Haslemere Musical Society Trustees’ Annual Report
Charity name Haslemere Musical Society
Registered charity number 262696
For the financial year beginning 1 September 2022
For the financial year ending 31 August 2023
Charity’s principal address c/o Mrs Sue Ecclestone Hon Secretary The Warren Tilford Road Hindhead GU26 6RA
Names of the charity trustees:
| Name | Office (if any) and dates acted (if not for the full year). |
| Marion Bagshaw | Chairman |
| Patrick Callan | Vice-Chairman |
| Susan Ecclestone | Secretary |
| Lucy Hatcher | Orchestra Secretary |
| Simon King | Treasurer (From May 2023) |
| Sarah Rogers | Orchestra Librarian |
| Johanna Sainsbury | Orchestra Librarian |
| Elizabeth Kerr | Choir Librarian |
| Evie Page | |
| Sally Falk | |
| Charlotte Fentem | |
| Judith Ingham | |
Governing document
Rules adopted 18 June 1971 as amended 17 October 1983, 8 October 2001, and 17 October 2016.
Appointment of trustees
Trustees are elected by and out of the membership at the Annual General Meeting of the Society. They receive no remuneration or other benefits from the charity.
Objects of the charity
To educate the public in the art and science of music, to enable members to make music together at regular rehearsals of choral and orchestral works under the direction of skilled musicians appointed for the purpose, to perform such works at public concerts and offer concertgoers good value for money, and from time to time to commission new works for performance by the Society.
Activities and achievements during the year
In planning our activities we have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.
For the HMS season 2022 to 2023 the professionals were James Ross (Director of Music), Tom Horn (Orchestra Leader) and Clive Osgood (Choir Master and Accompanist).
The Choir had suffered a great loss in membership, mainly due to Covid and had a further set-back with the unexpected resignation of its Choir Master Ondřej Soukup in June 2022. Fortunately Clive Osgood agreed to work with the choir without a separate Chorus Master.
At the start of its season 2022- 2023 the Society began plans to celebrate its Centenary (it was founded in 2023) and for the first concert of the season the orchestra performed a concert in St Christopher’s Church, Weyhill. The orchestra’s principal clarinetist Helen Owlett played superbly in the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A. Also in the programme was Cimarosa’s overture to ‘The Secret Marriage’, Duparc’s orchestral poem ‘Aux Étoiles’ and Saint Saen’s Second Symphony.
The audience was not large and there was some difficulty in speeding up the sale of tickets (it was the first time a card reader had been used!) but the performance was enthusiastically received.
The second concert of the season 2022-2023 was the first Saturday in December. The first half was orchestral only and was Ralph Vaughan Williams’ overture to ‘The Wasps’ with the strings imitating the sound of wasps buzzing around the landscape. Then there was Sibelius ‘ Pelléas et Mélisande’ suite with Luke Owlett excelling in the cor anglais solo.
The second half was Christmas themed including Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’, with the choir and soloists Clare Loosely, Kerrie Stevenson and Helen Bendall. Despite the choir being much smaller than before the ravages of Covid it managed to produce a good sound thanks to the training by Clive Osgood from the piano. In the programme there was a second work by Ralph Vaughan Williams – his Fantasia on Christmas Carols including the folk tune, ‘The Truth Sent from Above’ sung by Thomas Lydon and ‘Come All you Worthy Gentlemen’ and ‘On Christmas Night’. Finally there was Adolphe Adam’s ‘Cantique de Noël’, an ideal way to end a Christmas concert.
The year 2023 began in St Christopher’s Church with a rousing ‘Come & Sing’ featuring extracts from Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’. Richard Thomas came to train the invited choir first with Clive Osgood accompanying and then with an HMS Chamber Orchestra. It proved to be an excellent way to start the HMS Centenary year.
The March concert was well received with local singers Janice Watson and Philip O’Brien performing extracts from Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ accompanied by the choir and orchestra. In the first half the orchestra performed Granados’ Intermezzo from ‘Goyescas’ and De Falla’s rousing Ritual Fire Dance from ‘El Amor Brujo’.
The final concert of the HMS 2022-2023 Season was in May during the Haslemere Festival. The programme was varied and popular and included Anna Hunt playing the Cello in Schumann’s Cello Concerto most beautifully and scenes from ‘The Mikado’ with the excellent Baritone soloist Jordan Bell and the choir enjoying coming to terms with a different type of singing. Also in the programme was Mendelssohn’s incidental music to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and the delightful choral work by Clive Osgood described as ‘Songs from Three Counties’.
Despite the set-backs caused by Covid the Society ended the season 2022 – 2023 pleased with what had been achieved and looking forward to celebrating the centenary in the December concert of the season 2023 – 2024
Financial review
It is good to see that the funds have remained fairly even compared to the previous year and that the efforts taken in 2022/23 were successful to bring us close to breakeven.
Income has increased compared to last year – but has not returned to pre-covid levels. Expenditure was similar to 2021/22 following continued efforts to minimise costs where possible.
It is critical to the Society that we continue to balance income and expenditure. This will need to be through fundamentally changing any of the following:
-
Increasing membership numbers
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Increasing fundraising activity
-
increasing ticket sales
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and decreasing costs
We do continue to have a financial buffer – but it is still at the lower limit to protect Society from a further Covid year, flu pandemic or other significant financial shock.
Reserves policy
The Society’s reserves policy is that we should maintain reserves at 125 - 150% of the prior year’s expenditure on regular professionals and venues.
At 31[st] August 2023, the total reserve is £26,625 is in this region and the Society has done well to keep it at this level, given continued reduced membership and reduction in sponsorship and gifts. The Trustees maintain close scrutiny on the ongoing operating costs, and will make changes as needed.
The Society completed its 100[th] season in 2023 and the Trustees remain dedicated to protect the Society to ensure its survival.
-end of report-
srATEMENTOF FINANCWAcnvmES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31AUGUST2923 202212023 202112022 2W20121 2019rn1 20W19 PatrDn< and Fffer0 SupD5 Donatiofts and Irants 1MerIudrnr11ry •thit5 1.655 5.47T 573 2n 1,632 4255 1.331 253 1.915 7.782 L974 325 271 311 Mernberf Substnpn5 Gitt aid on m•mb•rf 11792 953 7315 1.492 11,277 1.747 6519 1524 1021 9.407 1.17¥ cert irbtOmE 7.617 G•in sal• •s9•ts 14S 166 163 612 47 731 45 2Y.578 27A55 37.964 Costs of lundraisini athvffj•S I24 Costs of r•h••rtals 14.119 13.195 16.48S 11.IB7 li 16210 17JJ31 14.113 1.339 3.325 37.727 977 677 2&907 1.266 l.S19 47 .7.930 217 R•alls•d kx5 on ul•of in¥11*n 43 L501 L658 403 1,037 NETMO¥EMENT IN Fiml -u178 XS,275 31353 ?s 36.245 3L351 36,5B7 3&245
BALANCE SHEET at 31st Au6USt 2023 23 2021IZI 2020121 20DI20 lo/ FIXEDASSEts In¥*sbm•nts 6,086 6,077 6,480 5,420 19,747 16,774 11578 17.265 18.524 10.454 Cash at bank Cash IA hand COIF Depogt Fund 5.450 5.450 5.450 5.450 2,685 3,303 1.SCQ 2,CKL) a995 2? X695 3L603 38.387 7.450 4.310 420 Accrua15 365 745 370 NEf CURREKfA55llS 2&625 2&664 ¥275 3L351 38.24S 26,62S 26,664 30.275 3L353 38,245 26.615 26.664 30.275 3L353 38.245
HASLEMERE MUSICALSOCIETY ANALYSIS OF RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023 - CONCERTS On.22 tl•fr22 Id¥.23 m23 Total rickets 1,723 2.611 2.356 1431 1.1781 1_3131 1_236 711 1,545 2,297 2,120 7,483 1_8101 6,673 136 Printin8 1_2071 1_931 1_1151 1_1121 1-711 1-931 1-1151 1-1121 1_5271 1-3911 Relar Prd•55i(Thls Soloists Prof•ssiMal •id Gifts 1.7611 1.9201 1.9201 1.9201 1.3,5211 14421 146011_1,0601 14721 1.391 147 1-1.2421 1-1.58011-2.98011-1.789 1_2,8341 1-75911 Hir• ol Hall Hir•lwrch•s• ol music rfom)in£ riifitslrty4lli•S Orth•5tra t•1 Printini post•r5 INI miilshul Orh•r 1.1451 14141 14901 1.203) 1.771 14321 1.2471 1.781 1_1261 1.1361 1.2.3401 1.9591 1.3391 1491 1.1581 1.501 1-691 1.1051 1.5221 1.1.12711.1.29811.1.1421 -3.9851 Sal*s and corrtributions 243 1_711 1_271 1_751 1411 172 1_271 243 -111 G••n liossl on CoKens {.9521 I.L28111.10961 {.IAIMI {.5.3011
Simon King Treasurer Haslemere thjsical sIety RE.. Annual A£counts 2022-2023 Date: 14th 2024 Copperfields Weydown Road Haslemere GU27 1DT Dear Simon, I have examined the above accounts as presented to me on 4th 2024, and find them lo be an accurate representation of the financial position of the Haslemere SICal Society for the accounting period 01 September 2022 to 31 gUSt 2023. Best wishes, 6e41 Ivai Geoff Vortin Retired kcountant