# **Charity no. 1183545** ## **Annual Report and Accounts** **1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025** ## **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** ## **Trustees' Report and Annual Accounts 1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025** **Contents Page** Trustees' Annual Report 2-5 Independent Examiner's Report 6 Receipts and Payments Account 7-10 1 **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** ## **Trustees' Report and Annual Accounts 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025** ## **Reference and Administration Details** The Trustees present their report and the unaudited Accounts of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) for the period 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025 ## **CIO Name** Cumbria Opera Group **Charity Commission registration no.** 1183545 ## **Contact Address** 7 Thorny Hills, Kendal, LA9 7AL **The Trustees** Joe Davies - Chair Lucy Britton - Managing Director Dr Roger William Allen Sula Ross Cotterell Marcia Elaine Reid Fotheringham JP DL Giles William Holden Stuart Manger Catherine Elizabeth Parry ## **Independent Examiner** Anthony Farren 7 Brow Crescent, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 2EY ## **Bankers** Virgin Money, 45 Penny St, Lancaster LA1 1UE 2 **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## **Governing document** Cumbria Opera Group is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered No.1183545, regulated by the Charity Commission of England and Wales. The Governing Document is the constitution dated 22nd May 2019. ## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees** Under the constitution, apart from the first CIO trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the CIO trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as CIO trustees, the CIO trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. Any person retiring as a CIO trustee is eligible for reappointment. ## **Induction and training of Trustees** Induction and training of a new trustee will be undertaken with the guidance of the existing trustees. ## **Risk Management** The directors have assessed the major risks to which the CIO is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the CIO, and are satisfied that adequate systems are in place to mitigate any exposure to the major risks. ## **Objectives and Activities for Public Benefit** The objects of the CIO are: To promote the advancement of the art of opera for the public benefit through: - The promotion and presentation of high-quality opera for the benefit of the local communities in Cumbria. - To educate young instrumentalists, singers, and actors based in or from Cumbria in the field of opera. ## **Achievement, Performance and Financial Review** ## **Summary** The 2024-25 Season of the Cumbria Opera Group was built around the **Cumbria Opera Festival 2025** and its associated Education Project. The Cumbria Opera Festival 2025, only the third event of its kind, was a ten-day series of events that took place across Cumbria, from **21st - 30th August 2025** . Curated to be an accessible, wide-ranging, and locally-centred project, the Festival ranged from the _opera buffa_ of _The Marriage of Figaro_ to the psychological drama ## **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** found in _The Turn of the Screw_ , and from the jazz world of _Porgy and Bess_ to the intimate, introductory land of _Opera by Candlelight_ . From Barrow to the border, and from Kendal to Keswick, all sides of Cumbria were visited in this ambitious, ten-day series of events. The Cumbria Opera Group’s continued commitment to Education was acutely represented in this Festival. Our inaugural **Young Artists’ Scheme** saw young Cumbrians ‘cover’ various roles and perform a _Young Artists’ Showcase_ , while our second **Young Composers’ Competition** culminated in performances of the winning competitions at our _Opera by Candlelight_ events. We were delighted with the reviews and feedback the Festival received, including acclaim from national publications _OperaWire_ and _Seen and Heard International_ . In addition, the number of local and national previews the Festival witnessed, including a substantial feature from ITV Border, did wonders for our pan-county coverage. **Outreach is at the heart of everything we do** . As in previous years, the 2025 Festival was paired with a series of Education Workshops across Cumbria. Singers and Directors from the Cumbria Opera Group led Singing Workshops and ‘Play in a Day’ sessions at schools throughout the county. These workshops taught young people about singing and drama, and also used opera as a tool to teach languages, history, and - in view of _The Turn of the Screw_ being in our diary - english literature. ## **Thanks** The Trustees would like to thank all the artists who participated in Cumbria Opera Group events over the last year. There are simply too many people to name here, but all the many performers and creatives who made the Cumbria Opera Festival 2025 a success are to be commended for their talent and dedication. We would particularly like to thank everyone in the extended Cumbria Opera Group 'Family': the members of our Friends' Circles, our supporters and event attendees, and all the people involved in the organisation of the Cumbria Opera Festival 2025. ## **Financial Result** The period ended 31st October 2025 was our fifth as a CIO and we ended it financially sound. Total funds are £1,891.55. Ticket sales make up just over 30% of our income, which is slightly higher than other, similar Charitable Arts Organisations. ## **Acknowledgements** We are extremely grateful to all our funders and Friends for their ongoing financial support. 4 **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** ## **Fundraising** Our fundraising has so far been concentrated on applying for grants from charitable trusts and other grant providers. We also have a ‘Friends’ scheme which has generated a number of personal donations. ## **Reserves Policy** Reserves are needed to bridge the gap between pending and receiving of resources and to cover unplanned emergency repairs and other expenditure. The Charity's ongoing costs outside Festivals and other large-scale projects are minimal, with a small number of subscriptions (e.g. MailChimp and Wix). Therefore, the trustees consider a sufficient level of reserves as of 1 November 2025 to be £1,500. The Cumbria Opera Group never commits any expenditure without funds being in place, with all our fundraising efforts being voluntary and therefore costing nothing. ## **Trustees' Responsibilities** The Trustees who served the CIO during the period are as set out on page 1. Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare a Receipts and Payments Account showing the assets of the CIO at the end of the period and of the incoming and outgoing resources for the period then ended. In preparing those Financial Statements, the Trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently, making judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. The Trustees must also prepare the Financial Statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the CIO will continue its activities. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the CIO and to enable them to ensure that the Accounts comply with charity law. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the CIO and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## **Independent Examiner** Anthony Farren has expressed his willingness to continue as Independent Examiner. Signed by order of the Trustees Joe Davies (Chair of Trustees) Approved by the Trustees on 11th December 2025 5 ## **Cumbria Opera Group Annual Accounts 2024-25 Charity number: 1183545** ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Members of Cumbria Opera Group** I report on the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 October 2025 set out on pages 7-10. ## **Respective Responsibilities of the Trustees and Examiner** As the charity trustees of the CIO, 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 CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed 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 which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or - -the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 11th December 2025 Anthony Farren 7 Brow Crescent Windermere LA23 2EY 6 **Cumbria Opera Group 1183545 CC16a Receipts and payments accounts For the period 1/11/24 To 31/10/25 from** ## **Section A Receipts and payments** |**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Ticket Sales|**-**
**27,187-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**27,187-**||**-**
**3,006-**| |Donations: Friends' Scheme|**-**
**3,275-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**3,275-**||**-**
**1,900-**| |Grants: Local Authorities|**-**
**6,500-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**6,500-**||**-**
**2,500-**| |Donations: other|**-**
**4,525-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**4,525-**||**-**
**695-**| |Gift Aid|**-**
**1,108-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**1,108-**||**-**
**--**| |Easy Fundraising|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| |Interest|**-**
**4-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**4-**||**-**
**1-**| |Grants: Trusts and Foundations|**-**
**25,200-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**25,200-**||**-**
**7,500-**| |Theatre Tax Relief|**-**
**18,614-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**18,614-**||**-**
**--**| |Other receipts|**-**
**54-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**54-**||**-**
**--**| |**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|**-**
**86,468-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**86,468-**||**-**
**15,602-**| ||||||||||| |**A2 Asset and investment sales**|||||||||| ||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||| ||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| |**_Sub total_**
**_Total receipts_ **|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||||||||||| ||**-**
**86,468-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**86,468-**||**-**
**15,602-**| |**A2**|**Asset and investment sales**||||||||||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||||| ||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|| ||**_Sub total_**||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|| ||||||||||||||||||||||| ||**_Total receipts_ **||**-**|**86,468-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**86,468-**|||**-**|**15,602-**|| ||**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**1183545**|**1183545**||**CC16a**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Receipts and payments accounts**||||||||| ||**For the period**
**from**||**1/11/24**||**To**||**31/10/25**||| ||||||||||| |**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||||||| |**Unrestricted**
**funds**|||**Restricted**
**funds**||**Endowment**
**funds**||**Total funds**||**Last year**| |**A3 Payments**|||||||||| |Musicians & Artists Payments|**-**
**60,277-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**60,277-**||**-**
**11,548-**| |Accommodation|**-**
**9,500-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**9,500-**||**-**
**--**| |Instrument Hire & Servicing|**-**
**714-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**714-**||**-**
**380-**| |Venue Hire|**-**
**6,024-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**6,024-**||**-**
**690-**| |Lighting, Sound & Film|**-**
**5,402-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**5,402-**||**-**
**200-**| |Ticket Refunds|**-**
**73-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**73-**||**-**
**--**| |Printing & Publicity|**-**
**3,573-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**3,573-**||**-**
**652-**| |Opera Set Payments|**-**
**2,755-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**2,755-**||**-**
**--**| |Props & Costumes|**-**
**1,603-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**1,603-**||**-**
**20-**| |Music Hire & Licences|**-**
**1,239-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**1,239-**||**-**| |Other Logistical Payments|**-**
**2,371-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**2,371-**||**-**
**57-**| |**_Sub total_ -**
**93,532-**
**A4 Asset and investment purchases**|**-**
**93,532-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**93,532-**||**-**
**13,547-**| ||||||||||| |**A4 Asset and investment purchases**|||||||||| ||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||| ||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||| |**_Sub total_ -**
**--**
**_Total payments_ -**
**93,532-**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ -**
**7,064-**|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||| ||||||||||| ||**-**
**93,532-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**93,532-**||**-**
**13,547-**| ||||||||||| ||**-**
**7,064-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**7,064-**||**-**
**2,055-**| ||**Cbi O G**|**Cbi O G**|**Cbi O G**|||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**umra pera roup**|||**1183545**||**CC16a**| ||**Receipts and payments accounts**|||||| ||**For the period**
**from**|**1/11/24**|**To**|**31/10/25**||| |||||||| ## **Section A Receipts and payments** |||||**Unrestricted**
**funds**||||**Restricted**
**funds**||||**Endowment**
**funds**||||**Total funds**||||**Last year**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**A5**|**Transfers between funds**||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|| |**A6**|**Cash funds last year end**||**-**|**8,955-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**8,955-**|||**-**|**6,900-**|| ||**_Cash funds this year end_ **||**-**|**1,891-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**1,891-**|||**-**|**8,955-**|| ||||||||||||||||||||||| ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** ||**Unrestricted**
**funds**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**|**Restricted**
**funds**|**Restricted**
**funds**|**Endowment**
**funds**|**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**|**Total funds**|**Last year**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**|**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||**-**
**8,955-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**8,955-**||**-**
**6,900-**| |**_Cash funds this year end_ **|**-**
**1,891-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**1,891-**||**-**
**8,955-**| ||||||||||| ||**s and liabilities at the end of the period**||||||||| |**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**|**Details**
Cash in Bank||||**Unrestricted**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**1,891-**
**-**
**--**||**Restricted**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**--**
**-**
**--**||**Endowment**
**to nearest £**| ||Cash in Bank||||**-**
**1,891-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||||||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| |**B2 Other monetary assets**|**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**||||**-**
**1,891-**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||||||||||OK| ||||||**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**--**
**-**
**--**
**-**
**--**||**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**--**
**-**
**--**
**-**
**--**||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| ||||||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||||||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||||||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**||**-**
**--**| ||**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**Cumbria Opera Group**|**1183545**||**CC16a**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Receipts and payments accounts**|||||| ||**For the period**
**from**|**1/11/24**|**To**|**31/10/25**||| |||||||| ## **Section A Receipts and payments** ||**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**|**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**|**Last year**| |---|---|---|---|---| |**B3 Investment assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the charity’s**
**own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the
trustees|**Details**
**Details**
**Details**

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approval| |||Joseph Davies||11th December
2025| ||||||