Danesborough Chorus Charity number 1188026 Trustees Report for year ended 31[st] August 2025 ## Activities during the year The choir celebrated its 50[th] season with a range of concerts and social events. We have continued to perform to the high standards to which we have always strived. The Trustees have complied with Charity Commission guidance concerning the requirement for the choir as a charity to provide a public benefit. Our first concert, which was our official anniversary event, was a performance of Handel’s Messiah which was the work given at our inaugural concert in January 1976 and which we have only sung twice since. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to move from our usual Woburn venue, to Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes where we had a sellout audience. The performance was enhanced by a superb set of soloists - Carolyn Sampson, Anna Huntley, James Gilchrist and Ben Bevan. A Christmas concert followed in Leighton Buzzard before we held our second Come and Sing event in March. Again we sold out the latter, this year for the Mozart Requiem, and finished the day with a full run through with guest soloists. Our spring concert, back in Woburn Church, was a performance of the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem in the composer’s own arrangement for piano accompaniment, with our current and a former accompanist at the keyboard. Our soprano soloist, Rebecca Bottone, also sang Berlioz Nuits d’Ete. Finally our summer concert harked back to 1977 and we repeated the first time our musical director conducted a concert with us with an orchestra. The works were Mozart Solemn Vespers and Haydn Nelson Mass. We again contracted young soloists from the Royal Academy with financial support from the Josephine Baker Trust. Other musical events included the annual Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue and Police Christingle in Woburn Church, carol singing in aid of Willen Hospice, and several weddings and funerals. We are hugely indebted to our musical director, Ian Smith, who has been at the helm since 1977 and is without doubt the reason for our many years of success, and also to Tim GrantJones adding to a short list of hugely valuable accompanists over the past 50 years. Our social events, increasingly important both for fund-raising and choir cohesion, included a celebration dinner at Cranfield University, an Indian meal at a local restaurant and a summer garden party generously hosted by our librarian. ## Day to day running We continue to be very fortunate to have many members who assist in our day-to-day operation and ensure that concerts run smoothly. However persuading others to step up and take over from some who have been in post too long can be a challenge. We have carried out a skills audit to try and identify hidden talents. A particular challenge is getting sufficient publicity for our concerts and the lack of younger members with the necessary social media skills. The Trustees have met five times this year, and also held an awayday in August to review the challenges ahead and steps we might take to deal with these. The outcomes will be further developed and implemented. Our programming sub-committee seeks to balance the need to challenge the choir with less familiar music, while ensuring a programme across each season that attracts sufficient audience for the choir to remain viable. Our fund-raising sub-committee is charged with arranging events that are both financially and socially successful. ## Administrative information Danesborough Chorus is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and was registered in February 2020 when we changed from a registered charity. Our objectives, set out in the constitution, are to educate the public in the arts and sciences and in particular the art and science of music. This is achieved by presenting concerts as set out in this report in the counties of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The address for communications is 45 The Quantocks, Flitwick, Bedfordshire, M45 1TG. The Trustees are elected at the charity’s AGM with a further two places available for cooption. Ordinary members may only serve for a maximum continuous period of three years, though there is no current limit on our officers remaining in post. In the past year Peter Snelling and Imogen Allen have been acting co-chairs. We expect to have a new chair in post after the next AGM. We have developed and annually review a number of policies as recommended including Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Complaints and a Code of Conduct for members. ## Finance As our attached accounts show, we emerged from a challenging season with our reserves intact. Concerts with a professional orchestra and soloists always run at a significant loss and other forms of income have to bridge the gap. Although reduced membership and audiences since covid present obvious difficulties, we have made a stepchange with fundraising to enable the choir to weather those issues. Our Friends scheme is an important source of support along with our chamber group who sing at weddings and funerals. As mentioned above the use of young soloists has assisted us financially as well as giving them opportunities to help develop their careers. We encourage all our members and Friends to sign up for gift aid which is usually our most important income stream apart from members subscriptions. Our reserve policy is to maintain a level sufficient to cover the average cost of a season’s concerts, which we currently exceed. Our treasurer also looks ahead with draft budgets for two years to flag up potential financial challenges. ## **DANESBOROUGH CHORUS** ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2025** |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|12 Mths ended
31.8.25
£
£
2076.00
720.43
32036.53
0.00
34832.96
892.76
892.76
33940.20
29700.34
590.00
3649.86
33940.20|12 Mths ended
31.8.24
£
£
4112.75
866.85
30191.93
0.00
35171.53
1324.56
1324.56
33846.97
29607.11
590.00
3649.86
33846.97| |---|---|---| |||| P J SNELLING TREASURER 1st October 2025 on behalf of the Trustees The notes on the attached pages form part of the accounts Registered CIO No 1188026 Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report to the Irusleesl members of DANESBOROUGH CHORUS On accounts for the year ond 31 AUGUST 2025 Charity no Ilf any) 1188026 Set out on pagos Rospectivo The ¢harity'$ trustee8 are respongible for the preparation of the a￿ountS. The responslbllities of charity's trustees consKler that an audit is not wuired for this year undèr section trustees and examin•r 144 of the Chartties kt 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an inde￿ndent examinat￿￿ is need￿. It Is ry responsibilty to.. exaryyne the aLxounts urKler sectTh 145 of the Chafitw A to follow tho procedures laid d¢xn in the general Dir￿tionS given by the Chanty Commission {under SeCt￿n 14515llbl of the Chanli8s ACL and to state wthether partj'cukir matters have c¢)rne lo my attenb"on. Basls of Independent My examination was carried out in ac£y)rdant£ with general OireclThs given by the •xamlnorf8 •tatemant Charity Commission. An examination mcludes a revw of the accounting records kept by the chanty and a comparison of the aC￿)unts presented with those records. It a150 includes considerab'on of any unusual Items or disclosures in the a¢counls, and seeking explanations from the trustees conceming any such matt&tB. The procedures undertaken do r)ot pro¥￿e all the evidencÈ that woubj be required in an audit and consequentty no opIn￿n is given as lo whether the accoLtrnts present a 'true and fairf vw and the report is limrted lo those matters set out in the statement Inde￿ndent In connection wrth my examinalion, no matter has come to my attention whi¢h gNes 6xamlner'8 Stat•mont reasonable cause to believe that in. any material respecL the requirements.. to keep accounts'ng records in ￿ance wrth section 130 of the Charities A¢t, and to pTrpare ac£ounts which ￿ with the acwunts'ng rec4)rds and comply with the accounts.ng requireffonts of the Charitw A£t have not been met. or to which. in my opin￿n. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understsrKliw of the *I￿Unts to be reached. Signod: Dat•: I I OcTOtJM 2ozr Nam•: JAMES LEGG ACMA Relevant prof•sslonal qualification(s) or body (If any): Address: 28 Grasmere Way Leigmon Buzzard LU7 2QN IER March 2012 Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report to the Intstaasl mambers of DANES80ROUGH CHORUS On accounts for the yèar ondad 31 AUGUST 2025 Charity no (If any) 1188028 Set out on pagos Respectiv• The Charity's trustees are respcmsible for the preparation of the accounts. The rnsponslbilitles of charity's trustees consKler that an audit ￿ not required for this year under section tru$t•8s and oxamin•r 144 of the Chartties kt 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an indeFendent examination is need￿. It is ry responsibilty to. exarrine the ac￿Unts under 8e(kn1145 of the Charit*s *4 lo follow the prccedures laid down in the general DIr￿tionS given by the Charity Commission {under SeCt￿n 145(5llbl of the Charities ACL and to state whether parts'cukir matters have oyne lo my attenb'on. Ba813 of Independent My examinatKJn was carried out in accordance with general Oireclvjns given by the examlnorf• statement Charity Commission. An examinat￿ft includes a revw of the accounting records kept by the chanty and a ¢omparison of the ac£ounts presenled with those records. It also includes consideratson of any unusual items or disc108ures in the attounts, and $eekin9 explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. Th8 procedures undertaken do not prOV￿e all the evidence that would be required in an audc and consequenty no OPIn￿n is grven 8$ lo whether the accounts present 'true arKI fairf vw and the report is limited lo those mattets set out in the statement Ind•pondent In connection wrth my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gNes examlner'8 8tat•ment rea¥on8ble cause to believe that in. any material re$pe¢L the requirements.. to keep ￿lunts.ng re¢ords in ￿tordanl* Wrth section 130 of tha Charities A¢t", and to Prepare accounts wthich ￿ with the ac(￿untr.ng rec4)rds and o)mply with the ￿cOun￿.ng reqUire￿￿ts of the Charitw Act have not been met. or to Wh￿h. In my opin￿n. attention should b8 drawn in order to enab￿ a proper understanding of the ac£ounts to be reached. Slgnod: Dat•: I I OcToOOrt 2ozr Nam•: JAMES LEGG ACMA Relevant prof•881onal qualific*ion(s) or body (If any): Address: 28 Grasmere Way Leigmon Buzzard LU7 2QN IER March 2012