Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1[st] September 2024 to 31[st] August 2025
Charity registration number: 506586
Season Summary
The choir meets to rehearse once weekly during school term times and performs four concerts and one Come and Sing per year. The choir has appointed a new Musical Director from September 2024, James Bate, and continues to work with professional pianist, Colin Druce, as accompanist.
Concerts performed:
-
A Requiem for Remembrance – Pieces by MacMillan, Laurin, Tavener and Faure
-
Bach Choir Christmas Family Concert
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Gloria Patri – Pieces by Leonarda, Telemann, Cozzolani and Bach
-
This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail and Bach’s Magnificat
Other Events:
- Come and Sing Carmina Burana
Chairman’s Report
Our 2024/25 season has been wonderful, with our lovely new MD Jim Bate who has a such a good energy in the room and manages to sneak in so many technical aspects of singing techniques while improving our presentation of the music at every turn.
We kicked off in the autumn with the Faure Requiem, John Tavener’s Svyati, James Macmillan’s Domine non secundum peccata nostra and Rachel Laurin’s Fantasia op 52 with Colin Druce on organ throughout. Thankfully, Jim’s baby Clara arrived five days before the concert which definitely took a big concert worry away. We performed to a strong audience and were delighted by the Pie Jesu solo sung by our very own Claire Knowles.
Our Christmas family concert was very jolly with ARC Brass and the heating working at Holy Trinity Church.
In March 2025 our Gloria Patri concert with accompanying weather made for an elemental concert at St Mary’s Warwick. This was definitely a challenge for the staging team which they rose to well.
The Come & Sing Carmina Burana was such a fun day as our Come & Sings tend to be. These events are important revenue generators for the choir.
Page 1 of 7
Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
This Love Between Us and Bach’s Magnificat in the summer was a wonderful experience to perform and thrilling to have the accompaniment of a Tabla and Sitar player despite the lastminute amplification requirements.
Treasurer’s Report
Membership: We had 97 paying members during the year compared to 95 the previous season, although not everyone paid for the entire year.
Concert Income was down a little with some low audience numbers in Spring and Summer.
Concert Expenditure was down considerably as we made some good savings on concert expenses despite music costs and performance licenses being high.
We had no special event over the course of the season, so there was less complexity to the accounts.
Concert Balances:
-
Autumn: £1,593 surplus
-
Christmas: £435 deficit
-
Spring: £746 deficit
-
Come and Sing: £594 surplus
-
Summer: £3,413 deficit
Overall, our concert loss was £586 — well below the anticipated £6.6k - almost entirely due to lower instrumentalist costs in the summer by using Beauchamp Sinfonietta rather than a professional group, and with thanks for a generous in memoriam donation from Kate Sargent.
Fundraising Summary:
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£1,485 from hiring out our staging at All Saints – up from last year without increasing the charges
-
£200 from Easy Fundraising – down a little on last season with no Amazon contributions
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Our Friends scheme didn’t generate much revenue this season, but has now been refreshed and re-advertised so we hope to get back to previous levels
-
We have had no specific fund-raising activities for a while
-
We haven’t been able to sell any music scores this season due to budget constraints at libraries
Net Position: We ended the year with an increase of £7,900, standing us in good stead for a few potentially expensive seasons and some ambitious special projects.
Looking Ahead: Subs for Next Season (2026/27)
The good news is that our finances are looking healthy. As a result, we propose no change to membership subs for the 2026/27 season, which will mean subs will have stayed flat for 3 years.
This Season’s Budget (2025/26):
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
Our forecast for this season predicts an overall concert loss of nearly £5k, with some expensive music costs which we do not intend passing on to the choir; increasing fees and some large orchestrations. We have seen a reduction in available performing arts grants, so we do not expect any significant external help.
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.
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.
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
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 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 2024 to 2025
Financial Review
Accounts at end August 2025
| ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31.08.25 | 3 | 1.08.24 | 31.08.23 | 31.08.22 | 31.08.21 | 05.08.20 | 3 | 1.08.19 | ||||||||||||||
| Equipment | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| At cost at 1 September | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | 4,482 | |||||||||||||||
| Additions inyear | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Depreciation to date | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | (4,482) | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Working capital | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debtors,advancepayments & cash floats | 360 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 824 | |||||||||||||||
| COIF charitydeposit | 6,056 | 5,790 | 5,503 | 5,328 | 5,310 | 5,309 | 5,271 | |||||||||||||||
| Lloyds current account | 25,688 | 18,239 | 19,228 | 18,100 | 18,686 | 21,881 | 10,752 | |||||||||||||||
| 32,104 | 24,199 | 24,900 | 23,598 | 24,166 | 27,360 | 16,847 | ||||||||||||||||
| Income in advance and creditors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,526 | 808 | |||||||||||||||
| Net assetposition £ | 32,104 | 24,199 | 24,900 | 23,598 | 24,166 | 25,834 | 16,039 | |||||||||||||||
| Surplus funds asperpreviouspage £ | 32,104 | 24,199 | 24,900 | 23,598 | 24,166 | 25,834 | 16,040 | |||||||||||||||
| ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ANALYSIS OF CONCERT INCOME AND EXP | ENDITUR | E | ||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Autumn | Xm | as | Wo | rk | shop | S | pring | Summer | Total | |||||||||||||
| Ticket sales | 4,0 | 01 | 2 | ,8 | 95 | 1,771 | 3,420 | 2,69 | 1 | 14,7 | 79 | |||||||||||
| Programme sales | 3 | 05 | 0 | 0 | 287 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 45 | |||||||||||||
| Programme advertising | 60 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 80 | ||||||||||||||
| Sponsorship /Grants | 5 | 00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 8 | 50 | |||||||||||||
| Music sale/hire | 5 | 20 | 5 | 37 | 0 | 988 | 66 | 3 | 2,7 | 08 | ||||||||||||
| Other concert income | 2 | 16 | 2 | 25 | 242 | 150 | 16 | 7 | 1,0 | 00 | ||||||||||||
| Total income £ | 5,601 | 3,657 | 2,013 | 4,905 | 4,185 | 20,360 | ||||||||||||||||
| Orchestra/instrumentalists | 1,630 | 2,530 | 430 | 2,100 | 2,616 | 9,306 | ||||||||||||||||
| Soloists/conductor | 930 | 380 | 380 | 1,780 | 2,205 | 5,675 | ||||||||||||||||
| Music/instrument hire | 40 | 231 | 101 | 612 | 320 | 1,303 | ||||||||||||||||
| Venue hire/stagingcosts | 837 | 600 | 450 | 533 | 0 | 2,420 | ||||||||||||||||
| Concertprinting/advertising | 510 | 240 | 36 | 516 | 520 | 1,822 | ||||||||||||||||
| Other concert expenses | 61 | 111 | 22 | 111 | 115 | 420 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total expenditure £ | 4,008 | 4,092 | 1,419 | 5,651 | 5,777 | 20,946 | ||||||||||||||||
| Concert surplus/deficit £ | 1,593 | (435) | 594 | (746) | (1,592) | (586) | ||||||||||||||||
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
| ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR TH | E YEAR ENDED 31 | AUGUST 2025 | |||||||||||
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | |||||||
| Total concert income asper attached schedule | 20,360 | 21,711 | 16,133 | 12,141 | 571 | 12,283 | 14,022 | ||||||
| Members' subscriptions incl Gift Aid recovery | 22,357 | 22,092 | 17,422 | 13,637 | 6,498 | 15,014 | 14,804 | ||||||
| Friends' subscriptions | 90 | 677 | 683 | 1,179 | 710 | 1,240 | 1,028 | ||||||
| Performance Fees & Special Events | 0 | 2,678 | 16 | 1,200 | 480 | - | - | ||||||
| Grants,donations,fundraising& bequest | 1,924 | 3,319 | 4,041 | 2,773 | 2,199 | 1,979 | 56 | ||||||
| Refreshments and raffles | 1,168 | 1,248 | 1,044 | 1,127 | 72 | 1,361 | 1824 | ||||||
| Bank deposit interest received | 266 | 288 | 175 | 18 | 39 | 38 | 20 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous income/Advance on next season | 1,275 | 146 | 5 | 2,450 | 347 | 395 | -1349 | ||||||
| Total income | 47,440 |
52,159 | 39,519 | 34,525 | 10,916 | 32,310 | 30,405 | ||||||
| Total concert expenditure asper attached sche | d 20,946 |
26,105 | 27,630 | 19,297 | 2,248 | 11,144 | 15,772 | ||||||
| Rehearsal venue | 4,448 | 3,748 | 2,423 | 2,343 | 172 | 1,586 | 577 | ||||||
| Conductor/accompanist | 8,465 | 12,126 | 7,678 | 7,174 | 6,076 | 5,955 | 6458 | ||||||
| Printing/publicity/website | 1,530 | 259 | 499 | 577 | 393 | 2,626 | 307 | ||||||
| Special Events | 0 | 2,340 | |||||||||||
| Stock Purchases,Equipment,Asset Maintenanc | e 261 |
815 | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous(incprepayments) | 2,592 | 6,443 | 3,490 | 2,118 | 1,634 | 639 | 648 | ||||||
| Insurance,PRS & MakingMusic | 1,293 | 1,025 | 846 | 578 | 718 | 567 | 586 | ||||||
| Depreciation of equipment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total expenditure | 39,535 |
52,860 | 42,566 | 32,086 | 11,241 | 22,516 | 24,348 | ||||||
| Surplus/deficit for theyear | 7,905 |
(701) | (3,048) | 2,439 | (325) | 9,794 | 6,057 | ||||||
| Funds brought forward at 1 September | 24,199 |
24,900 | 27,948 | 25,509 | 25,834 | 16,040 | 9,983 | ||||||
| Funds carried forward at 31 August | 32,104 |
24,199 | 24,900 | 27,948 | 25,509 | 25,834 | 16,040 | ||||||
The accounts were independently reviewed by Ms Yasmi Roberts of 40 Priorsfield Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1DB on xxx 2025.
Reserves
With increasing concert costs the policy of the choir to maintain a balance of funds in the current account has been increased to £14,000, which equates to the typical level of professional fees for a concert – including fees for rehearsals. The below line of balance shows future years as estimates.
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Line of Balance
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27
(10,000)
Surplus/deficit for the year Funds carried forward at 31 August £
----- End of picture text -----
The choir also maintains an emergency COIF Charities Deposit Fund with CCLA Investment Management. No funds were removed this year and the balance at 1[st] September 2024 was £6,055.98.
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Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir Trustees’ Annual Report, Season 2024 to 2025
Choir Officers
Chairman Penelope Holroyde October 2024 to October 2025 Secretary Sahra Evans September 2025 to October 2025 Treasurer Nicola Deards Autumn 2019 to present
All officers are staying in post for the coming season.
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ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR
ANALYSIS.OF CONCERT INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
| YEAR ENDEDENDED 31 AUGUST 2025AUGUST 20252025 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Xmas Workshop |
Spring | Summer | Total | ||||
| Ticket sales | 4,001 | 2,895 | 1,771 | 3,420 | 2,691 | 14,779 | ||
| Programme sales | 305 | 0 | it) | 287 | 253 | 845 | ||
| Programme advertising Sponsorship/Grants |
60 500 |
0 0 |
0 (] |
60 0 |
60 350 |
186 850 |
||
| Musicsale/hire | 520 | 537 | 0 | 988 | 663 | 2,708 | ||
| Otherconcertincome | 216 | 225 | 242 | 150 | 167 | 1,000 | ||
| Totalincome | £ | 5,601 | 3,657 | 2,013 | 4,905 | 4,185 | 20,360 | |
| Orchestra/instrumentalists Soloists/conductor Music/instrumenthire Venuehire/stagingcosts |
1,630 930° 40 837 |
2,530 380 233 600 |
430 380 101 450 |
2,100 1,780 612 533 |
2,616 2,205 320 a |
9,306 5,675 1,303 2,420 |
||
| Concert printing/advertising | 510 | 240 | 36 | 516 | 520 | 1,822 | ||
| Otherconcertexpenses | 61 | 131 | 22 | 111 | 115 | 420 | ||
| Total expenditure | £ | 4,008 | 4,092 | 1,419 | 5,651 | $,777 | 20,946 | |
| Concertsurplus/deficit | £ | 4,593 | (435) | 594 | (746) | {1,592) | (586) | |
| ROYALLEAMINGTON SPA BACHCHOIR |
||||||||
| STATEMENTOFFINANCIALACTIVITIESFORTHEYEARENDED31 | 31AUGUST2025 | |||||||
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/20 | 2018/19 | ||
| TotalconcertIncomeasperattachedschedule | 20,360 | 22,711 | 16,133 | 12,142 | 571 | 12,283 | 14,022 | |
| Menibers'subscriptionsinclGiftAidrecovery Friends‘subscriptions PerformanceFees&Special Events Grants,donations,fundraising&bequest Refreshmenitsandrafftes Bank deposit Interestreceived Miscelangousincome/Advanceonnextseason |
22,357 90 oe 1,924 1,168 266 1,275 |
22,092 677 2,678 3,319 1,248 288 146 |
17,422 683 16 4,041 1,044 175 5 |
13,637 1,179 1,200 2,773 1,127 18 2,450 |
6,498 710 480 2,199 72 39 aay |
15,014 1,240 . 1,979 1,361 aa 395 |
14,804 1,028 - 56 1824 20 -1349 |
|
| TotalIncome | 47,440 | 52,159 | 39,519 | 34,525 | 10,916 | 32,310 | 30,405 | |
| Totalconcert expenditureasperattachedschet | 20,946 | 26,105 | 27,630 | 19,297 | 2;248 | 32,144 | 15,772 | |
| Rehearsalvenue Conductor/accompanist Printing/publicity/website Special Events StockPurchases,Equipment,AssetMaintenance Miscellaneous(ineprepayments} insurance, PRS&MakingMusic Depreciationofequipment |
44438 3,748 8,465 12,126 1,530 259 3) 2,340 263 81S 2,592 6443 1,293 1,025 A |
2,423 7,678 499 3,490 846 Sc |
2,343 7,174 577 2,138 578 ae |
172 6,076 393 1,634 718 Se |
1,586 5,955 2,626 639 567 Se ' |
|||
| Totalexpenditure | 39,535 | 52,850 | 42,566 | 32,086 | 11,241 | 22,516 | 24,348 | |
| Surplus/defictt fortheyear |
7,905 | (70%) | (3,048) | 2,439 | (325) | 9,794 | 6,057 | |
| Fundsbroughtforwardat1September | 24,199 | 24,900 | 27,948 | 25,509 | 25,834 | 16,040 | 9,983 | |
| Fundscarriedforwardat31August | 32,104 | 24,199 | 24,300 | 27,948 | 25,509 | 25,834 | 16,040 |
ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA BACH CHOIR
BALANCE SHEET AS. AT 31 AUGUST 2025
----- Start of picture text -----
31.08.25 31.08.24 31.08.23 31.08.22 31.08.21 05.08,20 31.08.19
Equipment
At cost at 2 September 4A82 4,482 4,482 4,82 4,482 4,482 4,482
Additions in-year 0 0 (] 0 fe) 0 it]
Depreciation to date (4,482) (4,482} {4,482} (4,482) {4,482) {4,A82) {4,482}
Working capital iy 0 is) i?) fe] i?) 0
Debtors, advance payments & cash ftoats 360 170 170 170 170 170 824
COIF charity daposit 6,056 5,790 5,503 5,328 §,310 5,309 5,271
Lloyds current account 25,688 18,239 19,228 18,100 18,686 21,881 10,752
income 32,104 24,199. 24,900 23,598 24,166 27,360 16,847
in advance and creditors is} (¢] 0 is) [a] 1,526 g0g
Net asset position € 32,104 24,199 24,3900 23,598 24,166 25,834 16,039
Surplua funds as per previous page € 32,104 24,199 24,900 23,598 24,166 25,834 16,040 :
pproved on, sh. ASS
Chairman” of
Vi:Secretary ASOme,
x aes
Treasurer
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Z| CHARITY COMMISSION | Independent examiner's report on the FOR ENGLAND AND WALES accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner’s Report
----- Start of picture text -----
Report to the trustees/ ' :
members of Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir
On accounts for the year | 31 August 2025 Charity no | 506586 |
ended (if any)
----- End of picture text -----
- | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/08/2025.
Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
-
| 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, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
-
Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have
-
examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: e the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
e the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- e the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: | Yasmi Roberts
-
Relevant professional | Retired bank manager with experience of reviewing audited accounts for
-
qualification(s) or body | lending purposes. (if any):
Address: | 40 Priorsfield Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1DB