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2025-08-31-accounts

LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA

Registered Charity No: 272002

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR TO 31 AUGUST 2025

[Draft pending inspection of the Accounts in June 2026]

OBJECTS OF THE ORCHESTRA

(As set out in its constitution revised on 21 November 2017)

  1. To educate the public in the arts and sciences, and in particular the art and science of music, by the presentation of concerts and other activities, and

  2. To provide means of supporting medical charities.

The Orchestra’s main activity is the presentation of concerts and participation in rehearsals in preparation for concerts. It is the intention of the conductor, leader and committee that the rehearsals should themselves be enjoyable for the members. Most concerts are held in support of medical charities, but some also raise money for Orchestral funds.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CONCERTS

The Orchestra aims to put on three concerts each year, toward the end of Autumn, Spring and Summer terms, respectively.

The Trustees’ intention is that all the Orchestra’s concerts should be financially self-sufficient and, if possible, should make a small profit, which usually goes to the charity supported by each concert.

However, the ticket receipts are not always sufficient to cover concert costs. On these occasions the balance has to be met from Orchestral funds and the charity does not receive any money from profit on ticket receipts. But other benefits for the charity are the donations from interval refreshments and retiring collections, and an increased awareness of the charity and its purpose.

In the committee’s communications with the charities, care is taken to make clear that there may be no profits from ticket sales and that donations and donations for refreshments may provide the only income they get from the concert.

For the Christmas concerts the profit has typically been higher, and the charity typically gains income from profits on ticket sales. This is mainly because the audience is larger, and the Church plays a larger role promoting attendance and often gaining sponsorship, with a profitsharing arrangement with the LMO.

The basic costs of putting on concerts consist of

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

vii) Publicity, printing , photocopying etc viii) Performing Rights Society ( PRS ) fees (payable in relation to any works in copyright)

THE ORCHESTRA’S ACTIVITIES IN 2024/25

In 2024, Orchestra’s celebrated its 70[th] Anniversary Year.

Three concerts were held, each at the end of a term of rehearsals. All rehearsals and concerts were held at St Mellitus Church.

The 2024/5 year saw a record number of members (for the first time averaging over 50 over the year). While overall ticket sales were down on last year, which included the 70[th] Anniversary Concert at LSO St Lukes, sales for the important Christmas concert, shared with our hosts St Mellitus were strong. Ticket sales for the later two concerts were affected by a 25% ticket price increase after five years of no change (though have since bounced back up).

Concert in support of St Mellitus’s hall restoration campaign held at St Mellitus Church on 8 December 2024

The LMO were joined for this concert by Tottenham Community Choir and High Holborn Chamber Choir . The programme comprised:

325 tickets were sold and total estimated ticket income was £3,811 (some of which was collected by St Mellitus and combined with refreshment income). Refreshments sales brought in a further £2,426 . The Church raised an additional £500 in sponsorship for LMO, giving total income of £6,737 .

Concert costs were £3,853, resulting in a surplus of £2,884, which was split three ways, providing £961 each for the Church general funds, for its Hall renovation campaign (the concert beneficiary), and orchestra.

Spring Concert for Rare Dementia Support on Sunday 30[h ] March 2025

The concert programme comprised:

The beautiful artwork projection by William Lindley was the second such experience for the orchestra, following a projection for the Firebird Suite at the Christmas 2022 concert. Once again, it was a popular addition to the concert.

Ticket prices , having been held for about 7 years at £12 for advance sales (90% of total), were increased by 25% to £15 for this and subsequent concerts. 203 tickets were sold

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

realising sales of £2,496 . Concert costs were £3.308 , producing a deficit of £912 .

The charity served and took donations for refreshments.

Concert in support of Islington Bereavement Service held at St Mellitus Church on Sunday 8[th ] July 2025

We were delighted to include in the programme the premiere of a work by a member of the orchestra and the Schumann Konzertstück featuring our four horn players as soloists. The programme comprised:

Ticket sales were £2,010.

Total expenses were £2,270 , leaving a deficit of £260 .

The charity served and took donations for refreshments.

ORCHESTRAL ASSETS, INCOME AND EXPENSES

Income

The Orchestra has a current account and savings account at CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ.

The Orchestra’s running costs are met principally from

The trustees try to keep the subscriptions at a level comparable with other London amateur orchestras, even though most comparable orchestras do not have professional principals for each section. The subscriptions do not on their own cover the running costs and the Orchestra relies on other sources of income – mainly Gift Aid repayments, Orchestra Tax Relief, donations , and profit from the Christmas concert – to meet the balance of these costs.

The subscriptions for 2024/25 were unchanged at £82 per term (concessions and brass players £40).

Total subscription receipts were £11,749 (£10,377 in 2024). The LMO also benefited from donations to the value of £500 (£755). The Trustees are very grateful those members who are able and willing to pay the full subscription despite being eligible for the concessionary rate, and to those who made additional donations.

Ticket receipts were £7,571 (down from £9,917)

Sponsorship contributed a further £600 (£450 in 2024). Trustees wish to express their thanks to sponsors Nuchem and Londis.

Almost all members who are eligible have signed Gift Aid declarations. This has enabled the

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

Orchestra to claim £2,558 (including interest) from the Inland Revenue for subscriptions and donations received in 2023/4 plus another £2,338 from the previous year, a total of £4,896. (HMRC payment is not received until after the end of the Orchestra’s financial year and is usually included in the following year’s accounts.)

The legacy fund (held in the CAF Gold savings account listed in the accounts) has been used previously for capital expenditures such as to purchase timpani, podium and music stands in previous years, though we did not use it this year. On 31 August, 2024, the value of the legacy fund was £14,175 .

London Medical Orchestra Productions Ltd and Orchestra Tax Relief.

Since August 2018 the Orchestra has been able to claim Orchestral Tax Relief (OTR). This is a scheme set up by HMRC to incentivise the production of Orchestral concerts by allowing Orchestras to claim tax relief on the costs of preparing for (but not performing) concerts.

Following advice from Making Music, the LMO set up a production company to be responsible for organizing their concerts and claiming the tax relief. London Medical Orchestra Productions Ltd (LMOP) was registered with Companies House on 31 July 2017.

LMOP pays all costs associated with the concerts and rehearsals and collects the OTR (in respect of the previous year) from HMRC. LMO receives member subs and ticket receipts and pays LMOP a commissioning fee to cover LMOP’s net costs, so that it breaks even. The Commissioning fee paid to LMOP in the financial year was £16,951 . This was £5,162 less than last year, in which production costs were much increased by the LSO St Luke’s hall hire and composer commissioning fee.

LMOP’s directors and members during 2024/25 were Helen Mabelis , Jamie Masters (appointed November 2024) Jan Toporowski , Lucinda Platt , Nick Singer (resigned November 2024) and Nigel Franklin .

The Orchestra’s OTR claim (through LMOP) for 2024/25 was £7,416 , receivable in 2026, and in 2024/25 LMOP received £5,708 in respect of the previous year. (Set against this credit, LMOP paid a Making Music subsidiary a fee of £685 for preparing our HMRC submission.).

Expenses

The Orchestra’s main expenses during 2024/25 were:

LMO Professionals’ fees of £16,530 (2024 £16,311) include rehearsal and concert fees for the Music Director, Leader, Principal Viola, Cello and Second Violin and their deputies. Additional fees paid to soloists and additional players engaged for concerts are shown below. The Committee agreed to increase rehearsal fees by 10% from the Autumn 2025 Term.

Hire of rehearsal and concert accommodation of £1,920 (2024 in LSO St Luke’s hire £4,519). Current rates are £40 per rehearsal and £60 for when the main Church is also used for sectionals; and £300 for concert days (waived for Christmas concert).

Other expenses include: Making Music for membership and insurance (£337), use of their web platform (£124) and PRS (£221); music hire and royalties (£585); concert programmes, flyers and publicity (£367); concert fees (£2,544) for soloists, additional players and chorus master; and bank charges (£43) and card processing fees (£566).

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

The Orchestra ended the year showing an accounting surplus of £7,630 . This was unusually high due to:

Assets

As at 31.8.25 the Orchestra had the following assets:

Cash funds of £26,875 , including £12,700 on the current account and £14,175 in the legacy fund.

The year ended with a balance of £7,684 owing to LMO by LMOP (their net assets, principally the Orchestra Tax Relief not yet received) and £2,248 due from HMRC in Gift Aid (received in 2026).

Non cash assets

Timpani

One Adams 23” timpani and cover purchased new in 2019/20 for £1,614

Two Adams timpani (26” and 24”) – purchased (used) on 2011/12 for £1,400 timpani covers, mallets and beaters and assorted percussion

Music Stands :

Conductor’s Stand purchased in 2004/05 for £20

Podium purchased in 2020/21 for £186.90

THE ORCHESTRA’S RESERVES POLICY

The LMO needs to have reserves to cover the unpredictable nature of the Orchestra’s income and costs, and particularly to allow for any or all of the following:

The Orchestra’s main financial commitments will be to the professionals . It must ensure that at the very minimum there will always be sufficient reserves to cover their fees for the

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

relevant notice periods and any impending concerts (approximately £7,000 ). The Orchestra might also be liable to pay the hire fee for the church if a concert is cancelled at short notice. In addition, the Trustees aim to have sufficient reserves to be able to ‘ride out’ any short-term reductions in income or increase in expenses.

The Trustees have therefore agreed that it is appropriate for the Orchestra to maintain reserves of at least £10,000 to cover peaks and troughs in the Orchestra’s expenses and income. This figure is to be kept under review.

POLICY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE ORCHESTRA

Administration

The general policy and management of the Orchestra is in the hands of the Committee, which is elected by the Orchestra. The Orchestra is a registered charity and the Committee members are the Trustees of the charity.

The Committee meets twice per term. The conductor and leader also attend committee meetings in an advisory capacity.

Jamie Masters was elected Chair and Stuart Delve elected Secretary in November 2024. Nigel Franklin continued as Treasurer and Vice-Chair. Graeme Scott was elected to the Committee and took over invoicing for subscriptions, while continuing to maintain the website and related functions. Ian Merryweather took over as concert manager. Jan Toporowski contributed to the smooth running of the finances, as a signatory to LMOP and LMO accounts. Hilary Evans , while not a trustee, attended Committee meetings and assisted in collection of subscriptions and in preparation of the LMO accounts and gift aid claim. Other Trustees during the year 2024/25 were Helen Mabelis and Lucinda Platt (away on sabbatical).

Other members of the orchestra contributed to the functioning of the orchestra through preparation of publicity materials, librarian responsible for music hire, programme design, etc.

THE ORCHESTRA’S PROFESSIONALS

Oliver Till is the Music Director

The leader is Tina Bowles . The other string principals during 2024/25 were Nichola Blakey (second violin), Geoff Irwin (viola) and Josh Salter (cello).

The Trustees are grateful to all the professionals for their hard work and support.

PRINCIPAL ADDRESS OF THE ORCHESTRA

The principal address is 12 Menelik Road, London NW2 3RP

The Orchestra’s website is lmo.org.uk .

Its email address is info@lmo.org.uk

Nigel Franklin, Treasurer, for the Trustees June 2026

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LONDON MEDICAL ORCHESTRA – Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/5

London Medical Orchestra

Financial Statements for the year 1st September 2024- 31 August 2025

Income and Expenditure
Income
Subscriptions
Ticket receipts1
Ticket receipts from previous years
Donations
Sponsorship
Amazon charitable payment
HMRC Gift Aid
HMRC interest (previously included in Gift Aid)
CAF Cash interest
CAF Gold Interest (paid into CAF Gold a/c)
Total Income
Expenditure
Commissioning fee to LMOP
Payments to charities2
Card processing (Stripe)
Information Commissioner
Making Music (membership and insurance)
Stands purchase
Bank charges
Total Payments
Cash surplus/shortfall
Balance sheet at 31 August 2025
ASSETS
Bank accounts
CAFCash
CAF Gold
CAF Gold 2
Total bank funds
Other assets:
Money due and receivable
Ticket receipts for March concert received in September
Subs for 23.24 received after year end
Gift Aid Tax Refund 22/23 received 24/25 including interest
Gift Aid Tax Refund 23/24 received 24/25 including interest
Gift Aid Tax Refund 24/25 received 25/26 including interest
Monies owed by LMOP to LMO (LMOP Net assets)
Total other assets
Liabilities
Monies owed by LMO to LMOP see note 4
Total Liabilities
TOTAL ASSETS*		 2024-2025
2023-2024
£
£
11,749.00
10,377.00
7,571.44
9,917.36 1
12024 Previously £6,369.76
500.03
755.03
600.00
450.00
0.00
4,698.07
2,175.44
197.63
18.81
13.61
312.24
334.31
25,647.22
24,022.75 1
12024 Previously £20,475.15
16,951.00
22,113.00
51.43
1,475.32
566.21
412.91
52.00
0.00
337.00
323.00
0.00
60.00
60.00
18,017.64
24,384.23
7,629.58
-361.48
31.8.25
31.8.24
12,699.60
9,150.38
14,175.42
13,863.18
0.00
0.04
26,875.02
23,013.60
300.00
492.00
2,338.07
2,526.81
2,248.25
7,684.00
10,232.25
5,356.88
-181.63
0.00
-181.63
37,107.27
28,552.11

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