DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
**Registered number: 01850803 Charity number: 515660**
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
**(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Annual report**
**Year ended 30 September 2021**
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Contents**
||Page|
|---|---|
|Reference and administrative details|1|
|Trustees' report|2 - 20|
|Trustees' responsibilities statement|21|
|Independent auditor's report|22 - 25|
|Statement of financial activities|26|
|Balance sheet|27|
|Statement of cash flows|28|
|Notes to the financial statements|29 - 47|
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Reference and administrative details Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **Trustees**
Siu-Wai Ng (appointed 30 June 2021) David Roper (appointed 1 May 2021) Patricia Marion Keir Andrew Garth Pollard Rebecca Helen Driver James Simon Olley Michael John Strutt Georgina Alison Robb Gregor Stanley Watson Margaret O'Shea Gillian Frances Hillier
## **Company registered number**
01850803
## **Charity registered number**
515660
## **Registered office**
The Rivergreen Centre Aykley Heads Durham DH1 5TS
## **Key management team**
Ben Parry, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Anne Besford, Chief Executive Mark Anyan, General Manager
## **Independent auditor**
UNW LLP Chartered Accountants Citygate St James' Boulevard Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JE
## **Bankers**
Barclays Bank plc Holmfirth Huddersfield HD9 2DW
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report Year ended 30 September 2021**
The Trustees present their annual report together with the audited financial statements for the year 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021. The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company’s governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
## **Objectives and Activities**
## **Objectives**
The mission of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) is to inspire and empower young people throughout the UK through the life changing experience of singing together. We are a national champion for youth choral music, standing for artistic excellence, creative diversity, and openness and relevance to all.
- We achieve our mission by:
- delivering excellent and innovative training and progression opportunities nurturing talented young singers at a national level;
- providing exceptional performance opportunities, extending the reach and showcasing the diversity of youth choral music;
- engaging and inspiring more young people through participation in strategic and targeted singing programmes with partners;
- establishing NYCGB’s role as a national champion and sector leader for youth choral music and music education;
- developing organisational resilience, ensuring NYCGB is fit for purpose and able to clearly demonstrate the impact of its work.
_“Undoubtedly, being a member of this organisation has changed the course of my life.”_ National Youth Choir Member
_“It has enabled me to be able to do the thing that I love most, which is to sing and to sing with other people, at this incredibly high standard. It has given me so much more confidence in music and myself and it gives me so much to look forward to.”_
NYCGB Junior Choir Member
## **Activities for achieving objectives**
_“We are more than just a choir: we are a community with a shared passion for singing and the life-changing opportunities it can offer.”_
Ben Parry, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, NYCGB
We are the most exciting, innovative and accessible organisation for young choral singers across the UK, providing our young people with unbeatable opportunities to develop skills in music and performance, leadership and teamwork, and to grow in confidence and aspiration. Excellence and inclusivity are core values guiding our work and are embodied in the design, delivery and ethos of all our programmes. Everything we do, we do with passion and a belief that all young people should have equal access to high-quality singing programmes and progression opportunities.
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
NYCGB is in the middle of an exciting and ambitious five-year plan to develop our role as a national champion for youth choral music, focusing on four principal areas of activity:
**i. Educational Courses** – offering over 900 of the country’s most talented young singers aged 9-25 the higheststandard of choral training and participation opportunities annually, including engaging with professional conductors, composers, musicianship and vocal coaches, and guest artists. We are divided into four choirs – our flagship National Youth Choir (age 18-25) incorporating the National Youth Chamber Choir, mixed-voice National Youth Training Choir (age 14-18), National Youth Girls' Choir (age 9-15), and National Youth Boys’ Choir (age 9-15) – forming an unrivalled pathway for young singers to progress.
**ii. Performances** – unique opportunities for choir members to take part in concert performances and events, including the BBC Proms and major arts festivals, national commemorations, international touring, digital recordings, music videos and broadcasts, including performing new works from leading composers.
**iii. Learning and Engagement** – open access learning and engagement opportunities for young people nationally to explore and be inspired by singing together, discovering and progressing their vocal talent through joined-up regional and national pathways. More than 3,500 young people and multiple local partners are engaged each year in areas of high social deprivation and low levels of accessible cultural activities, improving access and inclusion, and supporting delivery of the National Plan for Music Education.
**iv. Emerging Professional Artists** – supporting exceptionally talented young choral artists through tailored initiatives such as the NYCGB Fellowship programme (for future choral leaders skilled at delivering learning and engagement programmes as well as performance) and the NYCGB Young Composers scheme (supporting a new generation of talented composers from diverse backgrounds and regions).
Supporting young people and equipping them with the tools and experiences to excel musically, educationally and socially is at the heart of all our work. We aim to lead the way in choral music, developing new and accessible artistic and educational approaches to inspire and engage young people at all stages of their development.
NYCGB’s programme is structured, therefore, to create essential, accessible pathways to support our participants from the point when they discover their voice to the development of their talent at the highest level. These pathways enable many more young people to reap the musical, personal and social benefits of singing, and fulfil their potential in whatever career path they choose to pursue, inside or outside music.
We uphold NYCGB’s trademark artistic brilliance through ambitious, diverse and representative programming, which will challenge and excite young singers from all backgrounds. Programmes are young people-centred and inclusive, relevant to and informed by young people themselves who we value and empower as co-creators.
Over the last ten years, NYCGB has worked to transform and develop the organisation, putting in place the necessary staffing, systems, fundraising, planning, policies and programmes to support sustainable growth and strategic expansion. A dedicated core artistic and operational staffing team, together with a pool of over 100 freelance specialists, provide support to deliver against NYCGB’s aims and objectives. This includes specialist development support to help raise funds to deliver the strategic plan. Artistic programmes are led by outstanding professional conductors, music leaders and guest artists – experts in their fields – and supported by a dedicated pastoral care team.
NYCGB is a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England and the Department for Education. NYCGB has an agreed business plan for the period 2018 to 2022 setting out our exciting organisational vision, values and strategy. In December 2021 we were awarded NPO extension funding for the period April 2022 to March 2023.
## **Activities undertaken for public benefit**
The activities undertaken by the Charity for the public benefit are described throughout this report. The trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives in planning future activities.
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **Access and financial assistance**
NYCGB believes that all young people should have the opportunity to sing, and that access to membership of the national choirs should be on the basis of talent and potential alone.
No young person should be prevented from taking part in our programmes and missing out on the associated benefits because of their financial circumstances. The costs of taking part in NYCGB programmes are subsidised for all participants and a key message in the promotion of NYCGB auditions and opportunities is the availability of additional generous financial assistance for young people from low-income families to support costs of auditions, membership, uniform costs, course fees, associated travel and attendance at events and concerts for members and their families.
The development of our national Learning and Engagement programme has continued to enable us to reach a greater number of talented young singers from an increasingly wide range of backgrounds and we continue to see an ongoing growth in demand for financial assistance awards. In 2013-14 we assisted 115 young people with 126 awards; in 2020-21 this has increased to 263 bursaries awarded to 169 recipients. The total direct value of these awards was £69,990, which, despite the continued impact of Covid-19 on our programmes, represented a small increase on the level of awards made in 2019, pre-pandemic. This represented essential support for one in five of our membership and totalled 12% of our overall income from fees.
We continue to project a growing need to remove financial barriers to participation for more young singers, which is likely to be further increased by the impact of the pandemic. We will continue to support financial assistance through securing funding from regional and national Trusts and Foundations, growing our base of individual donors, and investing in additional awards through funds generated by our investments.
_“I have never seen Alfie so enthused and engaged as he was to tell us about his week with NYCGB. I saw the boy who fell in love with singing all those years ago, get his sparkle back! He is looking at other ways to ensure that he can sing more regularly, and he just has his passion back! Thank you all so much. He really would not be able to do this without the bursary and we are truly grateful.”_ Parent of Boys’ Choir member 2021
_“I am grateful for the assistance which enabled me to take part this year. Attending the Training Choir residential course in person was the highlight of my summer. Singing together in a choir at the beautiful Rossall School setting after being online for so long truly felt incredible. It gave me an opportunity to explore the possibilities, discover my strength, and increased confidence. Also, I met wonderful people and can’t wait to see them and make music together again next year.”_ National Youth Training Choir Member 2021
_Having a bursary for the year was invaluable - after graduating in June 2020, I spent a long time unemployed and claiming Universal Credit, so money was tight. I have to say a huge thank you to everybody who supports NYCGB financially, because the organisation has had a hugely positive impact on my life.”_ National Youth Choir Member 2021
## **Achievements and performance**
## **Creativity in adversity**
In 2020-21, NYCGB has had to be flexible and creative in our planning in order to navigate the unique and ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure that the organisation is in a solid position to pursue the growth that is needed to achieve our future ambitions in 2022 and beyond.
Nevertheless, we remained determined throughout to deliver a high-quality programme which would meet our organisational and charitable aims and objectives – bringing young people together, supporting their musical and personal development through exceptional learning opportunities, developing emerging choral professionals, delivering diverse and excellent creative and performance outcomes and, alongside this, continuing to support both our team of permanent and freelance staff and the wider choral and music education infrastructure. Support from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and our regular funders and donors
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
meant we were able to do so.
Building on the successes and learning of the previous year, we have adapted as the landscape of Covid-19 guidance and restrictions continued to evolve. This has included continuing to develop digital and hybrid approaches to support and enhance delivery of our programmes, as well as leading the way in returning to inperson residentials and other activities and live performance when it has been possible and safe to do so. As a result, we have continued to engage and inspire our members and participants, emerging artists, audiences and wider communities.
## **Review of activities**
## **Auditions**
NYCGB continues to recruit widely for our national choirs by auditioning young people from across the breadth of the UK. In 2020, we moved our entire auditions programme online for membership activities in 2020-21. Across 33 audition days (our highest number ever), 588 auditions took place, which we were pleased to note was consistent with equivalent audition numbers in the previous year. Existing National Youth Choir members were given a ‘free pass’ into the 2021 programme due to Covid disruption. 450 (76.5%) applicants were successful in being awarded places to join the choirs as a new member or to progress through the choirs.
We are continuing to take action to be a more inclusive and representative organisation and, in October 2020, we implemented new approaches to our National Youth Girls’, Boys’ and Training Choir auditions with the aim of making them more accessible and growing the pool and the diversity of candidates. Changes were made to the format, scoring criteria and communications to prioritise vocal talent and potential. 20% of auditionees were from Black, Asian or other ethnically diverse backgrounds, compared with 16% in the previous year, which provides an early indication that these changes have had an impact in this area.
Covid-19 required us to move to a fully digital format, which has continued in 2021, however further work to review the long-term approach to auditions and to engage further with under-represented groups and communities is underway, with further changes expected to be implemented in 2022.
## **Courses and Training**
NYCGB’s programme of innovative training and progression opportunities for our national choirs in 2020-21 continued to be severely impacted by Covid-19. Three-quarters of the years’ programme was delivered under significant national restrictions on group gatherings, live performances, educational activities and singing. From July, in the final quarter of the year, we were able to make a welcome return to in-person, residential activities, which were carefully and extensively planned to be Covid-secure. Despite the challenges, we recorded 1,062 participants in membership programmes across the year.
The flagship National Youth Choir commenced the third year of the new Annual Programme, which aims to offer unbeatable musical experiences and development opportunities for members. The programme empowers them to develop advanced vocal skills and perform more challenging works, supports creative collaborations with a diversity of artists across a range of musical genres and offers leadership and personal development opportunities through roles as Section Leaders, Member Representatives and volunteers.
The Choir’s autumn Discovery Weekend took place online, as did a December gathering replacing the planned performances as part of the Royal Albert Hall Christmas programme, which were sadly cancelled. In spring, green shoots emerged as, alongside an online Spring project, a small group of National Youth Choir members were excited to be able to meet for the first time and record two choruses from Handel’s Messiah, livestreamed as part of the London Handel Festival’s Messiah:Reimagined. July saw a joyous return to live rehearsal and performance for the whole National Youth Choir for the first time since December 2019, with an extended 16day residential including performances at the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary concert and the Three Choirs Festival.
The National Youth Girls’, Boys’ and Training Choirs also continued to meet online for their spring programmes in 2021. In addition to daily vocal and musicianship activities, as a core element, the choirs collaborated with internationally renowned beatboxer and music producer SK Shlomo. They explored extended vocal techniques
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
and sampling, creating an interactive video for Girls’ and Boys’ Choirs and a new music track, 'Open Your Mind', with the Training Choir. August saw the Girls’, Boys’ and Training Choirs meeting in-person for the first time in two years, with delivery of five national residential courses across four weeks. Despite the necessity of carefully managed bubbles, all the residentials had a focus on ‘recreating ensemble’ – developing musicianship, rebuilding voices (particularly in the case of members with changed voices) and working together with other young singers to explore and enjoy a range of music.
_“Being around people who share the same love for music gave me a huge sense of belonging. Lockdown was very hard for me and music really helped me through hard times and being surrounded by others who share that sense of passion for music was really incredible. Everyone is so talented and when pieces come together, the feeling of achievement we feel as a group is immense”_ National Youth Training Choir Member, 2021
Whether online or in-person, NYCGB has continued to be ambitious in offering our choir members rich and inspirational learning experiences. Building on the experiences of 2020, creative teams embraced the unique opportunities afforded by Zoom to engage our members, give them fresh perspectives on the vast potential of choral singing and new confidence to explore their own voice, creativity and expression. While true choral singing was impossible, online more intensive musicianship, ‘Sing the Score’ sessions, deep dives into different choral genres, live composition and creative collaborations were all valuable activities. We also continued to embrace the exciting opportunity to connect participants with an unforgettable, diverse roster of guest artists and speakers covering the breadth of choral and musical practice. Highlights included Andre de Quodros, Victoria Liedbergius, Ken Burton, Gareth Malone, Phillippa Healey and Ralf Schmitt for Girls’ Boys and Training Choirs; and The Swingles, Shiva Feshareki and Hollywood composer Thomas Newman for the National Youth Choir.
_“Obviously, it was fantastic to sing in person again, but NYCGB has really made use of Zoom allowing us to meet incredible musicians from across the world, rather than trying to emulate live rehearsals.”_ National Youth Choir Member 2021
We continued to celebrate the artistic theme of ‘Cultural Identity’ across NYCGB’s programme in 2020-21. Originally inspired by the theme of the planned World Symposium on Choral Music 2020, the inherent notions of family, identity, place, community, culture, colonialism, partnership and freedom felt more relevant than ever to explore with our young people through music.
NYCGB has remained committed to ensuring a diverse balance of musical programming and has continued to champion music composed or arranged by artists who have historically been under-represented in the choral music sector. Through member forums and discussions, we encourage our young people to explore the wider context of choral music and deepen their understanding beyond the notes on the page. We continue to include a range of voices and perspectives in our planning processes, including our Creative Forum members, and our Member Representatives. Elected each year by their peers, the reps contribute to evaluation, strategic planning, Board meetings and are now vital organisational voices ensuring that our programmes remain relevant and inspiring to the young people at the heart of NYCGB.
## **Performances, Commissions and Recordings**
The opportunity to showcase the breadth and brilliance of the NYCGB choirs and their work to a wider audience has remained an important facet of our programme. We have worked creatively and collaboratively during the year to deliver a range of performance outcomes across both live performance and digital platforms.
NYCGB choirs gave a total of 8 live performances in 2020-21 to an audience of 8,256. These included end-ofcourse showcases for members’ families in summer, as well as prestigious public performances as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary and the Three Choirs Festival. We were also delighted that the National Youth Chamber Choir was invited back to the BBC Proms in August, to perform Mozart’s 'Requiem' with Britten Sinfonia. This was, of course, substantially fewer live performances than pre-pandemic, but a significant achievement in the circumstances.
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
However, the choirs also participated in a further 8 livestreamed events and concerts, with an incredible audience reach of 216,843. These outcomes are thanks in large part to new digital performance partnerships with the London Handel Festival as part of Messiah:Reimagined and Voces8 for the Live from London concert series.
Alongside our concert performance programme, NYCGB continues to create and release a wide range of digital content across platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and Amazon Digital, and participates in additional broadcast opportunities as part of our Digital Plan. Throughout 2020-21 this has continued to be an essential strand of our work to widen public engagement with NYCGB’s programme and with the richness and diversity of choral music. 17 digital recordings and eight music videos were released during the year, receiving over 140,000 streams and views. Eight radio broadcasts reached a further estimated audience of 780,000. Streams and views across NYCGB’s full catalogue on YouTube and Spotify reached over 2.8 million.
NYCGB continues to lead the way in commissioning and creating innovative new choral music. The Choirs’ programme included three new commissions:
- The National Youth Choir premiered 'Otherworld', a new work for choir and turntable by British-Iranian composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki, which explores harmonic overtones as the central space between humans and the cosmos.
- Jo Marsh composed a new work 'A short story of falling', for the National Youth Girls’ Choir rehearsed and premiered to family and friends at the Girls’ Choir residentials in the summer. The piece will be recorded and given a public premiere in 2022.
- Nathan James Dearden, a graduate of the 2020 NYCGB Young Composers scheme, was commissioned to write a new work 'i breathe' for the National Youth Training Choir, who livestreamed the premiere performance from their residential in Suffolk. A setting of three Welsh haiku to music, Nathan explored his own connection to the landscape of his home country.
In addition, the National Youth Choir performed as part of the world premiere of David Arnold’s 'A Circle of Sound' – a ten movement piece created to celebrate the 150-year history of the Royal Albert Hall.
2021 also saw NYCGB partner with Choir & Organ Magazine as part of their New Music Series partnership. Four graduates from the NYCGB Young Composers scheme were commissioned across the year to write and publish new works.
We seek to ensure that new choral music is exciting and relevant for our young people, by involving them as collaborators and co-creators in the creative process in their own right. The National Youth Training Choir’s work with SK Shlomo in spring is an excellent example of this approach. Choir members provided themes and content in the form of samples and then worked closely with Shlomo to shape the creation and editing of what become the track 'Open Your Mind'. In 2021, the National Youth Choir also began work with The Swingles to collaborate in the development of their spring 2022 performance.
## **Learning and Engagement**
NYCGB strives to increase the accessibility of high-quality singing opportunities across the UK and to empower more young people through the transformative and powerful experience of singing together. Despite the growing body of evidence of the personal and social benefits of music-making, opportunities for young people to participate and develop their skills vary widely. Sadly, the pandemic has only exacerbated these issues.
Through our national Learning and Engagement programme we aim to inspire more young people in state education and from a wider range of backgrounds to discover and progress their passion for singing, through inclusive and high quality regional and national opportunities. Using our unique musical and educational expertise, we seek to understand barriers and challenges for young people and work with partners including schools, Music Education Hubs and music organisations to create bespoke singing programmes that meet local needs and help remove regional inequalities in singing provision and participation. All opportunities are free at the point of access for young participants
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
This strand of our programme has continued to be impacted by Covid-19 and the associated disruption to education and youth activities. We had hoped that circumstances would allow us to reboot in-person activities in schools and communities by early 2021, but the second lockdown meant it wasn’t possible to resume any live engagement activities until the summer term and we have delivered with a hybrid of online and live activity.
During the first part of the year, therefore, we continued to find alternative ways of developing and delivering our national programme to support young people to develop their singing, achieve a greater reach and engagement of young people and build new networks to raise awareness of NYCGB and our opportunities. This has included digital activities such as digital workshops and livestreamed performance events, online CPD with music teachers and leaders and interactive Open Events for young people and family groups to explore NYCGB’s offer and activities. In addition, we have begun to develop a pilot suite of digital learning resources to support young people to develop their musicianship through singing.
With careful planning, from the summer term we were able to restart in-person delivery within our existing strategic partnerships, which are targeted in areas where young people are less likely to be able to take part in cultural activities and more likely to face financial, cultural, geographical or aspirational barriers. Current target regions are the North East, where we are delivering the Gillian Dickinson Young Singers programme over three years, Yorkshire (particularly North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire) where we are developing a new partnership with RNCM and the West Midlands. We have continued to need to be responsive to challenging circumstances on the ground, revising and rescheduling activity as needed. However, work has included introductory workshops and Ready Steady Sings, CPD activity, and targeted progression initiatives to support young singers with vocal potential and help develop progression routes.
_I feel more confident about singing I learned you don’t have to be embarrassed when you sing I like to sing and I am looking into joining a choir. It made me feel extremely happy! Amazing…Hilarious… Exciting! I am better at singing than I thought It made me feel more confident It made me feel happy and proud of myself._ Learning and Engagement Participant Feedback
" _I won't underestimate what the children CAN do. I loved how easily the children picked up the songs and sing in harmony."_
_"Thank you so much for yesterday. Myself and the children absolutely loved the workshop. Ben was absolutely fab and very inspirational. He was so passionate about what he was delivering and the children responded so well to him. We all loved learning the songs and even repeated them today on the field, as we were doing our daily mile! We even had some duets._ "
Teacher and Music Leader Feedback
We were particularly delighted in September to launch a focused Young Vocal Leaders programme in Sunderland in partnership with Sunderland Music Education Hub, which has aimed to provide an opportunity for young people in the area to develop their musical and leadership skills and to support the development of a new youth choir for Sunderland. The programme will continue into 2021-22.
_“When it was first mentioned, it was all about giving musical careers and help to young children who don’t access it much because we don’t have much in the North East. I thought I would be happy if I could help someone else have an opportunity, whilst also having one for myself and being able to help other children and young people.”_
Sunderland Young Vocal Leader
Across the Learning and Engagement programme, we reached and inspired 1,390 young people and a further 109 family groups. 207 young people were supported to take part in progression activities and encouraged to
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
take their singing further. In addition, over 750 people attended showcase performance events as audience members, to support the achievements of participants. 574 teachers and music leaders took part in our online CPD sessions – more than ten times as many as in the previous year. We were also delighted to continue to offer opportunities for National Youth Choir members to develop peer leadership skills through volunteering to support regional learning activities.
## **Professional support and development**
As part of NYCGB’s sector leadership role we support the professional development of the next generation of professional artists, nurturing talent from the widest diversity of backgrounds and shaping the future of choral music so that it is vibrant, innovative and relevant.
In 2020-21 we recruited our sixth cohort of talented aspiring professionals aged 18 to 25 to take part in the annual NYCGB Fellowship training programme, which aims to develop participants as effective choral leaders and educators as well as performers. Following a review in 2020, the Fellowship was restructured to comprise a cohort of four artists with an increased focus on the choral leadership and education aspects of the programme as well as greater collaboration with the NYCGB Young Composers. The four Fellows benefitted from an extensive hybrid programme of online and in-person training and mentorship by leading representatives from the choral and wider music sector (e.g. Jonathan Dove, Nicki Kennedy, Esther Jones, Voces8, Suzzie Vango and Berty Rice) live, recorded and broadcast performances and paid opportunities to work on NYCGB residentials and supporting learning and engagement activities.
_“Suzie’s morning session was so useful especially for me as a teacher - all of the material and teaching methods will really help me in the classroom. The conducting session was just super fun and supportive, and as ever, NYCGB creating a safe space for development and conversation.”_ Shivani Rattan, Fellow 2021
_“Everything about it was enjoyable - getting to finally meet everyone in person, sing with people, hold meaningful conversations without internet problems, and getting a chance to work with incredible musicians. I particularly enjoyed the session with Jonathan Dove, as I've been a huge fan of his music since my first year at university.”_ Ben Goodall, Fellow 2021
In January 2021 we successfully completed the second year of the NYCGB Young Composers scheme, which aims to support four emerging composers from a diverse range of cultural, geographical and musical backgrounds and to develop their skills composing for ensemble voice. Together with our new commissions programme the NYCGB Young Composers scheme is an exciting and central part of NYCGB’s commitment to the support of innovative new choral music and to embedding diversity and representation at the heart of our music policy. The 2020 programme culminated with the launch of an album of their works, released by programme partners NMC Recordings.
We recruited the third cohort of Young Composers who commenced their year-long programme in February with a weekend of introductory workshops together with the new Fellows. An extensive programme of training has been delivered, including masterclasses with professional freelance artists (e.g. Alexandra Harwood, Bob Chilcott, Shiva Feshareki), participation in online and in-person NYCGB residential courses, music industry and technology workshops with partners Stainer & Bell and Dorico, creative retreats at Snape with Britten Pears Arts, and joint creative music-making workshops with the Fellows. The 2021 Young Composers’ album will be launched at the NYCGB Showcase event in February 2022.
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
_“The last two months (May and June 2021) were packed with exciting activities. The first event in May presented us the opportunity to meet with Bob Chilcott and hear about his path as a composer. It is always fascinating to learn about composers’ journeys and be able to ask questions about the creative process. In addition, I was absolutely thrilled to be able to sing with the Fellows, expertly led by Suzzie Vango, especially after such a long period of silence which we have experienced as musicians!”_ Kristina Arakelyan, Young Composer 2021
_“In the afternoon we were joined by composer Jonathan Dove — what an experience! Jonathan shared his many insights about writing for voices of all types, from vast works for orchestra and choruses to intimate works for four solo singers. It was very inspiring to hear about his process, and to be given the chance to ask questions in such an open forum.”_
Derri Lewis, Young Composer 2021
While Covid-19 has impacted on our emerging professional artists programmes, requiring us to be flexible with our training and development plans, the two schemes have lent themselves particularly well to a hybrid model of delivery with very successful online training sessions and opportunities to observe and participate in NYCGB’s digital courses. The small size of the cohorts mean it has been easier to plan and deliver within Covid restrictions in-person masterclasses, recording sessions and other activities such as the Young Composers’ retreats.
_The Young Composers and Fellowship schemes are about nurturing the creative voices that will help to shape our future – never has there been a more important time to invest in the next generation of leaders, collaborators and music-makers.”_
Lincoln Abbotts, ABRSM
## **Inclusion and Representation**
NYCGB is committed to being an inclusive and representative organisation – we passionately embrace our responsibility as a national organisation to ensure that the widest range of young people from all backgrounds are able to participate in ensemble singing and musical experiences of the highest quality. We want all talented young singers to experience what NYCGB has to offer, and to be supported to thrive and contribute equally to our community. As a sector leader we also have an important role to play to ensure that choral music is relevant and representative and to champion inclusive practice, influence wider change and address social injustice.
In winter 2020-21, NYCGB participated in the pilot I’M IN programme developed by Music Masters and audited our current strengths and weaknesses in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion. To effect meaningful change, we recognised the need to focus on action. Following the audit process we developed a new Equality Diversity and Inclusion action plan, which sets out the priority actions we are taking over the next two years across all areas of our work to:
- become more inclusive and representative;
- create and promote a culture of belonging within the organisation and the wider music sector;
- be more relevant to young people;
- champion best practice so that anyone who wants to be part of the choral music sector is encouraged and supported to maximise their true potential.
Key actions we have taken to deliver against the plan in the year have included:
- Creating space at all levels of the organisation for regular and open discussion about EDI issues and approaches;
- Embedding proactive consideration of diversity and representation principles in planning programme;
- Reviewing organisational recruitment processes for participants, staff and trustees to make them more accessible and inclusive, and to ensure all our communities are representative;
- Proactively making connections and working with a more diverse pool of choral musicians and practitioners;
- Developing stronger, more inclusive and welcoming content and messaging and clear information about our EDI actions;
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
- Developing plans to expand young people’s voice throughout the organisation;
- Using our platforms to speak more openly about issues of representation and inclusion and encouraging sharing of practice and dialogue more widely across the sector;
- Commissioning work to better understand both internal and external perceptions of NYCGB;
- Partnering with specialist organisations so that we can develop our understanding of lived experiences and have dialogue with critical friends.
Continuing to develop our work in this area will remain a core priority in future years, and we recognise that sustained investment and action will be required over a longer period in order to see the changes and impact we need, both within NYCGB and the wider sector.
## **Impact – Changing Lives**
Young people are supported to realise their highest ambitions in singing with NYCGB through a diverse array of choral repertoire – from Monteverdi to beatbox. No matter what their background or future ambitions, every singer makes a unique contribution to our community and walks away with a life-changing experience. We work tirelessly to open young people’s eyes to the breadth and beauty of music, and to break down barriers preventing children and young people from engaging with music.
We firmly believe that the benefits of singing extend far beyond the development of musical expertise. Singing with us supports the growth of skills and attributes including confidence, aspiration, teamwork, communication and leadership skills. We enable young people to go out into the world as confident, bright, engaged and empowered individuals who are valuable additions to any organisation or career path, whether or not connected to music.
The feedback we receive from our beneficiaries, partners, stakeholders and alumni provides overwhelming evidence of these many benefits. In 2019-20 we saw the vital importance and impact of NYCGB activities for our community of young people as they navigated challenges of the pandemic. In 2020-21 our ongoing drive to adapt and continue to offer our programmes online and to subsequently return to in-person delivery in the summer has further reinforced this impact.
NYCGB has directly enabled young people to develop musical, personal and social skills and supported their health and wellbeing during an incredibly difficult and disrupted time in their lives. Members in 2021 reported an average score of 8.8/10 for enjoyment of our programmes, 8.2/10 for developing their skills and abilities, 8.8/10 for their sense of belonging to the NYCGB community and 8.2/10 for the positive impact on their health and wellbeing. Some of the qualitative feedback from our young people adds depth to these metrics:
_“It made me feel a part of something again. Singing in a choir is a lovely feeling and a feeling I haven’t been able to feel for a long time now due to lockdown.”_
_“It brought back that sense of community you feel when everyone sings together that we haven't felt for so long.”_
_“NYC just generally makes me feel like I’m coming home after a really long time away. The environment is accepting and safe and then on top of that you’re constantly learning amazing skills.”_
_“It was a lot of fun and everyone was really encouraging and friendly. I learned so much and developed skills and confidence. I also loved being part of the team.”_
_“Not only do you get to learn so much more about singing and practice your skills among other incredible musicians, you also meet some of the best people who will be life-long friends.”_
_“Really enjoyed singing with a big group of good singers, it was a very encouraging experience and I loved the music. It greatly improved my happiness and wellbeing after a long time on virtual lessons.”_
_“I think by chatting to people I didn’t know helped me with my social skills and gave the opportunity to make new friends. I definitely gained a lot of confidence from performing and singing with people I don’t know as well.”_
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
_“Taking part in the activity involves so much more than just singing. I enjoyed the huge variety of genres of music that were introduced by the wonderful guests. I also gained fascinating insights into the worlds of producing and composing music.”_
_“It was amazing to work with and hear from some highly-successful people from the music industry, and to get to know the rest of the choir. Though we're online, I am starting to feel like I really know the choir and cannot wait to see everyone in person!”_
_“There was an amazing atmosphere as everyone was so welcoming and there was so much support from the staff. There was a great variety of pieces in the repertoire from all around the globe which made it a lot more interesting and inclusive.”_ Choir Members’ feedback 2021
## **Principal sources of funding**
The Trustees are incredibly grateful to all our funders who have supported NYCGB during the year. They are particularly pleased to report NYCGB's successful ongoing partnerships with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), Stainer & Bell and Steinberg Media Technologies. ABRSM have supported our Widening Access and Engagement programme and our Fellowship Programme since its launch in 2015. Steinberg Media Technologies sponsored NYCGB’s Emerging Professional Artists programmes and New Music Programme in 2021, which resulted in three new music commissions. Whereas Stainer & Bell continued to support NYCGB’s Young Composers Scheme.
The Trustees wish to record their thanks to major supporters Arts Council England and the Department for Education, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Leverhulme Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Peter Sowerby Foundation, The Ofenheim Trust, Gillian Dickinson Trust, John S Cohen Foundation, John James Bristol Foundation, Holbeck Charitable Trust and The Radcliffe Trust for their kind and ongoing support.
In particular, the Trustees wish to thank and acknowledge the UK Government and Arts Council England for the award of a much-needed Culture Recovery Fund grant of £170,000 in October 2021. This was vital in enabling us to keep the organisation operating during a period where Covid restrictions continued to severely impact on normal operations and on our ability to generate income from our usual sources. As a result, during this challenging period we were able to plan and deliver a hybrid of online and in-person learning to our choral community and to put in place the necessary preparations for a return to in-person delivery in the final quarter of the year.
As in previous years, NYCGB was successful in securing a diverse range of grants from regional and national trusts and foundations and the trustees wish to pay thanks to:
ABRSM; The Alice Cooper Dean Charitable Trust; Andor Charitable Trust; Baron Davenport’s Charity; The Beerling Foundation; Chapman Charitable Trust; John S Cohen Foundation; The Derrill Allatt Foundation; The Earl of Chester’s Fund; The Elmley Foundation; Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation; Esmée Fairbairn Foundation; The Fidelity UK Foundation; The Finzi Trust; The Florence Turner Trust; Garfield Weston Foundation; The Gillian Dickinson Trust; Goldsmith’s Company Charity; The Gwendoline & Margaret Davies Charity; Hadrian Trust; Holbeck Trust; The H.R. Taylor Charitable Trust; Idlewild Trust; The JP Jacobs Charitable Trust; John James Bristol Foundation; The Joseph Strong Frazer Trust; Sir James Knott Trust; The Lawson Trust; The Leverhulme Trust; Lochlands Trust; The Lord Belstead Charitable Settlement; The Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust; Mercers’ Company; The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation; Mulberry Trust; The Norman Family Charitable Trust; The Ofenheim Trust; The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust; The Radcliffe Trust; RVW Trust; Scarfe Charitable Trust; Schroder Charity Trust; Sir James Knott Trust; Stainer & Bell, Steinberg Media Technologies (Dorico); Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust; Veronica Awdry Charitable Trust; The W E Dunn Charitable Trust.
The Trustees would like to extend their gratitude to all the following people who most generously donated their time or money to NYCGB in 2020/21. We would also like to thank all our kind supporters who have chosen to
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
remain anonymous and the Alumni Champions Committee members who continue to have a huge impact on our reach, engagement, and fundraising capacity.
## **Vocal Supporters**
Ben Parry The Baker Family Elfreda Tealby-Watson & Greg Watson Lady Margaret Elliot Christine Evans Andy Farris Prof. Christopher Higgins Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett Adrian Melrose The Munden Family Garth & Lucy Pollard Mr & Mrs R Tett Alex McColl and Charles Wynn-Evans Fiona Yeomans Henrik Wager
## **Gold Friends**
Chris and Elizabeth Byng Bryony Coapes David Aspinall Kieran Cooper Kate Davies Andrew Evans Christian Grobel The Hillier Family Geoff Mountfield Polly Penter Stephen and Lydia Pierce Janet Read Gareth Saunders Mr & Mrs P Touch Mike Wright Fiona Yeomans
**Silver Friends**
The Cox Family Scott & Simone Green Simara Kirapaty James Prescott-Martin Michael Seeney Patrick and Caroline Strafford Carole Varney Tracy & Robert Watson
## **Alumni Champions Committee**
Andy Farris (1980s/1990s) Anna George (née Tonkin: 1980s/1990s) Bryony Coapes (née Lonsdale: 1990s) Charlotte Brosnan (2000s) Charlotte Dougan (née Mobbs: 1990s) Gareth Saunders (1980s/1990s) Liz Hurran (1980s/1990s) Lizzie Spear (née Rowe: 1980s)
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
Simon Wright (1980s)
## **Financial review**
## **Financial position**
The statement of financial activities for 2020-21 shows an annual operating surplus of £84,039 (2019-20 deficit of £45,378). After revaluation of investments, which increased in value by £35,112 (2019-20 gain of £16,530), NYCGB has recorded a net positive movement in funds of £119,151 (2019-20 loss of £28,848).
The Covid-19 pandemic has continued to significantly impact NYCGB financially and operationally, with a further lockdown and closure of schools to mitigate the spread of the pandemic in January 2021 meaning that online provision of our activities had to continue through the spring and into the summer. As a result, NYCGB saw a reduction in income generated through residential courses and performance fees in the first half of our financial year – our principal income earning activity during that time period in pre-pandemic years. Throughout the year we have operated prudently and offset some of the loss of normal income through related reductions in direct programme expenditure and savings in staffing and other operational costs.
We were very grateful and relieved to be awarded a government Cultural Recovery Fund grant of £170,000 in October, which supported NYCGB’s core costs and cashflow during the first half of the financial year, mitigating a substantial trading deficit when normal income streams were significantly lower than usual.
Having successfully navigated a challenging first half to the year, we were fortunately able to plan and prepare to return to Covid-secure, in-person delivery of residential courses, performances and learning and engagement activities by the summer. As a result, we were able to rebuild both earned and fundraised income streams in the second half of the year. Together with the savings achieved in year, this resulted in achieving the reported surplus.
Although our position was affected by the impact of Covid-19 on our programmes, both income and expenditure showed an increase compared with the previous year, when both our spring and summer course and performance programmes had to be cancelled and replaced by online activity. In 2020-21 we were able to draw on our experience of the previous year, and the additional flexibility built into our plans, combined with the ability to return to in-person delivery in the summer contributed to this improvement.
The outturn offsets the deficit of £28,848 reported in the previous financial year and results in a modest surplus position achieved across the two financial years affected by Covid-19 of around 7% of our normal turnover. We are hugely grateful for the help and financial support of donors, suppliers, members and government for their support during this period, which has directly contributed to NYCGB’s ongoing financial stability.
In the face of continued uncertainty around the impact of Covid-19 into 2021-22, Trustees recognise the critical importance of sustaining cash reserves to ensure they are sufficient to provide future security and also recognise the need to support planned investment of surplus funds into activities which will support recovery from the pandemic and ensure organisational resilience and future growth.
## **Reserves policy**
NYCGB's total reserves at 30 September 2021 were £752,626 (30 September 2020, £633,475). Future planning is fundamental to NYCGB’s operation, combining the seasonal nature of annual activities with the necessity of planning programmes and projects more than one year ahead, to link with the expected advance schedules of partner venues and guest artists. The reserves policy reflects the need to provide a degree of security to support advance planning over longer timescales, and to provide confidence to stakeholders that artistic plans are soundly based and funded.
Trustees have previously agreed the need to hold sufficient reserves to cover a suitable period of salary and other operational costs as a budget and cash flow contingency in the event of a significant loss of income. Having reviewed this amount in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020-21 a balance of £400,000 was designated to this purpose. This was determined as the suitable level of budget and cashflow contingency needs to cover the equivalent of 12 months’ staffing costs which will enable NYCGB to manage the organisation
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
through potential future changes in the economic climate or exceptional events and to commit to longer-term planning. Following further review of these costs for 2021-22, £410,000 is now designated as a budget and cash flow contingency.
A Founder's Fund of £106,749 is restricted to providing financial assistance supporting National Youth Choir members to take part in exceptional and additional activities such as international touring, in accordance with the wishes of the donor.
In 2018-19, the Trustees designated a fixed asset fund reflecting the expected amortisation costs of the CRM system over the next five years. The amortisation for the current year amounts to £18,499. This leaves an overall balance of £34,329 in the fund. Grant funding for the project was received and reflected in the accounts in a previous financial year, and currently forms part of NYCGB's reserves.
Trustees recognise their responsibility to ensure that funds are allocated appropriately towards the achievement of NYCGB’s charitable objectives. The organisation is currently undertaking significant work to review vision, mission and strategic aims and developing a new strategic plan for the period 2022-2027. In order to support this work and ensure that NYCGB has the critical future capacity to deliver against our objectives, Trustees have agreed in 2020-21 to re-invest the surplus accrued over the past two years in designated funds aligned with our mission and priorities.
These funds will be allocated as follows:
- Access and inclusion initiatives - £30,000 allocated to provide additional dedicated resources to underpin delivery of NYCGB’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion priorities, including supporting additional financial assistance awards where demand exceeds available funding and supporting the costs of specific access needs and adjustments.
- NYCGB 40th Anniversary - £40,000 to support additional planning, programming and promotional costs or NYCGB’s 40th anniversary in 2023.
- Organisational development - £70,000 allocated to invest in additional staffing capacity in key areas over the next two years, in particular supporting fundraising and communications capacity to support the growth of more sustainable income streams.
- Brand review - £20,000 to support the process of reviewing NYCGB’s high-level brand, identifying clearly the core purpose, vision and values which will underpin the five-year plan and implementing necessary changes.
Excluding balances tied up in designated funds, restricted funds, and fixed assets, NYCGB's total free reserves are £41,548. The experience gained during the period since March 2020, reinforces the need for sufficient reserves to ensure the future of the organisation is sustainable and Trustees will continue to review the reserves position on an annual basis.
## **Investment Policy**
A substantial proportion of funds are required as working capital, which is the cash held to enable the organisation to meet its commitments throughout the year.
The Trustees have agreed to invest a proportion of funds for two key purposes. Firstly, to provide an initial income stream to support the increasing need for access initiatives as NYCGB broadens its reach and, secondly, to invest in the development of exceptional creative projects and programmes (particularly where sources of income are not otherwise available).
In October 2019 an initial investment of £200,000 was used to purchase 1,107 units in the CCLA COIF Charities Investment fund, which comprises the Founder’s Fund and a proportion of NYCGB’s designated budget and cash flow contingency. The intention is to add to this fund as the opportunity arises, and to use the annual interest generated to contribute to the stated access and creative priorities. With the revaluation gain in 2020-21 of £35,112 the fund was valued at £251,642 at 30 September 2021.
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **Going concern**
Given the potential for the ongoing impact of Covid-19 into 2021-22, the Trustees have given careful consideration to the matter of financial sustainability and NYCGB’s viability in the coming months. Trustees have reviewed a number of different budget assumptions, scenarios and cashflow projections. NYCGB now has successfully navigated two financial years that have been affected by Covid-19, and has significant experience of responding and adapting programme and continuing to deliver against our charitable objectives. This means we are confident in our financial projections and that we have thoroughly assessed the potential financial risks and mitigations required.
Trustees believe that NYCGB currently retains a level of reserves sufficient to mitigate immediate financial pressures and to manage anticipated cashflow requirements for the coming year.
After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
## **Financial risk management objectives and policies**
Our management team and our Finance Sub committee robustly monitor financial risks, and in 2021-22 this again includes regular review of a comprehensive budget risk assessment. This ensures appropriate risk mitigation strategies can be implemented and contingency plans can be made. This management of risks is underpinned by a strong reserves policy. This approach ensures that NYCGB (as a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee) meets its legal and charitable financial compliance and probity requirements. The control environment and framework are appropriate for the current and planned future scale of the organisation and assures a strong platform of financial governance and control to NYCGB funders and stakeholders.
To support prudent financial management and mitigation of financial risk, Trustees have carefully considered and agreed an investment strategy, described in the Reserves Policy.
## **Plans for future periods**
While NYCGB is already a national leader, engaging many talented young singers nationwide, by 2030 we want it to be the go-to organisation for any talented young singer in the country who wants to be inspired, challenged and nurtured. We aim to provide unparalleled opportunities for young people from the widest diversity of backgrounds through performance, education and regional, national and international engagement. We want NYCGB to be a household name that all talented young singers, from the widest possible range of social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and from every part of the UK, aspire to join.
NYCGB Trustees approved a new business plan for the period 2018 to 2022 in autumn 2018, and this plan has been updated annually. The plan sets out NYCGB’s ambitious organisational mission and strategic aims across artistic, engagement and learning, national leadership and organisational development strands.
In 2021-22 NYCGB’s programme of activities will continue to contribute towards the delivery of the stated organisational and charitable aims and objectives. Our plans for the period prioritise restablishing core creative programmes, rebuilding levels of engagement and impact, supporting young people, and restoring key income streams. However, with Covid-19 continuing to impact through into 2022, our planning remains flexible and creative in order to navigate the ongoing challenges in the short-term and ensure that NYCGB is in a solid position to pursue the growth that we need for the future. Plans will be reviewed and refreshed regularly by management and trustees.
## **Courses, Training and Professional Development**
Eight courses are currently planned during 2021-22: National Youth Girls’, Boys’ and Training Choir in spring and summer, and alongside this NYGCB will deliver the National Youth Choir Annual Programme. We aim to engage at least 1,000 participants. We plan to deliver our courses residentially, however if the public health environment changes we will be ready to explore alternative programmes blending digital and in-person delivery should contingencies be required. We will be celebrating the creative theme of Environment.
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
**Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
Across all our programmes, regardless of the way we deliver them, we will continue to offer unique and highquality learning and performance opportunities, including the chance for members to work with guest artists and practitioners from the widest diversity of cultures and musical genres. We strive to ensure that our training remains at the forefront of choral practice and is inspiring and relevant to our young people.
Our development programmes for emerging professional artists will continue with delivery of the 2022 Fellowship and NYCGB Young Composers schemes, supporting and mentoring 8 emerging artists.
## **Performances, Commissions and Recordings**
NYCGB will aim to deliver a programme of around 20 concerts across our ensembles in 2021-22, seeking to continue to offer members unbeatable performance opportunities. These concerts will continue to include a mix of live and broadcasted performances, building on the partnerships and opportunities we have developed in the past year. Exciting plans include the National Youth Choir collaborating with The Swingles in the creation and performance of a new choral work 'Until It’s Gone: Songs for Our Planet', exploring not only the natural world and climate crisis but also the choir members’ home environments and the challenges, concerns and hopes they have for our planet. Further performances are planned as part of the Live from London digital broadcasts, the Rydale Festival and the BBC Proms.
Two new choral commissions are planned, connected to our theme of Environment. This includes the collaboration with The Swingles and an exciting new work for the National Youth Boys’ Choir from composer Oliver Tarney. We will also perform the public premiere of our 2021 commission by Jo Marsh.
NYCGB will continue to develop new virtual audiences for choral music by creating and releasing a regular programme of audio and video recordings across streaming platforms. This will include releases of audio and video recordings created by our choirs during courses and projects in 2021, new recordings made in 2022 and release of the third Young Composers album by NMC Recordings.
## **Learning and Engagement**
In 2021-22 we will continue to expand our national Learning and Engagement programme. We will prioritise building levels of delivery and engagement with young people across our strategic and targeted partnership programmes, in particular in the North East, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the North West. Alongside this we plan to reboot our wider national programme of outreach workshops, open events, and CPD. We will aim to engage around 3,500 young people through our learning and engagement activities – returning to pre-pandemic levels. We plan to continue with a hybrid model of both online and in-person delivery, building on our experience and learning from the previous year.
This strand remains critical to our work to be more inclusive and representative, and we aim to inspire more young people from a diverse range of backgrounds through high-quality singing, particularly in areas of low cultural engagement, supporting them to develop musical skills, encouraging aspiration to progress, and bringing wider social benefits. This is particularly important now, when gaps in opportunities and aspiration to access high-quality singing and music education and to progress regionally and nationally have been exacerbated by the pandemic and young people’s wellbeing has been severely impacted.
New developments will include creating a pilot suite of digital resources to support young singers to develop their musicianship through song, and researching and developing plans for a new initiative to pro-actively support young people facing barriers and in under-represented communities with strong progression pathways regionally and nationally.
## **Access, Inclusion and Representation**
NYCGB is committed to being an inclusive and representative organisation, championing high-quality singing opportunities for all young people. We passionately believe that all children and young people with the widest range of backgrounds and regardless of individual circumstance should be able to make music with others, and have the opportunity to discover and explore their musical talent and achieve at the highest levels. As a national organisation, we want all talented young singers to experience what NYCGB has to offer, and to be supported to thrive and contribute equally to our community.
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
We have made significant progress with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work, however there is still much more to do. We will continue to drive urgent action to remove barriers for under-represented communities and ensure that NYCGB is an organisation that is welcoming and inclusive for all young people, creatives, staff, trustees and audiences. Priorities include reviewing a number of key processes/approaches within the organisation including auditions, financial assistance, and staff and trustee recruitment, and implementing new approaches to address barriers and improve representation.
## **Strategic Plan 2022-27**
As we near the end of our current business planning period, we will be developing a new NYCGB strategic plan for the next five years, which sets out a clear and compelling vision and ambition for how we plan to develop and grow our impact in the next phase, which will start with NYCGB’s 40th anniversary in 2023. We will be drawing on external expertise and consulting widely with audience and stakeholder groups to ensure our plans are relevant, inspiring, inclusive and sustainable.
Key pieces of work that will contribute to the planning process include undertaking a high-level brand review for NYCGB and creation of new audience development, communications and digital strategies, and developing a new fundraising strategy and campaign. This will be supported by investing in new communications and fundraising roles.
In 2022, NYCGB will also be making an application to renew our Arts Council England core funding and within our strategic planning process we will be developing and implementing plans to embed Arts Council’s Investment Principles across the organisation.
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
**Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **Structure, governance and management**
## **Constitution**
NYCGB was established in 1983 and registered as a charity and incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 1984. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company, and is governed under its Articles of Association, renewed and revised in 2010.
## **Effective governance**
The Trustees are committed to ensuring the effective governance of NYCGB and in 2019-20 reviewed current policies and procedures to ensure voluntary compliance with the Charity Governance Code as updated in December 2020. Following the review process the trustees were satisfied that NYCGB met the key requirements of the code and developed an action plan to further enhance NYCGB’s approach to governance. A further review of progress will take place in 2022.
## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**
The directors of the company are also charity Trustees for the purpose of charity law and, under the company's Articles, are known as members of the Board of Trustees. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the members of the Board of Trustees are elected to serve for a period of three years, after which they must be re elected at the next Annual General Meeting. Trustees are elected for a maximum of three cycles.
The Board of Trustees seeks to ensure that its members possess the range of skills, expertise and perspectives required to benefit the diverse range of work the company undertakes. In the event of particular skills, expertise or perspectives being lost due to retirement, a recruitment process is undertaken comprising open advertisement alongside targeted approaches to identify appropriate individuals for election to the Board of Trustees.
## **Policies adopted for the induction and training of trustees**
On appointment Trustees participate in an established induction process and meet with the senior management team to understand the workings of the charity and their roles. Further training is provided on an ad hoc basis as and when required.
## **Pay policy for senior staff**
The Trustees are responsible for setting the remuneration level for the senior team, which is done taking account of the financial position of the charity and prevailing market rates for similar roles.
## **Organisational structure and decision-making**
NYCGB has a Board of Trustees which meets quarterly and is responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. All Trustees give their time voluntarily. Any expenses claimed by the Trustees from the charity are set out in note 9 to the financial statements.
The Trustees employ a Chief Executive and an Artistic Director & Principal Conductor as an Executive team, with overall responsibility for a team of creative and operational staff (including the Head of Artistic Planning and Participation, General Manager, Director of Development, and Head of Communications) to develop and implement the vision of the charity and its activities.
The Board, with detailed work carried out by its Finance Sub committee, approves the draft annual budget. The Chief Executive and Artistic Director are afforded full artistic and operational control subject to the budgeting limits set by the Board.
## **Risk management**
The Board of Trustees and the management committee regularly undertake a review of the major risks to which the charity is or may be exposed. Where appropriate, systems and procedures have been established to mitigate the risks that the charity is facing or may face.
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Trustees' report (continued) Year ended 30 September 2021**
Appropriate policies and procedures are in place to ensure compliance with legislative requirements, which include employment laws, equality duties, child protection policies, data protection policies and health and safety of members, staff, and volunteers.
It is NYCGB policy that ‘all persons be accorded full and equal consideration on the basis of merit or other relevant, meaningful criteria, regardless of any potential source of discrimination.’ We aim to achieve this by nurturing a culture of mutual respect and trust, fairness and dignity, and positive, inclusive behaviour.
Following a comprehensive review of our safeguarding practices by NSPCC in 2013, we have prioritised ‘youth voice’, ensuring that any young person participating in our programmes has the means and opportunity to express themselves and be heard. To support this NYCGB appointed a permanent Head of Safeguarding who is responsible for delivering a safeguarding training programme to all staff members and working with staff to ensure appropriate future plans are put in place for young people, especially those with protected characteristics where and when required.
## **Disclosure of information to auditor**
Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this trustees' report is approved has confirmed that:
• so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditor is unaware, and
• that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company's auditor is aware of that information.
## **Auditor**
Pursuant to section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006, the auditor will be deemed to be reappointed and UNW LLP will therefore continue in office.
Approved by order of the members of the board of trustees on 2 February 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
**David Roper** Chair
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## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Statement of trustees' responsibilities Year ended 30 September 2021**
The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
- make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) 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 company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by order of the members of the board of trustees and signed on its behalf by:
**David Roper** Chair
Date: 2 February 2022
21
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 30 September 2021 which comprise the Statement of financial activities, the Balance sheet, the Statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 30 September 2021 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
22
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (continued)**
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the Trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.
- the Trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the Trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a Strategic report.
23
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (continued)**
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the Trustees' responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We identified areas of law and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general and sector experience and through discussions with the Trustees and other management (as required by Auditing Standards) and from inspection of the company's legal correspondence and we discussed with the Trustees and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations. We have communicated identified laws and regulations within our team and remained alert to any indications of non compliance throughout the audit.
Firstly, the company is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the financial statements including financial reporting legislation (including related companies legislation), distributable profits legislation and taxation legislation and we have assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement items.
Secondly, the company is subject to many other laws and regulations where the consequences of noncompliance could have a material effect on amounts or disclosures in the financial statements, for instance through the imposition of fines and litigation. We identified the following areas as those most likely to have such an effect; health and safety, employment law, safeguarding, data protection and certain aspects of company legislation, recognising the nature of the company's activities. Auditing Standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any. Through these procedures we have not become aware of any actual or suspected non-compliance.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves
24
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **Independent auditor's report to the members of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (continued)**
intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditor's report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Anne Hallowell BSc FCA DChA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of UNW LLP, Statutory Auditor**
Chartered Accountants Newcastle upon Tyne
2 February 2022
25
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Statement of financial activities (incorporating income and expenditure account) Year ended 30 September 2021**
|**Note**
**Income from:**
Donations and legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Other trading activities
5
Investments
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
6
Charitable activities
**Total expenditure**
**Net income/(expenditure) before net**
**gains on investments**
Net gains on investments
**Net movement in funds**
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought forward
Net movement in funds
**Total funds carried forward**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**183,616**
**483,902**
**-**
**100**
**667,618**
**97,530**
**486,049**
**583,579**
**84,039**
**35,112**
**119,151**
**526,726**
**119,151**
**645,877**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**429,516**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**429,516**
**-**
**429,516**
**429,516**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**106,749**
**-**
**106,749**|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**613,132**
**483,902**
**-**
**100**
**1,097,134**
**97,530**
**915,565**
**1,013,095**
**84,039**
**35,112**
**119,151**
**633,475**
**119,151**
**752,626**|Total
funds
2020
£
574,684
130,512
780
1,638
707,614
89,009
663,983
752,992
(45,378)
16,530
(28,848)
662,323
(28,848)
633,475|
|---|---|---|---|---|
The notes on pages 29 to 47 form part of these financial statements.
26
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Balance sheet At 30 September 2021**
|**Note**
**Fixed assets**
Intangible assets
10
Tangible assets
11
Investments
12
**Current assets**
Debtors
13
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year
14
**Net current assets**
**Net assets**
**Charity funds**
Restricted funds
15
Unrestricted funds
15
**Total funds**|**79,526**
**627,771**
**707,297**
**(242,641)**|**2021**
**£**
**34,329**
**1,999**
**251,642**
**287,970**
**464,656**
**752,626**
**106,749**
**645,877**
**752,626**|104,424
451,520
555,944
(194,942)|2020
£
52,828
3,115
216,530|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||272,473
361,002|
|||||633,475
106,749
526,726|
|||||633,475|
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
**David Andrew Roper** Chair Date: 2 February 2022
The notes on pages 29 to 47 form part of these financial statements.
27
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Statement of cash flows Year ended 30 September 2021**
|**Cash flows from operating activities**
Net cash used in operating activities
**Cash flows from investing activities**
Purchase of intangible assets
Purchase of investments
**Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities**
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**|**2021**
**£**
**176,251**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**176,251**
**451,520**
**627,771**|2020
£
(33,567)
(810)
(200,000)
**(200,810)**
**(234,377)**
685,897
451,520|
|---|---|---|
The notes on pages 29 to 47 form part of these financial statements
28
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **1. Accounting policies**
## **1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - 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) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity and are rounded to the nearest £1.
## **1.2 Company status**
The company is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated and domiciled in England. The members of the company are the trustees named on page 1. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the company.
## **1.3 Going concern**
As set out in more detail in the trustees report, the charity’s activities were severely impacted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. However, thanks to the generous support of a number of funders and supporters, and the work undertaken to ensure that delivery of programmes and activities were able to run at least in part virtually, the financial impact on the organisation was kept to a minimum and the charity remains in a relatively strong cash position. Whilst much uncertainty remains, the award in October 2020 of an additional £170k from the Culture Recovery Fund has added to the organisation's ability to meet future challenges with confidence and to ensure that it is able to further adapt to the restrictions on the normal operations that remain in place.
Consequently the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.4 Income**
All income, including course fees and grant income, is recognised once the company has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Donated goods or services are included in income at a valuation which is an estimate of the financial cost borne by the donor, where such a cost is quantifiable and measurable. No income is recognised where there is no financial cost borne by the third party.
Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.
29
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **1. Accounting policies (continued)**
## **1.5 Expenditure**
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular activities they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the company. They include governance costs, which are those incurred in connection with the administration of the company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Costs of generating funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the company to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.
Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the company's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.
All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.
## **1.6 Intangible assets and amortisation**
Intangible assets are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably. Intangible assets are initially recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost net of amortisation and any provision for impairment.
Amortisation is provided at the following rates:
|Software|-|5|year straight line basis|
|---|---|---|---|
|Website|-|3|year straight line basis|
## **1.7 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation**
All assets costing more than £5,000 are capitalised.
Tangible fixed assets are carried at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment.
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases
Office equipment
-
5 year straight line basis
## **1.8 Investments**
Fixed asset investments are a form of financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction cost and subsequently measured at fair value at the balance sheet date, unless the value cannot be measured reliably in which case it is measured at cost less impairment. Investment gains and losses, whether realised or unrealised, are combined and presented as ‘Gains/(Losses) on investments’ in the statement of financial activities.
30
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **1. Accounting policies (continued)**
## **1.9 Stocks**
Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value after making due allowance for obsolete and slow-moving stocks.
Stock comprises branded merchandise held for resale.
## **1.10 Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **1.11 Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
## **1.12 Liabilities and provisions**
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.
Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the company anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.
## **1.13 Pensions**
The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the company to the fund in respect of the year.
## **1.14 Fund accounting**
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes.
Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the company for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.
31
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **2. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgment**
Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.
Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:
In preparing these financial statements the directors do not consider there were any significant areas of judgment that were required in applying the company's accounting policies as set out above.
Estimates included within these financial statements include depreciation and asset impairments. None of the estimates made are considered to carry significant estimation uncertainty, nor to bear significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.
## **3. Income from donations and legacies**
|Donations
Government grants
Grants
Membership fees
Legacies|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
58,447
4,078
94,000
24,281
2,810
183,616|**Restricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
28,000
-
401,516
-
-
429,516|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**86,447**
**4,078**
**495,516**
**24,281**
**2,810**
**613,132**|
|---|---|---|---|
Donations comprise donations from individuals of £58,447 and from corporate partners of £28,000.
|Donations
Government Grants
Grants
Membership fees
Legacies|Unrestricted
funds
2020
£
82,923
31,781
118,841
21,859
32,000
287,404|Restricted
funds
2020
£
28,876
-
258,404
-
-
287,280|Total
funds
2020
£
111,799
31,781
377,245
21,859
32,000
574,684|
|---|---|---|---|
Donations comprise donations from individuals of £82,923 and from corporate partners of £28,876.
32
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **4. Income from charitable activities**
|Course fees
Audition fees
Sales of merchandise
Concert and performing fees
Ticket sales and contributions - concerts
Other income
**Total 2021**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
448,191
11,260
2,370
12,320
-
9,761
483,902|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**448,191**
**11,260**
**2,370**
**12,320**
**-**
**9,761**
**483,902**|
|---|---|---|
|Course fees
Audition fees
Sales of merchandise
Concert and performing fees
Ticket sales and contributions - concerts
Other income
Total 2020|Unrestricted
funds
2020
£
66,424
20,832
374
30,128
4,468
8,286
130,512|Total
funds
2020
£
66,424
20,832
374
30,128
4,468
8,286
130,512|
|---|---|---|
## **5. Income from other trading activities Income from fundraising events**
**Total funds 2021 £ -** Fundraising events
33
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **5. Income from other trading activities (continued) Income from fundraising events (continued)**
||Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|
||funds|funds|
||2020|2020|
||£|£|
|Fundraising events|780|780|
## **6. Expenditure on raising funds Costs of raising voluntary income**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
Fundraising - other costs
17,685
Wages and salaries
71,585
National Insurance
8,260
97,530
Unrestricted
funds
2020
£
Fundraising - other costs
10,361
Wages and salaries
70,516
National insurance
8,132
89,009|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**17,685**
**71,585**
**8,260**
**97,530**|
|---|---|
||Total
funds
2020
£
10,361
70,516
8,132
89,009|
34
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **7. Analysis of expenditure by activities**
|Charitable activities
Charitable activities
**Analysis of direct costs**
Staff costs
Courses accomodation, music
Insurance
Travelling expenses
Advertising, website, promotion and printing
Consulting and training
Office costs
Bank charges|**Direct**
**costs**
**2021**
**£**
773,422
Direct
costs
2020
£
520,112|**Support**
**costs**
**2021**
**£**
142,143
Support
costs
2020
£
143,871
**Charitable**
**activities**
**2021**
**£**
237,126
438,734
8,872
15,223
22,719
9,444
34,288
7,016
773,422|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**915,565**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||Total
funds
2020
£
663,983|
||||**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**237,126**
**438,734**
**8,872**
**15,223**
**22,719**
**9,444**
**34,288**
**7,016**
**773,422**|
35
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **7. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)**
## **Analysis of direct costs (continued)**
|Staff costs
Courses accomodation, music
Insurance
Travelling expenses
Advertising, website, promotion and printing
Legal and professional
Consulting and training
Office costs
Bank charges|Charitable
activities
2020
£
227,941
201,436
12,019
12,803
19,945
3,543
2,869
37,533
2,023
520,112|Total
funds
2020
£
227,941
201,436
12,019
12,803
19,945
3,543
2,869
37,533
2,023
520,112|
|---|---|---|
## **Analysis of support costs**
|Staff costs
Legal and professional fees
Rent and rates
Office costs
Trustee costs
Depreciation|**Charitable**
**activities**
**2021**
**£**
95,393
7,940
18,851
180
164
19,615
142,143|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**95,393**
**7,940**
**18,851**
**180**
**164**
**19,615**
**142,143**|
|---|---|---|
36
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **7. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)**
## **Analysis of support costs (continued)**
|Staff costs
Legal and professional fees
Rent and rates
Office costs
Trustee costs
Depreciation|Charitable
activities
2020
£
96,844
10,547
14,828
2,318
318
19,016
143,871|Total
funds
2020
£
96,844
10,547
14,828
2,318
318
19,016
143,871|
|---|---|---|
|**8.**|**Auditor's remuneration**|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||**2021**|2020|
|||**£**|£|
||Fees payable to the company's auditor for the audit of the company's|||
||annual accounts|**5,650**|5,350|
||Fees payable to the company's auditor in respect of:|||
||Other services|**1,000**|1,000|
## **9. Staff costs**
|Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs|**2021**
**£**
**368,705**
**33,924**
**9,735**
**412,364**|2020
£
360,428
32,788
10,217|
|---|---|---|
|||403,433|
The average number of persons employed by the company during the year was as follows:
||**2021**|2020|
|---|---|---|
||**No.**|No.|
|Average no. of employees|**10**|11|
37
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **9. Staff costs (continued)**
The average headcount expressed as full-time equivalents was:
||**2021**|2020|
|---|---|---|
||**No.**|No.|
|Staff|**6**|8|
The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:
|||**2021**|2020|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**No.**|No.|
|In the band £60,001|- £70,000|**1**|1|
## **Key management personnel**
Key management personnel are deemed to be those having authority and responsibility, delegated to them by the trustees for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the charity. During 2020/21 they were:
Director - Ben Parry Director of Development - Robert Colbert Chief Executive - Anne Besford General Manager - Mark Anyan
The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £241,116 (2020: £225,684).
## **Trustees' remuneration and expenses**
No trustees received any remuneration during the current or prior year.
During the year, one trustee (2020: two trustees) received reimbursed expenses of £164 (2020: £318) in respect of travel and subsistence costs.
38
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
|**10.**
**Intangible assets**
**Cost**
At 1 October 2020
At 30 September 2021
**Amortisation**
At 1 October 2020
Charge for the year
At 30 September 2021
**Net book value**
At 30 September 2021
At 30 September 2020|**Software**
**£**
**92,496**|
|---|---|
||**92,496**|
||**39,668**
**18,499**|
||**58,167**|
||**34,329**|
||52,828|
39
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
|**11.**
**Tangible fixed assets**
**Cost or valuation**
At 1 October 2020
At 30 September 2021
**Depreciation**
At 1 October 2020
Charge for the year
At 30 September 2021
**Net book value**
At 30 September 2021
At 30 September 2020
**12.**
**Fixed asset investments**
**Cost or valuation**
Additions
Revaluations
At 30 September 2021
**Net book value**
At 30 September 2021|**Office**
**equipment**
**£**
**15,119**|
|---|---|
||**15,119**|
||**12,004**
**1,116**|
||**13,120**|
||**1,999**|
||3,115|
||**Unlisted**
**investments**
**£**
**216,530**
**35,112**|
||**251,642**|
||**251,642**|
40
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **13. Debtors**
|Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
Deferred income at 1 October 2020
Resources deferred during the year
Amounts released from previous periods|**2021**
**£**
**9,699**
**69,827**
**79,526**
**2021**
**£**
**38,891**
**27,578**
**176,172**
**242,641**
**2021**
**£**
**137,311**
**125,459**
**(137,311)**
**125,459**|2020
£
12,419
92,005
104,424
2020
£
4,317
21,792
168,833
194,942
2020
£
91,690
137,311
(91,690)
137,311|
|---|---|---|
## **14. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
41
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **15. Statement of funds**
|**Statement of funds**|**Statement of funds**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Statement of funds - current year**
**Balance at 1**
**October**
**2020**
**£**
**Income**
**£**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Designated**
**funds**
General
contingency &
budget
**400,000**
**-**
CRM / API
project
**52,828**
**-**
Access and
inclusion
initiative
**-**
**-**
40th
Anniversary
initiative
**-**
**-**
Organisational
development
initiative
**-**
**-**
Brand review
initiative
**-**
**-**
**452,828**
**-**
**General funds**
General funds
**73,898**
**667,618**
**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**526,726**
**667,618**
**Restricted**
**funds**
Founder's
Scholarship
Fund
**106,749**
**-**
Arts Council
England
**-**
**287,609**||**Expenditure**
**£**
**-**
**(18,499)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**(18,499)**
**(565,080)**
**(583,579)**
**-**
**(287,609)**|**Transfers**
**in/out**
**£**
**10,000**
**-**
**30,000**
**40,000**
**70,000**
**20,000**
**170,000**
**(170,000)**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Gains/**
**(Losses)**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**35,112**
**35,112**
**-**
**-**|**Balance at**
**30**
**September**
**2021**
**£**
**410,000**
**34,329**
**30,000**
**40,000**
**70,000**
**20,000**
**604,329**|
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Designated**
**funds**
General
contingency &
budget
CRM / API
project
Access and
inclusion
initiative
40th
Anniversary
initiative
Organisational
development
initiative
Brand review
initiative
**General funds**
General funds
**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
Founder's
Scholarship
Fund
Arts Council
England|**Balance at 1**
**October**
**2020**
**£**
**400,000**
**52,828**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**452,828**
**73,898**
**526,726**
**106,749**
**-**|||||
||||||**41,548**|
||||||**645,877**|
||||||**106,749**
**-**|
42
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **15. Statement of funds (continued)**
**Statement of funds - current year (continued)**
|Gillian
Dickinson
Trust
The
Leverhulme
Foundation
Other small
grants and
donations
**Total of funds**|**Balance at 1**
**October**
**2020**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**106,749**
**633,475**|**Income**
**£**
**5,411**
**36,040**
**100,456**
**429,516**
**1,097,134**|**Expenditure**
**£**
**(5,411)**
**(36,040)**
**(100,456)**
**(429,516)**
**(1,013,095)**|**Transfers**
**in/out**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Gains/**
**(Losses)**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**35,112**|**Balance at**
**30**
**September**
**2021**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**106,749**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||**752,626**|
The CRM / API fund has been designated by the trustees to represent the amount tied up in intangible assets, and consequently transfers are made from general funds representing any additions in the year. Amortisation is charged against the fund.
This year the trustees have designated funds for four important initiatives amounting to £160,000, as set out in the Trustees report. NYCGB will continue to seek specific funding for these, however this designation ensures that each initiative is underwritten.
In 2018 the trustees designated £30,000 to provide a contingency reserve to support the potential additional costs of introducing a new Annual Programme for the National Youth Choir. By 2020, this new programme had been successfully embedded and the trustees agreed that this designated fund could be released.
43
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **15. Statement of funds (continued) Statement of funds - prior year**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Designated**
**funds**
General
contingency &
budget
CRM / API
project
Access and
inclusion
initiative
**General funds**
General funds
**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
Founder's
Scholarship
Fund
Arts Council
England
Gillian
Dickinson
Trust
The
Leverhulme
Foundation
Peter Sowerby
Foundation|Balance at
1 October
2019
£
374,950
70,476
30,000
475,426
80,148
555,574
106,749
-
-
-
-|Income
£
-
-
-
-
419,554
419,554
-
108,016
10,000
35,040
16,333|Expenditure
£
-
(18,458)
-
(18,458)
(446,474)
(464,932)
-
(108,016)
(10,000)
(35,040)
(16,333)|Transfers
in/out
£
25,050
810
(30,000)
(4,140)
4,140
-
-
-
-
-
-|Gains/
(Losses)
£
-
-
-
-
16,530
16,530
-
-
-
-
-|Balance at
30
September
2020
£
400,000
52,828
-
452,828|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||73,898|
|||||||526,726|
|||||||106,749
-
-
-
-|
44
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **15. Statement of funds (continued)**
## **Statement of funds - prior year (continued)**
|PRS
Foundation
Other small
grants and
donations
**Total of funds**|Balance at
1 October
2019
£
-
-
106,749
662,323|Income
£
10,000
108,671
288,060
707,614|Expenditure
£
(10,000)
(108,671)
(288,060)
(752,992)|Transfers
in/out
£
-
-
-
-|Gains/
(Losses)
£
-
-
-
16,530|Balance at
30
September
2020
£
-
-
106,749|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||633,475|
## **16. Analysis of net assets between funds**
## **Analysis of net assets between funds - current year**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
Tangible fixed assets
1,999
Intangible fixed assets
34,329
Fixed asset investments
144,893
Current assets
613,183
Creditors due within one year
(148,527)
**Total**
645,877|**Restricted**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
-
-
106,749
94,114
(94,114)
106,749|**Total**
**funds**
**2021**
**£**
**1,999**
**34,329**
**251,642**
**707,297**
**(242,641)**
**752,626**|
|---|---|---|
45
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **16. Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)**
## **Analysis of net assets between funds - prior year**
|Tangible fixed assets
Intangible fixed assets
Fixed asset investments
Current assets
Creditors due within one year
**Total**|Unrestricted
funds
2020
£
3,115
52,828
109,781
460,467
(99,465)
526,726|Restricted
funds
2020
£
-
-
106,749
95,477
(95,477)
106,749|Total
funds
2020
£
3,115
52,828
216,530
555,944
(194,942)
633,475|
|---|---|---|---|
## **17. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities**
|Net income/expenditure for the year (as per Statement of Financial
Activities)
**Adjustments for:**
Depreciation charges
Amortisation charges
Gains on investments
Decrease in stocks
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase in creditors
**Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities**
**18.**
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**
Cash in hand
**Total cash and cash equivalents**|**2021**
**£**
**119,151**
**1,116**
**18,499**
**(35,112)**
**-**
**24,898**
**47,699**
**176,251**
**2021**
**£**
**627,771**
**627,771**|2020
£
(28,848)
558
18,458
(16,530)
986
(20,294)
12,103
(33,567)
2020
£
451,520
451,520|
|---|---|---|
46
DocuSign Envelope ID: 92E6A9CC-B913-4ADB-956B-A73606045CB9
## **National Youth Choirs of Great Britain**
## **(A company limited by guarantee)**
## **Notes to the financial statements Year ended 30 September 2021**
## **19. Analysis of changes in net debt**
|Cash at bank and in hand|**At 1**
**October**
**2020**
**£**
**451,520**
**451,520**|**Cash flows**
**£**
**176,251**
**176,251**|**At 30**
**September**
**2021**
**£**
**627,771**
**627,771**|
|---|---|---|---|
## **20. Pension commitments**
The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the company to the fund and amounted to £9,735 (2020: £10,217). Contributions totalling £264 (2020: £540) were payable to the fund at the balance sheet date and are included in creditors.
## **21. Related party transactions**
There were no related party transactions in the current or prior year.
## **22. Post balance sheet events**
There are no post balance sheet events in the current year.
Post balance sheet in the prior year, the charity heard that it had been successfully awarded a grant of £170,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund to support its financial position following the Covid-19 pandemic in the period October 2020 to March 2021. An amount of £153,000 was received in November 2020, with the balance of £17,000 received in April 2021.
47