Registered Charity Number 275986
Harpenden Choral Society
Annual Report Year Ended 30[th] June 2025
www.harpendenchoralsociety.org Affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies
Harpenden Choral Society Annual Report for the year ended 30[th] June 2025
This Annual Report is presented to the Charity Commission by the Trustees of Harpenden Choral Society in accordance with their obligations under charity law and regulation.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity name: Harpenden Choral Society Registered charity number: 275986
Principal office: 52 Derwent Road, Harpenden, Herts. AL5 3NX
Charity’s trustees:
Amanda Evans, Chair David Nye, Secretary Michael Walker, Treasurer Melanie Gaches, Membership Secretary Rosemary White, Concert Manager Sheila Mitchell, Publicity Manager Judith Mayall, Librarian Rosemary Russell, Box Office Manager
Honorary President: David Ireson
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing document
Harpenden Choral Society is an unincorporated association, registered with the Charity Commissioners. It is governed by a constitution dated September 2014 (amended March 2020) which was accepted by the Charity Commission on 8[th] November 2014.
Organisational structure
The Society’s trustees are responsible for the management of the Society. They receive no remuneration or other financial benefit. Expenses reimbursed to the trustees are shown in the accounts, which are appended. The trustees confirm that they have made reference to the guidance of the Charities Commission general guidance on public benefit when reviewing their aims, objectives, and future activities of the society.
The trustees meet regularly and are responsible for all decisions made in relation to the Society’s activities. A sub-committee assists with the selection of the music to be performed by the choir. The sub-committee, some of whose members are not trustees, report back with their recommendations to a full committee meeting of the trustees.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
New trustees are recruited from the Society’s members by the existing trustees.
Consideration is given to personal competence, relevant specialist knowledge and skills, in selecting new trustees, who are elected at the Society’s AGM to serve for a period of three years. Trustees are eligible to stand for re-election at the end of each three-year period.
The Society expects its trustees to work effectively together as members of the committee, devote the necessary time and effort, safeguard the good name and values of the Society, and understand the legal duties, liabilities and responsibilities of trusteeship.
www.harpendenchoralsociety.org Affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies
Harpenden Choral Society Annual Report for the year ended 30[th] June 2025
New trustees are given a copy of the relevant job description, a ‘Trustee Guide’ which outlines their duties as a trustee, and a copy of the Society’s constitution.
Objectives and Activities
Objects and aims
The objects of the Society are the education of the public in the art and science of choral music by the study, practice and concert performance of choral works and by other activities. The Society intends its activities to contribute to the social and cultural welfare of the community of Harpenden.
The Society achieves its aims through the regular performance of choral music. This is of benefit to the local community by providing opportunities for people of all persuasions to perform, or listen to, choral music in the context of a social gathering. Additionally, it is recognised that significant benefits accrue to people who have the opportunity to sing in a choir through social interaction and the health benefits of singing as a physical activity.
The Society aims to perform an increasing range of choral music in order for the choir to progress and develop musically. The Society performs choral music of all periods, both sacred and secular, often with the help of professional soloists and instrumentalists.
Achievements and Performance
The Society’s concerts promote singing as a social activity. The trustees and members work to attract new choir members and increase audiences at concerts. Retiring collections are regularly made at the Christmas concert and the proceeds are donated to local charities.
Open Rehearsals are organised in order to aid recruitment; anyone interested in finding out about the choir can come and sing at these events. Members are encouraged to develop their abilities in the choir rehearsals, conducted by the musical director and accompanied by a professional rehearsal pianist.
Workshops, directed by a professional conductor, are held as a further aid to recruitment. These events are open to non-members in order to encourage wider community participation and attract new members. A Come and Sing event was held during the season at the Harpenden United Reformed Church, which was open to anyone who would like to come along and join choir members for a thoroughly enjoyable, fun and informative journey through Mozart’s Requiem.
The Society gave four concerts during the 2024-25 season, which demonstrated the wide variety of music that the choir enjoys singing for the enjoyment of our local audience.
On 16th November 2024 the choir gave a performance of J.S. Bach’s monumental Mass In B Minor in the Harpenden High Street Methodist Church . The concert featured orchestral accompaniment by The King’s Sinfonietta, along with five professional soloists. We gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of The Williams Church Music Trust for this concert.
The choir’s ever-popular Christmas Carol Concert was held in the High Street Methodist Church on 17 December. Many well-known carols gave our audience the chance to sing, and the choir performed carols both old and new.
A retiring collection for local charity Herts Young Homeless raised £865.
Our concert on 22nd March 2025 in St. John’s Church, Harpenden, featured Michael Haydn’s St. Francis Mass – Missa Sancti Francisci Seraphici in C, Marianna Martines’ Dixit Dominus, and Mozart’s
www.harpendenchoralsociety.org Affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies
Harpenden Choral Society Annual Report for the year ended 30[th] June 2025
Solemn Vespers K339, with four professional soloists, accompaniment by the King’s Sinfonietta and chamber organ.
The final concert of the season was held on 21st June 2025 in St. Nicholas’ Church Harpenden. This concert featured a new work by local composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange entitled A Season to Sing, together with works by Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Bruckner, Bach, Tallis and Taverner. The choir was accompanied on the organ by Ben Collyer.
A Season to Sing was co-sponsored by Harpenden Choral Society. It is a re-imagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for voices, using texts from poems, hymns and bible passages. As a new fresh work, it proved very good fun to learn, and was greatly enjoyed by our audience.
Financial Review
Policy on reserves
Reserves are needed to bridge the intervals between expenditure and income and to cover risks such as unplanned expenditure and fall in income. The Society’s main source of income is members’ subscriptions; other sources of revenue are variable.
The choir strives to maximise concert attendance and receipts by appropriate publicity and advertising. The Society is fortunate to have several patrons and a sponsor, the Williams Church Music Trust, which generally makes an annual grant to the choir. Concerts are the main item of expenditure, and vary according to the size and complexity of the repertoire. The financial risks to the Society are considered in its reserves policy document, which is reviewed annually. The target range for reserves at the end of the 2024/25 financial year was £12,000 to £15,000.
Subscription policy
The Society’s subscription policy reflects the aim of enabling all within the community, whatever their means, to become members of the Society. A reduced subscription, of no more than one third of the full subscription, is offered to under 30’s, full-time students and those in receipt of incomerelated benefits. The trustees take account of the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when formulating and reviewing subscription policy.
Pricing policy
The price of admission to the Society’s concerts is kept under review, with the aim of balancing the need to keep prices low, whilst ensuring that concert costs are adequately funded. A discount is given for children and students. The trustees take account of the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when formulating and reviewing pricing policy.
Details of any fund materially in deficit
The Society has no funds which are materially in deficit.
Statement of financial activities
The accounts are appended together with the independent examiner’s report. They comprise the Receipts & Payments Account, and the Statement of Assets & Liabilities, The accounts show that the Society ended the financial year with a surplus of £1,151.57. Cash and bank balances totalled £14,434.72 held in unrestricted funds.
The Society ended the financial year with total assets of £14,829.72 which compares with £13,429.08 at the end of the previous season. Reserves are within the target range set out above in ‘Policy on
www.harpendenchoralsociety.org Affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies
Harpenden Choral Society Annual Report for the year ended 30[th] June 2025
reserves’. The budget for the following season, revised in December 2025, indicates that this level of reserves is expected to be preserved during the remainder of the season.
No property is owned by the Society.
Declaration of Approval
This Annual Report was approved by the Trustees on 19 January 2026.
Signed on behalf of all the Trustees:
Amanda Evans Chair 19 January 2026
www.harpendenchoralsociety.org Affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies
HARPENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY
REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
Registered Charity Number: 275986
HARPENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
| Sundry receipts Fundraising Easyfundraising Other receipts Interest received Donations Christmas Quiz Sponsorship Rehearsal refreshments Williams Trust grant Come & Sing RECEIPTS Members' Subscriptions Concert receipts (Note 1) Patrons Gift Aid Closing bank balances plus cash NET RECEIPTS / PAYMENTS Concert payments (Note 1) TOTAL PAYMENTS Opening bank balances plus cash Making Music subscription, insurance TOTAL RECEIPTS Purchase of music PAYMENTS Professional fees Rehearsal accommodation Website and Performing Rights fee Administrative expenses Publicity Sundry payments |
£ £ £ £ 16802.00 15842.00 350.00 350.00 3313.50 2816.50 20465.50 19008.50 9986.97 7882.68 171.10 349.33 420.00 310.00 950.00 606.33 497.76 393.00 377.00 579.28 48.00 538.74 167.40 269.67 711.62 0.00 2000.00 2000.00 5587.47 4801.76 36039.94 31692.94 10122.84 9757.10 2496.90 2495.00 992.05 667.74 0.00 0.00 88.60 228.60 1057.73 205.11 237.43 203.85 300.00 0.00 15295.55 13557.40 19592.82 19726.66 34888.37 33284.06 1151.57 -1591.12 13283.15 14874.27 14434.72 13283.15 2023/24 2024/25 |
£ £ £ £ 16802.00 15842.00 350.00 350.00 3313.50 2816.50 20465.50 19008.50 9986.97 7882.68 171.10 349.33 420.00 310.00 950.00 606.33 497.76 393.00 377.00 579.28 48.00 538.74 167.40 269.67 711.62 0.00 2000.00 2000.00 5587.47 4801.76 36039.94 31692.94 10122.84 9757.10 2496.90 2495.00 992.05 667.74 0.00 0.00 88.60 228.60 1057.73 205.11 237.43 203.85 300.00 0.00 15295.55 13557.40 19592.82 19726.66 34888.37 33284.06 1151.57 -1591.12 13283.15 14874.27 14434.72 13283.15 2023/24 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| -1591.12 14874.27 13283.15 |
1
HARPENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 30 JUNE 2025
| Non-cash assets | £ £ £ £ 300.00 - 95.00 145.93 163.68 1,098.21 14,051.89 11,945.79 219.15 239.15 14,434.72 13,283.15 14,829.72 13,429.08 - - 14,829.72 13,429.08 1,151.57 1,591.12 - 249.07 - 1,400.64 - 1,591.12 2024/25 2023/24 |
£ £ £ £ 300.00 - 95.00 145.93 163.68 1,098.21 14,051.89 11,945.79 219.15 239.15 14,434.72 13,283.15 14,829.72 13,429.08 - - 14,829.72 13,429.08 1,151.57 1,591.12 - 249.07 - 1,400.64 - 1,591.12 2024/25 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Note Total assets Music purchased at cost Lloyds Bank savings accounts Other assets Cash in hand Lloyds Bank current account Liabilities Increase/decrease in bank & cash Change in non-cash assets Change in total assets Total assets less liabilities |
||
| 13,429.08 | ||
| - 13,429.08 1,591.12 - - |
||
| - 1,591.12 |
M J Walker Treasurer July 2025
2
HARPENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY NOTES FORMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
1 Concerts Details of concerts given during the year are as follows: Concert I Harpenden, 17 November 2024 Bach Mass in B minor Concert II Harpenden, 17 December 2024 Carol Concert Concert III Harpenden, 22 March 2025 M Haydn St Francis Mass Mozart Solemn Vespers Martines Dixit Dominus
| Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
Joanna L'Estrange A Season to Sing Works by Bach Bruckner Taverner Vaughan Williams Concert IV Harpenden, 21 June 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concert I | Concert II | Concert III | Concert IV | Total | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | |
| Receipts | 2,831.00 | 2,652.27 | 2,279.68 | 2,224.02 | 9,986.97 | 7,882.68 |
| Payments | 8,275.43 | 1,687.38 | 7,693.90 | 1,936.11 | 19,592.82 | 19,726.66 |
| Surplus / Deficit | 5,444.43 - |
964.89 | 5,414.22 - |
287.91 | 9,605.85 - |
11,843.98 - |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Iiidependent Examiner s Report R•portto th• tnmte mwnb•rn of On •ccounts for thfr year •ndod Charity no Illanyl I7S1A6 Sèt out on pag9• I report tothe Iru5te85 on ffly eyAminalKJn oflhe aCnts of Ihe above tharity Ilhe Tru8fi for the year eThJed RpOn11b1lltl0s ind As the chantylNstees of the Trust, you are reSp1b for yeparalion of r•port oflh8 ae¢ounts in accorthncè ¥Ath requirements Of1 charit Act 20111lho Acri. I repjt in rgspect of ry examination of th8 Trust's a¢eounts carried out uTrJer sectKJn 145 of ¢he 2011 Act and in carryiffj out my exarninatKffl, I have followed the applicablg DtreciKfft given by t Chanty Comm1¢n under secthon 14515llbl of the Act. I have compbted my examination. l eA)nfimi that no material matters have come lo my attention l¢therlhan that di8c105ed below l in rnnectIon vAth examination thich gNes me lo tdteve that in. any matsrial rgspect.. accryjnting rgwrds re t kept in aeCwdanc8ith 88etion 130 of the Acl or . t1 accounts do Mt xcwd ith th? accelffjthg rtcords Indopendent •xaminots statsnwnt I I¥8 no conc•rns and have atros$ no othormatters in conne(on with the etsminalK)n lo whKh attention $houkl b8 drawn ITh otderlo anab a oper understanding of the aunt$ lo b8 reached. ' Ple888 delete the waS in the braGkels rflheydo not appty. ¢J4lo& 81gned.. 202 Narn&'. Relevant profM•loMI qu•llft¢atlonlil or body 111 anyl: Addrw: 20 AAQEtyJ IP)< IER October 2018
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND lALEs Independent examIneS report on the accounts Sectioii A Indcpendent Examiner's Report R•portto th• trust88 On accounts lorth• ar ondod Charfty no Ilf anyl I report tothe tfU81888 Cn rny 8xaminats.on OTlh8 arujunts d the obovo chanty Trwdfi futhe year ended RtspolblllueS and As the ¢harity trustee5 of the Trusi, you are resp816 for the preparotw)n bttJ• ol cl the accojnts in accordanc8 ¥Ath the r¢qu¢ments dthe chariti.es Act 2011 fthe Acfl. I roport in resF4d d my examinotv)n dthe Trust'$ a¢ty)unts t41d out undar section 145 of Ihe 2011 AL# and in rArryiffj my ex8rnination. I have followed the applicab Direcon8 given by the Chanty Commi88W under seGtion 14515Kbl of the Ac. I f)ynpd my examination. I cojffirm that m material matters have )me to my attention (other than that di8do88d b&iow'l in connection with tho eXaminatn %4thic giv88 me caw to that in. any matenal Indynd•nt •xamingrf• •latsm•nt a¢¢ountir¥ records r)t kept in accrdancg with 8ectw 130 of the Act or the a¢¢ounts do n¢ accord %ith th• eounting rec8 with th8 exarnination to %thiGh attention 8hould b& dr¥n in orderto enab a proF4r uThSerstaThJing of th& a¢c4)unt$ to lje reached. ' R88S8 d&l8te the won1$ fft the brnckdts rfth8ydo not&ppty. Rolovant prof8uSon•l qualMcatlonl•l or body Athlr•s•: IER Octobor 2018