The Davey Consort CIO Annual Report Year ending 31[st] December 2020.
Upon establishment in August 2018, the Trustees of the Davey Consort CIO identified three priorities to help them realise their charitable objects. The objectives outlined in 2019 have continued to be central to the work of the Trustees in the difficult times of the Covid Pandemic.
Objectives:
The identified need to expand the Trustee base in order to take forward the Davey Consort’s ambitious mission, involving also local volunteers to play a part in establishing the consort.
To meet its musical and educational objectives, trustees initial fundraising endeavours were focused on raising sufficient funds to acquire the 13.5 rank instrument which had been commissioned from Master Organ builder, Bernard Aubertin and install it in the home of the consort, the recently restored, Wardell, Grade II * Listed, Church of St Birinus in Dorchester on Thames.
The Davey Consort should seek to establish a reliable programme of music at St Birinus each Sunday and on each major feast to supplemented by a complimentary programme both of concerts and via a choral pilgrimage to outlying churches bring world class performance of sacred music to a wider non-denominational audience in the South Oxfordshire area.
The Trustees envisaged these three were the essential pillars that need to be in place in order to establish scholarships and a program of wider educational outreach which is at the heart of this endeavour to create a centre of excellence for the
performance of sacred music in the context of Catholic liturgy and in other settings accessible to the wider community.
Activities:
A vigorous fund-raising effort was underway before the establishment of the consort as a CIO has been sustained through the Covid Pandemic. In 2020 it has raised £135k primarily through private donations.
There have been no public concerts since March 2019.
However, despite difficulties, music for Sunday Mass was restored in September 2020. We received various donations in respect of equipment for Livestreaming Sunday Mass. Over the last 20 months, these well-received livestreams have featured a wide range of Renaissance polyphony and particularly neglected works by Palestrina. Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony forms the core of Davey Consort repertoire including neglected compositions by the English masters like Parsons and Tye.
We now have a performance archive to these occasions.
Sunday Mass itself sets this neglected repertoire, in the liturgy much as it was when the music was composed. The Consort fully realises both the spiritual and artistic intent of these composers, offering a unique opportunity for worshippers and a wider public, including artists, students of liturgy and Christian worship and historians, to experience sacred music in its fullest integrity of religious expression.
The Aubertin Organ:
The Aubertin Organ enables this vision for a world class music repertoire of the Davey Consort to be realised. The organ has attracted attention from far and wide and will be installed this October (2021). This makes possibilities for hosting recitals and concerts a near reality, once we a fully clear of Covid restrictions for performance, securing music at St Birinus and its environs and enabling it to become financially selfsupporting.
As previously noted, the trustees (excluding Ryan Wigglesworth and Fr John Osman who have an interest in the matter) had resolved to acquire the title to the organ once it was installed in St Birinus. This remains the case.
Funds raised for the organ project via the Davey Consort have been paid to Aubertin and he has finished building the organ. Installation had been expected to take place late in the autumn of 2020 but restrictions surrounding Covid-19 in both France and the UK made that impossible.
The organ is scheduled for installation in November 2021.
Meanwhile, the Trustees have worked together with the Catholic Church of St Birinus to make necessary preparatory arrangements and obtain the necessary faculty from the Historical Churches Commission. Preliminary electrical works have been carried out.
Achievements and Performance:
Despite the limitations of time the Trustees have compiled and updated a Foundation document that sets out a vision for the future of the Davey Consort. Special priority for Safeguarding policy and other matters of practice related to management of singers of potential scholars continue to be a priority for the trustees.
It has developed polices for Scholarships and their award.
It has made approaches to a wide range of music and arts bodies including successful applications to the Portman, Garfield Weston Foundation and Backstage Trust. We have also secured various larger and smaller donations. We still have several pending.
By the end of 2020 we had almost completed fundraising to pay for the organ. We can anticipate the future by saying in 2021 the project has been brought to a successful conclusion.
A music programme at St Birinus has been sustained in very difficult circumstances.
In December 2019 we had also secured for funding the proposed Choral Pilgrimage from South Oxfordshire District Council, but this had to be abandoned, although the south Oxfordshire District Council is keen for us to reapply once Covid 19 restrictions are fully lifted in places of worship.
The Davey Consort also seeks to build links into the wider county - for example by partnering with Oxford County Council Library Service or by partnering with schools and other educational resources. It is also considering a pilot to bring music into Huntercombe Prison which has a high number of Catholics. Progressing these ambitions was stymied by the course and duration of the pandemic.
2021 & beyond:
Given the circumstances of Covid 19 it seems essential at least to offer some general idea of how the Davey Consort expects to weather the continued storm.
We had entered 2020 hopefully, with a program of music, events and fundraising. Like many charities associated with the performing arts quickly found itself challenged by the
difficulties associated with Covid-19 virus. We have been playing catch-up ever since as the course of the pandemic has ebbed and then flowed.
Public performance by the consort first ceased in March 2020. It resumed in the autumn of 2020 at St Birinus has been sustained since.
The CIO has also sustained momentum secure sufficient funds to pay for the Aubertin organ which we certainly hope will installed in November 2021, assuming there are no further difficulties with lockdowns and quarantines. We have also raised funds to cover VAT liabilities which will arise on import of the instrument.
The Davey Consort is better placed than many small music charities to thrive in the new world of performance that is consequential to this period of turmoil and uncertainty.
In raising funds in troubled times, the CIO has demonstrated a capacity to engage effectively with Donors and to share its vision.
Its future will be focused on building a successful friends and supporters base to cover running costs of the choir; to establish scholarships and to develop a wider educational and performance remit.
Trustees believe new undertakings like Choral Pilgrimages or Festivals must have costs underwritten by grants or donations. Although there are ambitions to move forward with scholarships and with a wider educational project which may include a building project, these can proceed only once fully funded.
The charitable objectives will still require much from Trustees but having secured notable success, in the most troubled of circumstances, it is possible to be realistically optimistic for the CIO’s future.
John Murphy
Chair The Davey Consort CIO
Davey Consort CIO Receipts & Payments Accounts
For the year ended 31[st] December 2020
Receipts & Payments
| Receipts Year to 31.12. 20 £ 15 mths to 31.12.19 £ Fundraising 133,9 13 64,817 Concerts & festival - 4,748 Gift Aid - 2,580 Choir (Friends) 1,475 1,640 Equipment 1,750 - Total Receipts 137,1 73,785 |
Payments Year to 31.12. 20 £ 15 mths to 31.12. 19 £ |
|---|---|
| Choir 7,447 8,947 Concerts/pilgrimage - 1,191 Administration & printing 723 1,141 Legal & Professional fees 422 320 Maintenance of equipment/instruments 1,650 80 Asset and investment purchases Organ prepayment* 133,1 05 50,00 0 |
|
| Total Payments 144,3 61,67 |
1
38
46
9
Cash Funds at 4,898 12,106 riod end* pe
- Note : two payments originally transferred in December totalling £32,030.00 were in fact debited by the bank in January 2021; they have been included here within ‘Organ prepayment’ and ‘Cash Funds at period end’ to reflect the true year-end position.
2: Statement of Assets & Liabilities
| Assets £ Organ prepayment 183,105 Transcribed Music (note 1) 1,000 Harpsichord 500 Cash funds 4,898 Total Assets 189,50 3 |
Liabilities £ |
|---|---|
| Organ outstanding balance (notes 2 & 3) 59,974 |
|
| Total Liabilities 59,97 4 |
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
2
Date of approval: 11[th] October 2021
Print name: Fr John Osman
Date of approval: 11[th] October 2021
Print name: John Murphy
Note 1:
The value ascribed is a Trustee valuation.
Note 2
The acquisition of a pipe organ of the highest quality forms part of the Charitable Objects of the Davey Consort CIO. The organ, commissioned from designs of world-renowned Master Organ Builder Dr Bernard Aubertin, is being built by his company in France under his personal direction. It has a construction cost of Euro 376,500. The exchange rate used in accounts is £1.00 = Euro 1.10.
Payments have been made to date by the Davey Consort CIO of £183,105 (received by Aubertin as Eur 199,279 at time of payment), and a single donation of £100K (Eur 111,250 at time of payment) was made prior to the establishment of the Consort.
There was an outstanding balance of Eur 65,971or £59,974 as at 31 December 2020.
3
During 2021 several private donations totalling in excess of £100,000 have been received, and a further series of stage payments from the Consort for £37,573 have been made to Aubertin. The Consort has sufficient funds to complete the purchase and installation of the organ in 2021.
It should be noted that the Contract for the construction of the organ was signed by two Trustees prior to the formation of the CIO, namely Fr John Osman and Ryan Wigglesworth, in their personal capacity.
The organ is expected to be installed in October 2021; the Consort will acquire title to the organ by Novation and the organ will then show in the Davey Accounts.
Note 3
The Consort has engaged specialist advice on recovering VAT payable on import. There is a possibility – albeit remote - that the VAT liability of approx. £70,000 will not be recoverable, however the Trustees believe that they could cover the requirement via further fundraising if required. The Consort have been advised that there is no duty payable on the import of a pipe organ.
4
Davey Consort CIO
Independent Examination Review – y/e 31 December 2020 September 2021
Direction 1: Check whether the charity is eligible to have an independent examination
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Receipts in accounts confirmed gross income as £137,000 for the period, assets as £189,500, both are below the audit thresholds quoted on the gov.uk website
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The charity is a registered CIO (number 1180917), confirmed by looking up the Charity Commission register
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The charity is not a company, and has no subsidiaries
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The charity’s constitution doesn’t require an audit (or accruals accounting)
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There is no other known reason that an audit is required
Conclusion : the Davey Consort CIO is eligible to have an independent examination and is also eligible to prepare receipts and payments accounts.
Direction 2: Check for any conflict of interest that prevents the examiner from carrying out their independent examination
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There are no close personal relationships with the trustees that compromise independence
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The Examiner has no day to day involvement in the administration of the charity
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There are no cirucmstances in the examiner’s judgment that would reasonably lead to the perception that the examiner is not independent
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The Examiner holds an ACA qualification and is a member of the ICAEW, so has the necessary skills to carry out the examination
Conclusion : there is no conflict of interest preventing the examiner from carrying out their independent examination
Direction 3: Record your independent examination
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Examiner appointment confirmed by email by Trustees on 9[th] October 2020, minuted at 23[rd] October Trustee meeting (copy kept on electronic file by Examiner)
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- Note above on lack of audit requirement and Examiner qualifications under Directions 1 & 2
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See Direction 11 for analytical review
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Areas of clarification have been resolved via email with Chair John Murphy
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See Direction 6 for verification and vouching carried out
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Annual report kept on electronic file
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Information relied upon includes bank statements, accounting records, minutes and original receipts & invoices, all either via email or saved on electronic file by Examiner
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- See Direction 13 for conclusions
Direction 4: Plan your independent examination
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A similar approach to last year has been taken
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The charity doesn’t have a Treasurer or anyone with a specifically financial background maintaining its accounting records, so the independent examination has involved a recalculation of the accounting summary and preparation of the Receipts & Payments accounts from the bank statements, with significant transactions verified to third party records, and smaller amounts reviewed for reasonableness and against the activities in the prior year.
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Post year end bank statements have also been reviewed to ensure commitments at the year end can be met.
Direction 5: Check that accounting records are kept to the required standard
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All receipts and payments are recorded in spreadsheets that correspond to bank statements and invoices
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The accounting records are readily available and were provided for the review immediately on request
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The accounts provide enough information to understand the activities of the charity and its financial position, and its finances can be understood at any point during and at the end of the financial period
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Accounts information is transparent, and the Trustees readily accepted some amendments by the Examiner
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There is supporting documentation for every transaction in the bank accounts and therefore the accounting records, which feed the accounts. A sample were verified as part of the review and were found to all agree.
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There isn’t currently a fixed asset register, but this will be put in place as soon as a Treasurer is on board. At this period end the value of fixed assets was £189k.
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There hasn’t been any fundraising activity other than personal donations in the period due to Covid, and records are kept of the donors and amounts.
Conclusion : accounts and accounting records are kept to the required standard for a charity of this size.
Direction 6: Check that the accounts are consistent with the accounting records
- Accounts checked to accounting records and to bank statements,
Conclusion : accounts are consistent with the accounting records.
Direction 7: If the accounts are prepared on an accruals basis and one or more related party transactions took place the examiner must check if these were properly disclosed in the notes to the accounts
Accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. A related party transaction has been disclosed in the Annual report and in the notes to the accounts, regarding the fact that two Trustees originally signed the organ contract which the charity will be taking over in late 2020/early 2021. Title will be acquired by the charity by novating the contract, and all remaining outstanding payments will be made by the charity from its fundraising activities. The two trustees have declared their interest at Trustee meetings and it has been agreed and minuted that they will not participate in any matters relating to the contract at Trustee meetings so that all decisions and discussions regarding the organ are free of any conflict of interest.
Conclusion : yes there is a significant related party transaction, but it is noted clearly in the accounts and handled appropriately in the management of the charity.
Direction 8: Check the reasonableness of the significant estimates and judgments and accounting policies used in accounting for the types of fund held and in the preparation of the accounts
The accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. One item that is estimated is the outstanding liability on the organ due to exchange rate fluctuations. At the time of the review, the market rate is in the Charity’s favour versus the rate used in the accounts, clearly there is some risk of fluctuation, but the remaining outstanding balances are relatively small and small fluctuations in the exchange rate are manageable.
Conclusion : significant estimates due to exchange rate fluctuations are reasonable.
Direction 9: The examiner must check whether the trustees have considered the financial circumstances of the charity at the end of the reporting period and, if the accounts are prepared on an accruals basis, check whether the trustees have made an assessment of the charity’s position as a going concern when approving the accounts
The Trustees have considered the financial circumstances of the charity and I have reviewed post year-end bank statements which confirm further donations made and further payments to the organ-maker. The Trustees have also considered the potential costs of import – namely VAT and duty – and have engaged a professional firm to advise them. The VAT is considered to be recoverable, however in the worst case further donations have been pledged to cover any shortfall. Given the charity’s track record of fundraising, this appears reasonable.
Conclusion: the Trustees have considered the charity’s position as a going concern when approving the accounts and this has been verified by email and minuted at the Oct 11[th] meeting.
Direction 10: Check the form and content of the accounts
The form of the accounts has been checked and complies with the suggested template for receipts & payments accounts on the Charity Commission’s website.
Conclusion : the form and content of the accounts meets the requirements for a CIO of this
size.
Direction 11: Identify items from the analytical review of the accounts that need to be followed up for further explanation or evidence
Bank balance as at Oct 2021 and evidence of further donations made post year-end given the outstanding amount owed for the organ and the related import costs to have the organ delivered and installed in St Birinus.
All items were followed up satisfactorily with the Chair of the charity, and all necessary evidence was provided.
Conclusion : item followed up and concluded satisfactorily.
Direction 12: Compare the trustees’ annual report with the accounts
The trustees’ annual report gives an introduction to the charity and is consistent with the accounts.
Direction 13: Write and sign the independent examination report This document forms the independent examination report.
Overall conclusion & recommendations : the charity is maintaining adequate accounting records and has provided sufficient evidence to establish the accounts’ accuracy and completeness.
Signed:
Charlotte Walker (e-sign)
Print Name: Charlotte Walker
Date: 14[th] October 2021