## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** ## **From 01/08/2024 Period start date To 31/07/2025 Period end date** ## **Charity name: Portsmouth Choral Union** ## **Charity registration number: 266974** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The objects of the Society will be to
advance and maintain public education in,
and appreciation of, the art and science of
music in all its aspects by any means the
trustees see fit, including through the
presentation of public concerts and recitals.| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|In 2024-2025 we planned a programme of
four concerts of music ranging from the
traditional classical Haydn_Creation_,
written in 1798, to Will Todd’s Jazz-inspired
_Passion Music_, written in 2021. We held a
lively open workshop with the composer
himself to give singers an opportunity to
learn this new work. We collaborated with
Portchester’s Castle Primary School on a
carol concert and enjoyed a rousing
concert of Opera Choruses.| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The trustees have had regard to the
Charity Commission guidance on public
benefit.| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: SORP reference **N/A** Para 1.38 Policy on grant making |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|**N/A**| |---|---|---| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The charity is entirely run by members on a
voluntary basis. Many members (including
the Trustees) and friends regularly
volunteer in roles in fundraising, behind-
the-scenes organisation and helping with
audiences and refreshments at events.| |Other||| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|We started the 2024 -2025 season with a
new Deputy Music Director and
Accompanist in place, Mrs Sue Graham
Smith, Happily, she settled in quickly and
proved to be a tremendous asset to the
choir’s rehearsals and a key support and
backup to our Music Director Mr David
Gostick.
Our first performance of the season was a
classical choral favourite, Joseph Haydn’s
_The Creation_, working with the orchestra
Southern Pro Musica and with three gifted
young soloists. This was followed by a
traditional Christmas Carol concert
accompanied (and upstaged by) the school
choir from Portchester Castle Primary
School who we invited to share the
evening.
Our spring concert was planned to be a
real contrast in repertoire, with works by
two Modern composers. We sang Feel the
Spirit, a choral setting of spirituals by John
Rutter, and a recently-written work by Will
Todd, Passion Music, which is a retelling of
the Easter Story with a jazz/gospel fusion
with choral music. This was a challenging
step away from our usual classical comfort
zone but we were greatly enthused and
informed by a workshop with the composer
himself. This was also attended by
members of the Medici Choir from London
who we invited to sing in the concert with
us. We learned a lot about a more free-
form way of singing in harmony and were
able to perform in a way that passed on our
enjoyment and understanding of the music
to the audience.| Our summer concert was another style again, with a night at the opera performing favourite opera choruses. Supported by two expert and dramatic opera soloists, Lynsey Docherty and David Pendred we had a fun evening with a slightly lighter note to finish the season. **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|In 2024-2025 we gave 4 concerts ranging
in style from the modern to the classical
and held an educational workshop led by
the composer of one of the compositions.
We collaborated again with the Medici choir
and with young singers from Portchester
Castle Primary School. We were able to
work with professional orchestral musicians
and with a range of different expert soloists.| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|Our fundraising is mainly through
membership subscriptions and ticket sales,
plus internal fundraising events. We are
finding some external sources of income,
like the local charitable lottery.
We are planning some bigger events for
our 150thanniversary in four years time and
are exploring strategies for fundraising for
this.| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Our policy is to try to hold one year’s
running costs in reserve which we achieved
in this financial year.| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|We aim to maintain the minimum of one
season’s running costs in hand to act as a
reserve against years when concerts are
more expensive and against unforeseen
events.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£ 68,313.91 as of 31/07/2025| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|Our audience are still smaller than before
Covid, and we are also concerned that the
age profile of our audiences and
membership is creeping higher.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|Member subscriptions and (normally) ticket
sales provide the majority of our income.
We also receive donations from members
and supporters and from the Portsmouth
Lottery. We also have a ‘Friends’ scheme
of supporters.| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|We have one investment with a fund
tailored for charitable investments.| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|Rising costs are making it harder to afford
venues and put on full orchestral concerts.
We are also concerned about the smaller
audiences that now come to concerts.| |Other||| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|
Para 1.25|Written constitution dated 30thJanuary
2018| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|Unincorporated association| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|All Trustees are elected at our Annual
General Meeting of members or by
Extraordinary Vote of members following
any mid-term resignations.| |**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements|where relevant about:| |---|---|---| |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|All Trustees are made aware of their
responsibilities under the law as Charity
Trustees using guidance from the Charity
Commission.| |||We co-operate with other musical groups
and other choral charities in the area to| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|avoid clashes of concert dates as far as
possible and to collaborate on selected
projects| |---|---|---| |Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|N/A| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Portsmouth Choral Union| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|PCU| |Registered charity number|266974| |Charity’s principal address|21, Second Avenue, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 8HP| ||| **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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10
11
12
13
14|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Mrs Sylvia Mary
Lock|Chair||| ||Mrs Jane Helliwell|DeputyChair||| ||Dr Andrea
Hegedus|Treasurer||| ||Mrs Sonia
Schofield|Registrar||| ||Mrs Lois Houston|Marketing and
PublicityOfficer||| ||Dr Alison Barker|Secretary||| ||Julie Ann Smith|Ticket Manager||| ||Carolyn Ann
Keyzor|Soprano
Representative|Until 31stJuly 2025|| ||Susan Florence
Ward|Soprano
Representative|From 7thOctober 2025|| ||Lesley Evelyn
Chapman|Alto Representative||| ||Dr David Gweirydd
Griffiths|Tenor
Representative||| ||Mr James
Sweasey|Bass Representative|Until 1stOctober 2024|| ||Mr Anthony
Spender|Bass Representative|From 1stOctober 2024
until 7thOctober 2025|| ||Mr Paul Alistair
Hately|Bass Representative|From 7thOctober 2025|| Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity |**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|| |---|---|---| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |**Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**||| |Description of the assets
held in this capacity|N/A|| |Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the|N/A|| assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address adviser** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** |**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**||| |---|---|---| ||Alison Margaret Barker|Sylvia Mary Lock| ||

Secretary|Chair| ||15/05/2026|| ||15/05/2026|| ril A1 R•c•lpt• Subsw'on8 Sub Donatso Donatlons 22.fA9.IJ) 355.IX) I 22,875.54 452.99 10.486.15 5,463.24 1,212.93 616.17 430.00 11.85 582.82 12.89 2,882.27 4.177.48 1,131.54 917.16 Pr(y3rarn & L*ir8ry Ff*r Rec(Kd￿ Fundraisirwj Paorch•ThdiM Sal88 1CK) Club (Euyrfundrnijiw, 0￿ry￿k￿) Potsmwth Lotbry Su 24.56 o.c#) 430.00 325.04 621.50 474.46 1,019.08 182.85 847.LMJ 355.94 5.923.65 Bank Inknrnst 48.329.49 35,818.68 A3 P•ym•nts Prof9ss￿l F888 Don8tr)ns Hall Hirn Storage of Stsgir PublKIty Sundrkns 13.542.IyJ I 75.1x1 2,405.21 3,(K)J.00 1.301.43 8Q3.10 71Jl.Cl) -24.56 13.C#)8.C4) 2,480.10 1,500.IJO 1,051.53 1,132.88 675 InAffanc• Subscfiptsor Bank Chafges PRS Charges Loss from Investrnent&lSth7ng8 Admin a￿1 Stsbwy Intemal ￿j￿Ira￿.rwJ Bookkeeping l knuntsncy D•fKrt from Recordings Doftlt fr￿n Pr¢4rnwr Dknt from Tow R•fuThd8 120.(K) 125.30 121.5 0.00 273.2 11,767.78 8,408.01 33,821.24 28.630.02 Net ol ReceptslPayments 14.508.25 9,186.86 53,805.88 44619 FurKI Balan￿ Carrnd FO￿ard 68,313.91 53,805.86 81 Ca•h fvnd• CAFC¥sh A¢vJmt Imaiil .437.75 2.701.81 95.os 7W1.15 5.(W.47 1CQ. CAF Ca•h (twr) P•ty C88h M&G Chaiiixy 45.￿.58 o.c om ALthlwb (rwth•s¢d 1PJ10r20) 85 Uabllltl•• Arx¥ual. PRS 150.C 250. 150.(M) Crediicf . Memt*fB travd fur¥Js 1.320.50 5.172.54 68.313.91 S30)S.86 Slgn•bJr•• (Swed by one or trL*t•M M b•Wd•l tho tru￿•￿ Sign*Lwe Print Name Arwal Dale TL RknDfEA -¥lfCOLIfj Iqlr/26 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustoesl members of fH C+loAfvL IAAJIDKJ On accounts for the year endad 31, £0£4- Charlty no {if any) L£6974 Set out on page$ (rpw•mtx ty) rwJmLws d adtJrfK)nai th*ts1 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Trust-) for the year ended Rasponsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Ad 2011 {-the Act.). I report in resped 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission und8r sèction 145{5}Ib) of the Act. I have complete(I my examination. I confim that no material matters have ome to my attention {other than that disd0s8d below.) in connection wth the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord ¥Mth the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no ¢))ncems and have come across no other matt8rs in connedion with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in ordor to enab18 a proper urKlerstanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delet8 the words in the bockets rf they do not apply. Slgnod: Date: 12 oq Name: )Prf4NiÉ f l24£qc4 Relevant professlonal qualification{s) or body (if any): IcAev Address: 13 e&7É£S RoPrf) Lo￿s HÉATA So21 tse IER October 2018