Annual report 2024 - 2025. Tim Brain.
I begin by congratulating everyone for Saturday’s concert. It was a wonderful performance, and a terrific musical experience. It was a superb team effort, and I thank everyone involved in whatever capacity. I have said many times, we are a society, so while it is primarily about singing, there are a myriad of tasks and activities, big and small, that go on, often out of sight, that must come together to make a successful concert. For that we are heavily reliant on volunteers from within and without the choir, to all who helped make Saturday happen I am extremely grateful.
It was a team effort, but teams require leaders, and we have once again been superbly led by our musical director, Simon. Not only week in week out does he train and inspire us to perform this complex music, he produces that extra spark on the day that delivers a great performance. He also ensures we have excellent soloists. We are fortunate to have him. And, of course, he is so ably supported every week by our accompanist Joanna. Compressing such complex orchestral scoring into a piano accompaniment is in itself a great art, but to deliver it with such sensitivity within the context of a weekly rehearsal takes the. Art to a whole new level.
Thank you, Simon and Joanna.
We had in terms of numbers a good audience on Saturday night as you could see the £25 nave seats sold very well, but there were spaces at the west end, and ultimately the numbers fell short of our budget projections. It is hard to fathom why; we performed one of the most popular works in the choral music canon. We put a tremendous effort in on publicity; I know you personally made the effort in selling tickets. Ultimately, we were not helped by the weather, which may have prevented a late surge in sales, but sales on the night were similar to last year. It just goes to show how we must always seek to maximise our ticket sales.
The good news is that out finances are in a strong position, so we can take this downward blip without having to alter our strategy of performing at least one large scale choral work every season.
It is worth stressing how relatively unusual this now is in Gloucestershire. Few local choral societies are performing with an orchestra at all, and those that, Cheltenham and Gloucester, are using a chamber orchestra and happen to be performing the same work – Messiah. It is Stroud that is carrying the torch for the big stuff.
We are also in a strong position in terms of members. This year membership stands at 137, 15 more than last year. This is certainly on a part with pre-Covid levels, and may even have slightly exceeded them.
That this has come about is not an accident. We have planned for this to be the case. I starts with the musical excellence of our musical director and accompanist. There is good governance; there is an active and enthusiastic membership, many of whom volunteer for extra tasks – such as librarianship, membership administration, raffle, programme and poster design, weekly newsletter, flyer distribution, and so much more.
Then there is realistic budgeting, ticket pricing and subscription levels. I am very grateful to you all for supporting our subscription level.
It has been a good year, with since we last met in an AGM successful Christmas and summer concerts, and a superb performance of Samson in the spring. There is much to look forward to. In the spring we will climb one of the highest summits of choral music, the St Matthew Passion. This will involve the Youth Choir, something impossible for many choral societies, who do not have youth and children’s sections, and even if they do, do not have them of the capability to perform in such a work as the St Matthew Passion.
And that brings me on to the Youth Choir and the Minpins. The decision to create these choirs was truly far reaching. We are bringing the joy of singing to these young people, a
joy which, as we can all attest, can last a lifetime. As we are fortunate to have Simon and Joanna leading our main choir, so we are fortunate to have such inspiring musicians as Zoe and Nicola leading the Minpins and the Youth Choir.
I have said before that good governance is an essential component of a successful choral society. Without it the musical effort can flounder and potential go unrealised. Three years ago, we adopted a new constitution, and that has enabled us to renew and refresh our systems and processes. Our website is light years away from what it was; we have a range of member and customer services that genuinely facilitate singing or attending concerts. In short, we have progressed.
Of course, none of these things just happen. They require participation, imagination and effort. I have been fortunate to have been assisted in my role as chair by an active and enthusiastic committee, as, indeed, you have been, and I thank them personally and on your behalf for all that they do.
Good governance does require a wide participation of members, and so I have concluded that the time is right for me to allow others to participate in governance by not seeking reelection as chair. I have served five years, so that’s a decent term. It has not been easy, because I enjoy the challenge and I enjoy being involved in the governance of something that is in so many ways genuinely worthwhile, but I have made the decision.
It has been to say the least, an interesting few years. You may recall that the one of the first decisions I had to make was to cancel the 2020 performance of the B Minor Mass because of Covid. We were not to meet again in person for eighteen months. But when we did come back we quickly picked up the pace and made the changes that I have referred to, changes which will secure the ability of Stroud Choral Society to be rightly termed the premier choral society of Gloucestershire.
I conclude by wishing Susie well in her new role as chair, and of course you all a wonderful year ahead of singing in Stroud Choral Society. Thank you.
FINAL
STROUD CHORAL SOCIETY
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
Registered Charity number 1198620
STROUD CHORAL SOCIETY
BALANCE SHEET AT 31ST JULY 2025
| FINAL CURRENT ASSETS Lloyds Current account Bath Building society Deposit A/c Late subscriptions receivable Gift Aid - final claim for year Accrued Building Society Interest CURRENT LIABILITIES Minpins Discretionery Fund Note 1 Miscellaneous accruals Deposits held for 2026 Tour NET ASSETS RESERVES Balance brought forward Surplus (deficit) for year Balance carried forward Making Music and Insurance prepaid (Aug to Dec) Deposits for Concert venues for future years Purchase of scores for November 2025 concert less payments from members Following year's subscriptions paid in advance |
Minpins's Funds General Funds £ £ £ 5,414.07 18,850.6924,264.76 20,574.5420,574.54 582.00582.00 920.00920.00 13.4513.45 986.38 5,388.506,374.88 270.00270.00 6,400.45 46,599.18 52,999.63 731.50 731.50 735.00735.00 8,400.008,400.00 731.50 9,135.00 9,866.50 5,668.95 37,464.18 43,133.13 1,404.28 34,231.2235,635.50 4,264.67 3,232.96 7,497.63 5,668.95 37,464.18 43,133.13 Total Funds 31st July 2025 |
Total Funds 31st July 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| £ 16,846.22 20,000.00 281.25 1,281.64 206.00 163.48 300.00 |
||
| 39,078.59 | ||
| 764.00 1,519.09 1,160.00 |
||
| 3,443.09 | ||
| 35,635.50 | ||
| 28,015.19 7,620.31 |
||
| 35,635.50 |
STROUD CHORAL SOCIETY
Statement of Financial Activity for the Year to 31st July 2025
| FINAL INCOME - GENERAL Subscriptions Gift Aid Receivable Donations and Raffle Minpins and SCYC Concert takings Minpins and SCYC fees from Choral society Contribution to Minpin/SCYC for Commission Fundraising for commission Miscellaneous Income Lizzie Figgis Legacy Bath BS Interest receivable EXPENDITURE - GENERAL Conductor (Rehearsals) Rehearsal Accompanist Hire of Rehearsal venue and meeting rooms Making Music Platform and consultancy Minpins shirts etc Refreshments gifts etc Stationery, postage and printing Bank charges - card reader Cost of Commission (£4,500 + £900 VAT) VAT on Commissin paid by SCS Cost of Minpins and SCYC Concerts Miscellaneous Expenses Trolley CONCERTS Note 4 Net deficit 2023/24 October 2024, Sea Symphony Workshop November 2024, Sea Symphony, Tewkesbury Christmas Concert, St George, Nailsworth Summer Concert, St Laurence, Stroud Net deficit on concerts SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR YEAR Making Music subscription & insurance & website hosting SURPLUS (DEFICIT) ON GENERAL ACTIVITIES March 2025, Samson, St John Baptist, Cirencester |
2024/25 SCS Total Funds £ £ £ 7,302.00 28,668.00 35,970.00 986.38 5,388.50 6,374.88 3,460.00 1,402.52 4,862.52 2,120.30 2,120.30 400.00 400.00 900.00 900.00 4,539.10 4,539.10 289.00 289.00 - 544.54 544.54 19,996.78 36,003.56 56,000.34 5,056.00 7,317.00 12,373.00 1,924.00 3,547.50 5,471.50 790.00 3,524.75 4,314.75 573.25 573.25 - 65.30 65.30 74.84 74.84 157.34147.26 304.60 157.18 157.18 5,400.00 5,400.00 900.00 900.00 1,979.40 1,979.40 205.28830.25 1,035.53 79.95 79.95 SCYC & Minpins |
2023/24 Total |
|---|---|---|
| £ 35,089.24 6,421.16 3,217.83 1,552.50 790.00 122.66 1,088.00 775.98 |
||
| 49,057.37 | ||
| 11,726.55 6,110.00 4,599.25 657.66 2,526.19 76.42 198.38 220.10 1,114.09 953.74 |
||
| 15,732.11 16,997.19 32,729.30 | 28,182.38 | |
| 4,264.67 19,006.37 23,271.04 (640.20) (640.20) (10,073.43) (10,073.43) 340.69 340.69 (5,142.45) (5,142.45) (258.02) (258.02) (15,773.41) (15,773.41) 4,264.67 3,232.96 7,497.63 |
20,874.99 | |
| (13,254.68) | ||
| 7,620.31 |
FINAL
STROUD CHORAL SOCIETY
Notes to Accounts
Note 1
The discretionary Fund represents an anonymous donation to be used to assist any child who otherwise would not be able to afford membership.
Note 2
Concerts 2024 - 2025
| RECEIPTS Ticket Sales Advertising revenue in programmes Donations EXPENDITURE Conductor Soloists Instrumentalists Concert Venue Printing and Advertising Cost of scores Scores sold to members Gifts and wine Concert fee to Minpins and SCYC Miscellaneous Surplus/(Deficit) on Events |
Workshop £ £ £ £ 8,588.542,163.89 4,842.51 2,220.38 95.00 17.00 17.00 8,683.54 2,163.89 4,842.51 2,220.38 276.001,156.00 610.00 856.00 610.00 1,200.00 2,700.00 165.0011,963.00 300.00 4,569.00 532.00 90.002,373.28 260.00 897.00 362.50 774.15366.50 531.26 441.80 1,692.43408.02 791.88 1,889.42 (588.10) (375.28) (688.66) (1,795.29) 53.46 53.96 71.93 49.10 200.00 200.00 126.20132.75 256.55 188.87 657.20 18,756.97 1,823.20 9,984.96 2,478.40 Sea Symphony, Cirencester, November 2024 Christmas Concert at St George, Nailsworth Samson, Cirencester March 2025 Summer concert, St Laurence, Stroud |
|---|---|
| (640.20) (10,073.43)340.69(5,142.45) (258.02) (15,773.41) |
STROUD CHORAL SOCIETY INDEPENDENT EXAMINERYS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for the year ended 31" July 2025. This report is made solely to the trustees of Stroud Choral Society (hereinafter 'The Society,). My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the trustees those matters l am required to state to them in an independent examinerfs report and for no other purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the trustees for my work, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed. Responslbllltles of The Soclety's Trustees The trustees of The Society are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of The Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). In preparing those accounts, they are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently make judgments and estimates that are prudent and reasonable The trustees of The Society are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of The Society. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of The Society and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Responsibllltles of the Independent examiner and basls of Independent examinerfs report My examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by The Society and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees of The Society concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. I report in respect of my examination of The Society'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 examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matter has come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that, in any material respect: 1. Accounting records were not kept in respect of The Society as required by section 130 of the Act, or 2. The accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concems 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 these accounts to be reached. signed) Roger Ogle B A (Econ), M A (Mus), FCMA. Laburnums Box, Stroud, Glos. GL6 9HG Date: 29 November 2025.