Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1[st] September 2021 to 31[st] August 2022
Charity registration number: 506586
Season Summary
The choir returned to in-person rehearsals once weekly during school term times. The choir continues to employ a Musical Director, Lee Dunleavy, and a professional pianist as accompanist, Colin Druce.
Concerts performed:
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Jubilate Deo by Dan Forrest, 23[rd] October 2021, All Saints Church, Royal Leamington Spa
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Christmas Concert, Carols composed or arranged by previous RSLBC Musical Directors, 11[th] December 2021, All Saints Church, Royal Leamington Spa
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Motets by J S Bach, 9[th] April 2022, All Saints Church, Royal Leamington Spa
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Gloria by Vivaldi, Magnificat by Leonarda and Dixit Dominus by G F Handel, 18[th] June 2023, All Saints Church, Royal Leamington Spa
Other Events:
- Come and Sing, various Jubilee Proms Music, 5[th] February 2022, All Saints Church, Royal Leamington Spa
Chairman’s Report
Our new season began in the Autumn with Jubilate Deo, our first concert for 18 months and hugely enjoyable for singers and audience alike. The Christmas concert in December also attracted a full church and received positive and enthusiastic responses from our audience. The idea of heritage Carols of the area, and especially former MDs, has been enthusiastically received and we must thank our Musical Director Lee Dunleavy for his mammoth efforts at procuring these works.
Last December we were in the throes of the Omicron-variant wave, and Covid precautions were on everyone’s mind. It was not at all clear then how much of the planned season was going to happen, and although more lockdowns seemed unlikely, it was still unclear whether enough members would feel confident in meeting together for us to be able to carry on with in-person rehearsals, but we took the decision in early January that, unless we were legally obliged to, we would not cancel or postpone the first event of the New Year, which was the Come & Sing at All Saints, Leamington. It went ahead as advertised on 5[th] February 2022 and proved to be a great success. We were very pleased to have 94 singers take part, with
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
around 50 in the audience at the end of the afternoon to hear a rousing Promenade-style programme to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.
A concert of four Bach Motets and organ works went ahead on 9[th] April 2022 at All Saints, Leamington with around 120 in the audience. On 18[th] June 2022, we presented Handel’s Dixit Dominus, with the Leonarda Magnificat and Vivaldi’s Gloria, again at All Saints Leamington. Ticket sales were rather slow to pick up, but there were over 100 in the audience on the night.
That concluded Lee’s first full season with us as Musical Director. A successful season, and all the more so remembering the uncertainties of Covid and its effect on audiences and on the choir.
The committee and Lee have brought together a programme for next season, 2022/23. Lee proposed and the committee agreed that the time was right to try new venues and the varied musical programmes which would suit them. Through the spring term we visited various venues to assess their suitability. All the details of music, dates and how to finance the programme then had to be brought together, and the finished programme was completed in June.
We had a very successful social quiz evening with bring and share supper on 24[th] September 2022, at our rehearsal venue, Lillington School, with thirty members and guests.
Members sang for two weddings, at St Mary’s Warwick, on 30[th] December 2021; and at St Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Warwick, on 23[rd] July, 2022 in return for a welcome fee.
We held the full Annual General meeting on 15[th] December 2021, and two extra General Meetings in the year, to adopt a revised constitution [16[th] March 2022] and to set the 2022/23 annual subscription [15[th] June 2022] .
We now have 76 singing members, including 20 who have joined in the last 12 months and stayed the course.
Treasurer’s Report
With quite large ensembles of professional musicians contracted for the concerts this season we made a loss of >£3k on the Autumn concert and a loss of >£3.5k on the Summer concert. Other concerts and events were close to break even, so our overall concert loss was ~£7k which is similar to that of 4-6 years ago. It is worth noting that we did receive >£2k in donations towards concerts, but these are shown separately in our accounts.
We pulled in some funds through performance fees for two wedding services, a Coventry Cathedral performance, and through hiring out our staging at All Saints.
Our costs, in the form of venue hire fees and professional musician fees, have risen significantly and are likely to rise again this season. This led to the officer’s decision to propose a rise in our subs from £150pa to £180pa to help towards these ongoing rehearsal and operating costs, which was accepted at an EAGM.
Our net asset position has dropped by >£3k but is still at a comfortable level to see us through a few potentially costly seasons – plus we received no Gift Aid for the season (normally around £3k) so we are likely to recoup that next season.
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
Our budget for the next season (2022-23) has been compiled with the assumption of some rising costs and it remains to be seen if that allowance will be sufficient – it is likely that venue costs may go up above that budgeted (for rehearsals and concerts) due to rising energy costs.
A larger pot for advertising and publicity has been budgeted – both printed and digital. The budget also predicts an overall loss on concerts to be around £10k – as we trial some higher quality new venues and put on some large ensemble pieces to attract larger audiences and new singers as we recover from the lockdown and compete for those returning to music.
Governance
The Choir is governed by a constitution which sets out the Membership, Officers & Committee, Trusteeship, etc. Relevant extracts of the constitution are included here:
3) Membership
- i) The membership of the Society shall comprise
a) Patron
b) President
c) Vice Presidents
d) Members
- e) Associate Members
ii) The position of Patron may be offered to a suitable person by a resolution of a General Meeting. iii) The position of President shall be reserved for the Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa ex officio.
iv) Vice Presidents may be elected by a General Meeting in recognition of exceptional service to the Society.
iii) Applications for Member must be made using the prescribed form and are subject to appraisal by the Musical Director as to the applicant’s musical suitability.
iv) Associate Members may be appointed by the committee.
v) The Committee shall ensure that a record is kept of the membership of the Society.
vi) Communications with the membership will be made in electronic form except as the committee may direct otherwise.
4) Officers & Committee
i) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall elect from among the Members of the Society a
committee which shall manage the Society comprised as follows:
a) Chairman
b) Secretary
c) Treasurer
d) Publicity Officer
e) Librarian
- f) Not more than five other committee members
ii) A quorum at a committee meeting shall be not less than half the number of members and must include at least the Chairman or the Secretary or the Treasurer.
iii) Casual vacancies may be filled by the Committee from among the Members of the Society.
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
iv) The committee may co-opt not more than two additional persons as members at any time.
v) The Chairman shall have a second or casting vote at committee meetings only.
vi) A committee meeting may be called at any appropriate time by the Secretary.
vii) All committee members shall be eligible to stand for re-election except that no Member shall hold the office of Chairman for more than three years in immediate succession.
5) Musical Director
The Society may engage and remunerate a suitably qualified Musical Director whose duties shall include rehearsing the choir, conducting the choir at public concerts, appraising the musical suitability of applicants for membership, proposing for the approval of the committee a programme of music for performance which will advance the objects of the Society, and other duties as may be agreed from time to time.
13) Trusteeship
i) All music or other property purchased by or presented to the Society shall be vested in the committee.
ii) For the purposes of charitable registration, the trustees of the Society shall be the Chairman, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
iii) No trustee or committee member or any connected person shall receive any financial benefit from the Society except that
a) Out-of-pocket expenses incurred in conducting any approved business of the Society shall be reimbursed.
b) As provided by the Charities Act 2011 Section 185 a financial benefit may be given to a trustee or committee member or connected person in return for services provided under a written contract if the trustees and the committee agree that the best interests of the Society are thereby served and that in no circumstances do a majority of trustees or committee members receive any such benefit.
Adopted 31[st] January 1945 and last amended Day Month 2022.
Ref: v2
Other Matters
Trustees have been made aware of the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
Financial Review
Accounts at end August 2022
| ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2022 | |||||||||||||
| 31.08.22 | 31.08.21 | 05.08.20 | 31.08.19 | 31.08.18 | 31.08.17 | 31.08.16 | |||||||
| Equipment | |||||||||||||
| At cost at 1 September | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | ||||||
| Additions inyear | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Depreciation to date | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,151) | (3,713) | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 769 | |||||||
| Working capital | |||||||||||||
| Debtors,advancepayments & cash floats | 1,977 | 1,760 | 355 | 824 | 580 | 1,201 | 1,372 | ||||||
| COIF charitydeposit | 5,328 | 5,310 | 5,309 | 5,271 | 5,251 | 5,237 | 7,213 | ||||||
| Lloyds current account | 18,100 | 18,686 | 21,881 | 10,752 | 4,614 | 3,900 | 3,388 | ||||||
| 25,404 | 25,756 | 27,605 | 16,847 | 10,445 | 10,669 | 12,742 | |||||||
| Income in advance and creditors | 2450 | 0 | 2,890 | 808 | 296 | 756 | 400 | ||||||
| Net assetposition £ | 22,954 | 25,756 | 24,715 | 16,039 | 10,149 | 9,913 | 12,342 | ||||||
| Surplus funds asperpreviouspage £ | 21,686 | 22,255 | 25,779 | 16,040 | 9,983 | 10,079 | 12,342 | ||||||
| 166 | -166 |
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2021 to 2022
| ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR TH | E YEAR ENDED 31 | AUGUST 2022 | |||||||||||
| 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 | 2015/16 | |||||||
| Total concert income asper attached schedule | 12,141 | 571 | 11,563 | 14,022 | 9,991 | 10,320 | 12,515 | ||||||
| Members' subscriptions incl Gift Aid recovery | 10,630 | 5,095 | 15,014 | 14,804 | 11,364 | 9,459 | 8,825 | ||||||
| Friends' subscriptions | 1,179 | 710 | 1,240 | 1,028 | 1,060 | 1,220 | 900 | ||||||
| Performance Fees | 1,200 | 480 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Grants,donations,fundraising& bequest | 2,773 | 2,237 | 1,765 | 56 | 0 | 570 | |||||||
| Refreshments and raffles | 1,127 | 72 | 1,310 | 1824 | 1495 | 1232 | 1,126 | ||||||
| Bank deposit interest received | 18 | 39 | 38 | 20 | 15 | 24 | 32 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous income | 2,450 | 0 | 395 | -1,349 | 204 | 218 | 0 | ||||||
| Total income | 31,518 |
9,204 | 31,325 | 30,405 | 24,129 | 22,473 | 23,968 | ||||||
| Total concert expenditure asper attached sche | d 19,297 |
2,248 | 10,406 | 15,772 | 15,647 | 16,246 | 17,997 | ||||||
| Rehearsal venue | 2,343 | 1,698 | 1,590 | 577 | 1573 | 1240 | 1,490 | ||||||
| Conductor/accompanist | 7,174 | 6,037 | 6,143 | 6458 | 5571 | 5265 | 5,787 | ||||||
| Printing/publicity | 577 | 393 | 2,626 | 307 | 68 | 172 | 350 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous(incprepayments) | 2,118 | 1,634 | 256 | 648 | 453 | 803 | 305 | ||||||
| Insurance,PRS & MakingMusic | 578 | 718 | 567 | 586 | 583 | 572 | 600 | ||||||
| Depreciation of equipment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 438 | 438 | ||||||
| Total expenditure | 32,086 |
12,728 | 21,587 | 24,348 | 24,225 | 24,736 | 26,967 | ||||||
| Surplus/deficit for theyear | (569) |
(3,524) | 9,739 | 6,057 | (96) | (2,263) | (2,999) | ||||||
| Funds brought forward at 1 September | 22,255 |
25,779 | 16,040 | 9,983 | 10,079 | 12,342 | 15,341 | ||||||
| Funds carried forward at 31 August | 21,686 |
22,255 | 25,779 | 16,040 | 9,983 | 10,079 | 12,342 | ||||||
The accounts were independently reviewed by Ms Yasmi Roberts of 40 Priorsfield Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1DB on 30[th] September 2022.
Reserves
It is the policy of the choir to maintain a balance of funds in the current account of £12,000, which equates to the typical level of professional fees for an average concert. This level was recently re-established during the period of the pandemic when no concerts and very limited rehearsals were held.
The choir also maintains an emergency COIF Charities Deposit Fund with CCLA Investment Management. The balance of this fund at 1[st] September 2022 was £5,334.15.
Choir Officers
Chairman Richard Taulbut Autumn 2021 to present Secretary Jude Robinson Autumn 2019 to present Treasurer Nicola Deards Autumn 2019 to present
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ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR ANALYSIS OF CONCERT INCOME AND EXPENDIIVRE YEAR ÉNDED 31 AUGUST2022 Xm•5 Sylrq 5ummw Tol•l Ticket sale5 prrnMe sales Pro8rarnme a<fvtrtls5ng Music salelhi Other concerr incomt 1.703 144 1,645 1193 1,899 196 1,755 136 9.195 538 20 1.229 1,158 ios 576 271 162 230 387 134 317 Tot415ncoffl• 2.157 2.555 2,510 2.488 2,431 12,141 OrchejtrnlsnstwntalIsts Sololsts/¢onductOf Muslclinstrurnent hlre Venue hlre/sta8lftg costs Coneert printIno<ertlsn1 (Xher eoncert expenses 2,625 1,350 429 550 393 I,ith) 450 2.630 2.075 414 378 407 115 7,655 4,750 2,343 2.378 1.537 634 450 S76 375 213 352 425 240 $20 555 456 107 19 Tot•l •Mp•ndlttw• 5,387 2.866 1.672 3.353 6,019 19.297 C¢n¢•rt wrplwld•fft 13.2301 13111 13.5871 17,1561
Lh O V4 mm '111 i I .11 -11114 0 oj * In qr .11 '11,11 I .11 -1111 I ¢n % ¢h 8 m V) m * r* <0 tyj O In 'l1114 CL (r
ROYAL LEAWNGTC4 SPA BAOI 01(MR BAiANCE SHEET AS AT 31AW5T 2022 31AW2 31A21 05AUI 3UAJg 31JA18 31IA.17 31.(.16 Equlpmert At cort at I September Addition¥ in ¥e41 Depredaan to dote 14.482 4.ISI 13,7131 331 769 Wothi t•ptt•l Debtors. 4d¥•n¢e p•yThents & no•ts COIF charlty d•posit Lloyds current account 1977 5328 L79) 5.310 L372 7,213 5,271 10.752 5.251 4.614 5,237 25AX 2450 25.756 16A47 10.445 10fi69 756 12,74Z athnc• •nd cr•dfjtots N•¢ •1 Wtb)n 954 35. 24.715 16J)3g 10,149 9.913 Syrphji li p•r p• 2L616 22255 2S779 16,010 9.903 m9 12,342 166 Ch•lrrni r•¢•ry rruwrer
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members of Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir On accounts for the year ended 31 AwJust 2022 Charity no lrfany) 506586 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above chatTty (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended As the charivs trustees, you are reSp(£1bIe for the preparation of ti accounts in accordan wÉlh the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe W. I reFM)rt in restrt of my exaniination of the Trusys a(xounts rrIed out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have folloed all the applicable Dire(*iorts given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Responslbilities and basis of report Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examinerfs ststement come to my attentton in nneCtIOn wilh the examinab.on which gives me cause to telEve that in. any material respect the aCCou1ng recorts were not keFrt in accordan with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts not accord with the aGGounting records" or the accounts did not comply with the applicable uIreMents COnmIng the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charities (AGcounts armj Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts gNe a Yrue and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no conc£rns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enakAe a proFer understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: 30 September 2022 Name: Yasmi Roberts Relevant professional qUarifilt1On($) or body (if any)= Retired bank manager with extErience of reviewing audited accounts for lending purposes. Address: 40 PrioT5field Road. Kenilworth. Warwithshire, CV8 1 DB