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2025-04-30-accounts

WINDSOR AND ETON CHORAL SOCIETY

REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 274582

PATRON HIS MAJESTY THE KING

REPORT of the COMMITTEE for the SEASON 2024\25 (subscription year and financial year ended 30th April 2025) to be presented to the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 11[th] November 2025.

Objects

  1. The Society, an unincorporated association which is a registered charity, is governed by Rules the current edition of which came into force on Tuesday 12th November 2024, under which the aims and objects of the Society are the study and practice of choral music in order to foster the public knowledge and appreciation of such music by means of public performance.

Area of Operation

  1. The principal but not exclusive area of operation is the Districts of Windsor & Maidenhead, Slough and South Bucks.

Address

  1. The registered address of the Charity is 37 High Road, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 9HR the address of the person at present acting as the Charity's official correspondent with the Charity Commission.

Trustees

  1. The trustees of the Charity are the members of the Committee which consists of nine officers and five ordinary members all of whom are elected by the Society in General Meeting.

  2. The following were the trustees at the date of approval of this Report - Mr C.G. Aitken (Chairman), Mrs C.P. Allerton, Mr M.C. Arnold (Marketing), Mr I.C. Brough, Mrs A.E.M. Cadinouche (Concert Secretary), Mrs J.K. Cole, Mr P. Elliot (Technology and Projects Officer), Mr A.C. Gapes (General Secretary), Mr D.C. Hickman (Treasurer), Miss S Hardy (Safeguarding Officer and Eton College Liaison), Mrs F.I. Hickman (Stage Manager), Mr J HowardDrake, Ms V. Rubio (Friends Secretary), Mrs M.K. Seneschall and Mr J. Shepherd.

  3. The following was a trustee during all or part of the financial year – Mrs A. Geary (Librarian),

Management

  1. The Society is administered and managed by the Committee.

Committee Meetings

  1. The Committee held 3 meetings by Zoom during the financial year, on 29 May 2024, 21 November 2024 and 10 February 2025.

  2. The Charity has no paid staff and duties on its behalf are carried out by the honorary Officers, Committee members and ordinary members of the Society.

  3. Specific tasks have been carried out for the Committee by Mr M. Arnold (Concert Programme Editor), Mrs S. Bonner (Minutes Secretary), Mrs M.J. Waghorn (Mailing List), Ms Sue Hardy (Eton College Liaison), Mrs A. Cadinouche (Carols), Mr A.F. Seidler (Soloist Arranger), Mr C. Stokes (Programme Advertising), Ms V. Rubio (Prospective Member Co-ordinator) and Friends Secretary.

Finance

  1. The Charity's current bank account is held with CAF Bank Ltd of 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent. The Charity also banks with Shawbrook Bank of Lutea House, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex CM13 3BE.

  2. Independent examination of the Charity's accounts under the provisions of the Charities Act 1993 has been carried out by Ms Claire Spackman, CLS Accountants Ltd, of 2 Rythe Close, Claygate, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9DD

  3. For the financial year under review the Gross Income (Total Receipts) was £84,716 and the Total Expenditure (Total Payments) was £76,533.

  4. It has been the policy of the Society for many years to maintain financial reserves sufficient to cover the likely expenditure for a whole year, so that in the unlikely event of concerts not being able to take place after expenditure and liabilities had already been incurred, it would be possible to operate normally for the following year. It is also intended to prevent a situation arising in which the members of the future have to provide extra income to make up for over expenditure by their predecessors. The Society keeps this policy under review.

Activities

  1. The May 2024 Come & Sing was Mozart “Requiem” in Eton College Chapel.

  2. The Autumn Concert in the Windsor Festival on 21st September 2024 at 7:30 pm in St George’s Chapel the Society performed Brahms’ “Requiem”. The soloists were Susanna Fairbairn (soprano) and Andrew Mayor (baritone). The concert started with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no.2 with Ryan Wang on the piano. The orchestra was The Brandenburg Sinfonia.

  3. For the Winter concert, “Three Centuries of Great European Sacred Music”, on 11January 2025 at 7:30pm in Eton College Chapel, the Society comprised Howells “A Hymn for St Cecilia”, Lotti “Crucifixus, Bach “O Jesu Meins Lebes Licht”, Mozart “Laudate Dominum” and “Ave Verum”, Haydn “Insanae et Vanae Curae”, Nach “Prelude and Fugue in G”, Brahms “Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen”, Handel “Zadok the Priest”, Mendelssohn “Hear my Prayer, Frank “Panis Angelicus”, Fauré “Cantique de Jean Racine”, Dubois “Fiat Lux, Rachmaninov “Bogoroditsye Devo”, Rutter “All Bells in Paradise” and Elgar “Give unto the Lord”. Soloist Caroline Borg (soprano). The organist was Christopher Allsop.

  4. For the Spring Concert on 22nd March 2025 at 7:30pm in the Eton College School Hall, the Society performed Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” and Orff’s “Carmina Burana. The soloists were Caroline Bourg (soprano), Christopher Lemmings (tenor), Alex Ashworth (baritone) with the Children’s Choir from Castleview School The orchestra was The Brandenburg Sinfonia.

  5. The Family Carols Concert was on 15[th] December 2024 at 2:45pm in Eton College Chapel with the organist Christopher Allsop and Royal Academy Brass Ensemble.

Membership

  1. During the 2024/2025 season there were 118 singing Members (36 soprano, 44 alto, 12 tenor and 26 bass) compared with 117 singing Members (37 soprano, 40 alto, 14 tenor and 26 bass) the previous year.

  2. The Friends of Windsor and Eton Choral Society membership were 38 individuals and 15 families.

  3. Conductor and Accompanist Mr Tim Johnson was our conductor. Mr John Halsey was our accompanist.

Page
IndependentExaminer'sReport 1
ReceiptsandPaymentsAccount 2
StatementofAssets&Liabilities 3
NotestotheFinancialStatements 4

**Note ** **2025 ** **2024 **
£ £ £ £
**Ouerating activities to furthercharitable **
**activities and generate funds **
Concerts 2 46,372 31,060
Subscriptions 3 24,561 23,624
Donations,grants& sponsors 4 3,442 1,090
Sale&hireofmusic/othergoods 1,302 30
Sales(Books,Folders,Lights) 53 321
Come&sing 2,593 1,762
Socialevents 1,461 1,075
Charitable events
Insuranceclaim(reJanuary 2024) 1,673
Other 1,698 1,952
83,155 60,914
**Investment income **
Interest 1,561 1,213
**Total receipts ** £84,716 £62,127
DIRECT CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE
**Exuenditure in furtheranceof activities **
Honoraria 12,245 11,240
Costofmusichiredand goodssold 3,544 1,533
Orchestra 28,872 21,708
Premises 10,241 10,775
Printingandpublicity 5,470 4,613
Soloists 6,950 8,650
Other 5 3,886 1,933
71,208 60,452
Charitabledonations -
-		 -
-
71,208 60,452
**Management and administration **
Socialevents 3,321 122
Managementandadministration 6 2,004 2,237
5,325 2,359
**Total payments ** £76,533 £62,811
**Net receipts/(payments) for the year ** 8,183 (684)
**Funds brought forward ** 59,654 60,338
**Funds carried forward ** £67.837 £52,654

**Note ** **2025 ** 2024
£ £
**Monetaryassets **
CAFBankSavingsaccount 35,800 26,586
CAFBankCurrentaccount 2,037 3,104
ScottishWidowsFixedTermDeposit 29,964
ShawbrookDepositaccount 30,000
PettyCash
**General Fund Net Assets **
at 30 April2025 **£67.837 ** £59.654

2025 2024
£ £
**2. ** **Concerts **
Advertisingincome 3,997 2,160
Programmes 2,936 2,176
Ticketsales 39.439 26,724
46.372 31.060·
3. **Subscriptions **
Singers 18,082 16,780
FriendsSubs/Events 2,155 2,754
GiftAidRepayments 4,324 4,090
24,561 23,624
**4. ** Donations, Grants &**Sponsors **
Donations 1,442 90
Grants 2.000 1,000
3,442 LQ2Q
**5. ** **Other **
OtherExpenses. 3,118 948
TicketRefunds 768 985
3,886 1.933
**6. ** **Management and Administration **
Postage&Stationeryetc 476 945
Subscriptions 988 752
Independentexaminer'sfee 540 540
2.004 2,237