A4&
GRAVESHAM CHORAL SOCIETY
Re¢eipts and PasThent account I September 24 to 30 August 2025
202412025
202312024
INCOME
General
Subs¢ripb"ons
Friends
Fundraising
Other Ino)me {Inc Bank Interest. Gift Aid)
cOn￿rt Related
Tickets
Programrnes
Music PurthaselHire
Sponsorship
TOTAL INCOME
10.977.083
800.00.
1.309 58
6.470.86
lo.￿8.64
700 00
294.00
1,912.90
4.953.85
5,914.79
719.95
2.388.81
1.388.99
25.￿).36
21,939.09
EXPENDITURE
General
Admin Costs
MD'S Rehearsal fees
Accompanist Rehearsal fees
Rehearsal Venue
Fundraising
SubscriplitsnsllnsurancelPRS
Other Costs
Concert Relate
Conductor fees
Soloist fees
Orchestra fees
usic PurGhaselHire
PrintinglDesignlPublicty
Instrument HireThransport
Venue Hirelslaging
Gifts for Artistes
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
6.80
5,084.(KJ
2.556 tx)
1.7(X).c(J
339.60
4,125.(K)
2,652.LK)
1.750.(KI
788.63
1.017.46
479.70
1.6W.75
2.200.(K)
1,677.20
2.4￿ (K)
1.346.63
125.26
3,110.tK)
3,375
6,170.LK)
2,280 51
1.028 80
194.00
8￿.00
85.00
27.9￿.36
832.LK)
19.733 98
NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS
6.166.38
-6,051.27
Bank Account & ¢ash at 7 September 2024
49.739.11
55,79J.38
Bank a(y>Junts & CAsh to dale
55,905.49
49.739.11
ststement of Assèts and Liabilities at 31 August 2025
Moneta Assets
Charity Bank Bond
CAF Gold Account
CAF Cash Account
Cash rn hand
Totsl
40,WO.
12,349 45
3.545.14
10.90
55.90S.49
40.￿X) 00
9.662.81
76.30
49,739.11
Debtors (Gift Aid)
Liabilities- None
Asset". Keyboard Pur¢hase value 05112121.
Asset.. Wine glassès & Crates
Podium revamp byith handiails
0.00
1.823.00
188.24
660.Th)
1.823.LKI
188.24

Grdve5ham Choral AGM papers 2025
Gravesham Choral reports for the 2024-2025 season
Music Directorfs re
I was delighted to be asked to become the new Musical Director of Gravesham Choral in January 2025.
following a term as Accompanist from September 2024. Our first concert of Brahms, Germon Requiem, in
the version for two pian05, was a wonderful startto mytenure- one of my absolute favourite choral works
and something to really'get our teeth into.. The concert was a huge success, and special thanks go to
pianists Debbi Parks and Erin Sawicka. and soloists Augusta Hebbert and James Oldfield. It was a shame
that there were not more audience members there to enjoy it. but there were various concert clashes that
evening, which is something the committee will continue to endeavourto avoid where possible!
The summer concert was a lighter affair. with a 'folk-song' element, featuring works by John Rutter (The
Sprig of Thyme). Andrew Carter (Horizons) and Philip Wilby (North Country Folk Songs). The Carter piece
has been rarely performed over the years, and the composerwa5 especially delighted that we chose to
include it. Despite some musical challenges. I was delighted with how the choir engaged with the choice of
music and worked incredibly hard to conquerthe notes1 The result was that the concert was again another
triumph, and much enjoyed by the decent-sized audience. Thanks go to Debbi for some lovely piano
playin& and our lyrical soprano soloist. Janette Cattell.
We have just begun work on our uplifting Autumn programme (for St Cecilia's Day), featuring French works
by Gounod, Bizet and Fauré. which l am very much looking forward to! Plans for the forthcoming year
include our popular Christmas concert. a Passiontide concert featuring Stainerfs famou5 Crucifixion
alongside tuneful English works by Finzi and Wesley. and a summerconcert featuring a number of
American lor American-inspiredl pieces, to be held on the 4th July. Further ahead. we hope to do Rossini's
wonderful Petite Messesolennelle next Autumn. We are also working hard to ensure our budget is able to
accommodate the occasional concert with orchestra/instrumentalists (perhaps once per yearl, and also to
continue to programme some'mainstream works, alongside lesser-known pieces, which will help to draw
an audience. as well as providing a variety of genre5/styles for members.
Personally, I would like to thank all members fortheir continued commitment to the choir. We are only
able to tackle the works we do with regular attendance. punctuality and many people choosing to do extra
'homeworV behind the scenes, listeningto the music and learning their parts independently. l am
extremely grateful for this dedication and spirit of positive engagement, and having worked with other
choirs who do not follow this ethos, I do not tske it for granted! It helps hugely to have such an
enthusiastic and hard-working Committee, and we are very blessed a5 a choir to have thi5, as well as
numerous other volunteers doing a wide-variety of invaluable tasks to a high standard and with great
efficiency.
We were delighted to be joined in January by Debbi Parks as our new accompanist, who is a joy to work
with. and especially helps to put smiles on people's faces during her warm-up accompanimentsl We are
lucky also to have Erin Sawicka as a talented 'stand-in'.
In conclusion, it has been a hugely enjoyable and successful few months for GCS. Here's to more of this in
the futurel
Francesca Massey
MD. Gravesham Choral, September 2025

Gravesham Choral AGM papers 2025
Chairman's re
This yearwe have performed our usual pattem of foUrcon￿rtS. Our November concert. was conducted by
Matthew Watts and featured organist David Poulter, soprano Aimee Presswood and a small string
orche5trd. We included Mendelssohn's well-known piece. Hearmy Prayer as well as Wivaldi's Credo and
Haydn's Mi550 Brevis Sonctijoonnis de Deo. The audience appreciated the concert and the choir worked
very hard to ensure they were concert-ready.
We finished the term with our traditional Christmas concert which was very well attended. John MacKenzie
v￿5 our guest condurtor for this concert and in his inimitsble style brought joy and enthusiasm to the choir.
Francesca Massey played two organ pieces - Christmas Cradle Song by Alfred Hollins and Toccota on Vom
Himmel hoch by Garth Edmundson- and wowed both audience and choir with her virtuosic playing,
particularly in the Toccata. We hope Fran￿sca will continue to share her exceptional organ skills in future
concerts.
We performed Brahms German Requiem in our March concert, conducted by Francesca, with pianists
Debbi Parks and Erin Sawicka and soloists Augusta Hebbert. and James Oldfield. It was a challenge for the
choir to learn the German words but everyone rose to meetthe demands of the piece. both linguistically
and musically. We were treated to the London piano duet version which worked well for a choir of our size.
The audience were fulsome in their praise of our music-making.
Our July concert Tales of Land and Seo was again conducted by Frdncesca Massey with soprano Janette
Cattell and accompanied by Debbi Parks on piano. The choir enjoyed the demands of learning the
programme of Philip Wilb¢s North Country Folksongs. Horizons by Andrew Carter and The Sprig of Thyme
byjohn Rutter. The concert was a little later in the year than usual due to accommodating other
commitments by both our MD and members. As the progrdmme had a folk-like feel to it, we decided to
abandon our usual formal concert dress in favour of smart casual summerwear. This gave the concert a
lighter feel together with the music. In spite of some of the programme including some well-known British
folk songs, the music was nonetheless very challenging and some of the choir may not have reached the
top of Byker Hiii!! Over the weeks, the choir grew to love the Carter pieces with its unusual rhythms and
harmonies. We have enjoyed Francesca's programme choice5 which have been different and new to most
of the choir. We had a bigger audience for this concert and they were very appreciative.
The 24125 season has not been without its challenges for the Committee. We began the season with both a
new conductor and rehearsal pianist following the retirements of Alan and Roger, although Roger offered to
stay on until we found his replacement. Matthew Watts wa5 appointed as conduttor and Francesca Ma55ey
joined us part way through September as our verytalented rehearsal accompanist. The contract between
Matthew and the choir specified a probationary period of one term. Responding to choir feedback. the
Committee decided that Matthew was not the best fit for the choir. Francesca had covered a rehearsal as
conductor during the autumn term and following the choir's extremely positive response to this rehearsal,
the Committee took the decision to ask herto take on the role of Music Director. We were delighted when
she accepted. Francesca started as MD in January 2025 and successfully completed her probationary term
atthe end of March 2025.
Francesca's enthusiasm and ability to engage and inspire all members. whatever their level of expertise, has
led to a growth in membets, confidence and enjoyment. It is very encouraging to look around during

Gravesham Choral AGM papers 2025
rehearsals and see so many smiling face5. The Committee have also really appreciated working with
Francesca whose administration and communication skills are first rate and very timelv.
As Francesca could no longer accompany the choir. we were fortunate she was able to suggest Debbi Parks
as rehearsal accompanist. Debbi joined us in January 2025. Debbi is also a very skilled pianist and her
experience of playing for ballet has brought a new dimension to choir warm-ups! Her enthusiasm and
positivity have been appreciated. We were also pleased that the equally talented Erin could deputise for
Debbi on occasion. Both work brilliantly with both Francesca and the choir.
We want to make sure we appeal to new and younger members who mayjoin us in the future and to this
end decided that in future we would drop the dinner suits and red bow tie5 in favour of black shirts for the
tenors and basses. We also bought some very smart black folders with our logo on the cover which are
much lighter for members to hold during concerts. Informally. we have decided to drop the 'society' part of
our choir name too, although officially that is still the choir name in our Constitution and is what appears in
Google searches for the website or is the name on our bank accounts. We are not trying to radically change
what Gravesham Choral is about or the kind of things we sin& but simply make sure we appeal to the next
generation of music-makers. We do hope to see more younger members join us goingforward.
Anne will give a separate treasurer's report but careful housekeeping has meant that we have finished the
season with the accounts looking good. France￿ has been mindful of our desire to ensure that we did not
run concerts at a significant loss. This has informed her choice of programme. We do intend to have
concerts with reduced orchestras in the future and have earmarked some of the bequest money for this
purpose. Attracting new members and increasing ticket sales continue to be central to our aim of breaking
even financially.
We have reintroduced fund-raising attFVities. Every week we now have 'The 50 club. (formerly 'The 60
club'll, a chance for members to win £20. paying £1 entry each week. We had a Christma5 and summer
quiz together with a spring raffle at the March concert. Choir socials also raise a small sum because people
are so generous with their donations. At both the Christma5 and summer concerts we had drinks and
nibbles for both choir and audience instead of a social after the last rehearsal of term. These were very
successful and welcomed by both audience and choir members. Our thanks must go to Julia who organised
these without any fuss and with great efficiency and also to the teams of people who helped her.
The Committee said goodbye to Julia at the end of the summerterm. We thanked her for her considerable
work and the development of the choirfs social side and wished her well in her husband's retirement and
their relocation. This means the Committee- al￿adY very small- could do with extra help and members
are encouraged to seriously consider what help they can give particularly whether they could join the
Committee. By the time you read thi5. the Commtttee will have expanded- more of that in the 25126
season reportl
Once again, members of the Committee have continued to give of their time freely to ensure Gravesham
Choral continues to flourish. Lisa continues her sterling work as '5ecretary' which fails to describe the many
tasks she does to keep the choir working effectively and fully informed. From Wednesday night notices to
website development (alongside husband, Pete), Lisa guarantees GCS is in the best possible place to
continue its work. Anne's hard work as treasurer has enabled us to manage our finances judiciously and has
informed programme planning. Lynne is central to ensuring the church is concert-ready and choir organized
in the correct Positions and David's work on programme notes has helped develop our concert programme.

Gravesham Choral AGM paper5 2025
We are also blessed to have so many GCS members who are happyto volunteer their ski115. time and
partner5 to help the society with tasks big and small. I thank all those who willingly give of their time. This
includes Marknn our librarian, who readily performs Pickford type removals of our music everytenTt and
ensures that music is returned to the hirers in good condition. Leonie with her front of house team, Mike,
our membership secretary. MaU￿en who looks after the Friends of GCS, Steve who organises ticket sales
and 15 our proof-reader. Alison our orchestrd 'fixerf. Elspeth who books the school and the church and Jane
Sparks for running 'The 50 Club.. There are others who contribute to our success. not least of all you, the
members. Without you the￿ would not be a GCS to preserve forthe future. Your role in welcoming new
members is crucial to this aim. I hope you all enjoy GCS as much as I do and judging by the interartions we
have during choir prattl￿, I think we have the recipe for continued success. Long may it continue I
Jan Blease
Chairman. Grdvesham Choral, September 2025
Treasurerfs Report
For the year: I September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Despite a difficult and somewhat chaotic start to the year. it is very pleasing to be able to report that we
have ended up in a healthy tinancial position. having artually made a profit on the year'5 activitiesl The
24125 Receipts and Payment Account shovrfs the corresponding figures for 23124. You will see that overall.
23124,51055 of £6,051.27 has now become a gain of £6.166.38. What a relief not to have to dig again into
our reserves, which remain there for us to use for spectfic purposes when we see fit.
For those who are interested in the nitty gritty. the Concert Accounts page shows the income and
expenditure attrib￿able directly to each concert. There was an overall loss on concerts. but this was
greatly reduced from the 22/23 and 23124 concert losses (over £9.LNJO and £8.IXIO respectively}. It
nevertheless illustrates the importance of our subscriptions and non-ticket income for funding concert
deficits, a5 well as all the other costs associated with running the Society.
Our recovery was achieved in no small measure by the determinat.on of the Committee and our Music
Director to keep expenditure down wherever possible. Francesca's knowledge of material to perform
without incurring huge orchestral costs has helped enormously. Another important factor was fund raising
the 60 (now 501 club,. the sale of refreshments at concerts; the quizzes and raffles. Collectively these
activities brought in a splendid £1,309.58.
Of course, this year's outcome has to be viewed wrth a certain amount of caution {come on - every
accountant is a wet blanket, you know thatll. A significant part of our surplus- £2.306.41- was due to gift
aid claims for back years. and will not be repeated. We also benefi'tted from a better rate of interest on our
savings last year than we can get this year.
Nevertheless, we can be proud of our efforts. especially as they have enabled us to freeze our subscriptions
for 25/26. except for a minor adjustment in order to make the sessional charge a round sum- currently £5.
The usual discount applies when members pay forthe whole year atthe stsrt.

Gravesham Chordl AGM paper5 2025
You may wonder, then, why each term's fees do not accurately reflert the number of weeks in the term. It
is because we are bound bythe wording in our Constitution, which specifies 40% of the Inon-discountedl
annual fee for the Autumn and Springterms and 20% for Summer. The Committee is considering a change
to the Constitution to make it more flexible. and you will hear about this at the AGM.
Last year l finished my report with the words -It has long been cleor that change is necessGry in order to
achieve a sustainoblefinonciol position. l om confident Irea50nablyl) that with the understonding of our
Music Director the creative ideas of the Committee, ond the continuedsupport of our choir members, we
will get there.-
Well done everyone- we did!
Anne Strearfetld
Treasurer, Gravesham Choral. September 2025