The Hastings Music Festival Limited
Annnual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 30 June 2025
Registered under the Companies Act, number 167243 (A company limited by guarantee)
Charity registration number:261351
The Hastings Music Festival Limited
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Officers | 3 |
| Report of the Trustees | 4-5 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 6 |
| Statement of Financial Activites | 7 |
| Balance Sheet | 8 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 9 |
Page 2
The Hastings Music Festival Limited Festival Office, White Rock Theatre Hastings TN34 1JX
Officers
Hastings Music Festival Limited is both a limited company and a charity.
Lesley Moore, Chair of Trustees and Director
Charlotte Beale, Trustee and Secretary of the Company
Hannah Deeble, Trustee and Director
Kenneth Roberts, Trustee and Director
Dr Richard Wray, Trustee and Director
John Hart, Trustee and Director (Resigned 14 November 2024)
Jenny Griffiths, General Secretary (Resigned 30 June 2025)
Marie White, General Secretary (Appointed 1 April 2025)
Manningtons Independent Examiner 8 High Street, Heathfield East Sussex, TN21 8LS
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited Report of the Trustees
The trustee, who are directors for the purpose of company law, present the annual report, together with the financial statement of the charitable company for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Objects and aims
The object for which the charity was formed and its principle activity remains the organisation of a competitive festival of music, elocution, drama and dance on an annual basis and to promote education in these fields. This competitive festival, takes place each year in February/March at the White Rock Theatre. The charity aims to provide opportunities and support to young people of all ages, aiming for participation or careers in the performing arts, by using proceeds from the annual festival to provide grants for them. In May 2019, an additional fund, the Molly Townson Bursary Fund, was established for this purpose and received donations in memory of our former Chair, Molly Townson.
Hastings Music Festival provides opportunities to prize-winners of the Festival through organising events and partnerships with other local organisations.
The charity also aims to support local schools in providing performance opportunities for their pupils and encouraging participation in the performing arts.
Public benefit
In setting the charity's objectives and planning it's activities, the trustees have given consideration to and compiled with the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Results of the year
The Statement of Financial activities shows that expenditure exceeded income by £1,042 (2024: deficit of £2,268) for the year and the Balance Sheet shows funds of £67,564
Reserves policy
The charity retains sufficient funds in reserves that at least exceed the yearly amount of administration and support costs and the fees of the independent examiner.
Structure, governance and management
Governing document
The charity is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 8 May 1920 and registered as a charity with The Charities Commission.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
New trustees are required to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates, covering:
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The obligations of the trustees
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The documents that set out the operational framework for the charity
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Resourcing and the current financial position per the latest published accounts.
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited Report of the Trustees (continued)
Organisational structure
The day to day operations of the charity are run by a pert time General Secretary, supported by "sections secretaries" and a safe guarding officer who reports to the management committee that meet regularly. The Board of Trustees meets quarterly to manage the affairs of the charity and to provide strategic and financial governance of the charity.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks - financial, legislative and operational - to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to mitigate those risks and to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
Financial risk
The charity aims to diversify its sources of funding which are primarily from its operation, that include ticket sales and competition entry fees, private donations and grants. The charity actively pursues grants, particularly from local organisations, to assist with its outreach plans that emphasise the increased participation of local school children.
Legislative risk
Most of the competitors in the Hastings Musical Festival are aged under 18 and therefore subject to extensive child protection requirements. The charity has a team of Child Protection Officers who liaise with the relevant County Councils and the British International Federation of Festivals, to ensure that the charity is compliant with the current interpretation of the law as it applies to festivals, while also lobbying for greater clarity. Hastings Musical Festival maintains Risk Registers for health and safety at their events. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with child protection, health and safety, volunteers, competitors, adjudicators and audience members. Operational risk
As well as the risks outlined above, the charity faces additional operational risks, including the risk of unavailability of venues on desired dates, lack of competitors, unavailability of adjudicators and reduced audience members. These risks are mitigated in the development of our strategic plan, which allowed for the diversification of funding, activities and venues and in the agile management of our operations.
Approved by the trustees on…................................................. Signed:
Lesley Moore Chair, Board of Directors Date:
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of The Hastings Music Festival Limited For the year ended 30 June 2025
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Hastings Musical Festival Limited for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees of the company and also its directors, for the purposes of company law, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011("the Act").
I report in respect of my examination of the trust'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 Charities Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records: or
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- the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement 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 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 the accounts to be reached.
….......................................................................................... A J Thomson Manningtons 8 High Street Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8LS
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITES YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
| INCOME Donations and Gifts Charitable Activities Festival entries Memberships Ticket and programme sales Other Income Fundraising and advertising Interest Received EXPENDITURE Charitable Activities Grants Prizes and Trophies Adjudicators fees and expenses Administration and support costs Projects Lotteries and competitions Governance costs - Independent Examiners fees NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
2025 16,268 31,345 4,527 9,811 2,265 1,788 66,002 12,696 6,231 12,590 26,981 6,075 600 1,870 67,043 1,042 - 68,606 £67,564 |
2024 18,060 28,459 4,519 14,434 2,335 1,288 |
|---|---|---|
| 69,095 15,534 5,602 10,650 24,428 13,449 450 1,250 |
||
| 71,363 | ||
| 2,268 - 70,874 |
||
| £68,606 |
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited
BALANCE SHEET 30 JUNE 2025
| Notes CURRENT ASSETS Trade Debtors Investment Deposit Cash at bank and in hand CREDITORS:amounts falling due within one year 3 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES FUNDS Unrestricted funds as per Statement of Financial Activities |
8,114 26,000 26,000 56,933 58,604 91,047 84,604 -23,482 -15,998 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 2025 2024 |
8,114 26,000 26,000 56,933 58,604 91,047 84,604 -23,482 -15,998 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 67,564 68,606 2025 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 68,606 | ||
| 68,606 | ||
| 68,606 |
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
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The Company is entitled under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 to be exempt from a statutory audit relating to small companies.
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No notice requiring an audit has been deposited under section 476 in relation to these accounts.
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The Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts
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These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime and were approved by the Board on
Signed on behalf of the board of Directors
Chair, Board of Trustees Date:
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The Hastings Music Festival Limited NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
30 JUNE 2025
1 Accounting Policies
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(a) These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and, being of a charitable company that is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), and with the Financial Reporting Standard 102 applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and with the Charities Act 2011.
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(b) Grants to students, who take part in a year's festival, are included in expenditure of the accounting year that ends on 30 June, although they may not have been decided upon or paid until after 30 June of that year
2 Administration and support costs-including salaries
No employees received employee benefits of more that £60,000.
| 3 CREDITORS Deferred income Trade Creditor Accruals 4 Average number of pert-time employees |
2025 £ 10,632 100 12,750 23,482 2025 6 |
2024 £ 6,248 9,750 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,998 | ||||
| 2024 6 |
5 Trustees Remuneration, Benefits and Expenses
There were no payments to trustees during the year (2024: Nil)
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