ST. GEORGV5 51NGERS. POYNTON TRVSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT FOR ThE TWELVE MONTHS TO 31 JULY 2022 Approv•1 Thls Report and the annexed Attounts were approved by the Trustees as a body at the AGM on 25 October 2022 and are signed on their behalf the Hon. Chair and the Hon. Treasurer who a authorlsed by the Trustees to do so. John Smlth Laura Shaw Hon. Chalr Hon. Treasurer
ST. GEORGE'S SINGERS. POYNTON INDEPENDENT EXAMINEIVS REPORT TO THE TRUStEE5 FOR THE TWELVE MONTH5 TO 31 JULY 2022 Independent Examinels report on the accounts set out on pages 3 to Responslbllltles and l)asls ot report I report to the trustees on my examinats.on of the accounts of the •bove ¢h•rlty 1.the Trurfl for the vear ended 3110712022. As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wlth the requirements of the Charities Art 20111.the ACVI. I report in respect of my exarnination of the Trusvs accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and carrwng Out my examination, I have followed all the appllcable Dlrectlons glven by the Charity Commission under sertion 14515llbl of the Act. Independent èxamlnees Statern. I have completed my examination. I confirni that no material matters have ¢ome to my attention ift connectlon ¥th the examinatlon whkh gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charftles Art,. or the accounts dld t)ot accord wlth the accountlng re¢ord5,' or the accounts did not comply wf(h the applicable requlrements con¢emin8 the form and content of accounts set oijt in the Chariiies (Accounts and Report51 Re8ulations 2008 other than any requlrement that the accounts gfve a 'true and fairf view which 15 not a matter considered as part of an SndeperKlent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection wlth the èxamination to which attention should be drawn in this port in order to enable a proper under5tondin8 01 the accounts to be reached. Signed.. Date: Is l it l knlL Name.. Steven Bluck Relevant pfofessH)nal qualification{sl or body= ICAEW Address.. 63 Longley Lane, Northenden. Manchester, M224JO
ST. GEORGE'S 51NGERS. POYNTON ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE TWELVE MONTHSTO 31 JULY 2022 The Trustees present thelr Annual Report and Acnts of the clh)Ir for the twefve months to 31° Ivly 2022. Reference and Admln15trall¥e Detslts The full name of thè charlty Is St. Geor8e's Slngers, Pnton. The Charity Commlsslon reglstratlon no. Is 508686. The principal address . The Hon. Secretary, St.George's Sin8ers Poynton. 2 8osley Drive, Poynton. SK12 IUX. Committee members are subject io re-elettft at the Annual Members Meeting. Durlng the year the Commlttee memberslTrusttts were: Name TrustÈt POSIOn held Date effectNe John SmSth Yes Hon. Chair All year joanna Bluck Yes Hon. Deputy Chair Atl year jacqueline Smith Yes Hon. Secretary l year Laura Shaw Yes Hon. Treasurer l year Paul Goss No CotKert Secretary I year Gllllan Banks No Soprano sectlon repre5entatlve All year Felicity Tucker No Alto seciion representati¥ Reslgned 24108121 Sue M850n No Alto sectlon representatbN Appointed 01111121 Mark Warringn No Tenor sertion represeniaiive All year Paul Burfitt No Bass section representatr¥e All year David Frands Yes Hon. Titket Secretary All year Jean Egerton Hon. Publicity 0eT All year
Gwyneth Pailin Yes Hon. Llbrarian All year Anne Frands Ye5 Co-opted All year Susan Hodgson No C04)pted All year The choirfs Musical Director is Nell Taylor. The Cholrfs Accompanlst is Peter Durrant (deputy Accompanist.. Julia Mayalll Structurè, G(wÈmante and Management The charity is constituted as an un5ncorwrated association. Its Bovernlna document Is a Constitution unanimously adopted at a Special General Meeting held on 29 April 2014 and 15 capable of alteration by a tw&thirds majority of Members psent at the Annual General Meeting or a Special Gènèral Mèetln& provided that fourteen days. noticè of the proposed amendment has beèn sent to all Members. The persons legal responslble for the control and management of the charlty as Trustee5 are all members ofthe Committee and are nominated from permanent Committee members. Oblertlves The Oble¢tlves of the charity are.'- To strive to In11 and foster a love for the choral arts and a passion lor singing in our members and audlence through hi8h-quality perfonnances. varied and innovative programmin& and each memberfs full en8agement in the rehearsal procw. To help achieve thls, the Choir is led by a professional Director of Music and supported by a profe55ional Accompanist. Frlendline5s and Sociab¢lit -To seek to achieve high standards of performance within arn enjoyablè, Incluslve and friendly or8anlsation. Members attend rehearsals for the challen8es and rewards of singlng as part of an ensemble, the enjoyment of the musit and the 5UPPOrt and frlendship of those they sing with. Education and Develo ment- To maintain our reputation as an organisation dedieated to high choral and perfomiance standards. To 5UPPOrt this, we hold audttions for prospective members and re8ular re-auditbons for exlstSng members. Through partnerships wf(h local school groups and music educators and colleges, we provide opportunities for younB musicians. career development in performan a5 5inger5 and instrumentalists. un ement-To strive to Trise communtty èwarene5s of a wide range of choral music and to enga8e with other organtsations in support of choral performar¢ce wrthin both the local IPoynton and South Manchester) and the wider community-
Finaneial Stabili - To maintsin finartial viability, as a registered charity. t•thh fvndraising activities and expenditure appropriate to athievin8 our Object& Well 8eln andR tion- To contribute to the welkbeFn8 of Individual members, and the cholr as whole. through our supportive and thoughtful behaviour towards each other. respecting diversity, and maintaining high personal standards. Our reputatlon as a cholr Is Important to us, and we expert members to be vigilant and mindful of thi5 in all external Interactlons such as throu8h sla1 media. or through any contsct with other or8anisations. l - To further such Charitsb purpose or purposes as the Trustees in their absolute dis(Tetlon shall thlnk fit but in partlcular through the makin8 of grants and donations. ActlvhO•s The choir generally or8anises a number of concerts each year at venues in Greater Manchester, Includin8 regularly at the prestlgious Brid8ewater Hall. Royal Northern College of Music IRNCMI and Gorton Monastery. ficket pricing is aimed at encoLtragin8 rnaximum public attendance, with student and chlldren rates. One of these concerts. held annually in December, 15 focussed on faml partl¢ipation and young musician participation. In additlon, there are annual Sln8ing Day and Open Evenin8 events to which all slngers are Invlted. The cholr also partlclpates In Poynton local communlty events and, as a member of Maklng Music, in Initiatives su¢h as 'Come and Sing'120141 and speclal events such as the rehearsall perfomiance of the Chrlstopher Wood 'Requiem'120161. The cholr also Undertakes annual tours. In 2016117 It visited Costa Rlc3, In 2017118 North Wales, nd In 2018119 8ruges, with 4-5 public perfonnan¢es on each tour. The charlty has a150 commissioned land perfomiedl original choral works from both established conductors such as Will Todd12012 Footprintsl and Sasha Johnson Manning12018 Wurfs Embersj. and emer8in8 eonductors such as Matthew Hamilton12010 Overhonqing Doyl. The trustees have had regard to the 8uidance issued by the Charity Commisslon on public benefft when Carry0 out the actbt1e5 of the choir. hle¥em•nts and Perlorn)arKe. Hon. Chavs Ilevlew Well that was an eventful year, rather different from our usual seasons, with difficult post-lockdown restrictions to besin with. movin8 to almost feelin8 like posr-covid freedom by the end. The season's musital pro8ramme 8ave a strong messa8e with the wonderful and demanding Bach and Walton concerts- we are backl It was really IMpreve to See the excellent way in which everyone In the choir worked together to overcome the obstacles in our way both throhoUt lockdown and on our rèturn. from divided and Social dIStand rehearsals at the be8lnning of the season, to the demands of a double-venue COnrt at the end.
Our two professÈonals have been amazin& and they work to@Èther so well: Pete stsrted the season rehearsin8 half the clT when we had divided rehearsals. then moved smoothly and wlth great virtuosity on to the very different demands of accornpanying first the Bach and then the Walton. Neil takes everything in his stride.. there cannot have been 3 more varied season for a conductor, with our November concert comprlslng a wide range of Short pieces, our March concert requirirFg his expertise to interpret and lead a baroque orche5tr3. soIoi5ts and the choir through a monumental piece of Bach. Then, for our June concerts. he had to switrh to conductin8 a very large amateur orchestra in a strange venue for a hugely complex 20th century piece. Neil give5 US the confidence to sing these demanding works because no matter what forces are in front of him demandin8 his time and attentlon. we know he has prepared us properly and he will not miss a thin81 Thank you, Neil and Pete, wè are vèry fortunate to have youl Not everything went as planned of course. The 2021 tour. already postponed from 2019 had to be cancelled yet again when the Queen's Platinum celebrations moved the May bank holiday around. Thankfullv (lingers Crossed) the tour will at last 80-ahead next May. We have 61 people takin8 part so lar. wrth 46 slngers well distrlbuted across the parts lalihough more tenors would be very welcome). The only issue we have Is that the coach is 3 little under-utilised os yet, but everything else golng to plan, and it Should be an amazing weekend, singin8 in three such different cathedrals. Our president. Marcus Farnsworth. in addition to his busy life as a soloist and a music fe5tlval director. Is now Head Of the Vocal and Choral Department at Cheetham's. Next year, on FrSday 7th July. Cheetham's are produ¢ln8 thelr end of temi concert in the Brld8ewateT Hall- and Ivs Walton's Belshazzarfs Fe8$1. Marcus has asked us to joln the Cheetham's ¢holr for what should be spectacular concert. We know the piece well. having sung it In two concerts, and there are three Tuesday rehearsal days available between OUT lune 17th concert and the Cheetham's 8rid8ewater Hall concert to get us back to snuff I hope you will all lump at the chance to sing the Walton again, and to support our president In h15 new role. I'll give more detai15, and asking you to sign up for the concert. shortty. 50 that I can confirni to Marcus that we areTr)ining him on Fr6day 7th July 2023 As you all know- I've been mèntion1 it frequently at rehearsals- Jean our Publicity Manager, and Anne our Stage Diredor, are retirin8 from the committee tonight. You will all have seen the lob descriptions for the two roles, and will know how much they have both done for us all for so long. As your committee Chair. I should also say that we will miss their wisdom and support in our medings. From all of tss, Anne and Jean, our very 8ratehJl thanks for all that you have done Many of your committee have industrlousty and crea¥Èty served the choir in thelr roles for many. many years. but the committee all feel that we should partitularly acknowledge the remarkable work that Anne has done over such a very long time. She has taken on many roles- includlng both Chair and Stage Manager and many special projerts. A lot of our success is down to Anne's influence and hard work. The commrttee would like to commend to the choir that knne be made a LIFE FRIEND of the choir In recognition of her manyyear5 of service. Do you agree?
Finanaal Review As the res of a deficit of £5,035 for the trlelve months to 31st July 2022, cholr reserves now Stand at £21.Ik131° July 2021: £26.Ikl. The deficit was broadly in line with budget and reflected the decision to undertake the Mu¢311Y ambrtious and rewardin& but financially expensive, St John Passion concert in March 2022 and the Belshazzarf5 Feast conort in June 2022, as a celebration of our return to live concerts followin8 the pandemic. Glven the level of reserves. the Trustees are ¢onfident that thè charity may continue as a goin8 concern. Stotement of FinorteArtivities Donati)ns and le8acies comprise subscriptlon income, w'ft aid, itKome from Frlènd5, and other donations, and was broadly in line with prior year. thher trading activities1100 club, music lendin& refreshments, rafflès and CD incomel was hlghèr than the previous year due to the fact that the latter was impacted by a full year of lockdown. Income from charitab artivitles comprtse conort income and was therefore nil for the prior year, as no concerts were undertaken In 20121. Expenditure on charitable actlvltles Include concert costs. pTofessh)nal fees, rehearsal venue costs and sin8in8 day expendlture. Bulance Sheet The balance on the bank accoLtnt at the end of July 2022 was £12.8k, £3.4k frgm the previous Year, Wth an additional £IOk held on deposit. Tangible assets consist of thè publiclty display. prepaentS comprlse the cost of 22123 seasons brochures. music costs and venue deposit for the Auturnn 2022 and Sprln8 2023 concert respectivèty, and accrued income for musl¢ lendlng. Accruals and deferred inwme mainty consists of the amounts due to the Slaithwaite orchestra outstandln8 at the year end. tO8ether with the tour reseNe and accrued PRS fees. Statémenl on Reserves After due considÈration of thè requirements of the Charlty Commission's 'Charities and Reserves, ICC191. the Trustees decided in 2015116 to set target normal reserve levels within the range mlnlmurn three month5, to maximum nine months. avera8e expendlture. The slx Month mld-polnt of this range would fieCt the choir's nomial public performance programme,. the hi8her nlne months. level could enable the subsequent inclusion of hi8her-risk events e.g. Brid8ewater Hall concert for whith designated Reserves/fund4aising initiatives would probably be appropriate,. the minimum three months. level would Inltiate rernedial actlon, possibly Including fund-raising andlor additional membei contributions. On the basis of 202V22 actual expenditure. the'scale midpoint, would amount to £20,118. £20.( is therefore considered by the trustees to remain an a(ptable target for the Policy 'scale mid- poinv. In approvSng the above Reserve Policy the Trustees considered-_
l. Less than haW of totsl intome i.e. member subscriptions is effectivety 'fixed' i.e. ptsdictable in nature. 2. The remainder of our income derives principally from audience receipts at choir public performances and events. There are two main pressures i.e. uncertainties in relation to this income.. audience numbers, with irKreasir8 competition from other reglonal cholrs ticket prices. with a perteNed Inabllity to raise these for the foreseeable fLrture 3. Compoundin8 the above, many of the costs assodated with the thoir's public performance and events, particularty venue hire costs. soloist and orchestra fees are fixed well in advance of performance and continue to increase, the thoir havin8 an aim to hire such venues land employ Such soloistslmusiciansl compatible whh overall quality of public performance. 4. In addlOn, the choir engages in communrty and other publk en8agements e.g. Poynton-based music festival and national choral-singing partlcbpation initbatives, for which no remuneration is received. StatÉm¢rt of Flnandal Control Financlal control continues to be exercised by the induslon of a Treasurerfs Rep)rt a8enda Item within each of the regular Commrttee meetin85 held throughout the year. These reports include ¢omparlsons of actual concert and non-cOnrt financial perfomance against respectwe approved budgets. They also Include the actual and forecast choir fund levels a8alnst bud8ets and forecasts to ensure proper control and full Committeel Trustee flnandal a¢wuntsbility. Financlal control Is also exerclsed via the apyoval of h¥0 authorlsed slgnatorles for all online payments in excess of £1. and for all cheque payments. Finally the accounts are kept up to date via monthty bank a¢¢ount cOncl}Fat1oDs.
(HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES St c0 'sSt Annual accounts IGY Ihe pericJ 1st Augu 2021 To No 31st July 2022 Section A Statement of financial activities Prfory•ar Tow IwKl• fund• In¢omlng rg•our¢es (Not• 3) F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 20.620 12.929 1.640 12 20,018 12, 1,640 12 577 19 Oth•r Total R•soure•• •xp•nthd (Note 4) 35.202 35,202 20,614 Expwdrtur• (.. 651 651 39,580 217 15.807 26 40,237 58 16,082 Tol•l 40.237 N•t Incom•ll•xp•ndJtur•l b•for• In¥•stm•nt galns1ll$•$) 5.035 5.035 4,532 Nèt Incon1(xp•ndItur•) Extraordlnary It•m• Transhrs b•tw•en fvnd• Oth•r r•eognl••d g•ln81110880$1: 5.035 5,035 4,532 N•tmov•mentln 5,035 5.035 4.532 26,138 21.102 26.138 21.102 27.606 26,138 Tot•llunds ¢•rrl•d hrt¥*
Section B Balance sheet Restricted UnTestsicted incorne Endowmort Toial this fiJnds fundB Total la8¢ year Fixed assets Tangible ass•ts Tolal ffxedassets FOI F02 F03 F04 F05 INol• S) 47 47 Current assets DebtorB 114ote 6) Cash at bank and In hand (Not• 9) rot•l ¢uffwtass•ts 447 447 ,973 500 26,352 26,852 Credhors: am4wnts falllng du• wlthln on? y•ar INot•n 2.339 2.339 762 Net ¢urmit assetrfllabllltl•s) 26,0 Tol•la88•ts l•ss eumtll•bHItI•s 26,138 Provlsl•)n• lor Ilabllltl•s (nots 81 Totsl ngtawt• orllabllltle• 21.102 21,102 28,138 Funds of the Charty Endowm•nt funds (Not• 2n Rg$trlctad Income fund• Illot• 27) Unrnstrlct•d funds Revaluatlon res•p4• Tot•1 funds 21.102 21,102 26.138 26.138 SvJned ty cfft trust88s on behal of al tha trust Oate c4 approvd ddlm Prknt Name Psrtl
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