-08-31-accounts - Orchestra For The Earth

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1[st] September 2022 (Period start date) to 31[st] August 2023 (Period end date)

Charity name: Orchestra for the Earth

Charity registration number: 1180771

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The objects of the CIO are: 1) To advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of the arts, and in particular but not exclusively the art of music, by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts, recitals, lectures, workshops, open rehearsals and exhibitions. 2) To advance education for the public benefit in the subjects of protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment worldwide (including conservation of the natural environment and the promotion of sustainable development) in particular by the organisation and provision of public events and lectures. 3) To further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit but in particular through the making of grants and donations.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	OFE trustees are very pleased to report another strong year. Our events presented a strong value proposition and direct relevance to our charitable objects. Flagship events this year included KeeleArts – where Music Director John Warner hosted a short panel during the concert alongside academics from Keele University, discussing Alpine music, the history of exploration and scientific research in the Alps, and the threat they face from climate change. Earth Hour (March 2023) marked the first live return of this important event in OFE’s calendar. OFE performed a varied programme of music by Rameau, Howells and Tchaikovsky, interwoven with readings and poetry by leading environmental activist, poet and artist Judy Ling Wong. In August 2023, OFE worked with the Royal Parks for the new Regent’s Park Music Festival.

Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The Trustees remain certain that OFE’s environmental activism through music provides clear and evident public benefit. OFE remains a leading ambassador for inspiring environmental engagement and education through world class musical performances, and making a real and tangible public impact in that regard.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	OFE has, to date, not made any grants.
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	Not applicable
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Musicians and John Warner are compensated in line with Musicians’ Union rates. However, it must also be acknowledged that Warner also volunteers his time (in an unremunerated capacity) in terms of administrative time and effort supporting directly the OFE’s causes and objects.
Other		N/A

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20		March 2023–KeeleArts OFE was invited back for a second time to perform at the KeeleArts festival as part of their Green Week 2023. This time we offered a programme inspired by our Alpine Tour, featuring music by Mahler, Berg, Strauss, and a world premiere of a work by renowned British composer Martyn Harry. As before, Music Director John Warner hosted a short panel during the concert alongside academics from Keele University, discussing Alpine music, the history of exploration and scientific research in the Alps, and the threat they face from climate change. The concert was sold out and hugely well received. March 2023–Earth Hour The first live return of our annual Earth Hour concert since the pandemic. The new choice of venue, London’s historic Temple Church, was a great success, proving a beautiful, atmospheric, and acoustically excellent space for the event. OFE performed a varied programme of music by Rameau, Howells and Tchaikovsky, interwoven with readings and poetry by leading environmental activist, poet and artist Judy Ling Wong. The venue allowed us to perform in the round, which added a great deal to the immersive nature of the concert and the reception was extremely good. We raised funds for WWF and also attracted a substantial donation to OFE itself from a private supporter. August 2023–Regent’s Park The first of what we hope will become an annual event, OFE worked with the Royal Parks for the new Regent’s Park Music Festival. Presenting a summery, outdoors-themed programme of favourites by Mozart, Strauss, Puccini and more, OFE was joined by five star soloists, playing to a completely sold-out audience of over 400 people.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	The trustees of the OFE consider the activities during the period1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023to be wholly fulfilling of the objectives of OFE, as set out in the constitution.

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	The trustees of the OFE consider the activities of the period1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023to be wholly fulfilling of the objectives of OFE, as set out in the constitution.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	Not applicable – OFE holds no investments at present.
Other		Not applicable

Financial Review

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The trustees are pleased to report healthy finances at the close of August 2023 (please refer to accounts below for full detail). Net assets for 2022/23 ended £27,954.87 (including Orchestral Tax Relief (OTR) forecast and receivables due). OFE trustees are proud of the charity’s events and alignment of charitable capital to our objects, and look forward to continue scaling in a similar vein against the charity’s aims and objects. The trustees would like to give special credit to John Warner, Artistic Director, for his high-impact role directly raising funds and spear-heading events which have themselves brought in substantial charitable capital.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The successes of OFE’s charitable activities during the period from1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023have led to a continued strengthening of OFE’s working capital to pursue OFE’s charitable objects. As such it is the view of the trustees that the reserves policy should remain £5,000 (an estimate figure benchmarked against expected outlay for musicians’ fees for a small chamber orchestra concert). Reserves will be regularly reviewed to ensure an appropriate proportional balance between maintaining emergency reserves and deploying charitable capital to further OFE’s charitable objects. Interest bearing savings accounts are being explored to potentially secure a better rate of interest on our charitable capital.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	Not applicable – it is the view of the trustees that holding reserves is a critical part of OFE’s financial security and planning.
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	Not applicable – OFE is pleased to report no deficit across the accounts.
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	Not applicable – OFE looks forward to continuing its charitable endeavours in line with its objects long into the future.

Financials

Profit & Loss

Profit & Loss	2019/20(£)	2020/21(£)	2021/22(£)	2022/23(£)
Income
Donations	623.03	8,229.90	3,452.34	1,318.92
Tickets	(30.00)	80.89	-	6,839.86
Gift Aid	353.97	1,197.95	124.27	176.76
OTR	-	3,682.60	-	6,640.15*
Events	5,750.00	56,782.07	28,068.40	10,487.96

Total Income	6,697.00	69,973.41	31,645.01	25,463.65

Expenses
Artists	(5,135.00)	(45,646.81)	(26,929.59)	(4,548.77)
Equipment	(165.00)	(50.00)	(485.00)	(94.00)
Travel	-	(4,746.45)	(5,749.16)	(237.79)
Venue	-	-	-	(1,002.00)
Loan	-	-	-	-
Insurance	(137.00)	(493.12)	(923.92)	(481.12)
Performance Rights	108.17	-	-	-
Medical	-	(1,491.00)	-	-
Rehearsals	-	(252.00)	(271.00)	(252.00)
Marketing	(145.50)	(145.50)	(145.50)	(1,738.79)
Music Hire	-	(31.72)	(954.47)	(222.40)

Total Expenses	(5,474.33)	(52,856.60)	(35,458.64)	(8,576.87)

Profit /(Loss)	1,222.67	17,116.81	(3,813.63)	16,886.78

*For two fiscal years

Balance Sheet

Balance Sheet	2019/20 (£)	2020/21 (£)	2021/22 (£)	2022/23 (£)
Assets
Bank
Lloyds Bank	9,301.37	17,712.53	14,876.11	31,718.31
Wise (excl. EUR)	0.09	605.91	1.89	1.89
PayPal	319.07	352.29	-	44.58
Stripe	-	-	-	-

Cash in hand
Cash	549.24	507.41	486.51	485.85

Current assets
OTR (forecast)	-	1,637.18	3,217.19	986.68
Receivables		3,414.00	5,631.58	6,623.75

Total Assets	10,169.77	24,229.32	24,213.28	39,861.06

Liabilities
Payables	-	-	-	11,906.19

Total Liabilities	-	-	-	11,906.19

Net Assets / (Liabilities)	10,169.77	24,229.32	24,213.28	27,954.87

Examiner’s unqualified report (for a non-company charity preparing receipts and payments accounts) with a gross income of £250,000 or less in the relevant financial year

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Orchestra for the Earth (1180771)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Orchestra for the Earth (1180771) for the year 1[st] September 2022 (Period start date) to 31[st] August 2023 (Period end date)

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’).

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:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records.

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: Ju-Vern See

Address: 176 Tunnel Avenue, London SE10 0PL

Date: 23 Jun 2024

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	The CIO’s principal sources of funds include box- office sales (in-person and online), private donations, trust grants, local authority funding, and hire fees (where the orchestra is hired for events that align with the CIO’s core objects). Any funds raised over this period have either gone directly into event costs, assigned to future events, or contributed to continuing to build the CIO’s reserves. As a CIO, Orchestra for the Earth (OFE) holds a business (charity) bank account with Lloyds Bank and one secondary bank account with Wise for overseas transactions as they occur, to ensure more economically prudent FX rates and fees. OFE also holds PayPal and Stripe accounts for processing some donations. OFE maintains a cash box for in-person box office needs (e.g. supplying change etc.). This includes GBP and other foreign currencies.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	CIO funds are not invested at this time, and given the short term needs of the CIO’s funds no plans are made to invest any of the CIO’s funds.
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	• Reputational risks – the trustees continue to pro-actively manage the optics of the OFE’s environmental charitable objects in context of its need to travel to take up opportunities that benefit OFE’s causes. OFE will prioritize environmentally conscious travel. • Financial Risk – trustees remain fully confident in OFE’s diligent financial management; the keeping of capital reserves (£5000 – justified above) reflects this. • Single person dependency risk – whilst the board of trustees does not predict any changes in John Warner’s high impact role as artistic director, the trustees will remain in close contact with Warner on his priorities for OFE • Legal risks – and accordingly OFE retains Trustee liability insurance and Public Liability insurance. • Operational risks – day to day operations and end to end administration is headed by J. Warner – and whilst trustees have full faith in Warner’s abilities and deliveries to date, the board continues to remain close to Warner to ensure kept well abreast of activities, developments across OFE’s operations. • Cyber security risks; OFE, in common with all organisations of any scale, faces such risks. The board will be actively working through fit for purpose cyber risks mitigations.
Other		N/A

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	• M. Davies resigned from the board (May 2023). The board accepted Davies’ resignation (voted unanimously to accept) with thanks for her service as a founding trustee these 5 years. • Future potential trustees will be appointed and elected by the board.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:	Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	Individual interviews and meetings, plus a formal vote precedes any appointment to OFE’s board. OFE also runs probationary periods for new trustees to ensure a good fit on both sides.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	OFE is governed by the board of trustees with close engagement with John Warner, Artistic Director, who handles day-to-day operations, events, fund raising. The trustees and Warner continue to partner well together, and are together assessing whether in due course additional help and support would be a valuable thing to augment OFE’s scalability in day to day operations, along with any extra trustee appointments to augment further board expertise.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	The trustees partner closely with the Founder and Artistic Director, John Warner, in all aspects of the charity’s administration and aims/goals. It is the trustees’ unanimous view that Warner continues to be the best person for the job given his expertise, commitment and personal alignment to the CIO’s objects.
Other		N/A

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Orchestra for the Earth
Other name the charity uses	OFE
Registered charity number	1180771
Charity’s principal address	Perrotts Hill Farm North Leigh Witney Oxfordshire OX29 6PT

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year
Alycia Jewes	Chair	N/A
Ben Kimberley	Trustee	N/A
Benjamin Cartlidge	Trustee	N/A
Miranda Davies	Trustee	UptoMay 2023
Phoebe Potter	Trustee	N/A
Ben Moxham	Trustee	N/A
Andrew Hochhauser KC	Trustee	N/A

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others	Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets held in this capacity	Not applicable
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	Not applicable
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	Not applicable

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address




Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
John Warner (Founder & Artistic Director)

John Warner (Founder & Artistic Director)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Ben G. J. Kimberley Position (eg Secretary, Trustee Chair, etc) Date 20th June 2024