Patronage

Who do I talk to?
Mike Stenhouse is our liaison man and he will be delighted to give you all the details.

Money, the eternal problem.
Many people are surprised to learn that it costs about £10,000 per year to run the choir and it rises every year. Where does it go? Music; each new piece we buy can cost up to £200. Travel; always subsidised by the choir. Rehearsal room; £400

Insurance; choir property is valued at £35,000 and has to be covered. Music team fees; we have to have the best and they have to be paid for their professionalism and dedication.

Publicity; last year, publicity in the form of leaflets, posters etc. came to £750.

How are we funded?
The only certainty is membership fees, currently £50.00 per year per member and when this is gift aided we can claim 20% back from the Inland Revenue. A great scheme.

However, just about every concert we give is for charity or voluntary organisation for which there is no up front charge. Yes, if it involves travel outside our area we have to have transport provided, but that does not give any income.

We organise one concert per year for our own funds, but there is nothing certain about the outcome and costs are always there.

We do fundraise and people are generous, but once again the result is not a certainty.

We occasionally receive a fee for a function, wedding, funeral, or a corporate event and the same rule applies. Nothing is certain about our cash flow.

The choir has back up funds, but we have to meet current expenditure out of current income, because those funds are earmarked for future projects, recordings, uniforms, etc.

Would you like to help?
One scheme which is currently producing regular and significant income is our “Patronage Scheme”. For a minimum £5.00 annual donation, patrons receive a quarterly newsletter with all the up to date information of what the choir is up to, where we’ve been, what happened etc.etc. There is news of new appointments, new music and profiles of some of the members and their families.