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2025-08-31-accounts

Charity Number: 516399

Airedale Symphony Orchestra

(A Charitable Unincorporated Association)

Trustees’ Report and Accounts

for the year ended 31 August 2025

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 August 2025

The trustees present their report for the year ended 31 August 2025.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Charity Number

516399

Registered o�ice

6 Beechroyd Pudsey, LS28 8BH

Independent Examiner

Catherine Webster

Trustees

The trustees of Airedale Symphony Orchestra during the year and to the date of signing this report are as follows:

Elizabeth Edgington, Chair Janet Cade, Vice-chair Teresa Jones, Secretary Rachel Holt, Members’ Secretary Suzannah Crookes Helen Nakhwal, Treasurer

Bankers

Barclays Bank Uk plc Barclays Business Centre PO Box 100 Leeds, LS1 1PA

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 August 2025

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Airedale Symphony Orchestra is a Charitable Unincorporated Association and was registered as a charity on 15 May 1985. It was established under a constitution dated 4 March 1985 and amended on 27 November 2023.

Structure and governance

The charity has a Trustees Group who hold at least two meetings each year.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Trustees and o�icers, who are all volunteers, are elected from among the members of the orchestra at the general meeting. At each general meeting a third of elected trustees retire and are eligible for re-election for a maximum three-year term. New trustees and o�icers are provided with the resources they need to carry out their duties and receive a handover from the outgoing trustee or o�icer.

The trustees delegate management of the orchestra to the management group, which is unelected, and includes:

Librarians: Helen Patterson, Jay Glasby Patrons Manager: Charlotte Hazel Programmes & print: Oliver Moor Orchestral Manager: Vacant Percussion Manager: Pippa Wilson Extras Manager: Heather Mackie Website Manager: Janet Cade Marketing: Elizabeth Edgington Social Media and Listings Manager: Philippa Jennings Social Events Manager: Aliki George Stage Managers (season 2024/25): Zoe Carroll, Cat Tunnicli�e, Ewan Hudson, Helen Patterson, Pippa Wilson, Aliki George and Philippa Jennings.

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 August 2025

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Charitable objects

The objects of the orchestra are to promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of music in all aspects by the presentation of public concerts and recitals and by such other ways as the Orchestra through its trustees shall determine from time to time.

The charity's principal activity is the provision of live music entertainment to a wide cross section of the community.

In setting the objectives and planning the activities of the charity, the trustees have complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2006 Act to have due regard to guidance on public benefit published by the Commission.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Review of developments, activities and achievements

The Airedale Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed considerable success during the year to 31 August 2025, performing several concerts outlined here.

17 November 2024 - Epic Journeys, Ilkley King’s Hall

Local soloist William Green performed Rachmanino�’s lesser known fourth piano

concerto to a packed hall, alongside Wagner’s ‘Flying Dutchman overture’, and Sibelius’ powerful 2nd Symphony.

Christmas 2024 - Family and Candlelight concerts

A pair of Christmas concerts were performed at our rehearsal venue, Wesleys in Baildon. The first a Family concert including opportunities for children to play sleigh bells, and the second an atmospheric Candlelight concert. Both concerts were sellouts with a very happy festive spirit. The programmes included:

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January 2025 - RISE

Airedale Symphony Orchestra members were proud to open the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture year in two extraordinary performances to audiences of 10,000 plus, set in Centenary Square in the centre of Bradford during one of the coldest and snowiest weeks for many years!

Performing the music of our conductor Ben Crick, the orchestra kicked o� and accompanied the performance, which included spoken word, rappers, aerial performances, a community choir, and magician Stephen Frane. ASO Members were peerless in their commitment to this project - attending recordings, dress rehearsal, two performances and battling freezing weather conditions with all our instruments in order to take part. The performance was captured by the BBC and is available on BBC iPlayer.

30 March 2025 - Nature’s Symphony, Ilkley King’s Hall

When performing a programme dedicated to nature, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is a must, and this is what started our concert, and received high praise from our reviewer.

The second half was dedicated to music by our conductor Ben Crick, giving us a musical tour of his favourite places around the Yorkshire Dales, alongside films of these places, turning the King’s Hall into a giant installation dedicated to the beauty of our local environment. The reviewer noted ‘The orchestra had clearly grown to love the piece, which it had commissioned, and gave it a wholly convincing performance. The brass writing was particularly powerful, as is only right for a Yorkshire work, and the brass section excelled.’

A collection for local nature charity ‘Menston Area Nature Trust’ was taken, raising £388.

29 June 2025 - Forbidden Love, Ilkley King’s Hall

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Bernstein’s ‘Symphonic Dances from West Side Story’, with our reviewer commenting ‘Ben Crick and the ASO wondrously captured the kaleidoscopic colours and above all, the infectious crackling energy in Bernstein’s Latin jazz infused music.’ The stage full of percussion needed for West Side Story was put to equally good use in Anna Clyne’s powerful and complex concerto ‘Dance’, with a virtuosic cello solo part that was exquisitely performed by ASO member Adam Cathcart.

A strong feature of Airedale Symphony Orchestra’s programming is our commitment to giving opportunities to our members and associates to compose and perform music with us. This nurtures and profiles the talent we have here in our membership, and locally in our community, and has given us and our audiences so many valuable musical experiences this season.

The good news on ticket sales is that we sold out every concert, which is only possible because of the reputation and local support of the orchestra, and we have a great team working hard to achieve these sales.

Outcome of legal case

Our previous conductor John Anderson pursued a case of age discrimination against the Airedale Symphony Orchestra which culminated in two days of employment tribunal hearings in January and February 2025. The judgement was that John Anderson was not employed by the Airedale Symphony Orchestra, and these claims were dismissed. The full 10-page judgement is available in the ‘Archive’ folder of the Members’ Drive and online at gov.uk under Employment Tribunal decisions. All our legal costs were covered by the orchestra’s insurance policy.

Future

As the orchestra becomes more skilled, it is taking on more challenging and creative work. Our financial stability enables us to hire music that is in copyright and therefore more expensive, and commission new works. We can hire the instruments we need to perform these works where necessary and bring new and exciting musical experiences to our local community, fulfilling our charitable objective to ‘promote, improve, develop and maintain public education in and appreciation of the art and science of music’.

The Airedale Symphony Orchestra is a wonderful orchestra with a membership of committed, friendly musicians. We welcome new members, and all those that work with us. With the dedication and commitment of the members, trustees and management group, and our conductor, we will flourish and continue to make progress as an orchestra.

Elizabeth Edgington, Chair

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 August 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

The trustees have set a target to hold a reserve for working capital of 6 months’ core expenditure which is budgeted to be £5,000 for the year ended 31 August 2026 and currently the charity has reserves of £12,379. The trustees consider this amount appropriate to help manage the risks connected with the current financial and operating environment, and to further provide longer term resilience and means for us to manage change.

In planning the activities of the organisation and setting its annual budget we look to balance the priorities of maintaining funds in line with our reserves policy with our focus on delivering high quality experiences to our audiences.

Financial review

As a small charity that is not a company, in line with the Charity Commission’s guidance, Airedale Symphony Orchestra qualifies to prepare receipts and payments accounts.

The accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025 show a total net surplus of £426 (2024 surplus of £6,799). Total reserves stand at £11,979 (2024 £11,553). All funds are unrestricted and available for general purposes in accordance with the charity's objects.

relating to the 2025 financial year, and a bill of £1,847 for relating to the hire of the hall for the final concert of 2024 was paid in the 2025 financial year. Taking these items into account, a surplus of around £4,000 was achieved in 2025 and £3,000 in 2024.

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS ON THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS OF THE AIREDALE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

I report to the trustees of The Airedale Symphony Orchestra (Charity Registration Number 516399) on the accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent Examiner's Statement

attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drone and this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date:

Name: Catherine Webster

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Receipts and payments accounts for the period 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025

2025 2024
Restated*
£ £
Receipts
Members' annual subscriptions 6,873 6,990
Patrons' and Friends' subscriptions 4,420 2,155
Sale of tickets 15,543 13,324
Sale of programmes and cash donations 909 1,786
Sponsorship, grants and donations 300 1,000
Programme advertising 20 20
Sundry 45 -
Interest on investments - 3
Total Receipts 28,110 25,278
Payments
Hire of performance rooms 8,796 3,095
Rehearsal expenses 1,968 2,509
Conductors' and tutors' fees 7,250 6,970
Artists' fees 1,050 350
Extras 1,714 1,718
Instrument hire (percussion/pianos) 1,310 1,050
Hire, printing and purchase of music 3,031 610
Printing expenses 502 619
Miscellaneous concert expenses 286 290
Administration expenses 1,388 1,093
Sundries 389 175
Total Payments 27,684 18,479
Net of Receipts/(Payments) 426 6,799
Cash funds last year end 2024 11,553 4,754
Cash funds this year end 2025 11,979 11,553

*Note: 2024 accounts have been restated on a receipts and payments basis and now include members’ subscriptions of £1,950 received in the year although relating to the 2025 financial year, to exclude income of £3,121 that though relating to 2024 had been received in 2023, and to exclude a bill of £1,847 for the hire of the hall for the final concert of 2024 that was paid in 2025.

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Airedale Symphony Orchestra

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

2025 2024
Total Total
funds funds
Restated*
£ £
Cash funds
National Savings Investment Account 130 130
Nationwide - 404
Cash box 50 46
Barclays Bank plc Current Account 11,799 10,973
Total Cash funds 11,979 11,553

cash funds only as there are no other balances.

Approved by the trustees on 14 January 2026 and signed on their behalf by:

Elizabeth Edgington Chair