PORTRUSH MUSICAL SOCIETY
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30[TH] JUNE 2023
The Trustees present their report and independently verified financial statements for Portrush Musical Society for the year ended 31[st] August 2022.
Reference and Administration Information
Charity Name: Portrush Music Society Charity Reference Number: 102914 Public Address: 53 Ratheane Avenue Coleraine BT521JH
Trustees:
Mrs Maggie Ferris-Curran
Mrs Elaine MacAuley Ms Sandra McElhinney Miss Phyllis Michael Mrs Fiona Flynn
Mr William Thompson
Mr Aidan Hughes
Mrs Kerry Kane
Mrs Margaret Snape
Aims of the Society
-
To encourage the performance and appreciation of music in the district
-
To promote the production of musical plays and concerts
-
To be across the community
Our organisation is a music society which endeavours to organise at least one musical production per year. The production will generally be for eleven performances. Our volunteers meet all year to decide on the production and devise an action plan with the goal of bringing it to the public stage. The action plan will entail identifying the skills required for the production, recruitment of volunteers who will work with our volunteer Director, volunteer Choreographer and Musical Director and Orchestra, to learn and perform music, choreography, and script, to create the visuals including costume, set, lighting and sound and necessary marketing to bring the production to stage. There is a huge amount of skills development for our volunteers both onstage and backstage. We also must liaise with venues and our local authority to ensure the shows are staged in the appropriate venue for the general public to be safe.
1. Shows
This has been a busy year for us, as we emerged from the COVID pandemic and got back to the business of performing, with our brave and bold amateur premiere of ‘Calendar Girls the Musical’. The society took the bold step to move from the Riverside Theatre to the Magherabuoy Hotel Portrush as the venue for the production which ran from 18th to the 26th of February. The society also used the production as an opportunity to raise cancer awareness and funds for our nominated charity, Marie Curie. Only two months after ‘Calendar Girls’ closed the society began preparations for our long-awaited production of ‘Shrek the Musical’ which had been postponed from May 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
2. Fundraising
In November 2021 and May 2022, we again hosted successful quiz nights in Rathmore Golf Club which were well attended and brought in an additional £626.40, while our barbeque generated a further £109.20
A number of fundraising activities were initiated by enterprising members and well supported by the cast. These included Christine’s brooches sales, the ‘Sunflower’ themed raffle, and the Calendar Girls Doll raffle which brought in a combined revenue of £546.00. We were also able to obtain £500 of sponsorship from our show sponsor Anderson Gillan and Barr.
Public Benefit
The public benefit flowing from these projects is to provide opportunities for young people and adults from a diverse range of backgrounds to come together and learn about musical theatre as a medium for gaining skills and confidence, and to provide a platform to enable them to develop their performance skills. We endeavour to bring enjoyment and appreciation of the arts to the general public, and by extensively fundraising to subsidise our production costs, strive to make musical theatre accessible to all.
There are some private benefits to members of our organisation which flow from the public benefit. These include:
We strive for professional standards of performance in our productions to inspire our volunteers to become involved. By engaging paid professional musical directors and musicians, we provide opportunities for our amateur volunteers to gain experience and performance skills of a professional standard which can enable volunteers to progress to professional stage work.
Other private benefits include the training we provide to our volunteers. Our volunteers do access training in health and safety, child protection, performance skills, costume making, stage craft, scenery production, make up and costume design. Although these are transferable skills, they are necessary for the success of our organisation and its work as they provide an incentive for volunteers to become involved and contribute to their personal and professional development. Our volunteers reap benefits in terms of the enjoyment and satisfaction of participation and the subsequent development of personal confidence and self-esteem.
Financial Review
The trustees are pleased to report a good financial position of £38,637.61. These funds are held to allow for the development of the society and to meet preliminary costs of planned events for the incoming year.
Structure, governance and management
Governing document
The governing document of the charity is its constitution which sets out the charity’s purpose. The charity is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
Recruitment and appointment of management committee
The society is administered by a committee who are trustees for the charity for the purpose of Charity Law. The trustees have the power to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 19/06/23 and signed on its behalf by:
Elaine MacAuley Hon. Treasurer
Margaret Ferris-Curran Acting Chairperson