HADDO ARTS (a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Annual Report and Accounts For the Year ended 5 April 2025
Registered Charity – SC046913
HADDO ARTS
Annual Report and Accounts For the Year ended 5 April 2025
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Charity Information | 1 |
| Trustees’ Report | 2 - 8 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 9 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 10 |
| Statement of Balances | 11 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 12 - 14 |
HADDO ARTS
Charity Information
Charity name
Charity number
Principal address
Website address Patron
Trustees
Bankers
Independent Examiner
Haddo Arts SCIO
SC046913
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www.haddoarts.com
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Royal Bank of Scotland 15 Bridge Street Ellon Aberdeenshire AB41 9AA
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report together with financial statements for the year ended 5 April 2025.
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document
Haddo Arts is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) governed by its constitution effective from 2016 and as amended 24 November 2021.
Appointment of Trustees
The number of Charity Trustees shall not be less than three, nor more than ten, and in the event of the number falling below three, such additional Charity Trustees shall be appointed as required.
All Trustees on 31 March 2025 held their appointments following the previous AGM on 18 November 2024.
Organisational Structure
The Board, which is responsible for managing Haddo Arts, formally met seven times during this period to address the objectives and activities of the Charity, with a particular focus on delivering a year-long arts programme and its annual Haddo Arts Festival in September 2024.
Day-to-day operations of the Charity are delegated from the Board to the part-time Operations Manager, the charity’s sole employee.
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
Objectives and Activities
Charitable Purposes
Under the Constitution of Haddo Arts, the Charitable Purposes of the organisation are described as follows:
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For the purposes of benefiting the public and in particular and without prejudice to the generality of that purpose through the organisation of an annual arts festival or festivals and/or other artistic events at Haddo House, or other locations further afield, celebrating the best of local, national and/or international arts in an integrated arts programme.
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To entertain and educate the public by providing access to the arts and by encouraging their participation in events organised by Haddo Arts and other similar events.
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To maintain the heritage of the performing arts at Haddo House.
Activities
Haddo Arts maintains the heritage of Haddo as a centre of excellence in the arts, while building an organisation for the 21st century that facilitates artistic development and supports the artistic ambitions of artists locally, nationally and internationally.
Focusing on an annual festival at Haddo, Haddo Arts presents a programme of events that entertain, stimulate and provide educational opportunities to audiences, artists and other communities who may benefit from the arts.
Events are not constrained by age, gender, race, nationality or creed.
Haddo Arts seeks to promote artistic excellence and enable the highest standards.
Haddo Arts works collaboratively with organisations, communities, artists and arts professionals whose ambitions are aligned with the charity. We promote the development of new artistic works while celebrating the best artistic endeavours from previous ages. We encourage contemporary thinking about the arts and facilitate learned debate to stimulate the growth and influence of the arts in Scotland.
Haddo Arts strives to make the arts accessible to everyone, by presenting opportunities for everyone to engage at whatever level they wish, at reasonable cost and without discrimination.
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
Achievements and Performance
Concerts and Events
Our programme in 2024 began with a poetry day at Haddo on Monday 15 April, presented in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen. Professor David Wheatley led a seminar for postgraduate students in the morning. In the afternoon, we welcomed Oxford Professor of Poetry, , to give a reading of her poetry, both original work and her translations of classic Greek and Roman poets from antiquity. Her reading was introduced by a short piano recital given by , Head Boy of Robert Gordon College, Scholar at North East of Scotland Music School, where he is a pupil of distinguished pianist and friend of .
The outstanding Gordon Contemporaries Exhibition, featuring work by a selection of award-winning North East artists, was presented by Aberdeen Art Gallery and the David & June Gordon Memorial Trust in association with Haddo Arts and ran from 27 April – 24 November in Aberdeen Art Gallery. We were pleased to arrange a piano and saxophone duo, , to provide music for the Private View on Friday 26 April.
We continued with two events in collaboration with Nova Quartet. On Sunday 30 June in Haddo House Chapel, Nova Quartet, together with organist , accompanied the newly formed Haddo Arts Chamber Choir in a performance of Fauré’s Requiem and his Cantique de Jean Racine, marking the French composer centenary year. MBE, conductor for the evening, had arranged the Cantique especially for the quartet. The evening was rapturously received by the sell-out audience and garnered a very complimentary review by well-known critic,
This was followed on 23 August by a delightful evening in the Library: Nova Bridgerton Classics @ Haddo. The audience were treated to a lively rendition of the music from the hit Netflix show, Bridgerton, arranged for string quartet by cellist . His amusing narrative, setting the pieces in the context of the series, brought the evening together and meant that even those who had never seen the TV show came away with a sense of having been transported to Regency Bath.
We had planned a collaboration with the Dunedin Consort to deliver a choral workshop in October and a schools’ music project across September and October with a performance at Haddo. Sadly, however, we were unable to secure funding and have had to postpone this.
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
Haddo Arts Festival 2024
Haddo Arts Festival 2024 ran from 12 – 15 September with a programme encompassing visual arts, an arts lecture, classical, choral and jazz music, a family concert and a Festival Service.
Furthering our collaboration with Aberdeen Art Gallery, Haddo Arts presented the Lunchbreak Concert on Thursday 12 September. Following on from their appearance at the Gordon Contemporaries Exhibition Private View, pianist and saxophonist
returned to give the premiere performance of North Sea Sketches. This original concert of pieces rooted in the world of jazz combined genres and soundscapes presented an enthralling programme of improvised music from the North East of Scotland.
An Evening with on Thursday 12 September was a warm, lively and engaging introduction to the harp repertoire. The former Royal Harpist shared 100 years of harp music and, in conversation with , the highlights and impact of her appointment as the Royal Harpist. The concert was followed by a reception in the Library where audience members had the opportunity to talk with in a more informal atmosphere.
We were delighted to welcome back to Haddo for a mini residency and were thrilled to announce that she had accepted our invitation to become Haddo Arts’ patron. On Thursday afternoon she gave an inspirational masterclass with four students ( ) at the North East
Scotland Music School in Aberdeen (NESMS), developed as part of our ongoing collaboration with NESMS.
In addition to the warmly welcoming audience, two of the NESMS students attended her virtuoso recital - “Call of the Birds” - at Haddo, on Friday 13 September, and engaged in the Q&A session with her during the interval. This opportunity to learn more about and engage with a performer’s approach and inspiration has been a highlight of this year’s Festival, and is an element on which we intend to build for future programmes.
As in previous years, the Haddo Arts YouTube channel hosted the video of Haddo Children’s Theatre’s spring production. Peter Pan – The Musical was recorded live at Haddo in March; the video premiered on Friday evening and remains online for viewing. On Saturday afternoon PPRSA, the first female President of the Royal Scottish Academy, gave a wide-ranging talk with examples from her own work. In the June Gordon Room, throughout the weekend a highly stimulating exhibition by and titled Haddo Reimagined, explored forgotten stories and secret places, through the medium of photography and flash fiction.
As ever, a key presence in the Festival programme is the performance by Haddo House Choral & Operatic Society (HHCOS). This year’s concert, conducted by included what was most probably the first UK performance of a work by Scottish composer, Thea Musgrave: “Black Tambourine” for female voices and percussion. This was followed by a stunning performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” in the arrangement for choir with two pianos and percussion.
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
On Sunday 15 September, PianoWorld was a marvellously inspiring whirlwind journey, introducing a young audience to different styles of piano music and ways of playing. The afternoon culminated in the youngsters crowding around the instrument to play its strings, before finished her programme with one of Piazolla’s Tangos.
The Festival closed with the annual Festival Service in Haddo Chapel - a Choral Evensong - led by and featuring a group of upper voices from HHCOS, with a world premiere of Preces and Responses written for the occasion by , who was the music director and organist.
Throughout the Festival in the June Gordon Room exhibited photographs and writing from their Haddo Reimagined project, inspired by the secret places and history of Haddo. The book of the project was launched with a talk on Thursday 12 September chaired by , and the talk on Sunday afternoon 15 September, was followed by a guided tour to some of the places featured in the book, accompanied by rangers from Haddo Country Park who answered questions on the flora and fauna.
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Summary of Achievements
The Trustees believe that the 2024 programme fulfilled the charitable objectives of Haddo Arts. The Festival successfully delivered a programme of mixed arts events with other events in the year, a number of which were the fruits of collaboration with institutions or individual artists.
The Trustees were delighted that CBE accepted their invitation to become Haddo Arts’ Patron.
Despite the increased publicity achieved this year, audiences remain slow to return after the pandemic. No doubt the problem has been exacerbated by the economic climate where there may be less disposable cash available for events and entertainment. This appears to be a particular problem for the classical music sector.
Smaller than anticipated audiences resulted in box office income being some £3,000 less than forecast in our already conservative budget. At the same time, with the jump in inflation over the current year there have been unavoidable increases in the costs of delivering events and activities. The Trustees are grateful for the support of funders, a small number of individual donations and donation income from refreshments and programmes.
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Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
HADDO ARTS
Looking Forward to 2025
The Trustees of Haddo Arts have decided to offer concerts and events throughout the 2025 season - May to October — rather than promote a Festival. They judged that the promotion of regular events across a period of maximum visitors would increase the presence of Haddo Arts, and would be broadly welcomed by our usual attendees.
The concerts this year will have a different feel, and this season has been planned as a ‘reset’. We shall have varied seating arrangements in the Hall to bring performers and audience closer together. There will be an emphasis on younger performers, and the breadth of repertoire will be extended with jazz and movie classics. Excellent classical music will be represented bypiano recital, Scottish Opera, and the annual autumn concert of HHCOS.
Ee 222 Trio will begin the season with a concert in the Hall. With yy MON accordion - a Young Generation Artist of the BBC - and prizewinning blind Pianist MM giving the Lunchbreak concert for the City of Aberdeen, we are strengthening our collaborations. Orchestra Nova, Aberdeen’s most recently formed orchestra, will give a programme of ‘Movie Classics’. Several other locally-based musicians will be promoted in our concert series. Distinguished art historian gy will give the annual David and June Gordon Memorial Lecture — ‘Half a Scot by birth and bred a whole one’, and this will be preceded by a short recital by Scholars of NESMS. We are particularly delighted to welcome back Scottish Opera for a programme of Opera Highlights. Haddo House, Choral and Operatic Society (HHCOS) will close our season with a performance of the well-loved Oratorio, The Crucifixion, by the massively popular nineteenth-century composer, Sir John Stainer. This performance will be given in the wonderful Chapel which is contemporary with the work. As usual, we shall include a service of Choral Evensong.
In collaboration with NTS, we shall initiate a new series of informal ‘Courtyard Concerts’. The concept is to give more life to a recessed area of Haddo, to draw more people closer to the Hall and the House. These will take place on the first Sunday afternoon of each month from May to October, in the Courtyard, near the café and NTS shop. The concerts will feature a variety of performers, including students from Ellon, Meldrum Academies and NESMS, and other artists. This series will be assessed as a pilot scheme as the season progresses.
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report For the Year ended 5 April 2025
Financial Review
Overview
During 2024-25, the income for the charity was £55,858.81 (2023-24: £38,850.51) with the main source income for the charity through grants and ticket sales. The main expenditure was performances (37%) and staffing costs (26%).
Reserves Policy
On 5 April 2025, the charity’s unrestricted reserves stood at £21,339.35 (5 April 2024: £17,684.00). The Trustees consider that 3 months of running costs held as unrestricted reserves is an appropriate level to allow the operational work of the charity to continue without disruption and in the event of the need for winding up the charity.
This level was met at the period end.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf
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Chair 25 June 2025
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HADDO ARTS
Independent Examiner’s Report
For the Year ended 5 April 2025
| report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 5 April 2025, which are set out on pages 10 and 11 and the related notes on pages 12 to 14.
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 Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006(as amended) (“the 2006 Regulations’). The charity’s Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the 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 2006 Regulations. An Examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those 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 | do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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e@ To keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Regulations
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e@ 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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HADDO ARTS
Receipts and Payments Account As at 5 April 2025
| As at 5 April 2025 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-24 £ |
|
| Receipts | |||||
| Donations | 3 | 7,065.00 | - | 7,065.00 | 14,707.88 |
| Sponsorship | 3,4 | - | 500.00 | 500.00 | 5,000.00 |
| Grants | 3,4 | 31,000.00 | 5,000.00 | 36,000.00 | 8,933.00 |
| Fundraising Activities | 3 | 10,990.06 | - | 10,990.06 | 10,209.63 |
| Receipts from other Charitable Activities |
3 | 1,303.75 | - | 1,303.75 | - |
| Total Receipts | 50,358.81 | 5,500.00 | 55,858.81 | 38,850.51 | |
| Payments | |||||
| Fundraising Expenses | 250.00 | - | 250.00 | 371.85 | |
| Charitable Activities | 5 | 44,186.44 | 8,500.00 | 52,686.44 | 52,076.01 |
| Repayment of Grant | 6 | - | 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | - |
| Governance Costs | 7 | 2,262.00 | - | 2,262.00 | 3,276.00 |
| Total Payments | 46,698.44 | 10,500.00 | 57,198.44 | 55,723.86 | |
| Net receipts / (payments) before transfers |
3,660.37 | (5,000.00) | (1,339.63) | (16,873.35) | |
| Transfers | - | - | - | ||
| Net receipts / (payments) for the year |
3,660.37 | (5,000.00) | (1,339.63) | (16,873.35) | |
| Opening funds at 6 April | 22,678.98 | 39,552.35 | |||
| Closing funds at 5 April | 21,339.35 | 22,678.98 |
The notes on pages 12-14 form part of these accounts.
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HADDO ARTS
Statement of Balances As at 5 April 2025
| Cash and Bank Balances |
Notes | Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-34 £ |
| Opening cash at bank and in hand |
8 | 17,678.98 | 5,000.00 | 22,678.98 | 39,552.35 |
| Net Receipts / (Payments) for the Year |
3,660.37 | (5,000.00) | (1,339.63) | (16,873.35) | |
| Closing cash at bank and in hand |
21,339.35 | - | 21,339.35 | 22,684.00 |
| Creditors | Notes | Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-34 £ |
| Late invoices | 9 | 2,415.49 | - | 2,415.49 | 725.57 |
Approved by the Trustees on 25 June 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
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Chair 25 June 2025
The notes on pages 12 to 14 form part of these accounts
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HADDO ARTS
Notes to the Accounts For the Year ended 5 April 2025
1. Accounting Policies
- Basis of Accounting
The accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
- VAT
The charity is not registered for VAT and, accordingly, expenditure includes VAT where appropriate.
- Resources Expended
Expenditure incurred has been classified on a basis appropriate to the charity’s circumstances. All expenditure relates to charitable activities.
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. The Trustees maintain a single unrestricted fund for the day-to-day running 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. During the year the charity received £5,500.00 in restricted funding awards (2023-24: £7,000.00)
3. Receipts in Detail
| Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-24 £ |
|
| Donations | 7,065.00 | - | 7,065.00 | 14,717.88 |
| Grants | 31,000.00 | 5,000.00 | 36,000.00 | 8,933.00 |
| Sponsorship | - | 500.00 | 500.00 | 5,000.00 |
| Ticket Sales and Event Donations | 10,990.06 | - | 10,990.06 | 10,209.63 |
| Gift Aid / Donation of Photography | 1,303.75 | - | 1,303.75 | - |
| Total | 55,858.81 | 38,850.51 |
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HADDO ARTS
Notes to the Accounts For the Year ended 5 April 2025
4. Restricted Funds
| Balance at 6 April 24 £ |
Receipts 2024-25 £ |
Payments 2024-25 £ |
Balance at 5 April 25 |
|
| Restricted Grants | 5,000.00 | 5,500.00 | 10,500.00 | - |
There were no transfers between Restricted Funds in 2024-25.
5. Payments on Charitable Activities
| Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-24 £ |
|
| Administration and Overheads | 5,581.39 | - |
5,581.39 |
2,850.40 |
| Marketing | 10,964.79 | - |
10,964.79 |
5,271.95 |
| Performances | 12,636.56 | 8,500.00 |
21,136.56 |
25,944.86 |
| Staffing | 15,003.70 | - |
15,003.70 |
18,008.80 |
| 44,186.44 | 8,500.00 |
52,686.44 |
52,076.01 |
6. Repayment of Grant
A restricted grant of £2,000 was received from The Grand Lodge on 3 July 2024 towards a school outreach project. The grant was returned on 14 August 2024 due to insufficient match funding to progress the project.
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HADDO ARTS
Notes to the Accounts For the Year ended 5 April 2025
7. Governance Costs
| Unrestricted 2024-25 £ |
Restricted 2024-25 £ |
Total 2024-25 £ |
Total 2023-24 £ |
|
| Bookkeeping | 2,112.00 | - | 2,112.00 | 2,256.00 |
| Preparation of Annual Accounts | 150.00 | - | 150.00 | 1,020.00 |
| 2,262.00 | - | 2,262.00 | 3,276.00 |
8. Cash Balances
| Balance at 6 April 24 £ |
Net Receipts / (Payments) 2024-25 £ |
Balance at 5 April 25 £ |
|
| Bank Balance | 22,602.63 | (1,349.63) | 21,253.00 |
| Petty Cash | 76.35 | 10.00 | 86.35 |
| 22,678.98 | (1,339.63) | 21,339.35 |
9. Late Invoices
The following charitable activity payments totalling £2,415.49 were due for 2024-25 at 5 April 2024:
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Administration and Overheads: £172.96
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Marketing: £1,886.25
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Staffing: £180.28
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Governance: £176.00
10. Payments to Trustees and Related Parties
No remuneration was paid to the Trustees or any connected persons during the year (2023-24: £275.20 performance fee).
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