## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1/8/2024 Period start date To 31/7/2025 Period end date**
## **Charity name: Altrincham Choral Society**
## **Charity registration number: 500729**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The purposes of the society are to advance,
improve, develop and maintain public
education in, and appreciation of the art and
science of music in all its aspects including
through the presentation of public concerts
and recitals.|
||||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and 1.19|In pursuing the objectives of the Society as
regards the public benefit, the choir aims to
impact people’s lives in two ways. Firstly
Singing Members participate in a creative,
enjoyable and fulfilling educational and social
activity, providing regular rehearsals and
performances in four concerts each year,
with the opportunity to develop vocal
technique and extend knowledge of choral
repertoire supported by the inspiring
leadership of respected and professional
musicians. The Committee of Trustees is
conscious that the choir’s activities should be
both affordable and open to all who
successfully apply to be a Member. Full-time
students and under 21s benefit
from a reduced membership subscription
rate, with reduced subscription arrangements
available to any member with financial
difficulties. (this can be privately discussed
with the Membership Secretary, to be agreed
in confidence by the Committee.)
Secondly, for audiences, the choir presents
exciting, innovative and high-quality
performances at varied established local
venues, offering a positive and educational
cultural experience aiming to extend musical
knowledge through diverse repertoire. Pricing
of concert tickets is carefully considered to
promote attendance by a wide audience.
Tickets are competitively but affordably
priced with significant concessions for
accompanied children and are available
through a variety of sources - venue box
offices, online, via the choir website or in
person via members of the Society.
In support of the Society’s objectives the
choir has regular Open Rehearsals and an
annual Singing Day which offer opportunities
for enthusiastic members of the public to
experience how rehearsals operate and to
sing a variety of repertoire.
The choir also takes opportunities to sing in
community events where possible and to
support a local charity each year.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public benefit|Para 1.18|The committee (Trustees) have complied
with the duty in section 4 of the charities act
2011 to have due regard to public benefit
guidance published by the Charity.|
**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||||
|---|---|---|
||SORP reference||
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|Not applicable|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|Not applicable|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|All 108 members of the Choir support the
aims of the society by giving their time and
efforts to the rehearsals and public
performances.
Over the course of the year 30-40 members
of the society and their friends and family
volunteer their time to ensure the smooth
running of rehearsals and concerts in the
following roles;
Main Committee - Chair, Vice Chair,
Treasurer, Secretary, Minutes Secretary, 4
Voice Reps, Fundraiser, Membership
Secretary, Concert Manager.
Music Sub Committee - including choice of
programmes, contracting of soloists and
instrumentalists, liaising with local venues.
Librarians - sourcing and hiring music for
performances.
Publicity Team including design and
production of programmes, tickets and
posters alongside management of social
media and ticket sales.
Other roles include Fire Officers, First Aid
Officers, concert door ticket sales, coach
organisers, presentation of flowers to
soloists, looking after guests, serving interval
refreshments.|
|Other|||
## **Achievements and Performance**
SORP reference
||||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|Concerts 2024/25 Season
“Ain’t Misbehavin” 16th November 2024, St
Peter’s Church, Hale. Embracing the style of
the 1920’s Music Hall, with songs from Cole
Porter to Gershwin, alongside music to lift the
spirit by Hess, Rutter (Feel the Spirit) and
Gjeilo, accompanied by the wonderful Sospiri
Wind Quintet, trumpet soloist Seb Williams
and mezzo-soprano Sophie Clarke
A Christmas Concert 24th December 2024 at
St George’s Church, Altrincham. This new
larger venue provided the opportunity for a
wider audience to join in with a programme of
traditional carols and hear new favourites by
John Williams and Rutter amongst others.
Donations for mince pies and fruit punch
raised money for the local Hope Centre
Charity.
“Let us go in Peace” 25th March 2025, back
at St George’s Church, Altrincham.
A varied programme of quietly powerful and
reflective music in the spirit of peace across
the world, with guest accompanist Kathleen
Hesford. Tracey Smurthwaite added colour
and contrast with her beautiful flute playing.
“Make a Joyful Noise” July 5th 2025, St
Mary’s Church, Sale. Choral Gems by
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Eric Whitacre, Saint-
Saens and John Rutter amongst others –
enhanced by solos from mezzo soprano
returning guest Sophie Clarke. This concert
benefitted from the support of Jean Oglesby
CBE.
28th July 2025 - 45 members of the choir
travelled to Durham Cathedral to perform a
short lunchtime concert in this magnificent
building experiencing the amazing acoustics.
This was well received by supporting family
members and also a large audience of
cathedral visitors.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||||
|---|---|---|
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|The planned concert programme was fulfilled
and the repertoire successfully performed.
The Committee continued to look at a range
of options to find ongoing patrons and
sponsorship to support the choir's activities.
The Choir sustained a membership of over
100 throughout the year, but continues to
actively seek Tenor and Bass voices to
ensure a balanced choir and ensure a wide
range of choral repertoire is accessible for
performance.|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
## **Financial Review**
|**inancial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
||||
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end of
the period|Para 1.21|Overall, the Society had a small surplus of
around £2000 on income of £40,000. The
expenditure included approximately £1,500
from the Florence Matthews fund, deployed
in accordance with the terms of that
bequest. The reserves held are
approximately equal to a year’s operating
costs.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves are held in accordance with the
terms of the Society’s Reserves Policy.
That policy requires a minimum of 50% of
annual General Fund expenditure to be
held in Unrestricted Reserves. Reserves
ensure that all current and future financial
commitments can be met from existing
funds. In turn, this ensures that in the
unlikely event of winding up the charity, the
Trustees will bear no financial liability.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|The Society had Current Unrestricted
Assets of £35,000 at 31/07/2025.|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22||
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24||
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|The Trustees remain confident that the
charity will continue as a going concern.|
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|||
|---|---|---|
||Para 1.47|The two main sources of revenue are
membership subscription and ticket sales,
In addition the Society occasionally bene|
||||
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|The Society does not rely significantly on
revenue from investment returns. The
Society’s funds are held across 3 bank
accounts, providing a modest level of
interest, and appropriate access terms.|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|The cost of staging high-calibre concerts is
increasing at least as fast as the cost of
living. The Society works hard to sustain or
grow its membership level to secure
increasing subscription income, whilst
keeping rises to the subscription fee
modest.
Likewise, ticket pricing is kept under
constant review to optimize revenue. The
Society has started using one new local
concert venue with a larger audience
capacity, hence potentially increasing ticket
revenue.
Future plans include an intent to increase
fundraising revenue.|
|Other|||
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
||||
|---|---|---|
|Description of charity’s trusts:|||
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|Unincorporated association|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled to
appoint one or more trustees|Para 1.25|Officers and Ordinary Committee Members
are elected by and out of the Society’s
membership at the AGM and shall normally
be Trustees.|
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Policies and procedures Para 1.51
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees
The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider Para 1.51
network with which the
charity works
Relationship with any related Para 1.51
parties
Other
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|||
|---|---|
|Charity name|Altrincham Choral Society|
|Other name the charity uses||
|||
|---|---|
|Registered charity number|500729|
|Charity’s principal address|15 Brunswick Road
Manchester
M20 4QB|
|||
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(if any)**|
|1|Andrew
McWilliam|Chair|Wef Oct 2024 AGM
(previously Vice
Chair, Bass Voice
Rep and Trustee)||
|2|Neil Brougham|Vice Chair|Wef Oct 2024 AGM||
|3|Imogen Gornall|Secretary|||
|4|Eleanor
Reeves|Minutes
Secretary /
Voice Rep
(Altos)|||
|5|Stephen
Campbell|Treasurer|||
|6|Julia
Williamson|Membership
Secretary|||
|7|Anthony
Robinson|Concert
Manager|||
|8|Kath Whyte|Librarian|||
|9|Melanie Owen|Voice Rep
(Sopranos)|||
|10|Julian Mustoe|Voice Rep
(Tenors)|||
|11|Timothy Lowe|Voice Rep
(Basses)|Wef Oct 2024 AGM||
|12|||||
|13|||||
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|15|||||
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|20|||||
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser**
**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Signature(s)
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Full name(s)**[Andrew John McWilliam ] ~~ee~~ **Position (eg** Chair **Secretary, Chair, etc)** ~~ee~~ **Date** 2[nd] March 2026 ~~|~~
Page l
## Chair
## 13/10/2025
Page 2
Page 3
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
**Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Altrincham Choral Society **On accounts for the year** 31[st] July 2025 **Charity no 500729 ended (if any) Set out on pages** 1-2 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 7/ 2025.
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
**Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._
**Signed: Date:** 30 Jan 2026 **Name:** Andrew Biggs ~~—————~~ **Relevant professional** Former Chartered Accountant (now retired) **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 47 Wearside Drive, Durham DH1 1LE
1
**October 2018**
**IER**
**Section B Disclosure**
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** .
2
**October 2018**
**IER**