Newtongrange Silver Band SCIO Annual Report & Financial Statements 2023
The Trustees have the pleasure in presenting their report together with the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Contents
Reference information Our objects and activities President’s report Financials Future outlook
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Reference information
Ch a rit y n a m e
Newtongrange Silver Band SCIO
Ch a rit y n u m b e r SC045828
In c o rp o ra t io n d a t e 23 July 2015
Re g ist e re d a d d re ss
Ch a rit y st ru c t u re
Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation Single-tier
Cu rre n t t ru st e e s
Office bearers
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Our objects and activities
Ch a rit a b le p u rp o se s
We are established for charitable purposes only, and our principal objectives are:
-
to advance musical education,
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to advance appreciation and knowledge of the arts, heritage, culture, and the science of brass bands; and
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to promote the brass band culture in Midlothian.
Are a o f b e n e fit
We operate throughout the county of Midlothian and its surrounding areas.
Be n e fic ia rie s
Our services come with no restrictions and are available to be accessed by anyone who wishes. Whilst the list of people we promote our activities to is not exhaustive, it includes children, young people, older people, non-specific groups, members of the local community, and local brass musicians.
Ac t ivit ie s
The main activities of the band centre on community entertainment. This involves performing concerts, participating in local area festivities, and participating in competitions. Most activities undertaken by the organisation are musical.
The organisation performs when requested in advance and when the organisation elects to do so. All activities are advertised either by the organisation or the external body contracting the organisation. Members benefit from musical education and the public benefit from the culture provided by performances. The presence of a brass band continues the development and appreciation of the heritage and the arts of the mining village of Newtongrange. The band is recognised as the most successful brass band in Midlothian, and we continue to be the flagship band of the area.
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President’s report
2023 could be seen as a less than successful year from a purely brass band contesting standpoint, yet the Band played in some new and innovative events, making the year a very interesting one.
We started the year with the full return of the Newtongrange New Year’s Day March and Concert in the Dean Tavern: a welcome return to normality enjoyed by the whole of our community.
The Band then spent the next two months preparing for our performance of the test piece “A Day in the Life of a Knight” for the Scottish Championships. We were able to play a test performance of this work in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall one week before the contest as part of a concert with
'Love Music' organisation. We accompanied the Love Music choir (the UK’s largest community choir) in a blended live and online concert, putting us in front of a brand-new audience, who were very impressed by the sound of the Band. Whilst this was excellent preparation for the contest, sadly, despite an excellent performance in Perth, the Band were only placed 4th place, seeing us remain in the 1st section for another year.
In May, the British Open Spring Festival in Blackpool saw us relegated from the Senior Cup with a very disappointing 19th place on our performance o 'A London Overture'. Not a contest to dwell on... In June, the Band continued its community engagement, playing the annual Newtongrange Gala Week Concert and at the Gala Day itself, accompanied by members of our Junior Band. The Junior Band, helped by a few Senior Band members, also played at the village's celebrations for the Coronation of King Charles III.
In August, following the success of the Love Music concert in the
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Usher Hall, the Band were asked to take part in Glasgow’s 'Surge Music Festival'. This saw our involvement in a piece of street theatre with a 'Dia de los Muertos' theme, called 'Beautiful Bones'. Players from the band, with faces painted and bright coloured boiler suits adorned, played in concerts in the centre of Glasgow whilst being attacked by “wolves” and eventually overcoming the four trombonists of the apocalypse(!): a truly unique experience which saw us collaborating closely with the Cooperation Band.
The band returned to rehearsals in September to give our Autumn Concert at the National Mining Museum (NMMS) in Newtongrange. We played an excellent programme to a full house and were delighted to present Lifetime Membership of the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA) to ~~a~~ , all of whom had served the brass band movement for over 50 years. A successful 6th place at the Scottish Challenge Shield playing ~~a~~ hallenging test piece 'Lowry Sketchbook' followed, before rounding off the year with a series of Christmas concerts. At our local concert, we were delighted to once again present SBBA Lifetime Memberships, this time to ae as well as presenting the inaugural award for 'Best Section' in memory of a which went to our solo cornet section.
All in all, a positive year, with some confounding negative points to overcome. We reached out to new organisations and other brass bands; these new relationships will help us build on the Band’s excellent musical reputation.
As ever, we'd like to acknowledge the support received from the Dean Trust and McDougall McQueen solicitors, as well as the local community of Newtongrange.
President
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Financials
In d e p e n d e n t e xa m in e r’s re p o rt
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
Report to the Trustees of Newtongrange Silver Band SCIO, registered charity number SC045825 on the accounts for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The Charity Trustees consider that the audit requirements of Regulation 10 (1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under Section 44 (1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with these records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
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Independent examiner’s statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44 (1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
- To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
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Sig n e 30 – 09 - 2024
Name
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Professional qualification: ACMA
Address:
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20 23 o ve rvie w
During the year, the SCIO recognised income of £31,703 (2022: £24,510) and expenditure of £31,818 (2022: £29,241). Therefore, a deficit was recognised of £116 (2022: £4,731), which was wholly attributed to unrestricted funds. No activity was recorded on restricted funds.
St a t e m e n t o f fin a n c ia l a c t ivit ie s Fo r t h e ye a r e n d e d 31 De c e m b e r 20 23
| Restricted | Unrestricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income | ||||
| Donations | - | 11,218 | 11,218 | 13,031 |
| Charitable activities | - | 17,900 | 17,900 | 9,899 |
| Other | - | 2,585 | 2,585 | 1,580 |
| - | 31,703 | 31,703 | 24,510 | |
| Expenditure | ||||
| Direct costs | - | 24,374 | 24,374 | 22,047 |
| Support costs | - | 7,444 | 7,444 | 7,193 |
| - | 31,818 | 31,818 | 29,241 | |
| Net income | - | (116) | (116) | (4,731) |
| Transfer between funds | - | - | - | - |
| Net movement in funds | - | (116) | (116) | (4,731) |
| Reconciliation of funds: | ||||
| Total funds at 31/12/22 | 100 | 11,598 | 11,698 | 16,429 |
| Total funds at 31/12/23 | 100 | 11,482 | 11,582 | 11,698 |
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Re se rve s p o lic y
At the close of the year the SCIO held reserves of £11,582 (2022: £ 11,698) of which £11,482 is unrestricted. The SCIO does not currently have a reserves policy as, at present, it has no significant ongoing overhead commitments. However, this will be reviewed regularly by the Trustees.
St a t e m e n t o f fin a n c ia l p o sit io n As a t 31 De c e m b e r 20 23
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2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £
Current assets
Cash at bank 3 9,501 9,273
Debtors 4 3,439 2,765
12,940 12,038
Liabilities
Creditors 5 1,358 340
(1,358) (340)
Net assets 11,582 11,698
Funds 6
Unrestricted 11,482 11,598
Restricted 100 100
11,582 11,698
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Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf:
President
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No t e s t o t h e fin a n c ia l st a t e m e n t s
- 1 Balance of accounting
These accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis in accordance with the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
- 2 Nature and purpose of funds
Unrestricted funds are those that may be used at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the objects of the Charity. Restricted funds may only be used for specific purposes. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for specific purposes. The Trustees may also place restrictions upon funds that are received / raised without condition if they deem it to be in the interest of furthering the Charity's objects.
3 Cash at bank
| Cash at bank | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | Junior | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Balance at 31/12/22 | 8,925 | 348 | 9,273 |
| Movement | (114) | 341 | 227 |
| Balance at 31/12/23 | 8,811 | 690 | 9,501 |
| Debtors | |||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Debtors | 22 | 1,035 | |
| Prepayments | 3,418 | 1,730 | |
| 3,439 | 2,765 |
4 Debtors
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5 Creditors
| 5 | Creditors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Trade creditors | 1,208 | 885 | |
| Accruals | 610 | - | |
| Purchases on account | (460) | (545) | |
| 1,358 | 340 | ||
| 6 | Funds | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Senior band | |||
| Unrestricted | 11,943 | 11,364 | |
| Restricted | 100 | 100 | |
| Junior band | |||
| Unrestricted | (460) | 234 | |
| 11,582 | 11,698 |
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Future outlook
Heading into 2024, the Band aims to build on the learnings of 2023, putting the poor results behind us, and focussing on building new-found relationships. We aim to participate in both Scottish and National brass band contests and will continue to place our engagement with the local and surrounding areas at the centre of what we do.
The Trustees intend to build on the following headline strategies, adopted and detailed in our 2022 Annual Report:
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Embracing new technologies
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Brand development
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Player pathway
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Flexible music-making
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Collaboration
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Broaden governance structures
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Heritage project
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Patrons’ scheme
The Trustees maintain the intention to source funds to finance the purchase of a new set of instruments and uniforms as most of the current stock are becoming “tired”, due to being in excess of twenty years old. We recognise the complexity of sourcing funding to fulfil this goal but are committed to working creatively to ensure its attainment, particularly when the links to wider strategies are considered, e.g., our brand development and player pathway strategies.
Furthermore, having invested in the internals of our bandhall quite considerably over the last couple of years, we now aspire to seek funds to have the exterior of the property renovated to a similar standard, making the outward appearance more appealing to potential building users. We continue to hold funds received from the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes for this purpose.
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Newtongrange Silver Band SCIO