## **LFC Chair’s Report September 2023 – November 2024** Friends’ Concert - Ghoulies, Ghosties and Fireworks – Carolling - Christmas - Elijah – (Seven Last Words) – Bach workshop – B minor Mass – Chingford festival – Concert for Ukraine This has been a good year for the choir. I think the sound is good and we have tackled some challenging works with confidence. Membership remains strong and we have benefitted from some good new recruits. Sadly of course we have also lost some members for a host of sensible reasons. We have sung a range of music from Katy Perry to the glorious Mass in B minor. We have contributed to the community by carol singing and raising funds for the homeless shelter and for children in Ukraine to whom we are sending £3,000. We have strived to ensure that the choir stays afloat financially and have increased the subscriptions slightly as we have moved into year 2024-5. Costs are increasing with our venues being forced to charge more and we have increased what we pay our soloists and orchestral musicians. Concerts are expensive to put on. The Bach cost just under £10,000 and we were only able to perform it with Pete McCarthy’s wonderful orchestra because of very generous donations from two choir members. The Ukraine concert was sponsored by Ron Hopson so this was a cost neutral event. If any members would like to donate to a concert, please do not hesitate. Fundraising by the Bonus Ball, the Quiz, book and plant (and chutney!) sales make an important contribution to our funds. Many thanks to everyone who helps or donates. The committee is still interested in the idea of short concerts which start earlier. Interestingly the Fireworks concert was our most successful in terms of audience and income and we are planning to repeat this next year. This September (2024) we have omitted the Friends’ Concert as we felt that the choir was over committed last Autumn term. The day’s workshop on the B minor Mass was generally well attended and most people seemed to enjoy it. Socially, it was a pleasure to lunch together. We had a very successful social evening at the Rose and Crown to finish the year in July. I was disappointed that there was not a bigger audience for the Bach. I appeal to choir members, each and every one, to do all you can to raise interest and sell tickets for our concerts. Emily produces wonderful flyers. Please put them up everywhere you can think of and take them to all your classes, activities and socials. Distribute them on social media. Marian does a great job putting the concerts on Ticketsource which seems straightforward to navigate. Two staunch members of the committee have stood down: Pip and Kairen. Personally, I feel the loss of their support and thank them for all they have done. Clare Myers has taken over as Treasurer and has spent a huge number of hours getting to grips with the accounts and new software. David has been a great support to her because of his twenty years’ experience as Treasurer. Her commitment and fresh approach are making a huge difference. Fulsome thanks to them both. The most crucial issue challenging the future of the choir is filling key roles on the committee. Some tasks do not need committee membership and obviously the more people we have undertaking roles the more equitably the jobs are distributed. Some members dedicate a lot of time ensuring that the choir functions efficiently and we all owe them a great deal. Please would you each consider whether there is a role you could undertake? If I remain Chair, would you consider being co-chair? Could you ramp up the publicity for our concerts? Could you organise the quiz? Huge thanks to everyone who helps in all kinds of ways. A massive thanks to Leo our incomparable accompanist. And, of course, to Jonathan who has not only developed the choir with consummate skill, hard work and musicality but also makes every rehearsal good humoured as well as challenging. We have an exciting programme planned for 2024 – 5 and look forward to singing lustily. Alison Clewlow Chair October 2024 ## **LFC WHO DOES WHAT** ## **COMMITTEE** |**COMMITTEE**|| |---|---| |Name|Role| |Alison Clewlow|Chair| |Janet Cassford|Vice-Chair (temp)
Stage Manager| |Clare Myers|Treasurer| |David Pomfret|Assistant treasurer| |EmilyMorrell|PublicityOficer| |Michelle Matthews|Secretary| |Joan Carder|Assistant secretary| |Liz Wade|Librarian| |Helen Petchey|MembershipSecretary| |Jo Fletcher|Music Researcher| |Paul Gillett|‘MakingMusic’ data base| |---|---| |SallyRobinson|Also Tenorpart rep| ||| |Jonathan Rathbone|Music Director| |Leo Nicholson|Accompanist| ||| ## **OTHER ROLES** |**OTHER ROLES**|| |---|---| |Marian Jarvis|Ticket Secretary| |Lorraine Dawes|Website| |Paul Cooper|Staging| |Steve Lowe|Rehearsal lights &recordings| |TonySummers & Gillian barker|Wine for concerts and rehearsals| |Maggie Goble|Folders and front of house| |Lillian Mumme|Refreshments for rehearsals| |Eva Radowska|Bonus Ball| |KathyWiltshire|Mulled wine etc for Christmas| |PipKings|Associate members,President &patrons| |Ruth Kaufman|Assistant Librarian| ## **SITUATIONS VACANT** Secretary Social Secretary Social media / PR Tour Organiser ## **Future Dates** ## London Forest Choir Dates 2024 – 2025 |Date|Time||Venue|Prices|Dress| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Thursday 7th
November|7.30|Extra rehearsal|St Peter & St
Paul’s||| |Saturday 9th
November|2.30 /
6.00|Mozart mass in C
minor|St P&ST P at
**6.00pm**|£12 /£15|Concert black| |Tuesday 17th
December||Extra Rehearsal|St Mary’s
Walthamstow||| |Thursday 19th
December||Christmas Concert
– Night of
Wonders etc ***|St Mary’s
Walthamstow|£18 /£20|Concert Black
+ tinsel!| ||||||| |**2025**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Friday 10th
January|Tba|Ukraine Christmas
concert(half only)|Ukrainian
Cathedral W1|none|Concert black| |Thursday 27th
February|7.30|Extra rehearsal|St Mary’s
**Woodford**||| |Saturday 1st
March|2.30 /
7.30|The Art of Song|St Mary’s
**Woodford**|£18/£20|Concert black| |Thursday 15th
May|7.30|Extra rehearsal|St Peter and
St Paul||| |Saturday 17th
May|2.30/7.30|Dvorak Stabat
Mater|St Peter and
St Paul|£18 / £20|Concert black| |Saturday 14th
June???||Chingford Festival|||| |Friday 11th
July||Extra rehearsal|tba||| |**Sunday**13th
July||Day at the Fair
***|tba||Jewel tops| LFC Balance Sheet 2023-24 ## **LONDON FOREST CHOIR** Registered Charity No: 272799 ## STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES as at |as at||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Friday 30th August 2024|**2023/2024**||**2022/2023**|| |CASH FUNDS
_(see Receipts and Payments Accounts)_||||| |LFC Deposit Account|£3,283.75||£3,318.42|| |LFC Current Account|£28,208.78||£16,960.93|| |Cash Account|£33.00||£126.00|| |CD Reserve Account *|£0.00||£2,620.75|| |CD Cash account|£0.00||£33.00|| |CASH AT BANK AT HAND||£31,525.53||£23,026.10| |CURRENT LIABILITIES||||| |**CREDITORS|-£2,942.87||£0.00|| |LFC TOTAL ASSETS||£28,582.66||£23,059.10| |OTHER ASSETS||||| |***Tour Account||£8,535.96||| |**TOTAL ASSETS**||**£37,118.62**||| ## _Notes:_ _*The CD Account has now been dissolved and funds transferred to the Current Account._ _** Donations made at Ukraine concert - paid to UNICEF IN Oct 2024_ _*** A balance of £8535.96 is held in Tour account as contingency reserve for future tours_ Approved by the trustees on and signed on their behalf David Pomfret / Clare Myers Treasurer LFC: GENERAL ACC/RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS 2023-24 **LONDON FOREST CHOIR** Year ending 31 August 2024 ## Registered Charity No: 272799 **GENERAL ACCOUNT RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS** |**RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS**|| |---|---| |**RECEIPTS**
Concert Ticket Sales
Programme income
Bar sales
Sundry Receipts
Membership Subscriptions
Friends and Associates
Tax refund/Gift Aid
Donations
Sponsorship
Fundraising (other)
Rehearsal Refreshments
Bonus Ball
Quiz Night
Social Events
Folder Purchase
Event Receipts
Bank interest
Easy Fundraising
Misc Receipts
TOTAL RECEIPTS
**PAYMENTS**
Artists Fees
Orchestral Players Fees
Hire of Orchestral Music
Choir Music hire/purchase
Hire of Concert Venues
Concert Staging
Publicity
Programme printing
Bar stock & licence
Gifts for artists
Misc - Concerts
Professional fees - Conductor/Accompanist
Choir coaching
Rehearsal Hall Hire
Rehearsal refreshments costs
Subscriptions and Insurance
Insurance
Making Music
Accounting software|**2023/24**
**2022/23**
£7,955.95
£9,821.00
£129.00
-
£1,096.66
£739.00
£150.00
£18,378.00
£15,347.00
£595.00
£765.00
£9,282.25
£7,890.00
£303.00
£1,137.00
£6,780.64
£0.00
£320.32
£5,187.00
£649.00
^ ^
£626.00
^ ^
£737.00
^ ^
£106.70
^ ^
-£57.40
£475.00
£1,023.00
£7,750.00
£101.63
-
£38.71
£228.00
£383.00| ||**£48,443.46**
**£49,494.00**
£2,600.00
£14,457.00
£11,971.00
£802.00
-
£169.00
£261.39
£0.00
£2,334.00
£835.00
£1,952.70
£2,822.00
£848.42
£804.00
£293.41
^ ^
£570.43
^ ^
£133.05
^ ^
£646.00
£993.00
£17,080.00
£13,650.00
£275.00
-
£2,520.00
£2,989.00
£238.73
-
v v
£340.00
£449.00
^ ^
£135.00
^ ^
£72.00
^ ^| 1 LFC: GENERAL ACC/RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS 2023-24 |Website costs
Music Commissioning
Purchase of Equipment (not for resale)
Bank Charges / Sum Up / Ticketsource
Other Expenses/Administration
TOTAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Account Balance at 1 Sept 2023
Excess of receipts over payments
Account Balance at 31 August 2024|£15.54
^ ^
-
£3,542.00
£119.98
-
£344.01
£19.00
£60.24
£2,611.00| |---|---| ||**£42,919.90**
**£44,033.00**
**£5,523.56**
**£5,462.00**
£23,059.10
£5,523.56
**£28,582.66**| 2 ## **LONDON FOREST CHOIR** ## **Trustees Report: year ending 31 August 2024** _Please read in association with General Account Receipts and Payments, Statement of Assets and Liabilities_ ## Summary We had a reasonable year financially. Receipts exceeded Payments on the General Account to the extent of £5,524 (almost exactly the same as 22/23) on a turnover of £42,919 ## General Account Receipts 1. Concert Ticket Sales of £7956 were lower than those for 2022/23 (£9,821). (further details of concert receipts below) 2. Membership Subscriptions increased to £18,378, from £15,347 in 2022/23. 3. This was due to a small annual increase in subscription rates rather than an increase in membership numbers. 4. Income Tax recovery under Gift Aid was £9,282 Total Receipts were £48,443 as against £49,494 in 2022/23 Total Payments were £42,919 as against £44,033 in 2022/23 ## Statement of Assets over Liabilities Our total assets at 31 August 2024 were £28,583 as against £23,059 at 1 September 2023 (with an additional £8,536 contingency held in the Tour Account) _Since January 2024 there has been a gradual transition of the Treasurer’s role from David Pomfret to myself. I would like to put on record my personal thanks for David’s assistance, together with the thanks of London Forest Choir as a whole for his many years of sterling service as our Treasurer._ ## **Clare Myers - Treasurer** ||**LFC &**
**Friends**|**Ghouls &**
**Ghosts**|**Christmas**|**Elijah**|**Bach B**
**Minor**|**Ukraine**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**IN**|£275|£1024|£3314|£1661|£5514*|£7304**| |**OUT**|£521|£648|£4514|£2320|£9080|£4304| |**TOTAL**|£246|£376|-£1200|-£659|-£3566|£3000**| * _Bach income includes generous £2500 sponsorship from Mike Pitwood & David Pomfret ** - Ukraine concert costs sponsored by Ron Hopwood all proceeds donated to UNICEF_ lthdepeLd¢llt Ewuimers Report to the Trustees of The [￿ndOn Forttt ChoAr I [c￿rt on the accounts of The London Forest Choir for the yearended 31 August 2024. Regpeetive responsibilities of trustees eyaminer As the charity'5 ITUSt¢es you are resw)n5ible for th¢ prepardtion of th¢ accounts: you consider that th¢ audit requirement of the approPri￿c section of th¢ Charities Act 1993 doe5 not apply. It is my responsibility to slat¢ on the basi5 of procedures specified by th¢ Ch&rity Commissioners whether pathular matters have come to my attention. Basis of illdep¢ndent examiner's report My &unination inclvded a revtew of the ￿OUntIng kept by the tharity and a comparkson of th¢ accounts present¢d with those records. It a]so includes con5iderth"O￿ of any xusual items or disclosures in the accounts ond 5ccking explan&ions from you as trustees con¢¢rning any such matte13. The pr(Kedures undertak¢n do not provide all the evidence that would be requir¢d in audit and cons¢qu¢ntly I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. lttdependent ELqmin¢r'$ $l*tement In conD￿tIon with my e￿MinatIo￿ m*tter Iw come to my att¢ntiOn: which gives me reasonable cause to beli¢v¢ that in any material resttttthe requirements - to keep accounting records in accordw with the ACL and - to preparc accounts which ￿0rd with the accounting rec(Kds and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not tr*eD meL or 2 to whiclL in my opinioD. att¢ntion should be drawn ID order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. John Man5fi¢ld ACIB Dip.FS. ACIM 28 Cop[￿s Gree￿ Wickford SS12 9PA