ST. GEORGE'S SINGERS POYNTON TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE TWELVE MofmiSTO 31 JUIY 2023 Approval This Report and the annexed Accounts were approved by the Trustees as a body at the AGM on 17th Odober 2023 and are signed on their behalf by the Hon. Chair and the Hon. Treasu¥er who are authorised by the Trustees to do so. John laura Mummery Hon. Chalr Hon. Treasur•r sr. GEORGE'S SINGERS. poYpifoN INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES FOR THE TWELVE MONThS TO 31 JULY 2023 Independent ExambnÈr's report on the accountsset out on pages 3 to Responslbllltl•s and basls of r*p￿t I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the atrf)ve thaTity I"Ihe Trustrl for the vear ended 3V0712023. As the chaflty's trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of the atCOUnts in a¢¢ordance with the requlrements of the Charit￿5 Act 20111.the Acri. I report in respect of my examination of the Trusys accounts carried out under sertion 145 of the 2011 Art and In carrwng out my examination, I have followed all the appllcable Dlrectlons 8lven by the Charity Commission under 5ects.on 14515llbl ol the ACL Indeperthnt examlnees statém•nL I have completed my examination. I confirni that no material matters have come to my attentlon In connection with the examlnatlon whlch 8lves me Cause to believe that in, any materlal respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with se￿10n 130 of the Charities Act,. or the accounts dld not accord wlth the •¢¢ountin8 records. or the accounts dld not compwwrth the appli¢able requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reportsl Regulations 2fy)8 other than any requlrement that the •ccount$ 8ive a'true and fale vlew which is not a matter consldered as part ol an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in tonnection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be Teached. Sl8ned.. Oate: 18/,,/ -oLI Name.. Steven Bluck Relevant professional qualtficationlsl or boty. ICAEW Address.. 63 Lon8ley Lane. Northenden. Manchester. M224JD ST. GEORGVS $114GERS. POYI￿ON ANNUAL REPORT FOR ThE TWELVE MONThSTO 31 JULY 2023 The Trustee5 present their Annual Report and Accounts of the cholr for the tr4elve months to 31" July 2023. Reference and Admlnlstratl¥e Deta115 The full name of the charity is St. Geor8e's Singers. Poynton. The Charity CommL%slon reglstration no. Is 508686. The principal offlce address is.. The Hon. Secretary. St. George's Singers Poynton, 2 8osley Drlve, Poynton. SK12 IUX. Commlttee members are subiecl to re-electlon at the Annual Members Meetlng. During the year the Commlttee membersl Tru5tee5 were.. Name Trustee Posrtton held Date effectfve John Smrth Yes Hon. Chair All year joanna Bluck Yes Hon. Deputy Chair All year Jacqueline Smith Yes Hon. Secretary All year Laura Shaw Ye5 Hon. Treasurer All year Paul Goss No Concert Secretary All year Glllian Banks No Soprano section repre5entatlve All yèar Sue Ma50n No Alto section represent*ive All year Mark Warrln8ton No Tenor section representatwe All year Paul Burfitt No Bas5 5ecbon representstive I year David Francls Ye5 Hon. fitket secretary All year Jean Egerton H￿. Publicity Officer Resi8ned 2511012022 l Mary Hoult No Hon. PublicEty Officer Appointed 2511012022 Gwyneth Pailin Hon. Librarian I year Anne Francis Yes C4FOPted Resigrted 2511012022 Susan Hodgson No Ctropted All year The thoirfs Musital Director is Neil Taylor. The choies Attompanist is Peter Durrant Ideputy Accompanist:_Julia Mayalll Structure, r￿manCe and Management The charity is constituted as an unlncorporated association. Its 8ovemin8 document is a Constitution unanimojsly adopted at a Special General Meetin8 held on 29 April 2014 and is capable of alteratlon by a two-thlrds maiorÉty of Member5 present at the Annual General Meetlng or a Spe¢ial General Meetin& provided that fourteen days, Th)iice of the proposed amendment has been sent to all Members. The persons legal￿ responslble for the control and mana8ement of the charity as Trustees are all members ofthe Commlttee and are ncwnlnated pemianent Committee members. Oblectlves The Oblectlves of the tharlty a￿..- En ment nd Adv To strlve to Instll and foster a Eove for the choral arts and a passion lor sin8ln8 In our members and audlence through hi8h-quality performances, varled and Innov311ve piogrammin& and eath memberfs fvll en8agement in the rehearsal process. To help achieve this. the Choir is led by a profession•1 Dirertor of Music and supported by a professional Accompanist. Friendliness and Sociabili To seek to achleve hl8h standards of performance within an enjoyable. Inclu￿ve and friendly organisation. Members attend rehearsals for the challenges and reward5 01 sin8in8 as part of an ensemble. the enjoyment of the music and the support and friendship of those they sin8 Wlth. Education and Develo -To maintain our ￿pU￿tIon as an or8anisation dedlcated to high ehoral and perIorman￿ Stsndards. To support this. we hold auditions for prospertive members and regular re-auditions for existinB members. Throu8h partnerships with local school groups and musit educators and colleges. we provide opportunities for young musician< career development in perfomiance as singers and instrumentalists. Cornmuni En ement-To strive to raise community awa￿TresS of a wide range of choral music and to engage with other organisatÈons in support of choral performance within both the local (Poynton and South M3nche5terl and the wider community- Financial StatrHIi To maintain financial viability, as a re8i5tered tharity, with fundralslng acti￿tIeS and expenditure appropriate to achiewng our objectwes. Well Belft and Re ation- To CL￿tribute to the wel￿1￿8 of individual members, and the choir as a whole. thiough our supportive and thoughtful behawour towards each other, respecting diversity, and malntainlng high personal standards. Our reputation as a choir is important to us. and we expect members to be vigilant and mindful of thls In all extemal interactions such as through social media, or through any contact with other organisatbons. l - To fvrther suth charitable purpose or purposes as the Trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fft but in particular throu8h the making ol grants and donations. A¢tlvltl•s The choir generally organlses a number of concerts each year at venues in Greater Manchester, including regularly at the prestiwous Bridgewater Hall. Royal Northem College of Mu51¢ IRNCMI and Gorton Mot)astery. Ticket pricin8 is aimed at encoura8in8 maximum public attendance. with student and chlldren rates. One of these concerts. held annually in December, is focussed on farnily participation and youn8 musician participation. In addltion. there Is an annual Slngln8 Day event to which all sinBer5 are invited. The choir also partlclpates In Poynton local community events and, as a member of Making Music, in initiatives such as 'Come and Sing, 120141 and special events such as the rehearsall perfomian¢e of the Chrlstopher Wood 'Requlem'120161. The ch￿r also undertakes annual tours. In 2016117 it visited Costa Rlca. In 2017118 North Wales, in 2018119 Bruges. and In 2022123 Bristol. with 3-5 public performances on each tour. The ch3rily has 31so commissioned land pertormedl ori8inal choral works from both established conductors such as Will Todd12012 Footprints) and Sasha Johnson Mannin812018 Worfs Embers). The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity CoMmi￿10n on public benefit when carrying Out the activitie5 of the choir. AthlevémÈnts and Pèrfomiance. Hon. Chalrfs Re¥Sew Our 2022-23 season was, as usual, busy. varied, musically challen8in8 and exciting. We not only sang our usval four concerts but added value to your subscriptions by tacking another thiee on at the end of the season. Perhaps the Mahler 3 at the beginning of Septernber was technically part of the current season, but for me it seemed m￿e like the climax to 22-23. The Poynton Festival lunchtime concert, the 8e15hazzarfs Feast at the Bridgewater Hall, the Mahler 3 also at the Bridgewater Hall, and I should also add our Christmas concert, all were excellent PR lor the choir. They consolidated continuing and important partnerships wtth Poynton Church, Cheetham's School, the ELEropean Doctors Orchestra, and Bradshaw Primary School. Add Slaithwaite Orchestra to the list and we can see that many organisations want to wod( with us: partnerships that broaden our boundaries, give s new opportunities and extend our audience. All of whlch inC￿¥￿d everybodrfs workload! Pete had to p￿pare and accompany seven sets of rehèarsals and concerts. Neil had to prepare us for seven concerts. Your committee had to make all the arrangements, and most importantly we 311 had to pull together to respond to the demand to rehearse and sing for all those cOn￿rtS. Admittedly it was the sopranos and altos who had to take on all seven land I want to particulathi thank all those who tth)k on the Mahler- rehearsing in May and June for a concert that t￿)k place in September was noi ideal! The concert at the Bridgewater Hall was wonderful, and even with reduced numbers the choir sounded superbl. The tenors and basse5'0nlV had to do six. Of course, not everyone was able to do every concert but as a Choir we deliveredl Of course. we 'delivered' so much more than the Seven concerts. We, again, sang #t Lyme Park for Chrlstrnas. We also had another successful Slnging Day. still not quite up to the pre-covid nymbers, but climbing back 8radually. Nell and Pete yet again delivered the goods musically. deservedly 8èttin8 plaudits and applause on all sides. Gillian does the initial spadework for the Singing Day, but so many people work to8ether both belore and on the day, to make the SinBin8 Day special. My thanks to you all. The Ethel Smyth &ngin8 Day next January will be very Special, and it would be good if we Could all ath4ert15e it as wdely as possible to makè it a financial success as welll Lar8e numbers of us also went on a thoroughty enjoyable tour to alfton, Bristol and Gloucester in May. Neil and Pete yet agaln did a worwjerfvl job in 8ivin8 us all the confidence to sÈn8 in such diverse settings with such 3 wide range of music. I particulady wlll never for8et the deli8ht of slngin8 services in Bristol Cathedral. and the emotion of sinw'ng Warfs Embers in Gloucester. I have news of our May'24 tour later ihis evening. Of course. all the enjoyment that we have had in singin& both in rehearsals and at concerts and at our other events, is very much down to the sk151 of Neil and Pete in getting the best out of us whilst ensurin8 we enjoy ow music maklng. Thank you, Neil and Petel lapplausel It is also down to the dedication and hard work of a vast number of people. Concerts and seasons do not just happen by chancel Your committee puts more skill, insight. expèrience, per515tence and hard Wofk into running the choir than you could Imaglne. and we are Indèbted to them. Every week large numbers of the Choir do all those job5 that make being a part of the ¢hoÈr both easier more enjoyable. from puttin8 out the chairs and tables, to or8anizin8 and making the tea and washing up, running raffles. creating weekly email newsletter5. di5tribulin8 and collecting musbt with Gwyneth, or8anising re4uditions. running a monthly listening club, looking after our official 'Friends', bein8 part of Marfs publicity team, looklng after our varlous SLYial Media accounts. and much more (my caveat against missing someone outl. We know who you arel You make the choir what it is well known to be welcomln& sociable and well run choirl A round of applause please. for yourselves and each other. Flnanclal Revlew As the result of a surplus of £154 for the twelve montlks to 3tst July 2023. choir reserves now stand at E21.3k131" July 2021". £21.11. The 5urplu5 Was Significantly lower than budget and reflected the lower than anticipated concert income dye to smaller audiences than expected,. in oddition partidpant numbers for the singing day were si8nificantly lower than in earlier Seasons. These factors would appear to be a combinakn.on of the lasting effects of the pandemic and the Impart of the cost of living crisss. The budget for next year h35 been Set takin8 these factors into accouni. Given the level of resewves. the Trustees are confident that the chadty may continue as a golng concern. StgtementoAFinonceAtDvities Donations and legacies Ccrfnpf￿ substrIpti￿ income, grft ald. Income from Friends. and other donations, and was broadly in line with prior year. Income fr(m other trading actlvlties IlTh) club, music lendin& refreshments, raffle5 and CD incc#nel was higher than the pr￿Qu5 year due to the fact that the latter was partly affected by the lockdown. Income from charit*le actNltles comprise concert income and was higher than the prlor year, whlch was similarly imparted by the pandemK. Expenditure on ¢haritatAe actNlties include concert costs. prOfess￿nal fees, rehearsal venue costs and singing day eypenditure. 8olonceSheet The balance on the bank actounl at the end of Jufy 2023 was £11.4k, down £1.4k from the previoLbS vear, wrth an addltlonal £IOk held on deposit. Fixed assets are now fully depreciated. Prepayments comprise the cost of 23124 seasons brochurès and music costs for future concerts. Accruals and deferred income mainly consist of deferred inc(Mne received from Poynton Round Table to ¢over audience transport costs in next season, 3¢¢rued PRS fees and the tour reserve. Statwn•nt on RÉs•r After due consideration of the requirements of the Charity Commlsslon's 'Charltles and Reserves, ICC191, the Trustees decided in 2015116 to set tar8et nomial reserve leve15 Wlthin the rat)8e mlnimum three months. to maximum nine months. avera8e expenditure. The six months. mid-polnt of thls ran8e would refiect the choir's norn)al public perforniance programme; the hlgher nine months, level ￿Uld enable the subsequent inclusion of hi8her-risk Èvents e.8. Bridgewater Hall concert for which designated Reserveslfund-raising initiatives would Prtsbab￿ be appropiiate,. the minimum three months, level would initiate remedial acts'on, possibly including fund-faisin8 andlor additional member ¢ontributions. On the basis of 2022123 artual expenditu￿, the'stale mTrdpoint' would amount to £19,381. £20,000 IS therefore considered by the trustees to remain an acceptable target for the Poliry '5cale mid- poinv. In approMn8 the above ReseNe Policy the Trustees considered..- l. Less than half of total income i.e. member subscriptions ts effective￿ ￿xed, i.e. predictable in nature. 2. The remainder of our income derive5 principally from audience recelpts at choir ptjblic performances and events. There are two main pressures i.e. Uncertainties in relation to this income.. audience numbers. wrth increasing competition frcrfn other regional choir5 ticket prices. with a per￿1Ved inability to raise these for the foreseeable future 3. ComrM)unding the atM)ve. many ol the tosts associated with the choies pubfic perfom)ance and events, patticularly venue hire costs. soloist and orchestra fees are fixed well In advan¢e of perforn)ance and continue to Intrease, the choir having an aim to hire such venues land employ such solo￿tsIMU&Cl3nsI compatible with overall quality of public performance. 4. In addition, the choir en8a8es in community and other public en8a8ements e.g. Poynton-based music festival and national chora14in8ing participation initiatives. for which no remuneration 15 received. Statèment of Anandal control Financial control continues to be exerclsed by the inclusion of a Treasurerfs Report agenda Item within each of the re8ular Commkttee meetln8s held throughout the year. These reports include omparisons of actual concert and nor) 920 447 22.973 23.419 Crnd6torn". Iibl¢Airrt• du•wMhln rA*y4ar Y) 2,339 21.0tt1 21.102 21256 21.256 21.102 Fund8 of the Charlty R•*tActe(I In¢offje IwthlN*ZP¥ UDr••trlthd lund• 21258 21.251 21.102 21.102 SEclioD C Mol• 2 A¢¢oynUng 2.2 INCOME nThMtI5.10kn&12 FR51018¢ Wa YM Y•ts Nl• Y•$ *l••eMetl&1Vkn&12FRS102KiipJ•lwe*x*J*JX￿ Aivn 2.3 EXPENDITURE AND UABIUTIES Y¢¥ F￿￿•*A￿hr￿ Y68 Yes U• In•tyurn•nts 11 7FRS102SOPP. 11.17* ai.ii. FR810RSOAP. 2.4 ASSETS Yai Yes Nf• Y• Wa Yeg Yes W& AD￿TIONAL TOOR DIFFERENT FROAI 111 111 111 111 111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 111111 111111 111111 111111 1111 1111 i! •¢n rund&" 135 1)> 73 21) 22245 20lt 492>7 J.41T 4x1 447 4.1 47iP) 47tr) 1171 1.•51 Toi 11 11 111 111 111 111 111 11 11 11 11 11 111 111 11111 11111 ￿[&0 11111111 11111 11111 11111111 ¢0 0 0 (a (•)