www.godalmingchoral.org.uk
REGISTERED CHARITY 254800
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2022
Objects
The Society provides opportunity and encouragement for local people to participate in the study & practice of choral music, both secular and religious. The Society also aims to bring choral music to audiences from Godalming and surrounding areas with a view to encouraging greater musical knowledge and appreciation as well as reinforcing the sense of community amongst local residents.
Governance & Administration
The charity operates under the Constitution adopted 1 November 1967 and as amended by subsequent General Meetings of the Society. The last revision was in November 2016 which was filed and accepted by the Charity Commissioners. It is an unincorporated society with members, elected officers and trustees.
There is a main board of trustees with Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer as officers. Sub committees deal with specific issues & projects. Sub committees are appointed from the main board and trustees supplemented by members when required. Society members also perform additional functions under the guidance & control of the main board of trustees.
No member, Trustee or otherwise, is paid for his or her role. For the year ending 31 July 2022 the Trustees were:
Julian P.J. Hubble (Chairman) Sally Gravenstede (Secretary) William Middleton-Smith (Treasurer) Henrietta Hannah Constance Bradshaw Peter Brown Helen Elizabeth Gee H Helen McSherry Howard Muir Elizabeth Joan Sims
Selection of Trustees.
Members are invited to participate in the management of the Society and suitable applicants are elected at the Society's AGM.
Employees
The Society has no employees. Two professional musicians are hired on a renewable contract or ad-hoc basis to assist the Society in fulfilling its Objects. Orchestras and Soloists are engaged as required for the performances given and paid for this role.
Advisers
The Society banks with Lloyds Bank plc Independent Examiner Katina Zach AICB
Review of developments, activities and achievements
We achieved a small increase in membership over pre-Covid numbers with membership peaking at 89. We continued to maintain our recruitment drive and encourage new members.
We returned with great joy to live music-making after the restrictions of online video rehearsals during Covid lockdowns. We video-recorded our live rehearsals for the first two terms to enable members with continuing reservations over attending group gatherings to participate remotely. With many works under our belt, rehearsed in online virtual sessions during lockdown, we gave four concerts rather than our usual three, the final one as a Gala concert, performed jointly with Godalming Band, in celebration of her late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. Audience attendance at the Gala concert was excellent but at the others we saw a drop in audience numbers, in common with many other organisations performing live music post-Covid.
We organised two successful workshops where we worked on and rehearsed, respectively, Messiah part 1 and a selection of opera choruses. These were attended by members of the wider community as well as choir members.
The Society raised £2,876 for the DEC appeal for humanitarian relief for Ukraine - from collections at our concerts, from our members and via the JustGiving page on our Website.
Financial Review
Three of our four concerts involved orchestral accompaniment which significantly increases costs: with smaller audiences they were loss-making giving rise to an operating deficit of £1,300 for the year. Fortunately we received substantial unexpected donations - one from Shalford Choral Society, which was wound up, and a bequest of £10,000 which has been specifically allocated towards the costs of our 2023 performance of Verdi’s Requiem: for this concert, in the Theatre in the Woods (the home of Grange Park Opera), we will be joined by three other local choirs. Other fund-raising activities and ancillary concert income such as programme advertising continued to help our finances.
The Trustees’ policy on reserves in the Endowment Fund remains broadly unchanged - they will still be used essentially to generate investment income and fund exceptional future planned capital expenditure. The members have however approved the allocation of up to £3,000 each year from the Endowment Fund to augment performance resources for an annual “Bradish Concert” in memory of the benefactor who bequeathed these funds to the Society During the year we drew down £3,000 from those reserves towards the costs of our autumn concert ,which brought together the Requiem Masses of Mozart and Salieri.
Investment policy remains conservative & under regular review. No funds are held by the Society as custodian trustees on behalf of others.
Risk Management
The Trustees perform regular reviews of the Society’s operations and strategic objectives to ensure adherence to its principal charitable objects and financial controls. They are satisfied that there are sufficient systems and procedures in place to identify and address in a timely manner those risks that the Society may face from time to time. A constant potential risk throughout any season is that of having to cancel one or more concerts at short notice. Implementation of the Reserves Policy above together with subscription to Making Music’s insurance scheme is agreed by the Trustees as being of an adequate nature to minimise this particular risk.
Public Benefit
In the local area the Society actively promotes participation in choral singing and we have seen an increase in the number of members. We offer reduced price seats to wheelchair users and carers, and free or heavily discounted tickets to those under 18 to help stimulate interest in choral music among younger age groups.
We participate in local activities where possible and we also run events open to non-members, such as our singing workshops.
It is our opinion that the Trustees of the Society have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
...............................................................J. P. J. HUBBLE [CHAIRMAN]
............................................................... S GRAVENSTEDE [SECRETARY]
GODALMING CHORALsoci£fY. REGISTERED CHARITY No254*XI ANNUALACCOUNT5 FOR YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2022 STATEMENTOF FINANCLALAcrivmES INCOMING RESOURCES 2022 Voluntsry Inc¢¥ne: subscriptions Ta¥ Refvnds- Gift Aid Friends & Donations Collections for DEC Ukraine Fund Artivities for Generating Fund Specific Fund Raising Events Sale of Merchandise Rehearsal Refreshments Sundry Income Investment Income: Interest on Bank Accounts Charitable Aciivitles: Choral Workshop Lo2n & Sale of Mu51C Concert scores ConcertTicket Sale5 Concert Programme Sale5 Concert Refreshments Concert Programme Advertising TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 9,gfA).(KI 5.149.48 13.258.51 286.IX> L887.47 24.20 170.83 820.95 21.73 1.369.46 625. 8,614.34 1.081.30 951_55 1.473.(M) 45.693.81 RESOURCES EXPENDED Cost of Generating Funds- Fundraising Events Charitable Expenditure: Hire of Rehearsal Ha115 Condurtors. Rehearsal Fees Accompanists. Rehearsal Fees SubscriptioAs & Fee5 paid Hire & Purchase of Music Come and Sing 202112 Ststionery & Postage Concert Soloists. Fee5 B005ter singers Concert Orchestra & Accompanist Fees Concert & Orchestra Rehearsal Hall Hi Hire of Orchestral Scores Conductor's Concert Fees Concert Refreshments Coricert Programme5 Printing Posters & Advertisin£- Concerts PostÈrs & Advortisin8- Choii Sundry Choir E¥penses Sundry Concert Expenses Ukraine collections paid to DEC TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 5,882.SO 3.580.IK) 6S4.$0 769.61 1.487.72 2.9Tr). 565.CM) 7.812.71 1.740.50 2.305.00 352.05 684.00 882.85 1.530.15 512.89 34.020.08 NET INCOMING RESOURCES 11.673.73 Totsl Funds broughtfonvard Total Funds carried forward 36.402.93 48.076.66
GODAUWING CHORAL SOaEPI. REG15fERED CHARITY No.25800 ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2022 BALANCE SHEET 31 JULY 2022 31JULY 2021 CurrentAssets Investments-. Deposit & Fixed Rate Accounts Cash at Bank & In Hand Stock of Refreshments Debtors 45.588.96 3.357.74 28,567.88 6,708.39 Credftors Advertising income in advante Creditors Tickets in advance 1748.LNII 13.688.651 O.OD 45,258.05 1943 951 3384.32 NE[ ASSErs Funds of the Chartty Unre5tiicted Funds Endowment Fund IBradish Bequestl 24,258.05 21,(th.iNJ 9.584.32 24.000.IKI TOTAL FUNDS 45.258.05 33.584.32 StBned pursuantto a Res011n of theTrustses dated J P J Hubbje IChairmaTrl . W mldIeto-Smtth rrreagJrer) Independent Examinerfs Report on theAcaJunts Report to the7ru5teeslMembeTs of Godalrning Chordl Society IRegi5teTed Charrry No. 2548cKII on the accountsfor the year ended 31 July 2022 Set out on Pages l & 2. Respecknve responsiljiliies of the TnE5tees & Examiner 11 As the Charity's Trustees you considerthat an ayrfsf is not required for thisyear under section 43121 of the Charities Act 1993 Ithe Actl and that an indepènilezrt examination is needed. 21 It is my responsibility to 8}EmIne the attounts lunder s&(tion 43 of the Actl blFollow the procedu$ laid down in tho General Oirecknons gi¥en bythe Charlty Commiwon under sethon 4317bl of thÈ Art. cl State whether parricu1ar matters have come to my attention. BasF5 of Independent Exa¥nine5 Report My eMinatIon was carried out in accordance wr(h the General t*Tethors gNen the Charity Cornrni5soners. An examination includes a rewew of the accounting records kept bythe th3rity and a (ornparison of thÈ accounts presenied wlh those records. It a150 includes consideration of any unusual iteFns or disclosu in ihe accounts. and seeking explarotions frorn the trustees concernin8 any such matter& The procedures Uertaken do not provide all the nde£&that woukl be requsred in an audit and consÈquently I do not Èxpress ?n auditopinion on the accounts. Independent E¥amiTre¢s Staternent In connection with my examination no rTratter has come to nw atterstion 11 which 8¢ve5 me reasonable cause io lIÈVe that in any material re5peLt the trusrees have [t met the requirements to Ènsure that al proper accounting rÈcords are kept lin accordancewrth section 41 of theArtI. bl ocwuTrts are prepared which 3gTee with the accounting records and cornply with the atcounting requirèments of the ACL 21 to which, in my Dpinion. attention should be drawn in orderto enable a properunder5tsndirkg of thÈ accounts to be ¥Èathed. Signed