## **CHAIR’S REPORT AGM 2023** 2022-23 was an eventful and successful year financially, musically and administratively. The Choir held a workshop in August 2022, discussing how we should move towards the Choir’s centenary in 2032. There were three main subjects: - Ambitions, standards and repertoire - Finances - - Recruitment and engagement of Choir and committee members 50 people attended the workshop itself and there were 27 individual written responses. There was a lot of consensus, including the importance of maintaining our high standards, continuing with auditions and perhaps making them more challenging, singing a more varied repertoire, and continuing to work with professional orchestras and soloists. Advertising for a new permanent Music Director began in October. In the interim, we let three consecutive temporary contracts which ran alongside the recruitment process. The recruitment was handled by a panel of 5, overseen by and reporting back to the full Trustee Committee. The panel interviewed 6 candidates in December and selected 3 to go forward to the auditions in January. Having reviewed all the evidence from the recruitment process, the panel recommended their preferred candidate to the Committee for final decision, and Benedict Collins Rice was appointed in February 2023. We had a successful concert programme in the year, beginning with Handel’s Messiah in November 2022 at The Apex, which was a sell-out, hugely acclaimed by the audience. Our Christmas concert at Lavenham followed in December, where we collected over £1000 on the door for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. In March 2023 we had another sell-out concert at The Apex with Elgar’s Sea Pictures and Orff’s Carmina Burana, including a children’s choir from Ickworth Park School. Our final concert in the year was at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, led by our new Music Director, where we performed Mozart’s Coronation Mass alongside Haydn’s Nelson Mass. The other main piece of work in the year was the recruitment of new Trustees, as 5 were due to step down at the AGM. Two new Trustees were co-opted onto the Committee in May 2023 and 5 others were appointed at the 2023 AGM. 1 ## **Bury Bach Choir** ## **AGM Treasurer’s Report** ## **25 October 2023** Firstly, I apologise for the late circula�on of the accounts for 2022/23. These were only very recently received from the examiner, a delay probably explained by the imminent merger of David Roberton with Knights Lowe. Once again, I extend my thanks to Stephen Cook of David Roberton for examining our annual accounts. 2022/23 was a good financial year for the choir. Strong receipts of £71453 were the result of considerably increased corporate patronage, in excess of £8000 largely thanks to the efforts of Mike Heywood, and two sell out concerts in the Apex. This resulted in a surplus for the year of £4593. Unfortunately, A-Plan, our major sponsor last year is not con�nuing this year due to internal changes and rebranding. However, we remain hopeful that they might return as patrons in the future. We have, in effect, saved most of their £5000 dona�on for onward funding. associated with staging concerts. However, we have set a broadly balanced budget for 2023/24, working closely with our new Musical Director. The actual budget ou�urn does depend strongly on �cket sales and hopefully our programme and your efforts will ensure these remain strong. Our cash posi�on remains good with over £36000 in the bank and on deposit at the end of the year. Richard Fletcher BURY ST EDMUNDS BACH SOCIETY IRe8iStered Charitable Incorporated Organisation No 11818421 ACCOUNTS Accounts for the ar ended 31 Jul 2023 Oavld Roberton & Co 84 Whiting Street Buryst Edmunds IP33 INZ BURY sr EDMUNDS BACH SOCIErY INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TrUSTEES YEAR ENDED 31 Jul 2023 I report on the accounts of the Soclety for the year ended 31 July 2023 sèt out on pages 2 to 4. RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILMES OF THE TRUSTEES ANDTHE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER As thè charit￿S Trusteès you are responsible for the preparatlon of the accounts,. you conslder that the audit requirement of 5e¢tion 144121 of the Charitles Act 2011 (the 2011 Actl does not apply and that an independent examination 15 needed. It 15 my responsibility to eyamine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act, follow the procedure5 laKt down In the General Dlrections given by the Charitv Commission under Section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act. and state whether partlcular matter5 have come to my attention. BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT My examinatlon was carried out in accordance wth the general dirertion5 glven by the Charitv Commission. An Independent examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a compari50n of the accounts prÈsented with those records. It also Includes consideration of any unusual item5 or di5closure5 in the accounts, and seeking explanatlQn5 from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all ihe evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S STATEMENT In connectlon wlth my examination, no matter has come to my attentlon :" which 8ive5 mè reasonable cause to believe that In any materlal respect the requirements:. lal to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Art, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accountlng records and to cornpty with the accountln8 requirements of thè 2011 Art have not been met, or to whl¢h. in my oplnlon. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper undersi?ndin8 of the attounts to be reached. Stephen Cook MA FCA DAVID ROBERTON & CO Chartered A¢¢ountants 84 Whiting Street Buryst Edmunds Suffolk IP33 INZ 23 October 2023 Page I BURY ST EDMUNDS BACH SOCIErY IRegistered Charitable Incorporated Organisation No 11818421 Ac¢ounts tor th ar ended 31 Jul 2023 2023 2022 Receipts and PaymentsAcc<)unt Income Recelpts VoluntarySou¢ces SinRin8 Members Svbscriptlons Fundraising efforts 18.134 661 17.333 997 18,795 18,330 COn￿rts TKket sa125dirett to thoir, atthe door & other outlets T4cket sales at the box offite Sponsorshlp Supplyin8 Copie$ of mu$i¢to sln8ers Sale of yogrammes atconterts Ad¥ertlsenRnts In cOr￿rt progrèmmes Other concert income 9.345 22,217 7,599 14.921 2,500 2.123 913 2.270 996 425 525 35,253 28.581 Patromgt Corporate patrons Personal patrons Tax refunds on covenants Miscellaneous patronage Grants from Local Alrthorltles 8,370 2,180 3.700 500 1,490 2,263 924 14,750 4,677 Trad￿g Activitie5 Scxlal event5 Mlscellaneoustrad5ng 578 70 129 129 648 Investmert Inome Bank Interest Jublllee Income 731 1.795 61 1.771 2,526 1.832 Total R¢tÈlpts 71.453 54.068 Page 2 BURY ST EDMUNDS BACH SOCIETY (Reglstered Charltable Incorporated Organisation No 11818421 Accounts for the ar ended 31 Jul 2023 2023 2022 Dlrettcharltsble Expendlture Rehearslng Conductors, fees AccoMpan￿ts, fees Venues 7,670 2,875 3,434 4,965 2.273 3.222 13,979 10,4f Con(erts Conductors, fees Sololsts, fees Orchestra'sfets Hire of instruments and orchestral Scores Venues stsginB and LrghtinÉ Handbills, Posters and Banner Performing Rights fees Box Office commlsslon Supplylng copie5 of muslc tg slngers cC￿￿rt programmes Charbtable donation frorn concert Mixellaneous concert expen5e5 2.865 6,750 15.155 2,945 5,034 4.777 1,122 396 3.734 3.121 3,400 6,030 10,975 1,891 4,500 3,821 2.019 355 2,301 3,020 I,ioi 2,083 2,257 50,024 41,496 Other Expendlture Tiadln8 General Publldty Sodal events Purchase or repairof f¢xed assets 1,510 1,433 201 528 528 3.144 Admlnistratlon and Management Conduciors /trfficers expenses and meetln8s Making Muslc Sub5crlptlon and Insurance Pank tharges Mlscellaneous Expen5e5 754 885 1,755 870 106 639 628 2,329 3.370 Awayday ExpendI￿r9 Total Expenrfiture 66,860 58,470 Page 3 BURY ST EDMUNDS BACH SOCIETY IRe8lStered Charitable Incorporated OrBanlsatlon No 11818421 Accounts forthe ar ended 2023 2022 Net receipt5 forthe perlod Cash and Bank b?￿nceS at l August 2022 Cash and 8onk balances èt 31st July 2023 4,593 31.809 36.402 4,402 36.211 31.809 Statemtnt of A55ets and Uablllties at 31stJuly 2023 Monetsry Assets Cash and Bank Balances Current Accourbt- Barclwys Bank Busine55 Premium Account- Barclays Cvrtent Ac£ount- HSBC Cash In Hand COIF Account Choir Fund Total Monetary Assets 403 12.945 4,749 3,892 54 23,000 23.000 36.402 31.809 De￿019 120 Uabllltles Credltors PRS Sololstfee 500 500 Total Monetsry Assets less Ilabllltles 36,D22 31,809 Non-monetary Assèts Tanglble Flxed Assets At cost 15.749 15.705 Page 4