CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Trustees. Annual Report for the perlod From 1 May 2024 Period and date Perlod start date To 30 April 2025 Charity name: East London M8tropolilan Opera (ELMO) Charlty roglstratlon number: ELMO Is a Charftable Incorporated Organlsatlon (ClOI- It was enlered on the Register of Charities kept by the Charity Commission on 13 September 2019 wllh Ihe reglslered charfty number of 1185310. Objectives and Actlvltles SORP r•fw•nc• Summary of th& purposes of the charfly as set out In Ils governing document Piro 1.17 Ac£ordlng lo its constitutlon, ELMO'S oblectlv8 Is to promote for the beneflt of th8 Inhabitants of Greater London and the surrounding area the provision of faci11ti8s for r8crealion or other18i8ure time occupalli)n of indivSduals have n88d of such facilities by reason of Ih8ir youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic clrcumstances or for th8 public at large in the Intgr8sts of soclal welfare and wllh the object of Improving the condltion of Ilfe of the sald Inhabllants. ELMO operates In tho fl8ld8 of 8rts, cUlre. herllage and $¢lence and provides servlces and promotes partlcipatlon In arts and Grafts and In partlcular music. It operates In the LorKlon boroughs of Hackney and Islington. It elms to carry out its purpose ty running projects in schools and prisons that provide partlclpants wllh technlcal and pracllc81 musScal educatlon and perfom)ance opportunltles.
Summary of the maln aclivitles in relation lo those purposes for the publlc benefit. in particular, the activities, projects or services identiffied in th8 accounts. Para 1.17 aThl 1.19 Summary of the Main activities In relatlon to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or servlces identified in the a¢Munts. Objeclives and acllvltles Since 2019, ELMO'S pdnclpal focus. under the title Muslc in the Ville, has been on providing a programme of IN8 music at HMP Pentonville with pertomiances and workshops on the pri80n wlng$. 3-4 professional musician8 nJn workshops and muslcal actlvtti85 for the prisoners. engaging Ihem through group songs and performancès. These sessions improve the wellbelng of the prfsoners and ralge morale in the prison. Men are encouraged to make their own music and lo perform to each other, boosting tha self-confSdenc8 and morale of particlpanls. Officer8 and staff are also enCoraged to become involved, boosting Slaff prisoner relationships. Achi8vements and performance ELMO has continued to make slgnlficant progress In fullilling f(8 core alm8 In the year und8r review. The trustees have mel elght tlmes sln¢e April 2024. One re81gn8d188t year and 2 others appointed Sep 24 and Feb 25. This means Ihero are currently seven trustees. We also have a consullant with lived experience of prison attending m88tings. Slnca Ayll 2024 we have managed to run classe3 weekly wlth only 1 weak break at Easter. This has 8mbgdded us further Into the prison regime and w6 have been given better spaces to work In and more acce$s to all wings Including the vulnerable prisoners and neurodiversity wing5. Huge appreciation continues to be shown by the men and prlson staff, including the Head of Reduction of Reoffending, and the Deputy Govemor who has attend&J a class atyj Is keen for us to contlnue lo grow the prolect. As well as running workshops In classrooms, ELMO has continued to receive support from senior management and ¢xison officars and thus to gain acce88 direclly onto the Wings, and has p8rfcfmed and engaged prisoners on all fNe wings of the prison. reachlng on averagè 300 prisongrs and staff on those monthly wort(shops. This has the huge advantage of
reaching men and staff who would not attend classro¢Jm worf(shops. As in the previous flnancial year. ELMO'S representatives have had ongoing consutstion sessions with prisoner8 m¢)st weeks. colle¢tlng feodback and suggestions for development whlch were integrated Into the work undertaken durlng the year. Th18 year we have held 3 events with our weekly group in the Chapel at Pentonville and brought in another 40 men Irom other wings to watch plus 30-35 visitors from outside to e&h event. Thi5 gave the participants somethlng to work towards and provlded an enthuslastSc au(Jienc8 for them to perfomi to and galn recognrtion. We were also able to present the 3 Koestler awards we had won to participants involved and they galn reGognrtSon. We had 2 Instruments donated thls year and were able to give them lo mon taklng part In the project who were able to keep thern and practice independently In thelr cells and then perform In the event8. Thore18 a pool of 10 profasslonal muslcians of dlveryJ8 muslcal Styles who come into the sessions at different tSme8. Emma Dogliani. the maln organiser, Is at most 8e8slon8 provldlng continulty and recruitlng the men to loln the group. The principal tutor is Kate Shortt, celllst, slnger. composer and educator. who works in many dlffer8nt genres of muslc. Different professlon81 musiclan8 are brought In each week to stlmulate and engage thè mèn and staff and lo keep the proj8Ct constartly fresh. It Is very Important to us that the8e musiclans come from a wlde range of cUUral backgrounds. We are Constant working to extond thls to further reflect the diversty ol the men currently Ilvlng In Pentonville and of the staff working there. A substanllal part of the music we work on in Ihe sessions is wrftten by the prlsonw8 themselves. All the regular muslclan8 at the prfson have now been fulty securlty tralned and have acc8SS to keys. Thls means that classes can takg place evon when Emma Dogliani Is not available and we are more able to avoid any gaps at hollday time or due lo illn8ss. As last year, ELMO took mo visitors into the prison alongside the musicians to witness and gain a bett8r
undorstanding of the project. Mary of the visitors hava been inspired to help with fundraising and other practical sides of the project. Emma Dogllanl continues to Msit vatiOU8 other projects at three other UK tXi50ns to gan ideas and make new contacts to help devel¢)p the woiect. 2 SUccJ1 fundrwsing events took place this year wh partlclpation by lth fomier psonerS and prison 3taff. Funds ralsed from this alongside more IndIdUal donations and donatlons from grant glvSng Ix)dles, Is enabling ELMO to continue to grow and dev81op in a séctor wher8 there contlnues to b8 a huge need for p08itlve Input In the most challenglng clrcumstances.
Statement confiming whether the truslees have had regard to the guldance Issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit Para 1.18 The Trustees have had regard In the year under review to the guidance issued by the Charity Gommisslon on public ben8fil. Addltional Informatlon loptlonall You ma chc4)se to incIle further statements wher& relevant about.. SORP rel8r8nca NIA P8r8 1.30 Pcllcy on grant making NIA P8ra IJ8 Policy on social inveslment Includlng prc*3ram related investmenl We have had assistance from varlous volunteers includlng the head of the Offidal Prison Visitors, various chaplalns particularly the Humanisl Chaplains and chaplainw counsellor who ara all prison key-holdgrs and comé lo help during our events or give us advl¢g generally, We 8tiii have a man wllh lived 8XP8rlenc8 of prison actlng as a regular advlsor to thè trustèes. Other m8mb8rs ol th8 Chaplalncy team at P8ntonvlll& also off8r advlcè and support in varlous elements of.loglsllcs or issues wlth parliclpanls, Some prison officers conllnue to glve up their own lime to attend our events and lo lake part. Many friends and supporters helped organise the fvndraislng events at Clerkenwell chUh and also Mansfield Street. We have liaised with other d&partmenls In the prlson provldlng mu¥1 for the Stsff reunlon servlce and 2 educallon events. We have also had 2 crèallve producerlfilm makers worklng wth us as volunteers to produce a short film lo help us fund ralse and publlclse r work. T•1.38 ConlributSon Mad8 by volunteers Other
Achievements and Performance SORP rafw¢nc* ELMO'S Muslc In the Ville prolect has managed to contlnue In challenging circumstances and to increase the number of wort(shop sessions in HMP P8ntonville. The regularity of weekly sessions has really 8mbedd8d the prqe¢l into the prison regime and as such we are receivlng growng support from the stsff and management of Ihe prlson. Pentonvllle Is sllll slruggllng on many levels with overcrowding, low slafflng and crumbllng bulldlngs. Th8 report by HM Inspectors found many problems st511 ongoing maklng the need for projects Ilke ours even greater. A major crfticlsm w8S lack of PUTposefvl activity for prisoners, Our access to the wngs and taking music around the prlson, make5 a diff8renc wher8 other proj8Cts are unable lo help. ELMO has also spr&ad the word of th& project and now many vlsllors have s88n our work 8nd wStnessed al flrsl-hand how badly needed Ihls klnd of prolecl is In our current prlson system. Supportlng men 1Svlng in prlson wlth our project makes them more Ilkely to engage th educatlon and poslllve aclSvllies when they mov8 on from Pentonvllle. Men are encouraged to express thelr emotions safely through muslc and text and to feel more positive about themselves. They are less likely lo behave badly and thus less likely to re¢)ffend on release, Our acllvilles Smprove relalionshlp8 ben prisoners and prison staff making conflict less likely. We al80 boost flagglng staff mor81e wlth our Ilve performances on the wings and s18ff see prisoner8 In 8 dlffér8nl Ilghl when they are p8rformlng music and vlce versa when staff join In themselves. We have also managed to Send sèver81 men on to 8 music group oulslde the prlson on their releas8 which has greal r8sulls al improvlng their mental wellbeing. We have also employed 3 or our ex parti¢ipants at fund raising events on the outside. This helps lo prevent reoffending and thus benefits SOGiety al large. Summary ofthe maln achlevements of the charfty, IdenUfylng the dlfferenca the chadty's work has made lo the circumstances of ils beneficiarles and 8ny wlder benefits to soclety as a whole. PBrJ 1.20
Addlllonal Infonnatlon (optlonall You ma choose to indude further statements ere relevant aboul.. Pwq 1.41 Achlevements against oblectlves sel Perfomance of fvndra181ng activities against oblectives set Pvn 1.41 NIA Investsnent perfomanc& agalnst objectlves Parn 1.41 Other
Financial Review Review of the charity'8 financial position at the end of the period Pata 1.21 As the attached financial statémènts show, ELMO Started the yèar with a bank balance of £12,026. During the year it received £54.245 in donations and grants, which included £23,292 of restricted income, detalls of whlch are given in Note 2a lo the accompanying financial statem8nts, and £30,953 of other unrestricted income. Total expendilure incurred in the period amounted to £44,204. resulting in an overall excess of incomo over expenditure In Ihe year of £10,041. Thus, al the year end. ELMO had £22.067 of funds carried forward, of which £13,756 were unrestricted funds and £8,310 were reslricled funds. The restdcted and unr8Stricled funds were all allocal8d to pay for a progr8mme of musical evenls at HMP Penlonvllle In the first half of AY25126. Statement explaining the policy for holding r898rves slating why they are held Paro 1.22 £2.000 from unrestricted reserves Is earmarked to cover the gnll¢lpated ¢osts of any wlnding down or cessation of acllvity, although no such wSndlng down or ce8$allon are envisaged 8t present or In the foreseeable future. Amount of reseNes held P•rn 1.22 £2,¢)00 Reasons for holdlng zero resorveg Por• 122 NIA Dotalls of fund mat6rlally in deficit P•r• 1.24 NIA Explanation of any uncertainUes about the charity continuing as a golng concern Pw¥ 1.23 At present, ELMO'S conllnulng acllvltles depend on receiving further awards and donatlons in order lo contlnue and complet8 the programme of @vents plannod for the remalnder of the current financial year. Addltlonal Infonnatlon loptlonal) You ma choose lo include further statsmenls where relevant about.. Sè8 dèlalls of major donatSons and awards In the receipts and payments awJunt. The charfly'3 prlnclpal sources of funds Ilncluding any fundrabslng) Parn 1.47 NIA Inv8Stment pollcy and objecllves indudlng any social inveslmenl pollcy adopled Parn IA6
A description of the prlncipal risks faclng the charity 1.48 Financia - failure to raise further funds lo cover costs of the Flanned muslc programm8. Securilylhealth- inability to delNer the planned programm8 of activity al the Prison be¢ause of attoss restrictions imposed by prison management for Srity or public health (8.g. pandemic) reasons. Reputational risks Key staff - the dellvery of our planned pr&Jramme of acllvlty depends heavlly on the conllnued Involvement of our lèchnlcal and 8rti815c dlr8ctor. Emma Dogllanl, and a small group of professional muslcians and tutors whlch she has assembled. Prlson wod<ing- w8 and our musiclans run dsks by worklng In the Prison. W8 lake all nec8ssary steps to mitigate and mlnlmise these rbsks by following our saleguarding FoIIcy and ensuring that prison staff are dose by at all Ilmes. Sln¢8 30 May 2023, ELMO has beon r8cognSsed by HMRC as a charity for tax purposes and is thèr8fore abl& to reclalm Glft Aid on eligible donalions. Olhar
Structure, Governance and Management Description of charity's trusts.. Type of governlng document Ilrusl deed, royal chartèr) P8ra 1.23 ELMO'S gov8rnlng document is Constitution dated 28 April 2019 and registered 13 September 2019 as amended January 2025 whlch is based on the Charity Commission's CIO Foundation Model. In this modèl, trustees make the decisions and are only accountable 10 8ach other for any deasions made. How Is the charlty constituted? le.g unincorporated association, CIO) Pqrn 1.25 ELMO is a CIO Trustee selectlon melhcJs including details of any conststulional provlslons e.g. election to post or name of any person or body ènllll8d to 8ppoSnt one or more trustees P&ra 1.2J Tnjstees are elected or re-elected by the existing Trustees. No extemal Ferson or body is enl1111 to apwint one 01 more trusle85. Additlonal Informatlon (optlonal) You ma choose to include further statements whera relevant about: Pollcles and procedu$ adopted for the Indudon and tralnlng of trusl8es P4r• 1,51 NIA Th6 charity's organisational structure and any wider nètwork with which the charity works P•r 1.31 NIA Relatlonshlp vhlh any related parties P•ra 1.51 Other
Reference and Administrative details Charity name East London Matrordltsn Opera (ELMO) Other name the charlty uses Registered ch8rity number Charity's principal address NIA 1185310 Flat 40 Chelsfield Point Penshursl Road Hackney London E9 7DY Main contsct.. Emma Dogllani Email.. inf easll ndonmetro era. Website,. www.easUondonmetropolltanopera,com
Names of the charlty trustees who manage the charlty Name of p•r8on lor body} •ntltled to appolntlru•t•e Ilf any) TruBtge namg Offlc• Ill any) Dates aeted11 not for whoi• ygar Victoria Eze Chair NIA Ollvia Kilmartin Secretsry WA Loulse Walport Treasur8r NIA Paul Julien NIA Bill Miller NIA John Northov8r 22110119- 216125 Diana Sternf8ld 919124 onwards Emlly Ward 512125 onwards 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 orale trustees- names of the directors al th8 dale th8 re ortwasa roved Dlrector nam•
Name of tnL8tses holding Ilue to propety belonging to the ¢hartty Trust•• nam• Dats• #ct•d If not for whol• y•
Funds held as custodlan trustees on behalf of others Description of the assets held in this capacity NIA Nama and objects of the charfty on whose behalf the assets are held and how thls f8115 within the custodlan ¢h8riVs objects NIA Det8119 of arrangements for safe custody and segregafjon of such ass8ts from the charlty's own assets NIA Addltlonal Inforniatlon (optlonal) Namos and addrosses of advlsors (Opllonal Informatlon) Typ• of advlser Namo Addr•8• Bankers HSBC 50-52 Kilburn High Road. London, NW6 4HJ Narn ol ¢hl8f executlv• or namès of senlor Staff members (Optlonal Inforniatlon) NIA Exemptlons from dlsclosure Reason for rdiscI0SUre of ke ersonnel d8taS1$ NIA Other optional informatlon
ELMO has no employees. However, wo th) use a number of self*mFdoyed musldans to asslst wilh the plannlng, 8•Jmlnlstratlon 8nd d8llv8ry of our programme of muslc81 ev8nts In thé Prlson.
Declarations The trustees declare that they have approved the truslees, report above. Signod on behalf of th• tharity's trustegs Slgnature(s) 4r Full namo(s) VictOTta Eze Louise Walport Posltlon (eg Secrotaryi Chalr, atcl Chalr Tr8asur8r Date
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES Chdlritrl NÈ eaStLc4tsn htrDpoiitsn Opor• iELMOI Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forth• period from 01105f2024 3010412025 Section A Receipts and payments UnrttslFidod funds Endowmonl fvnd• R•itrfcl•d fund6 Total fun0$ La51 yglr nMr•bt£ A1 Rec• 17.718 z•,c rfso 14701 PrAicodu Soclql N•lbnèl Lotie Fun 500 Othpr Irl¥ldua Cl)IBIkns 2.514 2.SB4 2• 4,)10 246 2457& Sub total(Gross IN>come forARI A2 A55et and Invo8tmont ba, 30.gsj Sub tol81 y.245 23,574 ToIreC•1Pts 30,05J 23,292 A3P• m•nti W8l•n'l Pu Athidnl&lTAlkn. BAnk •r ¢>pi Otnw oXWD1•5 Iniui¥rt• Ind Ir4¥ 7$5 ChDrt Ev41wt ¢0$14 34.M2 Sub toral 2•.2 A4A•s•i and Inve8tffl•nt pur¢h•J•s. IM• tab) Tot•lp8yments 20,SD2 2J.702 10,041 N•tof r8celptslp•ymentsJ ASTT•nsl¢r5 b*@eM lund AS ¢0sh lund$1•5t yoarend Cash funds thls y•or•nd 10,450 4111 21,054 12,02$ 2b 3,306 13.756 8,72D 22,067 1010212026 CC16a R1 (S51
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period VnrOBtTbctqd R•61rfci•d lunds Endowm•nt fundB Cegori Detall8 nMrHt£ Bl Ca8hfund¥ • Tol•lc•¥h fvnds 13.758 a,310 OK R•8tvlBtsd lund• OK Endowfflqmt Unr••trf¢t•d fund• nbjrntt Dotalls D• FUrlol¢h•HI B4 AJ¥ots rotaln•d for th• ¢h•rWy'¥ PLTrJ tolGh BS LlatAittl•J Sn¢d byon• orts*) Iw$tO08 0 bqhgKof al lh• INgto•8 nalurè ptht Name Dot• cl•rvtr4 1012126 CC16? R2 4vy)unt• ISSI 1D10¥2010
ThefirTranclalstatementsirediawn up Dna rttdptsand payrnentsbasls 2. R#Ylttsd anduthM#rfttÈdfufid£4hdr In Derembw2O24, ELVarKdvoJ anaward 01£14.982 from NatIOn LottwvAwrdsfof All Enand, apxtoftheNaiional Loiterycornmunlty Fund.Thekn¥ard madelnorduto 13 halldayand4 fv11 daym0nihlymts¢ sesslon54t HMP pentolI1e. The5efvnd5wwefiJllyut1115J In rhlsfinanclal yoarAndln830Ay112025. In March 2025, ELWrecel¥qdaqrantof£4,o fromTh•Luc1ll•GnhTr The5efvndsareexpe£tedtobefvllyutll1 In AV25n6 In Mwch 2025, ELWtookpart In theeliGlve'srnchedfiJndlniP415forAII CTrpal AIOtslof£7680w•sro1$ olwthlch É4310.A2 Into DrbkI¢¢OntIft Npr111025 Theawardwasmlelnord•rtofiJnd welyand monthlymvslcsgsslonsai HMP P•itonvlllefrorn luly2025 The5efiJndsarepetteOtObefvllyil1InAy2sft6 IDMor<h 2024, ELWrecel¥odi don4tloTrof(10,OOOfrom HMPrlsonandPrObitlonSerceK £128Owa5spent InAY23n4. Tr•wi•rdv14sm•delnordvtofvnd olththilldayand thre¢11 d4ymu51csesslon54tHMP PeTrtOn1I•lnOy0h¢l04 lUatIOn(0x$01És?0. OnefrJll day4¥orkJhopindlnltlil 111110 w15ddl¥wedln AY73n4. Therern•lndercontrlbutqdtow•rdirhecosrofddlvthniworJbops4nd w•lu4tlon In HMP Pentornvlll•lDth15A4I2S. Thesend$WereIlyUtlll$tsJ InAY24n5. UnrÈ4trictedfiJndsand re5er¥e5arenoisubSo£tto spttlfltcondltlonsand <•n ¢hereforebeU bylhtTrvsteesforny¢fELMOs<h•rii•blepurp05es. lnluly2024,eLmDrttdv an4w?rd of£8,th)OfromTh•Postccd•SocletyTfU6t, ach¥lty rowstwed Inscotlandwhlch usa4fundsrilsbVthI thePEDpl¥s P05tccdoLoiterytosvpportSrnallErcharltSesandOd cau5Q5Inth•UtholEnIISnd.Tr2YafwJ5M4elOcOntrjbUeIIOWjrd5 IhèCostSolHmplo1ffre41n[1msIcIaj HMP pentonlle1nt•¥1arqnbh130Arll 2025 Thesefvnd5worefvlly utlllsed in Ihlsflninc141 yui iTrdlni30Ayll 2025. In No¥emb•r2024, ELMorttW•d •n4w•id 01É5,OOolrttmTheMiidTrUyl The4wardwa5fflaOetowaTd5thecost50ftheN51cltheIIepl0l8£f I£IOODD8waTded loi?1, £5000 In ihEprE¥lou5fln4nilal yurwltha5ocond£5000 thlsAYln Nov2024k Thertr%tvearolfundln8wastullvullllsed InAf23124 The5xoThd yrDffiJndlniWmllVutll1Md In AY24125 nApr412025, ELK) t¥¢daAral9IÉ2,$QO frOmTh•L0Ih1r5l•l5FoundatlOTr ThesefiJnd5arevApected tobefijllyutlllseoln AY25126 rosJAY24nS ELMOwtt¥wirded 4vlhervnre#rlctedyants £3000wasre£vAvodfrom TdnltyStrÉétAssot Fth8wfiwt.£5000 IromCh•ncetoChfv8eFound•tlon.É1160fv0rn ThHlTI a£127.50frDrn Hw¢lDylnlernJtlDnJl Pl0 Thttèhwtbw hotr•n5fvsoffvJnd5betWWDre5trfctd andunro5irfctwjfundslntheo¢unWrthOW. Th&e incfea5Ed th15yEaiduetD•Joptlvn of¥woxcountlTri50ftw•i•forWhlchw4ar•pro¥ldachltybSC1IPtIoftt• £1750 of•¥•ns for• fund1 Gorbrt heby ITh AY25128 In Aprfl 2023. the TnJatee5 ngwrp¥B polw £2000 rn8oryes deshJn4led to coverthe anlWat•d c0soId9 do orc•55lltlDn fthough nD Buch do CrcesSBlhJn at• éTr%A9od •1 prnMntorkn th• fdrè&Shl0 fuiuf• CC1eJ R3 ISSI iOWM028
EASBY HOUSE HIGH STREET GREAT CHESTERFORD SAFFRON WALDEN ESSEX CB10 1PL Telephone +441799 530473 Mobile +447785 790951 Email mpdbullock@gmail.com
The Trustees East London Metropolitan Opera CIO (ELMO) Flat 40, Chelsfield Point Penshurst Road Hackney, London E9 7DY
13[th] February 2026
Dear Sirs,
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of East London Metropolitan Opera CIO
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of East London Metropolitan Opera CIO (ELMO) for the year ended 30[th] April 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Charity 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 Charity’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 Charity 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.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Bullock
Fellow of Chartered Institute of Financial Services
Easby House, High Street, Great Chesterford, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1PL