## **Danesborough Chorus** Charity Number 1188026 ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** ## **Year ended 31 August 2022** ## **Activities during the year** Compared to the two previous years the 2021/22 season was altogether more satisfying and far less affected by Covid. We were able to return to indoor rehearsals in September 2021 and to performing publicly in November 2021 although all our concerts this season have had a reduced capacity of 75% to increase audience distancing. Our first concert since the pandemic was Vivaldi’s _Gloria_ and _Magnificat_ and McDowall’s _Ave Maris Stellar_ , a programme which had been delayed since March 2020. This was very well received with positive comments from the audience. Unfortunately the Christmas concert had to be cancelled due to the emergence of the Covid Omicron variant and nervousness from both choir and audience about the self-isolation rules and how that would affect Christmas social arrangements. In April 2021 we performed Bernstein _Chichester Psalms_ , Lauridsen _Lux Aeterna_ and Rheinberger’s _Requiem_ . We also sang a Prayer for Ukraine and took up a collection of nearly £500 for the Ukraine Appeal. Once again we found ourselves in the midst of another Covid wave and a number of members had to withdraw from the concert with Covid infections while more members tested positive for Covid not long after. Our summer concert was Michael Haydn _Requiem in C minor_ and Joseph Haydn _Maria Theresa Mass_ . The Requiem had been extensively rehearsed on zoom during lockdown and it was lovely to finally perform it. ## **Day-to-day running** The choir is blessed with many members who assist in its day-to-day operations. Without these helpers, concerts would not run as smoothly as they do and the fun of belonging to the choir would be considerably reduced. Having many members performing these various functions means that no-one has to be overcommitted. As with all these tasks, we do need to have new members joining the band of helpers as some inevitably do retire, and so we appeal to those among you, whatever your skills, to see if you can assist in some small way. For many years we have had an informal arrangement for free storage of scores, staging and lighting in Milton Keynes thanks to a former choir member. This year it became necessary to formalise that arrangement and start paying rent for the facility. This gave us the incentive to install shelving thus making it easier to find scores. Many thanks to the choir members who helped with this. As a Committee we have held our usual regular meetings. We are facing some challenges both in recruiting new members to the choir and in drawing in audiences for our concerts, both of which impact on our financial position. We will be focussing on these areas in the coming year. ## **Administrative Information** Danesborough Chorus is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and was registered in February 2020. Its objects, set out in the constitution, are to educate the public in the arts and sciences and in particular the art and science of Music. The address for communications is 3 Ackroyd Place, Shenley Lodge, Milton Keynes, MK5 7PA. The Trustees who have served during the year are: Tessa Cox (Chair); Peter Snelling (Treasurer); Ian Smith (Musical Director); Siân Rees (Secretary); Julia Dickens, David Roberts, Jeremy Hopkinson and Carol Yirrell. The Trustees are elected at the charity’s AGM with a further two places being available for co-option of members by the Committee. Ordinary members of the Committee can only serve for a maximum continuous period of three years. An EGM was held on 9[th] February 2022 and the members approved the transfer of assets from The Danesborough Chorus (279281) to Danesborough Chorus (1188026), and the dissolution of The Danesborough Chorus. ## **Finance** The annual accounts are attached to this report. The choir has reserves which are necessary for the performance of concerts which have to be financed before the concerts take place. Reserves considered necessary need to be sufficient to cover the average costs of a season’s concerts. Concerts generally run at a loss which is covered by members’ subscriptions and other revenues but we cannot put on a concert without having adequate reserves to cover the costs of performances. We sustained a loss of £7,000 in the year under review and our reserves now stand, as shown by the accounts, as just over £29,000. In order not to deplete our reserves further we have taken the step of increasing the membership subscription for the coming year. ## **DANESBOROUGH CHORUS** ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2022** |Current Assets
Debtors and Prepayments
Music Stock
Bank
Petty Cash
Current Liabilities
Creditors and Accruals
Net Assets
Represented by
Funds
General Fund
Staging Fund
Friends Reserve|6 Mths ended
31.8.22
£
£
2985.00
1300.98
28486.82
0.00
32772.80
0.00
0.00
32772.80
29472.94
590.00
2709.86
32772.80| |---|---| ||| P J SNELLING TREASURER 1st November 2022 on behalf of the Trustees The notes on the attached pages form part of the accounts Registered CIO No 1188026 3 ## **DANESBOROUGH CHORUS** **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE 6 MTHS ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022** ||||6 mths ended||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||31-Aug-22||| |||General|Staging|Friends|Total| |||Fund|Fund|Reserve|Funds| |Notes||£|£|£|£| |Income|||||| |General Income|2|4645.46|0.00|0.00|4645.46| |Concerts|3|5725.31|0.00|0.00|5725.31| |Grants|4|0.00|0.00|0.00|0.00| |Total Income||10370.77|0.00|0.00|10370.77| |Expenditure|||||| |General Expenditure|2|5173.79|0.00|388.36|5562.15| |Concerts|3|15101.84|0.00|0.00|15101.84| |Total Expenditure||20275.63|0.00|388.36|20663.99| |Net Income/(Loss)||(9,904.86)|0.00|(388.36)|(10,293.22)| |FundsTransferred from previous charity||39377.80|590.00|3098.22|43066.02| Funds Carried Forward 29472.94 590.00 2709.86 32772.80 4 ## **DANESBOROUGH CHORUS** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE 6 MTHS ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022** The CIO became active on March 1st 2022 and the accounts are for the 6 month period until the end of our financial year on August 31st 2022. ## 1 **Accounting policy** These accounts have been prepared under the historic cost convention in accordance with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice on accounting by charities. ## 2 **General Income and Expenditure** |Income
Members subscriptions/donations
Friends
Gift Aid tax refunds
Bank interest
Fundraising income
Wedding & funeral income
Donations
Programme advertising
Music hire income
Sponsorship
Expenditure
Rehearsal fees
Rehearsal premises
MM/PRS fees
Publicity
Officers expenses
Sundry expenses
Training
Store rental
Christmas costs
(Deficit)/Surplus
3 **Concerts**
Income
Tickets
Programmes
Expenditure
Orchestra
Soloists
Conductor
Music
Premises
Programmes
Publicity
PRS fee
Instrument hire
Other costs
Deficit|6 mths ended
31-Aug-22
545.00
1055.00
2126.37
0.00
256.09
350.00
170.00
50.00
93.00
0.00
.
4645.46
3320.00
615.00
0.00
0.00
31.44
222.35
0.00
985.00
0.00
5173.79
(528.33)
6 mths ended
31-Aug-22
Woburn
April 2022
2,873.60
104.00
2,977.60
1,200.00
50.00
1,400.00
271.69
970.00
115.51
104.76
399.34
4,511.30
1,533.70|Woburn
July 2022
2,626.71
121.00| |---|---|---| |||2,747.71| |||5,440.00
1,900.00
1,400.00
277.34
820.00
111.36
96.66
545.18| |||10,590.54| |||| |||7,842.83| |Summary of all concerts
Income
Expenditure
Deficit
4 **Grants and Sponsorship**
5 **Fundraising detail (part of note 2)**
Members
Music hire (ext)
Sundries
Coffee
easyfundraising
Sale of music/books
Total|6 mths ended
31-Aug-22
5725.31
15101.84
9376.53
6 mths ended
31-Aug-22
0.00
6 mths ended
31-Aug-22
18.00
0.00
0.00
127.91
110.18
0.00
256.09| |---|---|