## **Treasurer’s Report (2024 Accounts) to BCS AGM April 30[th] 2025** This report should be read in conjunction with the 2024 BCS accounts document. Overall the accounts show a significant surplus to last year, maintaining a “run” over previous 5 years ensuring that the BCS reserves are increasing year on year providing the Society with solid financial stability. We do need a healthy “cash flow” especially around concert times when our outgoings are large in advance of receiving income – an “average” concert costs over £12,000 to stage, the larger ones nearer to £17,000 at the Abbey.. The size of the surplus in effect was really down to the phenomenal financial success (to accompany the undoubted musical success) of the Messiah performances in December 2024 that yielded a massive surplus for BCS of over £8,000 for the two events (one of the biggest recorded in recent history). Attributable to a number of reasons – very high audiences (1200 across the two nights) that might have reflected a pent up demand for the “traditional BCS Messiah at Xmas” after a gap of two years and a change in the ticket “variance” of pricing – we held the premium seats ticket prices at the same rate but found more people were choosing the less expensive (and more varied) price ranges - the £7 - £15 areas in the aisles and South Transept particularly filled up. We have just come off a very expensive Brahms/Poulenc concert (for 2025 accounts) whose loss was over 50% of the Messiah surplus which shows how valuable the Messiah concerts are and how they “contrast” to all other concerts financially….. The other concerts recorded losses throughout the year (Haydn and Summer concerts). I wanted to record my personal thanks to all BCS committee members (and others) who contribute to the running of the concerts – from ticket selling, publicity, managing of the concert before and on the day. It is a large task across the season. We are looking next year to deviate from the Abbey for our Spring concert as the hire charges are significant especially when we cannot attract audiences to counter the charge in ticket income. 2024 maintained a high level of membership subscriptions based on increased growth in choral singers with the new season starting in September and with new members joining through the current season; we have more people wishing to join us even now for this season which is very encouraging – as before the membership income allows us to “balance the books” outside of the concerts. It also maximises our Gift Aid HMRC annual rebate which helps us to boost our reserves. In terms of the costs, we had to spend more on maintenance items – repairs to piano, replacement of the conductor’s stand and investment in a second card reader that is proving its worth for the sale of programmes at concerts. We also incurred additional professional costs to support the Choir tour Summer 2024. Other costs remain broadly in line with previous years; noting that we are liable for PRS charges on certain performances (3.1% of net income as an Amateur choir) that “bite” us on a regular basis and although we choose to use Bath Box Office as our ticket agency and they provide a good service in the lead up to concerts, they currently charge 10% + VAT per ticket which affects our income. In terms of subscriptions, the AGM last year agreed that for the coming two seasons, the level of subscriptions would remain frozen, reflecting the current health of the BCS reserves. One item I wanted to raise is the importance of choral members to commit to the subscription payments across the full season – specifically those members that choose to pay in 3 bank transfer instalments (as opposed to paying all upfront or by presentation of 3 cheques). Exceptional circumstances that are made known to the membership secretary at the outset of the season (by end September of each season) that could affect the cycle of payments will be considered but generally the expectation is that the three instalment payments will be “honoured” by members – the purpose for the instalment option is for the ability for members to spread their subsciption costs across the whole season, not to pay for a partial season (unless they join new at various term points of course). The accounts have been independently and expertly examined and I commend them to you for your perusal and approval before submission to the Charity Commission website. I am, of course, willing to answer any questions you may have – either email at michael_ledbury@yahoo.co.uk or catch me in person at rehearsals if you would like anything more specific. ## 2025 AGM Motions to be voted on: 1. To accept the annual BCS financial accounts for 2024 2. To confirm that subscription for choral members is _frozen_ at £180 for the 2025-2026 season (as approved at 2024 AGM) 3. To confirm the following options for payment: - a. One payment of £180 if paid in full (cheque or preferably bank transfer) by 30[th] September 2025 - b. Instalments of either: - i. 3 x post-dated cheques of £60 presented upfront - first to be dated before or latest 30[th] September 2025, second dated 1[st] Dec 2025, final dated 1[st] Mar 2026 - ii. 3 x ebank transactions of £63 to be paid into the BCS Unity Bank Account on or before the following dates: 30[th] September 2025, 1[st] Dec 2025, 1[st] Mar 2026 _Mike Ledbury Hon. Treasurer April 2025_ ## **Bath Choral Society Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2024** |**Income and Expenditure**
**Concerts**
see details below
**Music/folders**
**Tour 2024**
deposit #1
Residue inc refunds
professional costs
Room hire
Total
**Social events**
2023 meal/2024 meal
Welcome back socials (Sept)
**BCS Workshop events**
**Bach Christmas Oratorio (St Swithins) - Nov 23**
hire charge
professional costs - conductor, accompanist
Income - Admission/donatons
**Brahms Requiem (St Swithins) - Nov 24**
hire charge
professional costs - conductor, accompanist
other costs
Income - Admission/donatons
**Subscriptons**
Choral Members
Gif Aid tax refund
**Other Income**
Donatons to BCS
**Incomes total**
**General expenditures**
**Promoton**
Flyers and posters inc design
Web site
**Other**
**Rehearsal related costs**
Music Director fees
Guest conductor fees
Accompanist fees
Room hire - masterclass
Rehearsal room hire
Bank charges (Unity)
NFMS subscripton
NFMS insurance
Miscellaneous costs
Bursary related costs (singing lessons)
**Expenditure total**
**Total Outcome**
Bank Interest (NSI account) - 2024 not known yet
as balance not available||**2024**|||**2023**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Income
£44,434
£661
£24,235
£24,235
£712
£176|Cost
-£41,403
-£1,035
-£24,442
-£2,100
-£84
-£26,626
-£691
-£58|**Net**
**£3,031**
**-£374**
**-£2,391**
£22
£118|Income
£38,564
£1,187
£2,500
£1,670
£90|Cost
-£41,047
-£1,400
-£2,400
-£1,686
-£60|**Net**
**-£2,483**
**-£213**
**£100**
-£16
£29| ||£888|-£749|**£139**
**£140**
**£21,815**
**£145**|£1,760
£1,300|-£1,746
-£305
-£700|**£13**
**£295**
**£0**
**£21,465**
**£501**| ||£1,294|-£430
-£700
-£24||£1,300|-£1,005|| ||£1,294
£18,008
£3,807|-£1,154
-£884
-£314||£0
£18,396
£3,069|£0
-£538
-£350|| ||£21,815
£145|||£21,465
£8
£493||| ||£145
£93,472|||£501
£67,276||| ||||**£22,506**
**-£1,198**
**-£11,979**
**-£1,457**|||**£19,691**
**-£888**
**-£12,552**
**-£991**| |||-£1,198
-£6,712
-£2,730
-£90
-£2,447
-£71
-£411
-£155
-£820|||-£888
-£6,615
-£340
-£2,880
-£108
-£2,609
-£72
-£392
-£151
-£76
-£300|| ||||**£7,871**|||| **Supported by Reserves** Page 1 of 4 |Opening Bank balances
Surplus / Defcit for the year
Closing Bank balances|£61,415
£7,871
**£69,286**|£56,155
£5,260| |---|---|---| |||**£61,415**| Page 2 of 4 ## **Notes to the accounts** The Society reports its financial position using Receipts and Payments Its main asset is an upright piano with an estimated value of £2,500. The Society do not believe it is appropriate to make any provision for depreciation of the piano. |**Bank balances by account**
Unity Trust Current account
NS&I Deposit account (note 2024 balance not yet
available to add to this fgure from 2023)|**31-Dec-24**
£60,973
£8,313
**£69,286**|**31-Dec-23**
£53,102
£8,313| |---|---|---| |||**£61,415**| |**Concerts summary**||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**2024**|||**2023**|| |**Concerts summary**|**Income**|**Cost**|**Net**|**Income**|**Cost**|**Net**| |**Verdi Requiem - 4/3**||||||| |Venue charge (Bath Abbey)|||||-£3,475|| |Professional costs|||||-£13,857|| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)||||£15,310||| |Agency costs - (10%+VAT comm + ads/printng)|||||-£1,565|| |Programmes (printng and revenue)||||£594|-£431|| |gif soloists|||||-£40|| |donatons - anonymous||||£1,400||| |**Total**|£0|£0|£0|£17,304|-£19,368|-£2,064| |**Carmina Burana - 17/6**||||||| |Venue charges (St Mat's Widcombe)|||||-£418|| |Professional costs|||||-£4,787|| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)||||£3,645||| |Agency costs (10%+vat + ads)|||||-£365|| |programmes (cost and sale)||||£151|-£93|| |publicity/printng/gif soloist|||||-£530|| |**Total**|£0|£0|£0|£3,796|-£6,193|-£2,396| |**Christmas Oratorio - 1/12**||||||| |Venue charges (Bath Abbey)|||||-£3,432|| |Professional costs|||||-£7,993|| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)||||£15,766||| |advertsing revenue||||£30||| |PRS charge (Performing Rights Society)||-£703||||| |Agency costs (10% BBO tcket sales)|||||-£1,481|| |programmes (cost/sales)||||£558|-£419|| |publicity/printng/gif soloist|||||-£599|| |**Total**|£0|-£703|-£703|£16,354|-£13,924|£2,430| |**Haydn/Mozart March 2024**||||||| |Venue charges (Bath Abbey)||-£2,783|||-£1,028|| |Professional costs||-£7,894||||| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)|£8,793|||£1,110||| |Agency costs (10% BBO tcket sales)||-£1,093||||| |programmes (cost/sales)|£486|-£386||||| |publicity/printng|||||-£535|| |**Total**|£9,279|-£12,156|-£2,877|£1,110|-£1,562|-£452| |**Summer 2024**||||||| |Venue charges (St Mary's Bathwick)||-£475||||| |Professional costs||-£1,220||||| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)|£2,177|||||| |advertsing revenue/donatons|£125|||||| |Agency costs (10% BBO tcket sales, ads)||-£272||||| |programmes (cost/sales)|£196|-£259||||| |publicity/printng/gif soloist/staging/St Johns||-£852||||| |**Total**|£2,498|-£3,077|-£579|£0|£0|£0| |**Messiah December 2024 (x 2 perfs)**||||||| |Venue charges (Bath Abbey)||-£6,612||||| |Professional costs||-£13,450||||| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)|£30,852|||||| |advertsing revenue/donatons|£235|||||| |Agency costs (10% BBO tcket sales+ ads)||-£3,062||||| |programmes (cost/sales)|£955|-£473||||| |publicity/printng/gif soloist||-£426||||| |**Total**|£32,042|-£24,023|£8,019|£0|£0|£0| |**Brahms/Poulenc Gloria Mar 2025**||||||| |Venue charges (Bath Abbey)||-£957||||| Page 3 of 4 |Professional costs||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Ticket sales (Secretary/door/BBO)|£615|||||| |advertsing revenue||||||| |Agency costs (10% BBO tcket sales)||||||| |programmes (cost/sales)||||||| |publicity/printng/gif soloist||-£487||||| |**Total**|£615|-£1,444|-£829|£0|£0|£0| |**Concert totals**|£44,434|-£41,403|£3,031|£38,564|-£41,047|**-£2,483**| Page 4 of 4 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Bath Choral Society On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Charity no (If any 263086 Sot out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended 3111212024. As the charty's trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of the accourrts in accordance with the requirements of the Charrties Ath 2011 {°the Acr). Responsibilities and basis of report I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's acc¥Junts carried out under sethon 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the aP￿Icable Directions gtven by the Charity Commission urKler section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examinerfs ststement come to my attention in connection wrth the examination (other than Ihat disG105ed telow") which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect. the accounting records were not kept in accordance wth section 130 of the Charities Act" or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records,. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements cOn￿mIng the form and content of acGounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Yrue and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems 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. . Please delete the words rackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: 24 January 2025 Name: Richard Robb Relevant professional qualification{sl or body lif any).. Institute of Chartered Accountsnts Address: Briscoe House. 28 Church Street. Bathford. Bath BA1 7R8 IER Oct 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of con￿rn (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidan￿ for examiners). Give herè bri8f detalls of any Item8 that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oet 2018