2025-07-31-accounts - The Haffner Orchestra

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Haffner Orchestra Annual General Meeting

16[th] March 7:30pm

Papers for 2026 AGM

By videoconference

Agenda AGM

Apologies
Minutes of last AGM held on 10 March 2025 (attached)
Matters arising from the 2025 AGM
Chairman’s report
Musical Director’s report
Treasurer’s report (annotated summary of HO accounts attached)
Officers’ reports
Review of Trustees’ Declarations of Interest (attached)
Election of Committee
Haffner Orchestra Ltd. report
AOB

Following pages include data for specific Agenda items

Page 1 of 8

Chair Report

Before the details of this year’s report I would like to start by thanking everyone for the warm welcome given to me since taking over from Alison Toy last year. In particular, all members of the committee, who have given much time to work with me – most likely far more than they had available.

It’s also important to recognise the contributions of all orchestra members who pay to play, as well as those who work on staging, lighting, venue booking, ticketing, hosting soloists, leafleting and many other tasks.

It is impressive, in this day and age, that an orchestra melding enthusiastic, talented amateurs with selected professionals can continue to attract substantial audiences. To put it in perspective we are sometimes attracting audiences twice the size of other classical concerts in our area, both professional and amateur, yet we do this without an ounce of grant funding.

Concerts

Concerts continue to be varied in selection with the hope that over the course of the year there is something to suit all tastes and enjoy, both for the players and the audience. We will hear from Alex with more details regarding how he views the past year’s concerts and what his aims are moving forwards.

Financial Summary

Financial accounts remain healthy, through good planning and – we must acknowledge – receipt of substantial Orchestral Tax Relief. We will hear more detail from Ivan Sedgwick but we need to be aware that such relief might not last forever. So we want to ensure that the orchestra is always sufficiently well funded allowing time to adapt in such an eventuality. We also need to concentrate on attracting new audience members to ensure overall audience numbers remain stable.

Marketing

Work has been put in to modernise the look and feel of the web site, as well as the associated Facebook and Instagram accounts. We want those methods of communication to match the high levels of orchestral attainment and be a good shop window for the orchestra when we talk to others.

Education/Outreach

In June last year a significant section of the orchestra took time out of their schedules to visit and play for the Bay Leadership Academy. It was incredibly well received by both the teachers and pupils (many of the latter gravitating to the loudest instruments). It takes time out of people’s schedules but is deeply appreciated particular in schools where funding for music is cursory. Recently we sent a questionnaire around to players, in part to find out who might be available to do more in this important area – we probably all remember the first time we heard and picked up an instrument, yet some don’t have that opportunity.

Venues

Unexpectedly, an area presenting difficulty is getting ‘slots’ at our favoured venues. The university appear to be using the Great Hall for more events and this is reducing the number of dates available to external people such as ourselves. Similarly, the Ashton Hall can be busy at weekends, when we similarly wish to put on our concerts. We hope we can continue to use these venues through careful discussion but as a backup we have informally looked around other venues to understand what they offer.

So in summary the orchestra finds itself in good health, but we should not be complacent. Our audience is not a young demographic, so we need to appeal to a next generation of people to ensure the orchestra continues its success.

Page 2 of 8

Agenda Item 2

Minutes for the Haffner Orchestra Annual General Meeting

Monday 10 March 2025 at 7.30pm held by videoconference

Present: Alison Toy (Chair), Helen Bardsley, Janet Barlow, Clare Brown, Julian Cann, Rachel Cornwall, Roger Dillon, Nick Gillibrand, Chris Halliwell, Ruth Hutchison, Roger Kemp, Christine Lorriman, Rachel Malloch, Fiona Richardson, Alex Robinson, Ivan Sedgwick, Keith Strachan, Mark Swindells, Jacqueline Townsend, John Whittaker, Jo Wood.

1. Apologies

Received from Nigel Atkinson, Mary Dainton, Tracey Johnson, Lesley Ormrod, Susan Seed, Victoria Wellesley-Smith, Sarah Wilson, Martin Yule.

2. Minutes of the AGM held on 18 March 2024

The minutes were agreed as correct. Julian Cann had been included in the list of those present, this was incorrect and was amended.

3. Matters arising from the AGM on 18 March 2024 – none.

4. Chairman’s report

Alison thanked everyone for their very generous gift to mark her standing down from the Chair role after 26 years. During this time the orchestra had gone from strength to strength and the financial position was strong, helped by legacies and Orchestra Tax Relief.
Concerts since the last AGM had gone well, starting with ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and the schools’ event. ‘Don Pasquale’ had been hugely enjoyable with wonderful soloists, and although the audience was smaller they had showed great enthusiasm. Callum McLachlan’s performance had been very well received and the challenging Shostakovich had gone well. The orchestra is very happy with Alex’s direction.
She is grateful for the warmth and commitment shown by the members during her time as Chair, thanking Julian Cann who had led the orchestra for most of that time. She also thanked the non-playing members who help so much. The orchestra is very important for the cultural life of Lancaster and she looks forward to the 50[th] anniversary season in 2026-27. Although leaving the committee, she will still have a role working on the financial details.

5. Musical Director’s report

Alex reported that the schools’ ‘Peter and the Wolf’ concert in June 2024 had been a good opportunity to do two performances of a piece. He had introduced a brass sectional which had been valuable for the Tchaikovsky.
‘Don Pasquale’ had been enjoyed by all. He thanked Jacqueline for her excellent communication with the soloists.
He would be happy to work with Callum McLachlan again, including perhaps a performance with Callum and his sister Rose. The Shostakovich had been very accomplished.
He was pleased to know that Martin Roscoe has been in touch again about possible future engagement.

6 . Treasurer’s report

Ivan reported that he took over the role in August 2024. He thanked John Wood for his help with reviewing of the accounts. All were now up to date with the Charity Commission and Companies House following some help from local company Scott Wilkinson.
In future he plans to put together into one set the accounts of the orchestra and of Haffner Orchestra Ltd – this would not be a legal entity but would help to show and explain the relationship between the two and the connection with Orchestra Tax Relief. OTR will remain as a permanent feature although the rate may decrease in future.

Page 3 of 8

Ivan outlined the financial position which is good – the surplus in the last accounting year was £6,240 which is close to the amount claimed through OTR. This gives the orchestra a cushion, and the opportunity to consider different options and new ventures.
Gift Aid had been claimed for the last three years, totalling £3.8K.
As the interest rate from the deposit account held with Unity Trust Bank is not particularly good, he had arranged the opening of an account with CCLA Investment Management Ltd. This will give a better rate and an appropriate sum has been transferred.

7. Officers’ reports

Ruth reported that relations with our rehearsal and concert venues are good. We continue to receive enquiries for membership from well qualified players.
Nick reported that the income from our current four sponsors brings in around £3.5K per annum. There are around 65 loyal and enthusiastic patrons contributing around £3.8K including Gift Aid. The recent reception in the Peter Scott Gallery had been successful. Through Making Music links, he had recently had a useful exchange with Professor Sarah Price who studies audiences for cultural events and had given some useful pointers.
Jacqueline reported that she had thoroughly enjoyed her first year as Artists’ Secretary. She had recently attended a couple of rehearsals and suggested that this was a valuable experience for non-playing members.
Alison thanked Fiona and Caroline for their work on social media, and Nick for his striking shop window displays. She also thanked Victoria for arranging a recent article in the Lancaster Guardian.

8. Review of Trustees’ Declarations of Interest

the list had been previously circulated and was noted.
Ticket and subscription prices – suggested prices for 2025-26 had been previously circulated and will be considered and confirmed at the next committee meeting. There were no comments from those present.

10. Election of committee

The members standing down were Alison Toy (Chair), Jo Wood (without portfolio) and Nick Gillibrand (Patrons’ Secretary). Nick was willing to stand for re-election and was unanimously re-elected by a show of hands. Ivan Sedgwick was made a member of the committee in summer 2024 so needs to stand down and be re-elected; he was re-elected by a unanimous show of hands.
Helen Bardsley, leader of the second violins, had been nominated as a committee member. Mark Swindells had been nominated to join the committee as Chair. Mark spoke of his interest in Haffner and classical music in general, and outlined his professional background. Both were voted in by a unanimous show of hands.

11. Haffner Orchestra Ltd. Report

Two director changes have been made recently, from Nick Gillibrand to Victoria Wellesley-Smith and from Jennifer Grabowski to Ivan Sedgwick. The change of Chair to Mark Swindells will now be progressed.
Alison reported that the claim for the recent ‘Don Pasquale’ concert will be made to ‘Theatre Tax Relief’ not Orchestral. Making Music continue to be very helpful with this accounting.

12. Any other business

Nick gave a vote of thanks to Jo Wood for all the work she had contributed to the committee over several years.

The meeting closed at 8.30pm.

RH 17.3.25

Agenda Item 6

Page 4 of 8

Financial data to accompany Treasurer’s report

----- Start of picture text -----
HAFFNER ORCHESTRA
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
31/07/2025 31/07/2024
Income Receipts
Player's subscriptions £4,315 £4,110
Patron's subscriptions £2,341 £2,051
2022 Concert Fee £1,270
Ticket sales £16,025 £21,728
Programme sales £1,113 £1,146
Refreshment Inc £52
Advertising £115 £0
Sponsorship £3,000 £4,500
Donations & Bequests £788 £974
Gift Aid £3,898 £0
Total £32,918 £34,509
Investment Income
Bank interest £806 £1,114
Money Market Fund income £1,134 £0
Total £1,940 £1,114
Total Receipts £34,857 £35,623
Expenditure
Direct Charitable
Expenditure
Musicians £505 £1,091
Room hires £71 £310
Refreshments £220 £841
Concert Costs paid to HOL £23,270 £20,600
Total £24,066 £22,842
Management and
Administration
Advertising £66 £1,519
Insurance and subscriptions £700 £581
Bank and booking charges £101 £75
Computer costs £47 £689
Commissions paid £876 £1,146
Accountancy fees £3,247 £1,080
Printing, postage, and
£25 £1,063
stationery
Sundry expenses £112 £87
Depreciation £34 £0
Total £5,209 £6,240
Total Payments £29,275 £29,082
Pretax Surplus £5,582 £6,541
----- End of picture text -----

Page 5 of 8

----- Start of picture text -----
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2025
31/07/2025 31/07/2024
Monetary Assets
Bank Current Account £1,739 £2,307
Bank Deposit Account £648 £51,343
CCLA Account £56,734 £0
Trybooking Account £161
Easy Fundraising £25
Total £59,146 £53,811
Non-Monetary Assets
Health Festival £0 £1,270
Prepayments
Haffner Orchestra Limited £8,659 £7,980
HRMC
Equipment £171 £0
Total £8,830 £9,250
Total Assets £67,976 £63,061
Current Liabilities
Accountancy £0 £1,070
Depreciation £34
Haffner Orchestra
Total Liabilities £34 £1,070
Net Assets £67,942 £61,991
NOTE: CASH POSITION
31/07/2025 31/07/2024
Cash and Bank Balances at
£53,811 £47,270
start of year
Cash and Bank Balances at
£59,121 £53,811
end of year
----- End of picture text -----

NOTE: The accounts presented here are for the Haffner Orchestra itself. The Orchestra also owns a limited company, Haffner Orchestra Limited (HOL), which is the vehicle which pays for concert expenses and is as a result able to reclaim money from HMRC under two schemes, Orchestral Tax Relief and Theatre Tax Relief. We use a charity called Making Music to help with lodging the necessary paperwork. For the year 2024-5, HOL was paid £23,270 by the orchestra, against expenditure of £29,281 on concert expenses and £2,711 on administration. The balance, £8,659 was reclaimed from HMRC and arrived after the year end. The comparable figures for the previous year were £24,303, £2,090 and £7,698. HOL has net assets of £3 representing its paid in share capital.

TREASURER’S COMMENTS: The figures above represent a positive outcome for the year, albeit they are complicated by some non-recurring items, including a degree of catching up of revenues (e.g. for Gift Aid); by the reduction of accountancy costs, and by an increase in interest received due to our opening an account with CCLA. Ticket sales were down, but despite that the overall surplus was not that far from the previous year, and the orchestra has a comfortable financial buffer to allow it to consider and to try new formats and ventures.

The positive effect of OTR and TTR, described in the note to the accounts, should not be underestimated. The government announced in March 2024 that OTR and TTR were permanent reliefs, nonetheless we should be conscious that were that position to change, the current surplus would be eliminated. We are grateful for the support of our sponsors and patrons, and will look to grow both to provide a stable financial basis for our activities.

As Treasurer I would also like to record my appreciation for Alison Toy’s work behind the scenes, acting as bookkeeper, and together with Ruth Hutchison, helping with the banking arrangements, as well of course to all those who helped with operating the website, collecting money on the door and in other ways ensuring that we keep our financial heads above the water.

Page 6 of 8

Item7

Nick Gillibrand: Patrons

The Orchestra continues to be supported by very enthusiastic patrons. We currently have 58, with many paying for two (generally husband and wife). We are getting much better at collecting annual payments which wasn’t always the case. One or two are very generous and contribute more than the minimum.

To acknowledge these donations we now give a patrons reception, currently once per year. We think that is worth it and I think the patrons who attend these events really appreciate the chance to meet some of the performers, although we are aware that many of the orchestra just want to chill out after a concert!

Numbers are fairly stable year on year. We always lose one or two through infirmity or relocation yet gain the equivalent.

Item 8

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest or other Responsibilities

Haffner Committee Members

Ivan Sedgwick-Director Haffner Orchestra Ltd; LGB & Co Ltd (employee); B4RN Ltd (director); St Pancras Church Lands Trust (trustee); Not current : Royal Asiatic Society (past 5 years council member and trustee); The Travellers Club (past 5 years chairman); Snab Management Ltd (past 5 years director)

Nick Gillibrand- Chair Church of St John the Baptist Tunstall Church;

Ruth Hutchison- Secretary Lancaster Community Music Trust;

Victoria Wellesley-Smith- Director Haffner Orchestra Ltd; Trustee for The Olive Branch.

Husband- employee of Rathbone Investment Management

Jacqueline Townsend- None declared

Caroline Sidery- None declared

Fiona Richardson- None declared

Keith Strachan- None declared

Mark Swindells – Director or Ebisu Ltd, Abysis Ltd

Helen Bardsley – None declared

Page 7 of 8

Item 9

Election of Committee

Members standing down (as per requirements of Haffner Orchestra):

Ruth Hutchison (secretary), Fiona Richardson (without portfolio), Caroline Sidery.
Ruth and Fiona are willing to be re-elected.
Members of the committee wish to thank Caroline for her work as well as traveling from Chorley for many meetings, which was much appreciated (as were the refreshments at break time).

Contact Details committee members and other post holders March 2026

Committee

----- Start of picture text -----
Role Name Instrument Email
Secretary Ruth Hutchison French haffnersec@haffnerorchestra.org
horn
Chairman Mark Swindells Non- chairman@haffnerorchestra.org
player
Treasurer Ivan Sedgwick Non- haffnertreasurer@gmail.com
player
Education Officer Keith Strachan Oboe education@haffnerorchestra.org
and
Safeguarding
Lead
Data Manager Keith Strachan data@haffnerorchestra.org
Patrons’ Nick Gillibrand Non-player haffnerpatrons@gmail.com
Secretary
Sponsorship Jacqueline Townsend artistsec@haffnerorchestra.org
Publicity Officer Victoria Wellesley-Smith Non-player publicity@haffnerorchestra.org
Artists’ Secretary Jacqueline Townsend Non-player artistsec@haffnerorchestra.org
Without Fiona Richardson Violin Contact details available from secretary
Portfolio
Without Caroline Sidery Violin Contact details available from secretary
Portfolio
Without Helen Bardsley Violin Contact details available from secretary
Portfolio
----- End of picture text -----

Non Committee

----- Start of picture text -----
Librarian Matthew Townson Cello librarian@haffnerorchestra.org
Stage Manager Nigel Atkinson Oboe Contact via secretary
Front of House Diane Cannon Non-player Contact via secretary
Manager
Ticket Officer Judith Brown Non-player Tickets@haffnerorchestra.org
Book-keeper Alison Toy Violin Finance@haffnerorchestra.org
Fixer Alison Toy (temp) Non-player Fixer@haffnerorchestra.org
Musical Director Alex Robinson Contact via secretary
Leader Julian Cann Contact details available from secretary
----- End of picture text -----

Page 8 of 8

Ivan Sedgwick- Trustee & Treasurer

John Wood- Independent Examiner

6 May 2026

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF HAFFNER ORCHESTRA

I report on the unaudited accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 July 2025 as submitted separately.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records.

I 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.

Dated: 6 May 2026