ESTE Rochester Choral Society Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 July 2025 Registered Charity No 253877 Founded 1873 - Rochester Choral Sodety. Re8 Charlty No. 253877 .TO hester al.co.uk Rochester Choral Society Contents Page Report ofthe trustees Report of the independent examiner Statement of Financial Activities Balance sheet Notes fomiing part of the ffinan¢ial statements Rochester Choral Society Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 July 2025 The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the Society for the year ended 31 July 2025. Oblectfves and Attlvltles The objects of the Society are to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and Scien￿ of music in all its aspects bv: (al providing opportunities for members of the Medway and local communities to enjoy thoral music through participation and involvement Ibl the performance of public concerts and recitals. In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the Trustees having considered the Charity Commisssion's guidance on public benefit. The Society relies on income from member's subscriptions and ticket sales to cover its operating costs. In setting the level of members, subscriptions and ticket pricing the Trustees give careful consideration to the accessibility of the Society for those on low incomes. Achievements and Perfornian¢e The Choir performed three concerts this year. On the 23rd November 2024 Brahms Requiern was produced at Rochester Cathedral for an audience of 196. Then, also at Rochester Cathedral on the 29th March 2025, Haydn's Creation was performed before an audience of 160. The year ended with Samuel Coleridge Taylor's Song of Hiawatha on the 12th July 2024 at St. George's Centre Chatham Maritime with an audience of 144. The Choir accepted invitations to perform tor The Rochester Society and at The Dickens Festival. At the end of the year there were 79 members. Concerts for the year {audlence attendance) Autumn - Brahms.. Requiem11961 Spring- Haydn- The Creation11601 Summer- Samuel Coleridge-Taylor- The Song of Hiawatha / Parry - Blest Pair of Sirens1144 Rochester Choral Society Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 July 2025 Financial review The choir performed two major ¢oncerts at Rochester Cathedral this year. These we Brahms Requiem in the autumn of 2024 and Haydn's Creation in the spring of 2025. In the Summer we performed Coleridge-Taylor's Song of Hiawatha at St. George's Centre, Chatham. The financial results of each of these concerts can be found in notes 3 and 7 of these accounts. 8y the end of the year the choir has seen a deficit of £4,382 comprisin8 income of £31.952 and expenditure of £36,334. Reserves pollry and rlsk management The Trustees keep the activities of the Society and the risks to which it is exposed under continual review. The main risk to the Society is that there will be insufficient income from the performances to cover costs, and the membership subscription5 will not match the shortfall in income. The best way to minimise such risks to the Society is to gait) further audiencè support for the Society's concerts. and this may be achieved through improved sound quality, 5pon50r5hlp of concerts and a marketlng strategy to Increase tlcket Income. The Trustees forecast that the level of free reserves Ithat is, those funds not tied up in fixed assets and restricted funds) required by the Society to 5U5tain it5 operations would currently be a minimum of £20,000, based on variable costs per concert. Therefore. the actua1 free reserves of £25,158 at 31 july 2025 a￿ adequate for the Society's current needs and give scope for financial flexibility over the course of the forthcoming year. Rochester Choral Society Report of the Trustee$ for ihe ￿al ended 31 July 2025 Strurturè* OOV*tnanc• and rmnaiement RochesteT Choral Society I'the Society'l is an uniTrcorporated a550Ciation 8ovemed by its constitutlon Ireglstered charlty number 2538771. Oryanlsatlon The commlttee of trustee5 Wlth a minimurn of 8 rnefflbers, who meet at least three times per year. adrninister the Society. Tru%tee5 The member5 of the comrnittee of the Society are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout thls report are collecttvely referred to as the trustees. As set out in the Constitution, the comrnittee consists of a Chair. ￿0￿Orary Secretsry, Honorary Treasurer Ithe officer51, Musical Director and Assistant Musical Dlrector (who are both ex-officio and withovt votin8 ri8htsl. In addition the Members will airn to elect at least five other Trustees to fulfil the adrninistrdtive roles of the Cornmittee. The officers and other committee members are elected frorn the 8eneral metnbership at the annual gentral meeting. The committee may co-opr up to two further members during the season. Except for the officers and co-opted members, trustees may serve L*P to three con5ecLltive yearly terrnsand rnu5t then stand down for a minirnum period of one year. The trustees servlng during the year were as follows.. Chalr 5andr3 Paine Secretary J￿Ile Hopkins Treasurer Jon Smith Elerted rnembers Jocelyne Wilson Sarah Anderson Muslcal dlrector Adrian Bawtree Asslstant Muslcal Ixrector Robert Carroll Accounts examlner David Faram Independ•nt E¥AmlnÈr A re501u¢ion will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting that David Farnrn be re-4ppointed as independerst examiner to the Society forthe ensuing year. By order of the Trustees- Signatory Date.. R¢che61er Choral Society Report of th¢ IndèpÈndent Examln•r To the trustees of Rochester Choral Society I report to the trustees on my examinat¢on of the accounts of the Society for the year ended 31 July 2025, which are set out on pages 5 to 10. Responsibllitles and basls of report As the Society's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 20111.the Act'l I report in ￿SpeCt of rfiy eyaminatlon of the Trust's accounts carrled out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dlrertions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent Examiner's statement I havè completed my èxamination and I confirm that no materlal matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that, in any material respert-. the accounting records were not kept in accordance wlth sertion 130 of the Act- lal or Ibl the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or Icl the accounts did not comply with the applicable requSrements concerning the form and content of accovnts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirernent that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come acros5 no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. David P Faram Bsc ACA l Hawkwood Close Rochester Kent MEI IHW Date 271011202 R¢xhe5ter Choral Society Statement of Flnanclal Actlvities for the year ended 31 Juty 2025 202412025 All unrestrlcted Restrlcted Unrèstrlrted and restricted funds funds funds 202312024 All unrestrlded and restrlcted funds Note Income from: Donations and legacies Charitable artivitie5 Activities for 8enerating ￿ndS Investments 16,432 9,214 4,782 699 31,127 16,432 10,039 4,782 699 31,952 19.826 16,883 4,501 691 41,901 825 Total: 825 Expendlture on: Raising funds Charitable activities Other 3,382 31.279 1,673 36,334 3,382 31,279 1,673 36,334 302 34,172 4.110 38,584 Total: Net Income lexpendlturel: 825 15,2071 14,3821 3,317 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 28,565 23,358 28,565 24,183 25,248 28,565 825 Roche81ef Choral s￿iety Bolan¢e sheet as at 31 July 2025 2025 2024 All restricted All restrirted and unre5trirted and unrestrlcted fLbnds funds Note Flxed assets Tangible assets Current assets Debtors Investments io li 12 20.196 18,556 43,732 82.484 82 17,857 11.270 29,209 Cash at bank and in hand Current liablllties Creditors 13 58.301 hlet current assets 24,183 28,565 Totsl net assets 24,183 28,565 Funds ol the charlty Restricted and unre5trirted funds 14 24,183 28.565 Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by.. lon Smith Treasurer Date £626 Rochester Choral So¢iety Notesto the Auount5 forthe￿1•￿ded 31 1025 i ￿￿(￿jnI￿8 wllcl¢s •$lsof •¢¢OUhtln8 These accounts have been prepared underthe historical cost convention and in atcordance %vith the ststement of RecomrneDded Practice.. Accountinxand Reporting by Charitie5and wrth the Financial Rewrtinz Standard appllcaNe in the and Republic of Ireilrtd IFRSJ021. issutd on 16July 2014. Incoffle fiorn ticker and programme sale5 in included in the Statement of Fil￿ncIal ActNities ISOFAI in the r￿￿ when the relev•nttontert ta￿$ plate T•x red•kns*Jn donJtlon5 Gift Aid receNable is Inc1￿￿ed in incorne when there is a valid de￿arat￿n Irom the donor. Any GIftAid amount recovered on a d0That￿n is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition tothe same fund a5 the inilial donation unless the dwr has specifiedotheywke. In¢omelvom membevshlp$¥tys¢rfpYon$ Member5hlp sub5thptlon5 recelved In ihE narufe of a 81ft are recosn15ed In donaiion5 and le8aties. Membershlp substhptions whlch g￿e rnem￿rs the rlghtto educational benefit5 are reco8n15ed a5 Income earned from charitsble activf(ies. Tan8lbte flX￿ a$$ F￿d asset53re ca￿taliSed at cost, if they can be used fr* rnore than one year and ore depreckited in equal in#alments overtheir estlmated useful Ilves, as follows". 5tagin& podium, music stand5. ￿ght*￿% and rn￿C librnry IO% strai8ht Ilne 2015 2024 2 Don*￿￿5 •nd lry*d*s MeTnbEr5 sUb￿riPtI￿n&wh1Ch are in substance dc*r￿lOnJ Fr*nds subs¢ription$ Do¢aiions and gifts Gift Aid Lega¢ies 13.152 13,515 420 3.278 2.613 479 A¥wmn Sylni Summer 2S 2024 Income fromtlcketsales Pro8