**Henley Choral Society** **276728** **Receipts and payments accounts For the period 1st September 2023 To from** **CC16a** **31st August 2024 To** ## **Section A Receipts and payments** **Unrestricted Restricted funds funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £** **Endowment Total funds Last year funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £** ## **A1 Receipts** |**A1 Receipts**|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Ticket Sales|**£15,712**
**£1,044**
**£21,225**
**£3,768**
**£0**
**£1,075**
**£3,450**
**£0**
**£6,090**
**£2,832**
**£845**
**£2,773**

**£58,815**||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||**-**|**15,712**
**1,044**
**21,225**
**3,768**
**-**
**1,075**
**3,450**
**-**
**6,090**
**2,832**
**845**
**2,773**|**£19,483**
**£1,399**
**£18,491**
**£5,355**
**£0**
**£524**
**£5,000**
**£0**
**£4,396**
**£3,180**
**£1,825**
**£2,110**| |Programme Sales|||||**-**||| |Member Subs|||||**-**||| |Friends Donations|||||||| |Gift aid tax relief|||||**-**||| |Bank interest|||||**-**||| |Donations|||||**-**||| |Hire of music to members|||||**-**||| |Sales of music to members|||||**-**||| |Advertising revenue|||||**-**||| |Bar takings|||||**-**||| |Sundry|||||**-**||| ||||||||| |**_Sub total_**|||**-**||**-**|**58,815**|**61,764**| |**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**etc.**
**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**||||||**-**|**-**| ||**-**||**-**||**-**||| ||**12,479**||**-**||||| ||||||**-**|**58,815**|| ||||||||| |Conductors fee|||**-**||**-**|**12,479**
**7,700**
**10,558**
**4,084**
**772**
**6,430**
**768**
**531**
**6,647**
**646**
**5,150**
**4,763**
**205**|**13,148**
**7,753**
**2,643**
**3,207**
**16,241**
**6,736**
**2,420**
**-**
**5,202**
**1,084**
**5,416**
**3,150**
**-**| |Accompanist's fees|**7,700**||**-**||**-**||| |Orchestra Fees|**10,558**||**-**||**-**||| |Soloist's Fees|**4,084**||**-**||**-**||| |Other fees|**772**||**-**||**-**||| |Hall hire|**6,430**
**768**||**-**
**-**||**-**
**-**||| |Equipment hire|||||||| |Music Hire|**531**||**-**||**-**||| |Music Purchase|**6,647**||**-**||**-**||| |Bar Expenses|**646**||**-**||**-**||| |Publicity|**5,150**||**-**||**-**||| |Sundry|**4,763**
**205**

**60,733**||**-**||**-**||| |Bank Charges|||||||| |**_Sub total_**|||**-**||**-**|**60,733**|**66,999**| |**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, etc.**
**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
C**_C_**
CX**_a_**X**_sh_**R1**_fu_**a**_n_**cc**_d_**o**_s_**un**_t_**t**_h_**s**_i_**(**_s_**SS**_y_**)**_ear end_**|||||||**66,999**| ||||||||| ||||||||| ||||||**-**|**60,733**|| ||||||||| ||**-**
**1,918**||**-**||**-**|**-**
**1,918**|**-**
**5,236**| ||**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**
**56,616.31**|**-**
**70,214.00**| ||**56,616**||**-**||**-**||| ||**54,698.00**||1
**-**||**-**|**54,698.00**|26/09/**6**2**4**0**,**2**9**4**78.31**| |**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**|**period**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees|**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**
**Details**
N/A
CAF CURRENT
CAF DEPOSIT
HSBC
N/A|||**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |||||**8,776**
**42,064**
**3,858**|**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**| |||||**54,698**|**-**|**-**| |||||OK|OK|OK| |||||**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |||||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**| |||||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||N/A|||||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||**Details**
N/A|||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**|**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||N/A||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||||||**-**|**-**| ||**Details**
Signature
N/A|||**Fund to which**
**liability relates**|**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**When due**
**(optional)**| ||||||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|| |||||Print Name||| |||||||Date of
approval| |||||||| |||||||| CCXX R2 accounts (SS) Chair’s annual report 2023-24 ## Summary After a few years of challenges (many welcome) such as a change in musical director, a fabulous fiftieth anniversary year, and a global pandemic, 2023-24 has been relatively stable. However, our excellent Musical Director, Richard Harker, stretched us with a varied and rewarding musical repertoire. All three concerts were sold out in 2023-24, due in large part to the efforts of each of us to sell tickets, and our excellent publicity team Angela Law and Jane Edwards. We run successfully because of the group of people who willingly and brilliantly give their time volunteering- thanks to them. We are lucky to have such a brilliant Musical Director, Richard Harker and we are likewise very fortunate to have two brilliant accompanists, Dave Smith and Anita d’Attelis. ## Autumn 2023 Our Christmas concert was a mix of carols, pieces performed by Henley Youth Choir and three Cantatas from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The music was sublime, the performance excellent, with the choir giving its best rendition of the Bach. But overall, the concert was perhaps a little long for a Christmas event. Learning for future concerts, but wonderful music, well performed nonetheless. The term ended with a fun, well attended, Christmas dinner, organised by Francis Piesse. ## Spring 2024 For the first time in recent years we performed at The Great Hall, University of Reading. It was a lovely venue with good, but not perfect, acoustics. There were quite a few logistical challenges which need to be considered for future performances there. The music, British 20th century music by Finzi, Vaughan Williams and Elgar, in memory of the world wars was especially moving. Accompanied by a large and talented orchestra meant we made a fantastic sound. Many in the choir and audience considered it to be Henley Choral Society’s best, and most emotional, performance- notable given the difficulty of these works. However, some audience and choir members found themselves positioned too close to the orchestra, particularly the impressive percussion section, meaning that their pleasure was reduced- more learning for us all. ## Summer 2024 The summer concert, with Henley Youth Choir, was one of the most successful joint concerts ever, with the two choirs singing two works by Alexander L’Estrange,- Zimbe! and Ahoy!. Performers and audience were equally surprised and delighted by the uplifting and fun concert. It was a blast! In summer we had an enjoyable workshop with Hilary Campbell. She took us through the summer concert works and taught us all better vocal techniques. A taste of what was to come as she took on the task of temporary MD in Autumn 2024. We ended the year with a lovely summer party, kindly hosted by Mark and Jo Turner in their beautiful garden in Fawley. ## Membership The number of people singing in the latter two concerts dwindled considerably. There will be many reasons for this, including the different and challenging repertoire. The Committee is agreed that it is important that our Musical Director introduces us to new works and different composers. Choirs that simply sing the old favourites will quickly become stale. Our membership has stayed remarkably stable over the last few years, with leavers and joiners more or less balancing out, and a recovery in numbers post Covid-19. |
numbers post Covid-19.|||| |---|---|---|---| |Season|20-21|21-22|22-23| ||23-24|24-25|| |Sopranos|42|46|42| ||46|39|| |Altos|31|33|37| ||40|42|| |Tenors|12|13|13| ||13|13|| |Basses|16|20|18| ||17|18|| |Total|101|112|110| ||116|112|| ## Table: Active HCS members according to membership lists We continually publicise the choir and the fun and benefits to be had joining. If anyone would like to help with a membership drive, they would be most welcome. ## Thank you Henley Choral Society, a charity registered with the Charity Commission, exists 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. It relies entirely on the time and efforts of volunteers. No one is paid, nor receives benefits from the charity. So, we should be grateful for the time and efforts of all the volunteers who enable to charity to fulfil its purpose. We are especially grateful for the additional support that the Friends of Henley Choral Society provide. It is a welcome addition to our resources. Thank you to Jane Redley and Fiona O’Shea, for their work with the Friends. This year has been marked by some terrific publicity work. So, thank you to Angela Law and Jane Edwards for their brilliant work. Thank you to Fi Harding, Jo Dickson and the team at HYC for all they do. Susan Edwards and Maureen Smith did some great work to get the accreditation sorted to allow HYC to perform. Felicity Bazell will tell you more in her report on HYC. Thank you to our founding member, Wendy Hawkins, who acts as membership secretary and many other activities, including practicing with sections and organising front of house at concerts. Thank you to Katharine Foderingham for her terrific concert manager work. This is a difficult job that she does with energy and a smile. Thank you to Aileen Gleeson for organising the seating and Catherine Williams for corralling us in a pre-concert warm-up and going on and off the stage in an orderly fashion. Thank you to Cath Reynolds for supporting the setup and running of the online ticket sales. Thanks to Nigel Grundy for banking and countless other activities. He is always to be found helping out where needed. We are very grateful to the voice representatives, who do a vital job, brilliantly: Michael Kay, David Bentley, Jo Dickson, Meg Ashby and ## Magdalen Hoskins. Making sure we are provided with cakes and drinks at the right time, Meg and Peter Ashby, Nigel Grundy, Toni Aitken Anne Frankum, and others, and to our sommelier, David Lewis. Our thanks go to them. We could not sing without Jenny Wager, our brilliant librarian, who rises to every challenge we throw at her. Thank you to Peter Ashby and Heather Webb for opening up d:two every week, and to the team of people who come early to help set up the hall. Thank you to Jan French for managing website enquiries. Thanks to Mike Hails for running the raffle and providing us with much needed extra revenue. Thanks to Glynnis Akehurst for organising the gifts for professionals at our concerts. Thanks to Nick Richardson for photography, announcements, and leading our work to move and erect staging. Thank you to Francis Piesse for putting up posters in advance of concerts, moving the conductor’s plinth and organising our Christmas parties. Dru Ross works incredibly hard to bring together the programme. Thanks to Toni Aitken and Jenny Haywood for so successfully finding programme sponsors. Many thanks to my fellow Trustees of the Charity: ● Kate Ayers for taking on the role of secretary and doing it incredibly efficiently. Amongst all she has done this year includes commissioning a professional risk assessment for our staging. Very reassuring and with some clear pointers for consolidating what we already do. ● Felicity Bazell, our Vice Chair, who acts as the main liaison with HYC, plans and organises our workshops each term and along with Kate is working on our policies and protocols to make sure we are well run. ● Finally, a special thank you to Mark Turner, who has been our Treasurer for the last six years and is stepping down today. He has done a tremendous job. Despite a period of turbulence, our finances have remained stable and healthy and he has ensured we pay people promptly, very important to young professionals. On top of that, Mark and his wife, Jo, generously hosted a fantastic summer party to end our 2023-24 season. Mark continues to support his community in Fawley and as a counsellor in Buckinghamshire for the Socialist Works Party- he’s one of those people who, in the background, quietly make our society better. Thank you Mark. I want to mention the death of Arthur Weir. He was a stalwart supporter of the choir, especially HYC, taking on many roles. Donations in his memory, in aid of HYC, topped £935. His positive energy, present even towards the end of his life, will be greatly missed. Although there are many people who contribute- all those wonderful people already mentioned and more, we could still do more if more people would step forward. It is always the same people to be found helping out. Staging is notable- it is always a moment of anxiety for the Chair and Concert Manager when we perform at St Mary’s. We do need more staging leads (who have the professional risk assessment to aid them) and more people who want the benefit of weight training and mobility exercise. Susan Edwards reminded me early in my time as Chair that people come to choir to enjoy themselves. That enjoyment can come in many forms- the pleasure of performing music, the sense of achievement of mastering a difficult piece, the interaction with a group of like-minded friends, being taught and accompanied by outstanding professionals, or the chance to do free weight training. We all seek slightly different things. We do need to recognise that the choir is a community of people with varying views- so whether it is talking, ventilation, seating or some other issue that could divide us- in the end it is a wonderful thing to sing with others and create such a tremendous sound. Never forget- you leave each rehearsal happier, enriched and ready for another week. Finally, this is my last AGM as your chair. I am handing over to Angela Law, who brings great experience, energy and a love of the choir- you are in great hands. When Susan Edwards rang me to ask if I would consider becoming chair, the sound of barrels being scraped was loud and clear. I took over as a newbie of the choir- typical bravado of a male- pale- stale middle-class man. But with the support of others, and the immediate past chair, I managed. It has been a privilege to see the choir through the turbulence of the last four years, and now, as Treasurer, I have the enormous size 14 shoes of Mark Turner to fill. I look forward to it with some trepidation- please be patient. 2 IARITY COMMISSION FOkENGiANDAND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Sèction A Independent Examiner's Report RoF)Ort to the trusta8s1 members of HENLEY CHORAL SOCIETY On accounts for the year ended 3110812024 Chartty no lif any) 276728 Set out on pages Respective The charivs trustees are responsiblè for the preparation of the aGcounls. responslbllities of The charity's trustees consider that an audrf( is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 43(21 of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to-. examine the accounts under section 43 of the 1993 Act, lo follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 43{7llb} of the 1993 A¢¢. and lo stale whether partiGular matters have come lo my attantion. Basis of independont My examination was Carried out in accordan¢6 with general Directions given examiner's statsment by the Charity Commission. An examinabon includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and 8 comparison of the a¢¢ounts presented wth those records. It also in¢lLtdes consideration of any unusual items or dis¢lO8u￿S in the ac¢ounls, and seeking explanations from the trustees con¢eming any such matters. The pr￿edureS undertaken do not provide all the eviden¢e that would be required in an audit, and consequently no 06)inion is given as to whether the accounts present a Irue and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the ststement below. Independent In connection with my exarr)inalion, no matter has come to my attention examiner's statement 1. which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in, any material respect, the requirements". to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of Ihe 1993 AGt,' and lo prepare a¢counts which a¢¢ord wrth the accounting records and comply with the accounting reqU1￿ments of the 1993 Act have not been mel ", or 2. to which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accoLtnts to be reached. Signgd: Date: Name: JOANNE GRUNDONNER Relevant professional qualificationl$l or body lif any): AAT Address: 37 Grove Street. Wantage, OX12 7AG IER October 2024 2610912024