## **THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED**
**Registered Charity Company limited by Guarantee**
**ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
**Charity No. 514614 . . Company registration No. f715684 ( England & Wales)**
**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTiVAL LIMITED REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
|**CONTENTS**||
|---|---|
||Page|
|Reference and Administrative Information||
|Report of the Committee of Management|2|
|Independent Examiner's Report|9|
|Statement of Financial Activities|10|
|Balance Sheet|11|
|Statement of Cash Flows|12|
|Notes to the financial statements|13|
n:iE.HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED REPORT **AND FINANCIAL** STATEMENTS. FOR THE **YEAR** ENDED 31 **MARCH** 2.025
## **Reference and Administrative Information.**
## **Governing Document**
Memorandum and Articles of Association
**Charity Number:** 514614 **Company Number:** 1715684 **Committee of Management:** Mr Andrew Kurowski - Chair Professor Michael Peake Dr Laura Bowler Professor Michael Clarke Baroness Kath Pinnock Martel Ollerenshaw Professor Nie Clear (Resigned 23 October 2025) Dr Raymond MacDonald Supriya Nagarajan (Appointed 3 September 2024)
**Artistic Director and Chief Executive:** Mr Graham McKenzie **Company Secretary:** Miss Raisin Hughes **Registered Office:** RS 1/10 University of Huddersfield .Queensgate Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD1 3DH **Accountants:** Forrest Burlinson Chartered Accountants 20 Owl Lane Dewsbury WF12 7RQ **Bankers:** National Westminster Bank PLC 8 Market Place Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD1 2AL
## **Accountants:**
## **Bankers:**
**Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**. The Committee of Management of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music FEstival Limited is pleased to present its annual report together with the financial statements for the year. ended 31 March 2025, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors' report and accounts for Cory,panies Act purposes.**
## **The reference and administrative information set out on page I form part of this report.**
**The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note I and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS I 02).**
## **Governing Document: Articles of Association**
**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited is a company limited by guarantee, having no share capital and is a registered charity. It has been governed for many years by its Memorandum and Articles incorporated on 18 April 1983. These 'Articles of Association' are available to The Charity Commissioners from the Festival Office if required.**
## **Appointment of Members of the Committee of Management (the Trustees)**
**The Committee of Management is also the Board of Management. For the purposes of company law, the members of the Committee of Management are the Directors of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited and for the purposes of charity law are its trustees. Potential new members are identified by current Board members and executive staff taking account, where appropriate, of external advice and the requirement for specialist skills. New members invited on to the Board between Annual General Meetings only hold their post on a casual basis until their appointment is confirmed at the next AGM.**
**Observers from Arts Council England and Kirklees Council are also invited to attend meetings of the Board of Management.**
## **Trustees Induction and Training**
**After selection, potential new trustees are invited to meet with the chair of the Board and Chief Executive prior to attending their first Board Meeting which is considered as probationary by both parties. If both the new member and the Board are satisfied, their appointment as trustee is confirmed in writing. They are given documentation relating to their responsibilities under company and charity law and copies of the Articles of Association and most recent Annual Report and Accounts.**
## **Structure**
**The Articles of Association state that there should be a minimum of three members of the Board of Management (called Directors in the new Articles) but no upper limit is set. This has rarely been more than 15 and currently there is a membership of nine (see page I of the annual accounts for a list of members). The Board meets approximately quarterly and has the power to appoint the Artistic Director and Chief Executive.**
**The Chief Executive and Artistic Director roles are the responsibility of Graham McKenzie. He has been in post since January 2006 and has delegated authority, regularly monitored by the Board of Management, for operational matters including artistic direction and content of the festival, finance, employment and associated activities.**
## **Festival Partners and Supporters**
**Viability and sustainability remain robust through a range of key partnerships.**
## **University of Huddersfield**
**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival has had very close links with the Music Department of the University of Huddersfield since it began in 1978. Whilst retaining artistic independence, we continue to work in close co-operation**
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**Report of the Committee_ of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**with the University in a relationship which is seen as being of great mutual benefit, including the significant benefit of the in-kind provision of office space for the Festival team.**
## **Arts Council England**
**There continues to be a close relationship with officers from Arts Council England (ACE). hcmf// is part of Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) portfolio, a status which is confirmed until 2027. NPO status is a vital element of the. future stability of hcmf/ .**
**There is a formal, annual process of review and risk assessment by ACE, and both the Chief Executive & Artistic Director and the Chairman of the Board of Management take part in that process.**
## **Kirklees Council**
**Kirklees Council invested a total of £30,000 in hcmf// in 2024-25, further demonstrating that the Festival remains a priority for them as a key cultural offer in the district.**
## **PRS Foundation**
**PRS Foundation decided to end its programme of annual Talent Development Partner funding (which hcmf// had been awarded annually since 2018) and instead established a Talent Development Network with successful organisations receiving funding for between I and 3 years. hcmf// will receive funding for I year, ending in 2025.**
## **International Networks**
**In 2019 hcmf/ was awarded funding from the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union as a member of the large-scale cooperation project Sounds Now. Sounds Now is a network of nine European music festivals and cultural centres that promote contemporary music, experimental music and sound art, and are concerned with the way in which curation reproduces the same patterns of power and exclusion that are dominant at all levels of society. The Sounds Now project is the result of several years' collective discussion and reflection on our roles as curators working at an international level, and the socio-political responsibilities that this role carries with it. 2024-25 represents the final year of the project.**
**In 2024-25 hcmf/ has multi-year partnership agreements in place with Music Finland, Culture Ireland, and Lithuanian Culture Institute and Music Information Centre Lithuania.**
## **hcmf// remains a member of the Europe Jazz Network (EJN).**
## **Artistic Programme**
**Across IO days of concerts, commissions, installations, workshops and talks, hcmf// 2024 (Friday 15 - Sunday 24 November 2024) featured 20+ World and 40+ UK Premieres, welcoming musicians, composers, concert-goers and delegates alike to Huddersfield for a festival held in collaboration with global and local production partners, broadcasters and venues.**
**For the 4P' edition of the UK's leading international festival of new and contemporary music, we invited interdisciplinary artist Lina Lapelyte to bring her playful, subversive, performance-based practice - including the acclaimed UK premiere of** _Study of Slope,_ **featuring local untrained singers - to Huddersfield as our Composer in Residence; we commissioned new works by the eminent Wadada Leo Smith and versatile Claudia Molitor; we celebrated 50 years of the Arditti Quartet; we continued to explore sustainability in the arts and culture sector through The Current Climate; and we held another day of hcmf/ shorts, producing a free-to-attend, town-wide concert crawl as part of our ongoing efforts to address financial barriers to new music. As part of these efforts, we also introduced a new ticket pricing structure and made programme information exclusively available online; these changes enabled us to focus on delivering a festival of the highest quality that was as financially accessible as possible in a challenging environment for everyone.**
**As well as providing a platform in the UK for British artists, who this year included GBSR Duo, Explore Ensemble, Ligeti Quartet and Richard Uttley, we were pleased to continue spotlighting the best new music from abroad through our international partnerships this year, including a dedicated focus on collaborating with artists and organisations from Lithuania,**
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**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**Ireland and Finland. hcmf// 2024 marked the first year of three in partnership with Music Finland plus the third year of three with Culture Ireland as well as Lithuanian organisations the Lithuanian Culture Institute and Music Information Centre Lithuania. We are delighted to share that during hcmf// 2024 we announced an extension to our partnership with Ireland for another two years, and an extension to our partnership with Lithuania for three more years.**
**Our 2024 edition received extensive broadcast coverage, with 4 episodes of BBC Radio 3's New Music Show dedicated to hcmf/ 2024 across November and December (starting with a live broadcast from the festival on Saturday 23 November) and many other works recorded for future broadcasts.**
## **In 2024:**
- **63% of the work we presented was created by women/gender minority artists, with 88% of events featuring women/gender minority music creators overall**
- **48% of featured composers were women/gender minority music creators**
- **We reduced our measurable carbon usage (in kg CO2e) by 43%**
- **Filled capacity across the festival was approx. 70%**
- **33% of surveyed audience were attending the festival for the first time**
- **52% of our programme was free to attend**
- **53% of tickets were sold at discounted/concessionary rates**
- **14% of tickets were sold to people under 30**
- **2, I 00+ people attended free events during the festival, with 4,400+ people attending the festival in total**
## **Learning & Participation**
**. In 2024-25, we delivered the following activity in order to increase participation opportunities:**
- **12 days of music activity for I 1-16-year-olds during the Easter and Summer holidays as part of the HAF-funded Schools Out! Programme**
- **I x training day (focused on music activities for under 5s) for freelance music practitioners**
- **2 x Arts Award Discover workshops delivered (in partnership with Kirklees Libraries) with Year 4 classes at Westmoor Primary School in Dewsbury**
- **I x 2-day graphic score project with students from Greenhead College, delivered in partnership with Riot Ensemble**
- **I x Jugalbandi drumming workshop for women and gender minority participants, led by artist Helen Anahita Wilson**
- **► I x Music at Play workshop for under 5s and their families, led by hcmf/ Learning & Participation Manager (and early years music specialist) Sophie Cooper**
- **A 5-week composition course (Compose It!) for ten I 1-18-year-olds, delivered in partnership with Riot Ensemble and led by composer Simon Knighton as part of our Sounds Now programming**
- **A 4-week online electronic improv club for adults, delivered in partnership with hoot creative arts.**
**332 people engaged in this programme of activity throughout the year.**
## **Participant feedback includes:**
_'I've learnt_ so _many new skills and have had my mind expanded. I've got so many lines_ of _research and ideas_ to _follow'_
_'[I've learned how to] translate everyday things into music'_
> _'Energised, connected, (ulf,1/ed_ - _an emotional outlet!'_
'A _fantastic opportunity (or young people_ to _compose music with such a prestigious ensemble'_
## **Opportunities**
**hcmf/ provided approximately 200 paid opportunities for artists/practitioners in 2024-25.**
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**. The Huddersfield ·contemporary Music Festival Limited Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
## **In addition to this, hcmf// employed the following staff:**
- **3 full-time and 2 part-time roles within the core team**
- **External production management company (TG Events)**
- **External marketing and press/PR consultants (Bonner & Hindley)**
- **External Front of House support during the festival**
## **Marketing & PR**
**Full programme details were listed on www.hcmf.co.uk and the 2024 festival was advertised in The Wire maga.zine and The lvors Awards programme.**
**During 2024:**
- **Facebook likes increased by 9%**
- **Facebook followers increased by 4%**
- **lnstagram followers increased by 30%**
- **Press AVE was + £350K**
## **In the lead up to and during the 2024 festival:**
- **Our Facebook reach was 30,266**
- **Our lnstagram activity reached 38,802 accounts**
**Our 2024 edition received extensive broadcast coverage, with 4 episodes of BBC Radio 3's New Music Show dedicated to hcmf// 2024 across November and December {starting with a live broadcast from the festival on Saturday 23 November) and many other works recorded for future broadcasts.**
## **Risk Management**
**hcmf//'s risk management policy was reviewed in 2024-25. hcmf// evaluates and carries out a risk assessment for all of its activities - financial and performance related - against a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPls) which are agreed and reviewed annually with our core funders {Arts Council England and Kirklees Council).**
## **Objectives & Activities**
**Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival {hcmf//) is Britain's leading festival of new music, acclaimed for the quality and breadth of its programmes; it is highly regarded nationally and internationally, and aims to bring together the very best composers and performers of contemporary music in a variety of genres.**
**The core aims and objectives of the Festival remain to provide life-changing and unique artistic experiences to as wide an audience as possible; to be an international platform for new music and related contemporary art forms in the UK; to enthuse existing audiences and draw in new ones through adventurous programming and diverse, informed presentation; to provide innovative creative opportunities for all; to reduce our environmental impact and make progress towards sustainability; and to be an ambitious, dynamic participant within our cultural community.**
## **Public Benefit**
**We have referred to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, we regularly consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that we have set. The Committee of Management is satisfied that Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival fully meets the Charity Commission's guidelines with regard to delivering public benefit.**
**Much of the work and many of the performers presented at hcmf// both now and in the past are rarely heard in live performance in the UK. In attempting to select the very best of the 'new', both in terms of the composition and interpretation of contemporary music, hcmf// is providing the public with a unique opportunity to see and hear the**
5
**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**cutting edge of musical development from the UK and around the world. Such music is not usually viable in any conventional commercial setting at this stage of its development, so without such a high profile showcase we believe the ongoing development of the genre would be significantly diminished in the UK. We do, however, make every attempt to make a programme that is not only artistically challenging and of the highest quality, but also one that will appeal to as wide a range of the public, both in terms of age and of cultural backgrounds, as is feasible. In addition, by giving younger artists and composers the opportunity to present their work as part of an internationally acclaimed festival, hcmf// has often been a major factor in the establishment of the careers of individuals and ensembles who have gone on to international recognition.**
**hcmf// embraces its role as an effective local trainer for the cultural and creative industries, providing week-long placements for high school/college students and a wide range of volunteering opportunities from stewarding and artist liaison to technical skills and event management. hcmf/ has a demonstrable track record in recruiting young people locally - often to their first paid full-time post- who have an ambition to work within arts and cultural management. Interns and junior staff members have gone on to secure in demand posts with the Southbank Centre, Almeida Theatre, Cheltenham Festivals, Opera North, the BBC, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Financial Review**
**The Board of Management would like to acknowledge the debt of gratitude we owe to our funders/ partners, without whom the festival would not be possible. In 2024-25 they included:**
**Arts Council England Kirklees Council University of Huddersfield The Creative Europe Programme of the European Union Culture Ireland Lithuanian Culture Institute Music Information Centre Lithuania Music Finland Goethe lnstitut British Council Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation PRSF/PPL Hinrichsen Foundation Vaughan Williams Foundation The Marchus Trust BBC Radio 3**
**Other groups who provided valued support include: CeReNeM Heritage Quay Muso Publishing HISS TG Events Ltd Bates Mill Lawrence Batley Theatre Sounds Now Cultures of Creative Health Finnish Institute The hcmf// Members**
**The Festival is particularly grateful to the Arts Council England for its major ongoing support both at a financial and strategic level.**
**The charity's total income in the year was £574,430 (2023/24: £551,196). Total resources expended in the year was £572,314 (2023/24: £638,234).**
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**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**There was a net surplus for the year on unrestricted activities of £2, I 16 leaving unrestricted reserves standing at £55,605 and restricted reserves standing at £Nil at 31 March 2025.**
**Income from grants was £532,964 (compared to £497,00 I in 2023/24), of which £356,413 was in unrestricted and £176,551 was in restricted funds. The direct cost of producing the contemporary music festival was £365,091 (compared to £41 1,282 in 2023/24). Income from the learning & Participation programme was £2,640 (2023/24: £3,300) with expenditure of£ 16,799 (2023/24: £18,902).**
**The Board and Executive staff have worked hard to maintain a stable budget in this financial year without compromising the quality and artistic excellence of the festival, or risk to its market position and international reputation.**
## **Reserves Policy**
**It is the policy of the Board of Management that reserves should achieve an amount equal to approximately three months' operational expenditure (no less than £50,000), in order to:**
- **Cover lags in funding flows**
- **Take account of the increasingly uncertain funding environment**
- **Mitigate the effect of unexplained failures or defaults in funding**
- **Provide a cushion for unforeseen contingencies**
**As at 31 March 2025 this policy has been met, as detailed in the Financial Review above.**
## **Plans for the Future**
**The Artistic Director & Chief Executive, together with the management and administrative staff, have continued to make significant progress on artistic, organisational and financial fronts. The financial situation remains challenging in the current climate, however the charity remains in positive financial balance. We have continued to receive strong reinforcement of our various strategies through the commitment of our major funding partners -Arts Council England, The University of Huddersfield and Kirklees Council -despite the fact that all these organisations have themselves been going through difficult financial times.**
**hcmf/ 2024's I 0-day edition was hugely successful, and the Board remains committed to doing everything within its power to maintain this ambition and quality. Our Executive Team continues to seek new sources of funding and to find innovative ways of presenting the very best in contemporary music within budgetary constraints.**
## **Our ongoing aims and objectives are to:**
- **Increase and diversify our audience base, and develop new audiences in line with our broader artistic remit**
- **► Increase our income base from a variety of sources**
- **Present a festival that is fit for purpose**
- **Continue to build reserves**
- **Establish a more significant regional presence throughout the year**
- **Identify and work more proactively with new partners in the sector, within the UK and internationally**
- **Support and promote new talent in the genre**
- **Develop our Learning & Participation programme and increase our resources for learning activity**
- **Reduce our environmental impact and make progress towards sustainability**
**Inclusion and diversity remain a priority at all levels of the organisation, with the following areas having been identified as a particular focus in 2024-25:**
- **Gender equality**
- **Socioeconomic barriers to access**
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**The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Report of the Committee of Management For the Year Ended 31 March 2025**
**2024 marked the final year of the Creative Europe-funded project Sounds Now (https://www.sounds-now.eu/), of which hcmf// is a founding member. The project, which launched on I December 2019, is the result of several years' collective discussion and reflection on our roles as curators dealing with the socio-political responsibilities that this role carries with it. Sounds Now is concerned with the way in which curation reproduces the same patterns of power and exclusion that are dominant at all levels of society and aims to actively stimulate intersectional diversity within our professional field - opening up the capacity and possibility for different experiences, conditions and perspectives to be defining forces in shaping the sonic art that reaches audiences today.**
## **Fixed Assets**
**Acquisitions and disposals of fixed assets during the year are recorded in the notes forming part of the financial statements.**
## **Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities**
**The Committee of Management (who are also the directors of The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the annual report and financial statements in accordance with Applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard I 02: The Financial Reporting standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).**
**Company law requires the Committee of Management to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees should follow best practice and;**
- **select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,**
- **make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent,**
- **state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements,**
- **prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue on that basis.**
**The Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. By order of the Committee of Management Professor Michael Peake** 28 **th** URL November 2025
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**Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Charity No. 514614 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees on the Unaudited Financial Statements of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited Company No. 1715684**
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts for the company for the year ended 31 March 2025.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity's trustees of the Company ( and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) {b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
Since the Company's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
- accounting records were not kept in respect of the company as required by section 386 of the '2006 Act; or
- the accounts do not accord with those records; or
- the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act 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: or
- the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Use of my report**
This report is made solely to the charity's trustees, as a body.
My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charity's trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's trustees as a body, for my work, for this report, for the statements I have made, or for the opinions I have stated.
Dated 28th November 2025
**Charles Sheard ACA** Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales **Forrest Burlinson Chartered Accountants** 20 Owl Lane, Shawcross, Dewsbury WF12 7RQ
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## **THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**Notes**|£|£|£|£|
|**Income:**||||||
|**Donations and legacies**||||||
|Donations and similar income||7,857||7,857|12,654|
|**Income from charitable activities**||||||
|Contemporary Music Festival||||||
|Grants|2|356,413|137,849|494,262|493,701|
|Box office and other festival income|3|32,246||32,246|39,366|
|Learning and Participation programme||||||
|Grants|2||2,640|2,640|3,300|
|Creative Europe (Sounds Now Project)|2||36,062|36,062||
|**Investment Income**||||||
|Bank deposit interest||1,363||1,363|2,175|
|**Total income**||397,879|176,551|574,430|551,196|
|**Expenditure**||||||
|**Charitable activites:**||||||
|Contemporary Music Festival|4|227,242|137,849|365,091|411,282|
|Building Fundraising Capacity|4|12,489||12,489|9,643|
|Learning and Participation Programme|4|14,159|2,640|16,799|18,902|
|Festival and Audience Development|4|25,164||25,164|33,538|
|Sound Now Project|4|57,262|36,062|93,324|108,272|
|Governance Costs|4|59,447||59,447|56,597|
|**Total resources expended**||395,763|176,551|572,314|638,234|
|**Net movement in funds**||**2,116**||**2,116**|**(87,038)**|
|**Reconcilliation of funds:**||||||
|Total funds brought forward||53,489||53,489|140,527|
|**Total funds carried forward**||**55,605**||**55,605**|**53,489**|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.
The profiUdefecit for the year for Companies Act purposes comprising the net movement in funds for the year was surplus £2,116 (2024: Deficit £87,038).
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**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025**
||||**Total**||**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**2025**||**2024**|
||**Notes**|£|£|**£**|**£**|
|**FIXED ASSETS**||||||
|Tangible assets|7||406||811|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**||||||
|Debtors and prepayments|8|62,569||96,432||
|Cash at bank and in hand||58,544||79,423||
|||121,113||175,855||
|**CURRENT LIABILITIES**||||||
|Creditors amounts falling due||||||
|within one year|9|(65,914)||(123,177)||
|**Net current assets**|||55,199||52,678|
|**Total assets less current liabilities**|||55,605||53,489|
|NET ASSETS/(LIABILITIES)|||55,605||53,489|
|**FUNDS**||||||
|Unrestricted funds|10||55,605||53,489|
|Restricted Funds|10|||||
||||55,605||53,489|
For the year ended 31 March 2025 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Directors responsibilities:
- The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
- The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
**c;o•t7m** nents wer **e approved by the Comm;ttee of Management on 28th November 2025 and s;gned on ;ts**
Company number: 1715684
The accompanying notes are an integral part of this balance sheet
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**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2025**
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**Total**|**Total**|
|||**£**|£|
|**Net cash used in operating activities**|**15**|(22,242)|(34,655)|
|**Cash flows from investment activities:**||||
|Interest||1,363|2,175|
|Purchase of fixed assets|||(1,216)|
|**Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities**||1,363|959|
|lncrease/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents during the year|lncrease/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents during the year|(20,879)|(33,696)|
|**Cash and cash equivalents brought forward**||79,423|113,119|
|**Cash and cash equivalents carried forward**||58,544|79,423|
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THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
## 1 Accounting Policies
The principle accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistenUy in dealing with items considered material in relation to the financial statements.
## **Basis of preparation**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)- (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. Assets and liabilities are recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.
The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis which assumes that current and future sources of funding and support will be adequate for the charitable company's needs.
## Fund **accounting**
Unrestricted funds comprise accumulated surpluses and deficits on general funds. They are available for use at the discretion of the Committee of Management in furtherance of the charitable objectives.
Designated funds comprise funds set aside by the Committee of Management out of unrestricted funds for specific future purposes or projects.
Restricted funds comprise monies raised for, and their use restricted to.a specific purpose, or donations subject to conditions imposed by the donor or through the terms or appeal.
## Incoming **resources**
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charitable company is legally entiUed to the income, it is certain that the income will be received and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income.
Voluntary income is received by way of donations and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities. Bank interest receivable is fully accrued at the balance sheet date.
Incoming resources from charitable activities are received by way of grants, sponsorship and box office and other festival income, and are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities. Incoming resources where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charitable company are recognised when the charitable company beoomes unconditionally entitled to the income.
## **Resources expended**
Resources expended are recognised on an accruals basis when a liability is incurred, as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charitable company to the expenditure. Expenditure includes any VAT, which cannot be recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charitable company in the delivery of its activities. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Governance costs include those costs primarily associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charitable company and include the auditors' remuneration and legal fees and costs linked to the charitable company's compliance with regulation and good practice.
13
**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on the basis of estimates of the proportion of time spent by staff on those activities.
## **Operating leases**
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activites as incurred over the term of the lease.
## **Pensions**
The charity operates a stakeholder pension scheme for its employees.
The charity has no liability beyond making its contributions and paying across the deductions for the employee's contributions.
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.
Tangible fixed assets are depreciated at rates calculated to write off the costs of each asset over its estimated useful life as follows:
Office Equipment
33% Straight line basis
## **Debtors**
Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any discount offered.
## **Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and any short term highly liquid investments and deposit accounts.
## **Creditors and provisions**
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any discounts due.
## **Financial instruments**
The charity has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently at their settlement value.
14
THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Total**|**Total**|
|**2**|**Grants receivable**|£|£|£|£|
||**United Kingdom**|||||
||Arts Council England|286,073||286,073|286,073|
||Kirklees Council|30,000||30,000|30,000|
||Kirklees Council (HAF Programme)||2,640|2,640|3,300|
||PRS Foundation||10,000|10,000|11,000|
||PRS Foundation previous years||||7,500|
||University of Huddersfield|40,000||40,000|40,000|
||Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation||16,557|16,557|20,735|
||Hinrichsen Foundation||8,000|8,000|8,000|
||British Council||2,000|2,000|9,750|
||Vaughan Williams Foundation||5,000|5,000|5,000|
||The Marchus Trust||5,000|5,000||
||Diaphonique, Franco-British-Irish fund for classical contemporary music||||5,162|
||Octopus Collective|340||340||
||We are IVE ltd||||100|
|||356,413|49,197|405,610|426,620|
||**Overseas**|||||
||Culture Ireland||25,491|25,491|36,865|
||Creative Europe (Sounds Now)||36,062|36,062||
||Lithuanian Culture Institute||36,213|36,213|20,828|
||Goethe-lnstitut London||5,078|5,078|1,730|
||Pro Helvetia||||9,813|
||Music Finland||24,510|24,510||
||European Festivals Funds for Emerging Artists (EFFEA)||||1,145|
||||127,354|127,354|70,381|
||Total Grants|356.413|176,551|532,964|497,001|
|||||**2025**|**2024**|
|**3**|**Box office and other festival income**|||£|£|
||Net festival box office income|||24,713|27,168|
||Broadcasting fees - BBC Radio|||7,533|12,198|
|||||32,246|39,366|
HCMF is also extremely grateful for the intangible in-kind support provided by the University of Huddersfield which is estimated to have amounted to £ 31,650 during the year (2024:£31,650)
15
**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Support costs|
|Artists fees|Other direct|Staff|Office|2025|
|&expenses|costs|Costs|Costs|Total|
|4|Total resources expended|£|£|£|£|£|
|Contemporary Music Festival|168,604|53,215|138,374|4,898|365,091|
|Building Fundraising Capacity|12,489|12,489|
|Leaming & Participation Programme|3,322|13,477|16,799|
|Festival and Audience Development|9,131|16,033|25,164|
|Sounds Now Project|50,556|31,038|11,730|93,324|
|Governance Costs|46,000|13,447|59,447|
|222,482|93,384|238,103|18,345|572,314|
|—|ee|SS|
**----- End of picture text -----**
Support costs are allocated on the basis of estimates of the proportion of time spent by staff on those activities.
Cost allocation includes an element of judgement and the charity has had to consider the cost benefit of detailed calculations and record keeping. Therefore the support costs shown above are a best estimate of the costs that have been so allocated.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
||||
|---|---|---|
|2025|2024|
|Total costs include:|£|£|
|Independent examination remuneration|1,500|1,500|
|Depreciation|405|975|
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **5 Remuneration and reimbursement of expenses to the Committee of Management**
No member of the Committee of Management received payment for their services during the year .(2024 £1,400 L Bowler Performance and commission fee)
The charity reimbursed out of pocket expenses of £179 to 1 member of the Committee of Management during the year (2024: 4 members £1,206).
## **6**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
||||
|---|---|---|
|2025|2024|
|Staff costs and consultants|£|£|
|Employees:|
|Salaries and wages|157,980|147,195|
|Social security costs|10,702|9,034|
|Pension Costs|3,504|3,171|
|172,186|159,400|
|Consultants|19,298|20,664|
|191.484|180,064|
**----- End of picture text -----**
16
THE **HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART** OF THE **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** FOR THE **YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
The number of employees whose emoluments as defined for laxation purposes amounted to over £60,000 in the year was nil (2024 nil).
The average number of employees calculated on a full-time equivalent basis, analysed by function was
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**Number**|Number|
||Festival Programme|2|2|
||Festival Development|1|1|
||Governance|2|2|
|||5|5|
|||Office|Total|
|||Equipment||
|7|Tangible fixed assets|£|£|
||Cost|||
||At 1 April 2024|16,552|16,552|
||Additions|||
||At 31 March 2025|16,552|16,552|
||**Depreciation**|||
||At 1 April 2024|15,741|15,741|
||Charge for year|405|405|
||At 31 March 2025|16,146|16,146|
||**Net book value**|||
||At 31 March 2025|406|406|
||At 31 March 2024|811|811|
|**8**|**Debtors**|£|£|
||Income receivable|53,235|83,829|
||Prepayments|1,051|1,665|
||VAT recoverable|8,283|10,938|
|||62,569|96,432|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|**9**|**Creditors, amounts falling due within one year**|**£**|£|
||Other trade creditors|19,316|70,870|
||Accruals|46,598|52,307|
|||65,914|123,177|
17
THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC f:ESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
||||||**Transfers**|**Transfers**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||Incoming|**Resources**|**between**|||
|||**2024**||**expended**|**funds**||**2025**|
|**10**|**Statement of funds**|£|£|£||£|£|
||**Unrestricted funds**|||||||
||General Fund|53,489|**397,879**|**(395,763)**|:|-|**55,605**|
||**Designated Fund**|||||||
||Organisational Resilience fund|||||||
|||**53,489**|**397,879**|**(395,763)**|||**55,605**|
||**Restricted Funds**|||||||
||Artistic Programme Fund||137,849|(137,849).||||
||Leaming and Participation Fund||2,640|(2,640)||||
||Sounds Now Project||36,062|(36,062)||||
||||**176,551**|**(176,551)**||||
||**Total Funds**|**53,489**|**574,430**|**574,430**
**(572,314)**|||**55,605**|
||||||**Transfers**|||
||||**Incoming**|**Resources**|**between**|||
|||**2023**|**resources**|**expended**|**funds**||**2024**|
||**Statement of funds**|£|£|£||£|£|
||**Unrestricted funds**|||||||
||General Fund|**87,322**|**410,268**|**(459,101)**||**15,000**|**53,489**|
||**Designated**Fund|||||||
||Organisational Resilience fund|**15,000**||||**(15,000)**||
|||**102,322**|**410,268**|**(459,101)**|||**53,489**|
||**Restricted**Funds|||||||
||Artistic Programme Fund|**2,735**|137,628|(140,363)||||
||Learning and Participation Fund||3,300|(3,300)||||
||Sounds Now Project|**35,470**||(35,470)||||
|||**38,205**|**140,928**|**928**
**(179,133)**||||
||**Total Funds**|**140,527**|**551,196**|**551,196**
**(638,234)**|||**53,489**|
18
THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
## Artistic Programme Fund
In order for HCMF to deliver elements of the Festival programme, specific applications were submitted in the year ending 31 March 2025 to a number of trusts, foundations and overseas bodies.
## Learning and Participation Fund
This fund represents monies received _from_ several funders to enable hcmf to deliver a year round learning and participation programme.
## **Creative Europe (Sounds Now Project)**
This fund represents funding received from the Creative Europe program of the European Union in relation to the delivery of the Sounds Now project. Centering on three pillars of diversity (gender/gender identity, ethnic and socio-economic background), Sounds Now aims to actively stimulate inclusion by focusing on the social and artistic role of the curator in contemporary classical music and sound art.
## **Organisational Resilience** Fund
Established in 2021 to be drawn upon at the Trustees' discretion, in order to respond dynamically to changes in the environment in which the charity operates and secure its future sustainability. Funds were drawn in 2024.
## **11**
||**General**|Designated|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Fund|Fund|Funds||
|**Analysis of net assets between funds**|£|£|£|£|
|Fund balances at 31 March 2025 are represented by:|||||
|Tangible fixed assets|406|406||406|
|Net current assets/(liabilities)|55,199|55,199||55,199|
||55,605|55,605||55,605|
||**General**|**Designated**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||Fund|**Fund**|**Funds**||
|**Analysis of net assets between funds-previous year**|£|£|£|£|
|Fund balances at 31 March 2024 are represented by:|||||
|Tangible fixed assets|811|811||811|
|Net current assets/(liabilities)|52,678|52,678||52,678|
||53,489|53,489||53,489|
## **12 Related party transactions**
Professor Michael Clarke and Professor Nie Clear are employed by the University of Huddersfield. The University of Huddersfield made a financial contribution of £40,000 to HCMF in the year (2024: £40,000) and provided office space and venue rent free.
_Dr_ Michael Peake provided a donation of £1,300 (2024:£1,575) to the Festival in the year.
19
**THE HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
## **13 Taxation**
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Limited is a registered charity and therefore is not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income or gains derived from its charitable activities, as they fall within the various exemptions available to registered charities.
## **14 Liability of members**
The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of the members in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £1 each.
## **15**
**Reconciliation of net movements** in **funds to net cash flow from operating activities**
|**Reconciliation of net movements**in**funds to net cash flow from operating activities**|**funds to net cash flow from operating activities**||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||£|£|
|Net movement in funds|2,116|(87,038)|
|Add back depreciation charge|405|975|
|Deduct interest income shown in investing activities|(1,363)|(2,175)|
|Decrease (increase) in debtors|33,863|(8,813)|
|Increase (decrease) in creditors|(57,263}|62,396|
|**Net cash used in operating activities**|(22,242)|(34,655)|
20