ROMSEY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST

Registered charity 1182043 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The festival organises public concerts which are designed to educate the wider public, the elderly, children, and music students in high quality chamber music. The festival also runs workshops in schools, designed to introduce and further educate school children in chamber music and provide access to performances to those who would not normally attend a concert.

Objects

TO PROMOTE, IMPROVE, DEVELOP, MAINTAIN AND ADVANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION IN AND APPRECIATION OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT IN PARTICULAR THROUGH THE PROMOTION, SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE ART OF MUSIC AND SPECIFICALLY BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PRESENTATION AND PRODUCTION OF THE ROMSEY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL WHICH MAY INCLUDE PUBLIC CONCERTS AND RECITALS, NEW COMPOSITION COMMISSIONS, MASTER CLASSES, COACHING, OPEN REHEARSALS, WORKSHOPS, TALKS AND LECTURES, OUTREACH PROGRAMMES AND RECORDINGS.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Test Valley, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£50k

Latest spending

£39k

Registered

2019

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity held unrestricted reserves of £37,605 at the end of the period, with a reserves policy aimed at maintaining sufficient funds to pay artists' fees and other costs in a timely fashion. The trustees note that the charity relies heavily on grant awarding bodies which are unpredictable in current financial circumstances, but confirm that resources are adequate to continue operations.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: maintain sufficient funds to pay the costs of the artists' fees and other costs in a timely fashion (reserves figure: £38k)

“The Trustees' reserves policy aims to maintain sufficient funds to pay the costs of the artists' fees and other costs in a timely fashion.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: Laura Rickard received £6,150 in fees.

“In this period, performance fees of £2,550, education fees of £600 and an artistic direction fee of £3,000 were paid to Laura Rickard. No other payments were made to Trustees other than expenses.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Payments to Laura Rickard, who is listed as a Trustee (Artistic Director).

“In this period, performance fees of £2,550, education fees of £600 and an artistic direction fee of £3,000 were paid to Laura Rickard. No other payments were made to Trustees other than expenses.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2025

Volunteers: 9
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Volunteers: 7
Government income: £2,500 — grants £2,500 (4); 7% of the £35,572 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 2
Government income: £5,250 — contracts £2,500 (1), grants £2,750 (4); 16% of the £32,792 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Romsey Chamber Music Festival (matched by registered charity number).

Trustees · trustee networks

HUW MEREDYDD EVANS BA FFAchair
Alison Fenwick
DAVID CHRISTOPHER HAIGH CENG MA
KATHRYN RICKARD
LAURA GWENDOLEN RICKARD B.A.
MRS LOUISE WOODS

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Hampshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£50k	£39k
31/08/2024	£36k	£32k
31/08/2023	£33k	£25k
31/08/2022	£27k	£29k
31/08/2021	£5k	£6k

Common questions

Is ROMSEY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity held unrestricted reserves of £37,605 at the end of the period, with a reserves policy aimed at maintaining sufficient funds to pay artists' fees and other costs in a timely fashion. The trustees note that the charity relies heavily on grant awarding bodies which are unpredictable in current financial circumstances, but confirm that resources are adequate to continue operations. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE ALBERT AND EUGENIE FROST MUSIC TRUST CIO	1	£10k
THE CHARLOTTE BONHAM-CARTER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£6k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUST	1	£5k
THE VERNON ELLIS FOUNDATION	1	£3k
CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST)	1	£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ROMSEY CHORAL SOCIETY.

ROMSEY CHORAL SOCIETY income £37k
LEWES CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL income £42k
WINCHESTER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST income £52k
THE PEASMARSH CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST income £114k
WHITTINGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL income £57k
THE AMERSHAM FESTIVAL SOCIETY income £92k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ROMSEY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST	£50k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ROMSEY CHORAL SOCIETY FY2025	£37k	—	above	—	no doubt
LEWES CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL FY2025	£42k	—	unclear	—	noted
WINCHESTER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST FY2025	£52k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE PEASMARSH CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TRUST FY2025	£114k	—	above	—	no doubt
WHITTINGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL FY2025	£57k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.