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2025-06-20-accounts

Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

Banstead Musical Society (St Cecilia Chorus)

Charity Number 270480

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period July 2024 to June 2025

1. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Society’s constitutional objectives remain the same as those agreed back in 1922 when the Society was formed: i.e., ‘the study and practice of choral music in order to foster the public knowledge and appreciation of such music by means of public performance’. These are at the heart of everything we plan for and do.

The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s Guidance on Public Benefit plus guidance from Making Music, of which we are a member.

This season we welcomed Edward Walters as our Interim Music Director, whilst James Dixon took a sabbatical to pursue his studies. Thanks to Ed we have been able to continue to provide a hybrid rehearsal solution: in-person or via Zoom, plus access to recordings of rehearsals via the members area of our website. This together with links to online practice by part, loaded by our Membership Secretary Liz McPhee, has ensured we provide maximum opportunity for singing members to learn and practice the repertoire and participate in our concerts.

Our pastoral support for our members which increased during covid lockdown continued via regular email updates from the committee, and our sectional coordinators who take registers and actively communicate with those who are absent or unfamiliar with IT.

This season we have built upon our community engagement and publicity activities, which has resulted in us benefiting from loyal support and continued engagement from our singing members, supporters and audience members, former members returning and new members joining. This has increased our audience numbers significantly and allowed us to engage in outreach activities with our local community e.g. singing at Hampton Lodge and Tennyson Grange care homes, partnering with Cheam Chamber of Commerce to sing on stage at Cheam Village Christmas Fayre and our annual ‘Come and Sing Workshop’ in January. The latter, led by Ed accompanied by Siobhain O’Higgins, featured a wide variety of genres themed on ‘Hills and Mountains’ which attracted several non-members, two of which have since joined us, a testament to Ed’s passion, flexibility and genuine desire to help people to develop and improve their singing.

We also continued our commitment and focus on local emerging musical talent through the Judith McEwan Choral Scholarship, started in 2017, and were delighted to appoint Rebecca Sullivan as our soprano Choral Scholar for the 2024/25 season.

The increased opportunity to freely socialise again allowed us to support the choir with some much-needed income. In October Alison Jones and Martin Haynes again agreed to lead our eagerly anticipated and well-attended Quiz Night, which kept the teams on their toes until the very end, when the winning team prevailed by just one point! Together, this and our ‘St Cecilia and Friends Entertains’ evening in March organised and hosted by Bethany Tucker and Bex Sullivan featuring a variety of singing, instrumental pieces, poetry and monologues wonderfully performed by the hosts, current, former members and friends, raised over £2k.

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

The Society performed three high quality concerts in Sutton and Cheam, all of which had larger audiences than the previous year and featured our Choral Scholar, Rebecca Sullivan, as our soprano soloist.

Our Autumn 2024 concert, the first directed by Edward Walters, supported by Ian le Grice and the Paddington Ensemble was entitled ‘A weekend in Italy’. It featured a variety of Italian opera choruses starting with the rousing Anvil Chorus of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, passing through Leoncavallo Bell Chorus and Donizetti Chorus of Wedding Guests, highlights from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Easter Hymn. This was followed by sacred music for the morning after with Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, an extraordinary work revived in the 1950s. Our soloists were Rebecca Sullivan (soprano), Alexander Scott (tenor) and John Avery Holland (bass). This wonderfully rousing concert left the large audience in raptures!

The mood changed for our Spring 2025 concert entitled ‘Wisdom’s Holiest Treasures’. We were equally challenged and rewarded by performing Haydn: Te Deum, Gound: St Cecilia Mass and J S Bach: highlights. Edward was ably supported by Ian le Grice and members of the Paddington Ensemble. Our soloists were Rebecca Sullivan (soprano), Davide Basso (tenor) and John Avery Holland (bass). Yet again, the audience enjoyed the contrasts of the repertoire.

For the final concert of the season, and the last with Edward as our Interim Music Director, there was another mood change as we performed Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle brilliantly supported by Ian le Grice (organ) and Siobhain O’Higgins (piano). We soon realised that this was not so ‘petite’ with intense concentration and breath control required for the stirring choruses. Our soloists were Rebecca Sullivan (soprano), Anthony Colasanto (tenor), Luthien Brackett and John Avery Holland (bass). One professional musician who has seen us perform over many years commented afterwards that this was the best quality singing from St Cecilia Chorus they had heard – a testament to Ed’s preparation and commitment. Over the season he has stretched and raised the musicality of the choir, giving personal feedback to all members via voice checks.

Moving forward, we are looking forward to varied, interesting and engaging repertoire as Ed settles into his new role as our permanent Music Director, maintaining and increasing our membership and audiences and of course preparing for our tour to Germany in June 26.

We are taking measures to ensure our financial security in a fluctuating environment and will continue to engage with community/social events and invest in emerging talent, to ensure that the Society continues to thrive.

2. GOVERNANCE

The Society is constituted under a set of Rules most recently revised in September 2018. Our policies are reviewed annually or every 3 years by the Committee and updated as relevant.

The Officers for 2024/25 included a President and Vice-Presidents as follows:

President

Vice-Presidents

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25 The Trustees of the Society are the members of the Committee who are elected annually by members present at the Annual General Meeting.

The Trustees for 2024/25 were: Chair: June Parsons Deputy Chair: Stephen Oliver Committee Secretary: Kirsty Wyatt Honorary Treasurer: Margaret Stevens Marianne Adams Alison Jones Graham Little Jenny Miller-Slights

The Society’s Interim Musical Director for 2024/25 was Ed Walters, and its accompanist Ian le Grice.

3. FINANCIAL POSITION

Details of the Society’s income and expenditure for the year under review and for the previous year are shown on the attached financial statements.

We are extremely grateful to the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust for its continuing support of the Society with a grant of £4,000. Throughout the season, Ed Walters, our interim Musical Director, has led us with sensitivity and a passion for the music and we are pleased to report that he has been confirmed in post as our new Director of Music. We are very pleased to report that we have welcomed 5 new members this year although our total membership has gone down by 2 to 54. But for the fact that a new member’s first term is free we would have exceeded our budget projection for memberships.

This year our average attendance at concerts went up from 79 to 94 and our gate and season-ticket sales increased by £689. However, all of our expenditure increased, largely because of increases in the cost of living. We try to pay our professional colleagues a reasonable fee, venue hire has increased and the cost of bar stock has increased. It is only because of the generosity of Marjorie Hall’s legacy many years ago that we were able to sell some of our investment units to cover these increases.

Fund-raising for this year was boosted by a very well-attended Quiz Night and a lively and well-attended ‘St Cecilia and Friends Entertain’ which show-cased the wide range of performing talents of all concerned. Through a combination of increased sales and donations, and reduced costs our fund raising increased by over £800 this year. We have already planned 3 events for next year which will help us to prepare ambitious programmes and support our tour next June.

At 20th June 2025 we had a total of £1,259.80 in cash at bank and on deposit. Our investments, which earned £725.40 this year, were valued at £14,752.50.

We recognise that our ability to continue meeting our central objective of providing concerts of the highest quality will depend on continued efforts to sustain our financial position at a time when audiences are building again thanks to the sterling efforts of Alison Jones, our publicity person, and fund-raising efforts are once more being rewarded.

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

I would like to thank Robert Collier very much for being, as ever, our patient and conscientious External Examiner.

4. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

The Society’s principal address is: Our bankers for 2024/25 have been: 101 Blenheim Gardens CAF Bank Ltd Wallington 25 Kings Hill Avenue SM6 9PU West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ

Independent Examination of the Accounts has been kindly provided by Robert Collier.

5. DECLARATION

I declare, in my capacity as a Trustee, that the Trustees have approved the above report and authorised me to sign on their behalf.

Signature............................................

June Parsons: Chair

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE BANSTEAD MUSICAL SOCIETY

I report to the trustees on the accounts of the Banstead Musical Society (“the Society”) for the period ended 20 June 2025, which are set out on Schedule A: Receipts and Payments, Schedule B: Statement of assets and liabilities and notes 1 to 8 thereon.

Responsibilities and basis of report.

As the charity trustees of the Society, 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 Society’s accounts, comprising the Receipts and Payments account and the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable directions given by the Charity 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 which give me cause to believe that, in any material respect:

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Robert Collier

Date:

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

BANSTEAD MUSICAL SOCIETY

Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 21 June 2024 to 20 June 2025

A. Receipts and Payments

RECEIPTS
Subscriptons from members
Patrons and Friends
Music hire contributons
Bequests
Concert Receipts (Notes 6,8)
Financial support for concerts
Gif Aid
Income from fund raising (Note 5)
Workshop
Interest on deposits
Current tour
Distributons from Unit Trusts
Miscellaneous (Note 7)
Subtotal
Sales of investments
MH Loan
Total receipts
PAYMENTS
Subscripton payment fees
Music hire and copying
Cost of concerts (Notes 6,8)		 Main fund
Marjorie
Hall Fund
Total
2024/25
2024/25
2024/25
2023/24
10,780.00
-
10,780.00
9,850.00
20.00
-
20.00
20.00
1,044.99
-
1,044.99
1,030.00
-
2,000.00
2,000.00
-
5,045.25
-
5,045.25
5,465.00
4,000.00
-
4,000.00
4,000.00
2,027.57
-
2,027.57
1,750.35
5,499.89
-
5,499.89
5,115.24
-
830.00
830.00
693.81
37.57
13.95
51.52
55.12
-
9,100.00
9,100.00
19.90
-
725.40
725.40
700.15
-
-
-
-
28,455.27
12,669.35
41,124.62
28,699.57
-
2,500.00
2,500.00
-
-
-
-
3,800.00
28,455.27
15,169.35
43,624.62
32,499.57
30.35
-
30.35
61.32
1,264.93
-
1,264.93
988.70
13,772.66
435.00
14,207.66
13,861.45

Page 6 of 11

Concerts in other years
Professional fees
Hall hire
Miscellaneous (Note 7)
Cost of fundraising
Judith McEwan scholarship
Workshop
Current tour
Subtotal
Loans
Total payments
Net receipts
Transfers between funds
Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end		 Banstead Musical Society 2024/25
-
-
-
90.00
8,773.40
-
8,773.40
9,445.23
1,957.00
-
1,957.00
1,748.05
1,975.36
-
1,975.36
865.00
522.09
-
522.09
948.26
900.00
-
900.00
1,800.00
-
966.51
966.51
859.90
-
9,525.42
9,525.42
2,836.03
29,195.79
10,926.93
40,122.72
33,503.94
-
2,800.00
2,800.00
1,000.00
29,195.79
13,726.93
42,922.72
34,503.94
(740.52)
1,442.42
701.90
(2,004.37)
-
-
-
-
(1,533.08)
£2,090.98
557.90
2,562.27
(2,273.60)
-
3,533.40 -
1,259.80
557.90

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Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Cash funds
Pety cash
CAF current account
CAF Deposit accounts
Subtotal
Less cheques/lodgements outstanding
Total		 20 Jun 2025
-
2,445.74
849.36		 20 Jun 2024
-
268.94
288.96
3,295.10
(2,035.30)		 557.90
-
1,259.80 557.90
Other monetary assets
20 Jun 2025
Investment assets (Values at 23/06/2025)
M&G Charifund ( 481.327 units)
7,525.16
COIF Charites Ethical (2,428.3773
units 2024: 3,269.59 units))
7,227.34
Total
14,752.50
On 2 June 2025, 841.2127 units of the COIF Charites Ethical investment were sold for
£2,500		 20 Jun 2025
7,525.16
7,227.34		 20 Jun 2024
6,700.00
9,329.78
14,752.50 16,029.78

Assets retained for the charities own use

The Society retains some assets for its own use, for example music, staging and refreshments, with an estimated value of less than £300.

Liabilites
Deposits to be used in the following
year
Loans
Total		 -
20 Jun 2025
425.42
-		 -
20 Jun 2024
597.50
2,800.00
425.42 3,397.50

Approved by the committee on:

June Parsons (Chair)

Margaret Stevens (Hon. Treas)

Page 8 of 11

Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

Notes to the Accounts

1 Charitable Status

The Society is an unincorporated association registered as a charity with number 270480 under the Charities Act 1960.

2 General Accounting policies

The Society’s Committee agreed at its meeting on 17 April 2013 that its accounts should be prepared as Receipts and Payments Accounts rather than on an accruals basis. This is permitted for charities which are not also a company and which have gross income under £250,000. The Committee also agreed at the same meeting that its small stocks of music and refreshments should be treated in the accounts as of zero value.

3 Trustees and other related parties

During the year neither the trustees nor any persons connected with them have received any remuneration. The Society employs no staff.

During the 2023-24 year the Society accepted £3,800 in short term loans from a Trustee to ensure that sufficient cash funds were available to pay the outstanding costs of the tour in 2023. The loan is now fully repaid.

4 Funds

The Marjorie Hall Fund was established for general development purposes as a result of a legacy of £37,389 bequeathed to the Society in 2000 by the late Marjorie Hall. The Fund has been used for example to support our development workshops, Christmas concerts, the costs of our professionals on overseas visits, commissioning music from local composers and subsidising subscriptions where appropriate. The fund is not formally restricted, enabling cash management in the interests of the Society as a whole. At its meeting on 24 May 2017 the Committee agreed that bequests for 2016/17 and in future should generally be credited to the Marjorie Hall Fund

5 Fundraising
Provision of choirs for various
occasions
In memoriam Beryl Jones
In memoriam David White
Sale of rehearsal refreshments
Sale of rehearsal produce
Quiz Night
St Cecilia Entertains
Members' donatons
Supporters' donatons
Miscellaneous – presentaton
Net receipts
Cost of fundraising
Total receipts		 Main fund
Marjorie
Hall
Fund
Total
2024/25
2024/25
2024/25
2023/24
100.00
-
100.00
20.00
500.00
-
500.00
-
-
-
-
140.00
291.69
-
291.69
102.33
58.20
-
58.20
112.65
1,182.44
-
1,182.44
1,256.07
881.52
-
881.52
803.70
1,113.95
-
1,113.95
900.73
850.00
-
850.00
234.00
-
-
-
597.50
4,977.80
-
4,977.80
4,166.98
522.09
-
522.09
948.26
5,499.89
-
5,499.89
5115.24

Page 9 of 11

6 Net cost of Christmas Concert
Total receipts
Total costs
Net cost
7 Miscellaneous expenses
Memberships and insurances
Performing Rights Society fee
Banking costs
AGM expenses
Web Host
Making Music platorm
Portable router
Presentatons
MD recruitment		 Banstead Musical Society 2024/25
Main fund
Marjorie
Hall Fund
Total
2024/25
2024/25
2024/25
2023/24
-
-
-
1,321.50
-
435.00
435.00
2,736.68
-
(435.00)
(435.00)
(1,415.18)
Main fund
Marjorie
Hall Fund
Total
2024/25
2024/25
2024/25
2023/24
492.00
-
492.00
377.00
90.54
-
90.54
-
60.00
-
60.00
60.00
52.70
-
52.70
200.00
122.01
-
122.01
-
131.67
-
131.67
78.00
-
-
-
150.00
632.14
-
632.14
-
394.30
-
394.30
-
1,975.36
-
1,975.36
865.00

Page 10 of 11

Banstead Musical Society 2024/25

8. Net costs of main concerts

Receipts
Gate
Season tcket sales
Programmes
Refreshments
TOTAL
Costs
Professional
expenses
Gate
Season tckets
Programmes/fyers
Refreshments
Misc/venue
TOTAL
Net loss
Financial support received
Humphrey Richardson
Concerts in other years
NET LOSS		 Nov-24
Mar-25
Jun-25
Non
specifc
Weekend in Italy
Gounod
Rossini
Season
tckets
1,520.00
1,345.00
1,265.00
-
-
-
-
120.00
17.00
15.75
13.00
-
317.00
189.50
243.00
-		 TOTAL
2024/25
TOTAL
2023/24
4,130.00
3,275.00
120.00
286.00
45.75
-
749.50
582.50
1,854.00
1,550.25
1,521.00
120.00		 5,045.25
4,143.50
(6,121.20)
(2,845.00)
(2,475.00)
-
(31.20)
(23.68)
(20.93)
-
-
-
-
(1.30)
(142.67)
(184.00)
(72.41)
-
(193.32)
(186.61)
(80.34)
-
(490.00)
(505.00)
(400.00)
-		 (11,441.20)
(9,623.00)
(75.81)
(57.22)
(1.30)
(3.99)
(399.08)
(126.37)
(460.27)
(321.69)
(1,395.00)
(992.50)
(6,978.39)
(3,744.29)
(3,048.68)
(1.30)		 (13,772.66)
(11,124.77)
(5,124.39)
(2,194.04)
(1,527.68)
118.70
Taylor Charitable Trust		 (8,727.41)
(6,981.27)
4,000.00
4,000.00
-
(90.00)
(4,727.41)
(3,071.27)

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