1 

## KINGSTON CHORAL SOCIETY 

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT 

1 August 2023-31 July 2024 

## Annual Report and Financial Statements 

27 September 2024 

Charity Number 261522 



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## CONTENTS 

|Reference and administrative information|3|
|---|---|
|**Trustees’ report**|4|
|Charity Objectives|4|
|Fundraising|4|
|Activities during the year|5|
|Governance|7|
|Risk Management|7|
|Financial Controls|7|
|Statement of public benefit|8|
|Principle Accounting Policy|8|
|Reserves Policy|8|
|**Accounts**<br>|9|
|Statement as to Disclosure of Information to the Independent Examiner|9|
|**Independent Examiner’s report on the financial statements**|9|
|**Financial statements**||
|Statement of financial activities|10|
|Balance sheet|11|
|Financial Review|12|
|**Future Plans**|12|





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## Administrative Information 

## Trustees during the period 

Kate Cockle Anna Cronin (until 19 October 2023) Jane Harnden Jeanette Hull (from 19 October 2023) Debbie Lye OBE 

## Executive Officers 

Debbie Lye OBE (Chair) Kate Cockle (Deputy Chair Jane Harnden (Treasurer) Jeanette Hull (Secretary) 

## Registered address 

39 The Green Morden SM4 4HU 

Charity registration number 261522 

Independent Examiner Claire Stephenson, 3 Popes Road, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire   WD5 0EY Bankers CAF Bank Ltd., 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent   ME19 4JQ 

Kingston Choral Society is affiliated to Making Music and Arts Richmond 



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## OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES 

## Objectives of the Charity 

Kingston Choral Society is a Registered Charity in England and Wales, charity number 261522. Its charitable object is "the study and practice of choral music in order to educate the public in its arts and sciences, by the presentation of concerts and other activities". 

Objectives during the period were: 

- To further build the membership, especially in the lower voice parts 

- • To review and enhance the functionality and appearance of the website: http://www.kingstonchoralsociety.org.uk 

- To generate more income in response to continuing cost increases to enable KCS to continue to provide high quality choral music for audiences within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK) and beyond 

- To supplement fundraising activity and subscriptions with grant income from the Sir George Dyson Trust and the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust 

- To review Governance arrangements, ensuring they are fit for purpose 

- To carry out additional activities to fulfil the Society’s public benefit responsibility. 

## Fundraising 

As a voluntary organisation managed by its members, Kingston Choral Society’s main source of income is member subscriptions. The Society claims Gift Aid relief on these where eligible. Further income is generated via grant applications, sundry activities, including the sale and hire of music and concert dress accessories, and fundraising activities, described below. During the period, membership numbers increased by 4 to 112.  At the AGM on 12 October 2023 members discussed the committee’s proposal to increase the annual membership subscription from £160 to £180 per annum, with effect from Autumn 2023. The motion was approved by a large majority the following week. A second increase, only a year after subscriptions rose from £150, was unavoidable in the light of increasing costs of hiring rehearsal and performance venues, insurance premiums and fair pay awards to the two professional musicians. The Society will not be increasing subscription fees again in the coming year. 

Internally, the Society raises funds through activities including raffles, bring and buy and produce sales, ticketed Come & Sing events, quizzes and a Friends Scheme.  During the period these activities raised £2,580 net of costs. During the year ending 31 July 2024 fundraising activities were supplemented by external funds generated by a successful application to the Sir George Dyson Trust for a grant of £1,000 towards the performance of _Hierusalem_ in November 2023, and two separate awards from the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust amounting to £2,125 over the period. 



5 

The Society also received several generous individual donations.  These included a bequest from the Haworth family, in memory of Marigold, who served as KCS Chair from 2002-2007, and a soprano soloist sponsorship in memory of KCS soprano Michele Barons.  These and other donations amounted to £2,145.  The choir also received a large donation of £7,000 to enable us to stage a concert at Cadogan Hall in central London in spring 2025 (which appears in the 2023-24 accounts as deferred income). 

## Activities during the year 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024 

Each year Andrew Griffiths, the Musical Director, proposes the programme for the following season which is then agreed by the Committee in the early spring of the preceding season. The Concert season runs from September to June. Members rehearsed and performed four concerts during the period. The November concert, which unusually did not feature any established audience favourites, challenged the choir in rehearsals and it was more than usually difficult to sell tickets for it. However, a strong social media marketing campaign, which pulled in visitors from beyond the area with particular interest in George Dyson, and the attendance of composer Cecilia McDowall, both generated additional ticket sales, and the concert loss was lower than expected.  It was particularly gratifying for the choir to receive warm and generous feedback from Cecilia McDowall for their performance of the Da Vinci Requiem, both in person and via her social media accounts. The performance of _Elijah_ in March attracted a very healthy audience and the summer Purcell Celebration also generated a larger attendance than was achieved in Summer 2023. Throughout the season the Society again secured soloists and musicians of the highest calibre to perform for the local community: 

**18 November 2023 at 7.30pm** 

All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JP 

## _**Da Vinci Requiem**_ 

**Britten:** _Te Deum in C_ **Grace Williams:** _Elegy for Strings (Orchestra)_ **Dyson:** _Hierusalem_ **Cecilia McDowall:** _Da Vinci Requiem_ 

Soloists: Katherine Crompton (soprano), Gareth Brynmor John (baritone). With Thames Sinfonia 

Conductor: Andrew Griffiths 

## **Saturday 16 December 2023 at 7.30pm** 

St Andrew’s Church, Surbiton KT6 4DS 

**Ronald Corp:** _**A Christmas Mass,**_ **Carols for choir & audience** 

Conducted by Andrew Griffiths With Gavin Roberts, Organ 



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**25 March 2024 at 7.30pm** All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JP 

## **Mendelssohn’s** _**Elijah**_ 

Soloists: Anita Watson (soprano), Catherine Carby (alto), Tom Elwin (tenor), Felix Gygli (bass). With Thames Sinfonia 

Conducted by Andrew Griffiths 

## **22 June 2024 at 7.30pm** 

St Andrew’s Church, Surbiton KT6 4DS 

## _**A Purcell Celebration**_ 

**Purcell:** _**Anthems** Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, Z46: Remember not, Lord, our offences, Z50: My heart is inditing, Z30_ 

## **Purcell:** _**Dido & Aeneas**_ 

Soloists: Rosalind Dobson & Shafali Jalota (soprano), Shakira Tsindos (mezzo soprano) & Emyr Lloyd-Jones  (tenor). With The Purcell Players Conductor, Andrew Griffiths 

## Other musical activities 

Alongside the scheduled concerts, the Kingston Choral Society volunteer outreach programme engaged audiences from the wider community in fulfilment of our Public Benefit responsibility.  Activities included welcoming members of the public to join a ‘Choruses and Cake’ singing workshop focused on Poulenc’s _Gloria_ on 21 March 2024, carol-singing to raise a record £550 for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospices charity at the Bentall Shopping Centre in December 2023, a carol singing afternoon in John Lewis Kingston, and concerts at care homes and day care settings across the borough. 

## Website development 

Last year it was agreed that the Society website would benefit from being updated. There were several issues members wished to address: 

- The addition of a Donate button to increase income generation capacity; 

- The creation of a private password protected members’ area to allow the secure sharing of personal data and other sensitive information; 

- Improved functionality in terms of archive storage and access; 

- A more attractive and contemporary appearance and navigation. 

This project was led by the Society website manager and the Treasurer. It could have been a costly and complex exercise. However, the website manager enlisted the expertise of an IT professional who donated his time and advice free of charge. By the end of the reporting year the revamped website was ready to launch. 



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## Governance 

The Trustees form the management team, and they advise the Committee of 13 (the Trustees plus 9 additional volunteer members), which is the governing body of the Society. 

Trustee appointments are approved by members at the AGM. Trustees serve for up to five years with their appointments re-approved annually at each AGM during their term of service.  A few months before a Trustee post falls vacant, the position is advertised in the Choir Newsletter.  Potential applicants receive a job description, and a summary of Trustee roles and responsibilities based on Charity Commission Guidance.  If there is more than one application for a role, an appointment panel composed of Trustees and other Committee members select the successful candidate. Appointments are endorsed by the AGM. 

The Committee endorses and reviews all policies, manages risks, agrees the concert programme, signs off budgets and makes significant decisions, e.g. on subscription rates. During the period the Committee reviewed and amended the Reserves Policy, Financial Controls and the Choir Code of Conduct Policy which sets out the Society’s expectations of its members. 

The Committee meets three times a year, and additionally agrees specific decisions via email. A quorum for both meetings and written decisions is 8. Around a dozen other non-committee helpers contribute by taking on essential tasks, including social media, internal communication, music librarianship, liaison with Making Music, ticket sales, member support, drafting programme notes, assembling marketing materials, management of the Friends scheme and arranging outreach activities.  All committee members and helpers carry out administrative roles with tasks and responsibilities set out in job descriptions. 

At the April Committee meeting, members reviewed governance arrangements alongside the 1993 version of the KCS constitution and agreed to amend the latter to take account of developments in electronic communication and banking, and better to reflect administrative practices that have evolved over time. These changes are allowed for within the powers vested in the constitution itself. They will be proposed to members and adopted during the 2024-25 financial year. 

At the AGM all members have the opportunity to approve both new appointments and re-appointments to the Committee. 

## Risk Management 

Trustees maintain and invite the Committee to review a risk register and to be ready to respond to potential risks and issues as they arise. The register encompasses four risk areas: Governance, Finance, People and Reputation. 

## Financial Controls 

Financial controls, which are reviewed regularly by the Trustees, include: 

1. Preparation of budgets showing a two-year outlook, which are approved by the Trustees and Committee. 



8 

2. Reviews of performance against budget and other financial matters at each committee meeting. 

3. Preparation of a forecast, generally at the half-year stage, for review by the Trustees and committee, and agreeing actions to address areas of concern as necessary. 

4. All Trustees are advised of payments to be made from the Society’s bank account, which also require authorisation by two trustees. 

5. Expenses are only reimbursed where they have been incurred in the course of carrying out agreed choir activities. 

6. Capital expenditure and other one-off types of expense must first be agreed by Trustees and committee. 

## Public Benefit 

In planning activities, the trustees give careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and confirm that they have complied with their duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011. 

Kingston Choral Society specialises in providing access to high quality choral music to the local community and audiences from further afield.  The Society engages with the community in several ways, including through: 

- Four annual concerts, usually at venues within the borough, which are preceded by free open rehearsals earlier on the day of the concert; 

- Active publicity and marketing campaigns, both online and via leaflets and flyers, which encourage local people to join the choir and to attend our concerts; 

- Outreach activities in shopping centres, care settings and other locations; 

During the year the charity additionally benefited the public by generating charitable funds from a Christmas Carol public concert held in the Bentall Centre which raised over £550 for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. 

## Principal Accounting Policy 

The accounts are prepared on an accruals basis. 

## Reserves Policy 

The trustees have established a policy whereby the unrestricted free reserves held by the Society should be sufficient to cover between 3 and 6 months of operating costs. This ensures that commitments made, for example, in the form of contracts with venues and freelance musicians, can be met with confidence. At 31 July 2024, free reserves amounted to £9,515 (2023: £18,821).  Restricted reserves consist of a grant from the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust towards our concerts in the 2024-25 season and a donation and associated Gift Aid to cover the costs of our Cadogan Hall concert in March 2025.  A policy document will be developed and published on our website in the coming year. 



9 

## Accounts 

Statement as to Disclosure of Information to the Independent Examiner 

The trustees who were in office on the date of approval of the financial statements have confirmed, as far as they are aware, that there is no relevant information of which the Independent Examiner is unaware. Trustees have taken the steps that they ought to have taken as trustees in order to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that it has been communicated to the Examiner. 

This report and financial statements were approved by the committee by email in August 2024 and were subsequently endorsed by Kingston Choral Society Members at the AGM held on 24 October 2024. 




io
Statement of Financial Activities
Kln85ton Chwal 5¢xi
Account5 forchor Year ZOZ3-24
TOTAL
TOTf4L
TOTAL
2023-24
202Z-23
2021-2Z
Intomè
E18.950
£4,152
E2.145
£0
E16.7(X)
£3,187
E375
£14.800
£2.958
E991
Gift Aid Intomè
Danatitsnl
Legac*s
Grant- Hum
EO
£0
Rith¥d%tsn T ltsr CharitablÈ Trust
Christmas Cards
Rafflès & SaÈs
Events lQvii & open Evening)
Amazon l Easy Fundrasin
K[5 Ilub
Fr￿Ad5
E2,075
E15B
E2,575
f2&1
El,300
E78
£1,051
£793
£258
EO
£1,310
El.268
£378
E164
£i.oJi
£236
E143
E493
f171
£0
T@￿ i coffèÈs InÈt of togtg
E544
E390
£153
£3.a64
£158
£3.130
£253
£2.784
£145
NotÈbashÈts Inét of costsl
Salo & Hire of fowors
£26
£52
£94
£76
£62
£27
E707
E227
£14
Gross Coniert Income
Autumn Contèrt
£4,262
£3.256
£4.760
£3.408
£1
£50,836
£4,721
£2.2(
£3,882
E2,3
£3,287
£0
£3.649
E2,147
-E49
£34629
Spr￿g Contert
5ummÈr COntÈrt
Other Reyenue
Total Incomln
EO
£43.612
R•sour<és
Cost ofsales
Ex
enses
General
music￿Ths lees
Room HirÈ
£12.235
É4,471
£2.822
£446
£7
Ell.990
E4,144
£2.749
£321
£9
£11.020
£3,966
£2.103
£2SB
£11
Purchase & Hire of Mu51C
post4è. Printing & 5L)titshÈr
Bank Fees
E154
E128
f158
£56
£153
£128
PR5
£0
£19
EO
In5ur¥n
Honorarium
£283
Eiio
f269
£110
£257
Eiio
MÈmber&hiF
Purchase of Ties & Roses
Othèr
E343
E320
E345
£0
EO
£0
E347
£0
EO
ConcertC05ts
Autumn Contert
£9,363
£1.669
£11.6
E5.097
£0
£9,460
£1.465
£9.728
El.653
f108
£7,535
£876
£9.238
El,560
£0
SprmÈ Concert
5ummor Conièrt
Qutreach events
FUn*ai￿nI
ChrstM￿ Cards
Events lQuii & Open Evening)
£49
£128
£0
£124
£386
£83
Total Resources Evpended
£49.252
E43.071
£37.643
Gènool Surplus for thÈ year
El.58a
E541
-£3.014
BalantÈ Brou
ht forward at 118123
£19,481
£18,940
£21,954
£21,065
£19.481
£18.940
PR5 octrutskort Irttludeém indNJduolconcÉrtttctOurtts.

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## Balance Sheet 


Approved by the Trustees of Kingston Choral Society 


Jane Harnden, Treasurer Date:  29/8/24 


Debbie Lye, Chair Date: 31/8/24 



12 

## Financial Review 

The 2023-24 accounts were approved at the AGM in October 2024. 

Subscription revenues rose by 13.5% due to the increased rate and small growth in membership mentioned above.  Having raised £2,000 in donations towards our spring concert, we excluded this event from our annual grant application to the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Trust and took the opportunity to bring this and future years’ applications in line with our financial year.  The donations also boosted our Gift Aid and interest income.  Fund-raising was lower than in 202223 due to the closure of Amazon Smile and no online quiz, in which interest waned post-pandemic.  Our Friends scheme continued to grow slowly. 

Large concerts with orchestra and soloists are part of our charitable aim and expected to be loss-making, offset slightly by smaller events with only keyboard accompaniment.  Following a review of ticket price structures, including comparison with those at other local choral events, the committee approved an increase in prices and a revision to our concessions policy.  We now offer free tickets for accompanied children under 18.  In place of our previous small concession for all aged over 60, we have introduced a more generous discount for full-time students and people receiving means-tested benefits.  At £13,068, the net loss on our concert account was higher than in the previous year as we held our first concert with a full orchestra since before the pandemic.  However, the loss was £1,000 better than budgeted, thanks to a combination of higher ticket sales and lower costs in some areas. 

## Future Plans 

Kingston Choral Society has scheduled an exciting programme for the 2024-25 season which marks 75 years since the choir was first established as Surbiton Oratorio Society to sing Handel’s Messiah in March 1950.  The season will open with Handel’s Israel in Egypt – a first performance by the choir.  The Anniversary itself will be marked by a performance of Brahms’ Requiem and Poulenc’s Gloria at Cadogan Hall with celebrated soloists Sophie Bevan and Roderick Williams. Christmas and June concerts will feature works by living composers alongside traditional carols and madrigals. The programme is set out in a Concert Calendar leaflet to be disseminates across Kingston and the wider locality. 

Over the next period the Society Trustees aim to: 

- Further build the choir’s profile and membership 

- Continue to generate more income from fundraising, the Friends scheme and other donations, and advertising 

- Build on an active outreach programme 

- Amend the KCS governing document to make it fit for purpose and current practice, for example, use of electronic communication, virtual meetings and online banking, using powers vested within the Constitution. 

Signed on their behalf: 


Debbie Lye OBE, Chair