## Putney Choral Society –Annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 

## 1. Introduction 

This is the annual report for 2023 for Putney Choral Society (“PCS”), a registered charity. 

## 2. Objectives and activities 

We are a choral society which rehearses regularly and gives public concerts.  We are a nonauditioned group and welcome any member of the local community to join us.  We regularly put on public performances with our amateur choir augmented by professional soloists and orchestra. 

Our objective is to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music. 

The trustees confirm that we have complied with our duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the commission in exercising our powers or duties. 

## 3. Achievements during the year 

In last year’s report we stated that “a key focus for the coming year is expansion of the choir’s outreach and profile to increase membership further, together with the development of our capacity to perform and enjoy a range of choral music”.  During the year we have made good progress towards these objectives. 

We reviewed our approach to concerts in the light of financial constraints and our ambition to secure a viable future for the choir.  We concluded that we could maintain our established practice of performing with professional soloists and orchestra through the careful selection of repertoire, orchestration and planning. 

The audience for the May 2023 concert, Mozart’s Mass in C (The Great Mass) and several short Mozart pieces, exceeded expectations.  Our December concert was a performance of Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ together with several baroque pieces by Handel.  This attracted an even larger audience.  Both concerts were well received. 

In July 2023 we held an informal concert and party for family and friends, singing three of Handel’s Coronation Anthems. 

Membership has increased during the year and is now back close to pre-Covid levels. 

The choir’s musical ambitions, repertoire and skills continue to develop, as does our profile. Outreach to both audiences and potential members has significantly improved through the use of social media and the renewal of the website.  The choir is now able to look ahead with increased confidence to a stimulating and ambitious future. 



Putney Choral Society - Annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 

## 4. Financial review 

We made a loss of £84 on income of £27,154, a marked improvement compared with 2022, when we made a loss of £3,624 on income of £21,863. 

The improved financial performance is largely down to much improved attendance at our two concerts, and a consequent year on year increase in ticket sales of over £3,000.  Membership numbers have also increased slightly during the year, leading to a rise in subscription income of about £1,500. 

In mid-2022 the committee agreed that we should maintain our spend and the commitment to two concerts per year, accepting that we would be loss making in 2022 and most likely in 2023, with the objective of recovering the choir to sustainable membership and income levels by 2024.  We made good progress towards this objective in 2023 and are continuing with this strategy this coming year. 

The policy of the choir is to aim to operate at break-even over the medium term (3-5 years).  But within this there can be significant fluctuations from year to year.  It is worth noting that while we made losses in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the significant profit made in 2020 means that we have achieved this objective over the past four years. 

We also have a policy of holding reserves of at least £10,000 but not over £20,000 to allow us to sustain such fluctuations _._ At end 2023 our reserves stood at £12,846. 


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Putney Choral Society - Annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 

## 5. Reference and administrative details 

|Charityname|PutneyChoral Society|
|---|---|
|Charityregistration number|1188032|
|Registered address|Flat 10<br>Upton Court<br>The Downs<br>London<br>SW20 8JB|
|Trustees|Carrie Archdeacon<br>Geoffrey Chapman (treasurer)<br>Lesley Hazel<br>Paula Jones (chair)<br>Heather Owen<br>Elizabeth Padua (secretary)<br>Howard Railton<br>Celia Simpson|



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Putney Choral Society- Annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023
Appendix- Auditor statement
From.. Graham Houston <
Date. Tue, 16 Jan 2024 at 15.41
Subject. Re. PCS accounts for 2023
Dear Geoff
I have examined the P & L and balance sheet of the Putney Choral Society for the
year ending 31 December 2023 and find them to be appropriately in accordance wrth
the accounling records. The cash balances are In accordance wilh HSBC bank
statements as at 31 December 2023.
Regards
Graham Houston (FCA)
16 January 2024