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Friends of theP hil harmonicSeptember 2015 | www.brightonphil.org.uk

DEAR FRIENDS,Our 91st concertseason at BrightonDome is fastapproaching and

as always we have a mixture ofthe familiar and not so familiar foryour pleasure. We are delightedthat Barry Wordsworth, ourConductor Laureate, will be atthe helm for six of the eightconcerts. We hope that you willenjoy the wide variety of workswe are presenting throughoutthe season.

Every year we join forces with the Brighton Festival Chorusduring our concert season, and this year the orchestra hasbeen invited to support the Chorus and the Brighton FestivalYouth Choir in their annual Christmas Concert on Saturday 12December at Brighton Dome. Conducted by James Morgan,it promises to be a joyous celebration of the very best inChristmas music.

The BPO’s performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazadeon 14 February will be the culmination of this year’s educationproject in which members of our orchestra take classicalmusic into primary schools in Brighton & Hove.

Sponsorship update: We are very grateful to all those whomade possible this year’s summer season in the Unitarian

Church, which garnered some wonderfulreviews in the local press which you canread on our website – “What the criticsare saying”. There are stillopportunities to help us reach oursponsorship target for the 2015/16main concert season. Ticket incomeonly covers half the cost of a concert,so please consider making a donationor joining together with friends to sponsor

a specific concert or to contribute to theconcert season as a whole. A few instrumental chairs are stillavailable at different levels of sponsorship, since someinstruments do not play in every concert. If you are able tohelp us to continue to entertain Brighton & Hove’s residentswith a varied and enjoyable programme of classical music,please contact me via the BPO office on(01273) 622900 or email:[email protected]. Alldonations of any size are greatly valued andgo directly towards providing our audienceswith first-rate concerts.

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, 41 George Street, Brighton BN2 1RJ Tel: (01273) 622900

Nicolas Chisholm, MBECHAIRMAN OF BHPS

91ST CONCERT SEASONThose of you who pre-ordered the first part-seasonprogramme for the 2015/16 season will find it enclosed withthis newsletter, thanks to the label sticking, envelope stuffingand stamp licking skill of a small band of dedicated Friendsof the Phil.

We have respondedto feedback fromFriends by reverting tothe previous (slightlysmaller) size, and havekept the price thesame, whilstcontinuing with the fullcolour, high qualitylook and feel thatproved so popular lastseason. We are mostgrateful to Peter Backonce again for themeticulouslyresearched anddetailed programmenotes about eachwork, to Maya Davis,our proof-reader andgrammar expert, andfinally to our designer Mark Attwell, who brings everythingtogether with such style and professionalism.

We are delighted that the East Sussex Decorative & Fine ArtsSociety have taken out an advert in both programmeswhich helps offset the cost of producing them. Theirprogramme of lectures take place on the last Wednesdayevening of the month at the Boundary Rooms at the SussexCounty Cricket Ground – see their advert in our programmefor more details or go to their website at: www.esdfas.co.uk.

The first programme covers the three concerts on Sundays11 October, 8 November and 6 December and will be onsale in the Dome foyer on those dates at £3.50. If you wouldlike a large print version of the notes printed on white A4paper, please get in touch with the BPO office before thestart of the season so we can ensure we have sufficientcopies of these available at each concert. These can becollected from the Friends’ Desk in the Dome foyer onconcert days.

Also included in our newsletter are details of our 75th AnnualGeneral Meeting, which will take place immediately afterthe concert on Sunday 8 November 2015.

Turn over to find out more about an exciting collaborationwith the Brighton Festival Chorus in December, includingdiscounted tickets for Friends of the Phil, and that allimportant booking form for “Friend of a Friend” tickets for thecoming season.

BRIG

HTO

N PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

CHAIR S P O NSOR

YOURNAMEHERE

BPO Newsletter SEPTEMBER 2015_Layout 5 07/09/2015 09:33

BRIGHTON FESTIVAL CHORUS CHRISTMAS CONCERTWe are delighted that the BFC have invited the BPO to perform in their annual Christmas Concert in the Dome. Theconcert takes place on Saturday 12 December at 6pm with Brighton Festival Chorus and the Brighton Festival YouthChoir conducted by James Morgan with Juliette Pochin (Mezzo) and Nicky Spence (Tenor). Tickets are on sale atBrighton Dome Ticket Office and a discount of 15% off all ticket prices is available to Friends of the Phil – simply quotepromotional code BFCBPO when making your booking.

BPO EDUCATION UPDATEAfter the success of the Ten Piecesproject, the BBC has announcedthat Ten Pieces II will be launched inSeptember for secondary schools.The featured works include somevery familiar and much-loved piecesincluding The Lark Ascending whichJohn Bradbury and the orchestraplayed so beautifully last season.See www.bbc.co.uk for more details.

The BPO will be continuing its owneducation outreach programmein local primary schools thisseason, thanks to another grantfrom the Fonthill Foundation andgenerous contributions fromFriends and retired educators. We will focus on Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade, part of our Valentine’s Dayconcert next year, culminating in an open rehearsal forschoolchildren on Sunday 14 February 2016 to which we willinvite all those who have taken part in our workshops as wellas those who came to the last open rehearsal in March.Nearer the time we will be seeking volunteers to assist us instewarding this event.

BANK CHARGES FOR CHEQUESUnfortunately the Society’s bank now charges us for payingin large numbers of cheques so when you receive yourmembership renewal paperwork you will be asked toconsider paying either by a bank transfer (which can bedone online if you use internet banking) or by Direct Debit.We can accept cash payments but please do call the officein advance to check that someone is going to be in on theday you intend to visit, to avoid a wasted journey. Glynisworks Mondays-Wednesdays and Catherine works Mondays,Wednesdays & Fridays. The office telephone number is(01273) 622900. Unfortunately we are unable to acceptpayment by credit or debit cards.

Regrettably if you do wish to continue paying by cheque foryour membership there will be a £1 surcharge per cheque tocover the charge that our bank now makes to processthese. This will be explained in the membership renewalpaperwork that you will be receiving shortly.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE

Our new website launched this summer and I hope that thoseof you with internet access have had chance to have a lookat it. The address is the same as before, namelywww.brightonphil.org.uk and the new design aims to makethe site clear and simple to navigate so that users can findwhat they are looking for, whether it’s information aboutconcerts, tickets, the Society or our musicians. It is alsooptimised for viewing from mobile phones and tablets. Anycomments or feedback about your experiences in using itwould be most welcome.

Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrightonPhil isanother recent development which I would encourage you tohave a look at, and like!

I am delighted to report that we now have over 460 followerson Twitter @BPO_orchestra.

For those of you not active in social media both our Twitterfeed and Facebook page can be viewed via our website – ifyou go to the home page they are in the bottom right handcorner.

OBITUARIESWe are sad to have learned of the recent deaths of six Friendsof the Phil: Richard Allden, Patricia Beddis, Frank Bex,Raymond Delves, Martin Lindsay-Hills and Norman Peters.

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75TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the 75th Annual General Meeting of theBrighton & Hove Philharmonic Society Limited will be held in theBrighton Dome Founders’ Room on Sunday 8th November 2015,at 5.00pm for the following purposes:

1. Apologies for Absence and nominations of proxy

2. To receive the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Sunday 2nd November 2014

3. Matters Arising from those minutes

4. To receive the Report of the Trustees and the Examined Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2015

5. To elect Members of the Board of Management

6. To elect Officers for the year 2015-2016

7. To appoint a financial examiner for the year 2015-2016

For and on behalf of the Board of Management

Nicolas Chisholm, MBE Chairman, 1 September 2015

Notes:

Only current Friends of the Philharmonic will be admitted. That is thosewho have renewed their membership for 2015/16. Friends entitled toattend and vote may appoint a proxy authorised in writing to attend andvote instead of him/her and a proxy need not also be a Friend. Proxy formsmay be obtained from the Office of the Society. The authority appointing aproxy must be deposited at the Registered Offices of the Society not lessthan 48 hours before the time of the Meeting.

At the Annual General Meeting there will be three vacancies on the Boardof Management. Karen Platt will be stepping down from the Board whilstChris Thomson & Mike Dickson are eligible for re-election and are willingto stand. The remaining vacancy is for an initial three-year term.

Nominations are invited from Friends and should be received in the BHPSoffice no later than Sunday 11 October 2015.

Please note that copies of the Full Examined Accounts will be available forinspection or collection from the office at 41 George Street, Brighton, from14 days prior to the date of the AGM. Copies can also be requested by post(please send a C4 stamped addressed envelope).

BRIGHTON AND HOVE PHILHARMONICSOCIETY 74TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGHELD ON 2 NOVEMBER 2014John Knights

Prior to the formal commencement of the meeting The Chair announcedthe sad death of John Knights, who was bookkeeper to the Society in the1980s and 1990s and after his retirement organised trips for Friends. Hisfuneral will be at the Downs Crematorium on Thursday 5 November at2pm.

Minutes1. PresentMembers of the Board of Management: Karen Platt (Chair), Sue McHugh(Hon. Treasurer), Daniel Bhattacharya, Nicolas Chisholm, Mike Dickson,Neil Gershon and Chris Thomson.

In attendance: Ian Brignall (Concert Manager), Simon Keane (John CareweOrchestra Trust) and Catherine Stead (General Administrator).

Apologies: John Barkshire & Katherine Blenkinsop (Board members) &Barry Wordsworth (Music Director) plus a number of Friends.

Approximately 45 members of the Society.

No proxy votes had been received.

2. Minutes of the 73rd Annual General Meeting held on 8thDecember 2013The Minutes were approved and signed as a correct record.

3. Matters Arising from those minutesA number of questions were raised including:

Have improvements been made to BPO’s advertising? Due to the highcosts associated with advertising, marketing assistance and advice wasbeing sought from Friends, volunteers and ideally a new Board memberwith specific marketing/promotional experience. Friends were asked tothink about applying to become a member of the Board of management orputting forward anyone they knew with marketing experience.

What are we doing in the field of education/outreach? This will be coveredin the Chairman’s speech.

Have the local authorities been approached about funding? As we all knowlocal authority budgets have been squeezed and cut, as have those of theArts Council. We try every year and will continue to do so, however we arebuilding relationships locally, specifically with the B&H Music Hub, whichis going to help us build links with local schools. Through the Hub we areoffering discounted tickets to attend BPO concerts to local childrenlearning an instrument & their parents – three have taken up that offertoday. We have also applied for funding to set up an education project totake our musicians out into local schools to run workshops.

Have any complaints been received about the programmes - specificallyabout their size, cost and the fact that they cover more than one concert?We have had some feedback, some positive, some negative. The decisionto charge for programmes was as a result of feedback from members thatthey thought we should be charging, and because we are combiningprogrammes to include part of a season, the cost of £3.50 represents verygood value for money when you look at what other organisations chargefor their programmes. A Friend commented: I think they are an excellenthigh quality publication that are comparable to anything being producedby the major London orchestras and I applaud the BPO for producingthem.

If the dates are known for next season and for the summer season, couldthey be notified to Friends via the newsletter so people can plan aroundthem? And will it be seven concerts plus NYE next season? Dates havebeen agreed for the 2015 summer season in the Unitarian Church againand we are booked in with the Dome for the main season for 2015/16(seven concerts plus NYE) so these can be publicised to Friends and we areworking on dates for 2016/17. Planning for both next season and thesummer season is work in progress as sponsorship is required to fund theproposals.

4. Report of the Trustees and Examined Financial Statements forthe year ended 31st March 2014. (A précis version had beencirculated with the Agenda).

The Chairman introduced the Trustees Report as a reflection on progressmade during her relatively short tenure as Chairman, and on thechallenges that still remain. From a precarious starting position we haveachieved a great deal to give us a sound footing for the future.

The Chairman explained the restructured staffing of the Society, which hassplit roles/responsibilities into those focused on music and concerts (Barryand Ian), and the office/administrative team of Glynis and Catherine (ournew General Administrator). Catherine joined the BPO in June in time topick up the organisation of our “Brighton Connections” summer season atthe Unitarian Church, at which members of the orchestra played works bywell-known composers, such as Mozart and Tchaikovsky, in addition to newpieces written by local composers.

The Society has taken a much more pro-active approach to attractingsponsorship and funding for concerts, with trustee Nicolas Chisholmresponsible for driving this effort and achieving great success. The

Continued on page 6

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seasons could go ahead. She reminded those present that selling tickets isalso critical for the success of the society, which is why we are looking for aBoard Member with marketing experience. She asked anyone who hadsuggestions to get in touch.

Regarding the new programme format, we have followed Friends’comments by charging for programmes and are hoping to attractadvertisers for the second half of the season. She mentioned that thisyear's season ticket forms had included Friends’ details in order to makecompletion easier than in previous years. Attention was drawn to the BPO’spresence on Twitter which regularly “tweets” and “retweets” items ofinterest either about the BPO or other musical matters. The Chairmanhoped that Friends are following us and encouraging their friends to dothe same.

Friends newsletters had become somewhat irregular but we now have aschedule of when they will be sent out, with content and features plannedwell in advance. Ideas from Friends for features are welcomed. We havealso offered Friends the option of receiving the newsletter via email, withsubsequent savings on printing and postage costs.

The Chairman noted that we can't address all the improvements necessaryin one go, and that there are still some challenges remaining. The websiteneeds to be updated both from a content point of view but also tointroduce better ways of using and updating it. There will be moreinformation about this in the New Year. The Friends membership schemewill also be reviewed, from both an administration and benefits viewpoint.

As previously discussed, part of what we want to do as an orchestra is toshare music within the wider community, particularly within local schoolsand colleges, attracting the players and audiences of the future. Byimproving our presence in this area we may also increase our eligibility forgaining funding from arts organisations who often have education as oneof their key criteria.

From a starting position where it was highly likely that the Society wouldnot survive, she ends her tenure as Chairman in the knowledge that we arein safe hands and that Nicolas will build on the strengthening position weare now in and will drive the change necessary for the continuation of theSociety.

Introducing the Examined Financial Statements the Hon. Treasurer SueMcHugh reported that income for the year totalled £460k, a significantimprovement for the previous year’s total of £272k. Income from concerts(ticket sales and sponsorship) was slightly down on the previous year -£222k versus £250k - as a result of the reduction in the number ofconcerts. Income generation was much improved at £238k versus £22k inthe previous year. This was almost entirely attributable to £107k fromlegacies and £85k from donations (largely as a result of the Appeal).Income from these sources had been negligible in the previous year.Expenditure for the year totalled £347k compared to £415k in theprevious year. The reduction was largely as a result of the reduction inconcerts and associated costs.

The improvement in income and reduction in expenditure resulted in asurplus of £113k for the year compared to a deficit of £143k in theprevious year. As a result of the surplus, the reserves improved from adeficit of £33k at the start of the year to a positive balance of £79k at yearend. Cash balances had improved from just £10k at the start of the year to£124k at year end.

The receipt of Appeal donations and legacies put the Society in a muchbetter position at the start of the current year and this has been added toby a further £60k of legacies this year and an increase in sponsorship to£70k. As a result, we anticipate being close to balancing income andexpenditure this year, with perhaps a small call on reserves, depending onthe progress of the remainder of the season.

However the position remains that our year on year income from concerts –ticket sales and sponsorship – and from fundraising is not sufficient tocover expenditure. The Appeal in 2013 and legacies have allowed us somebreathing space to get our affairs in better shape and plan for the future.But we will need to find around an additional £80k per year – largely fromincreased sponsorship – in order to ensure we can continue to deliver theconcert programme. That is a key task for the trustees as we start to plan forthe 2015/16 programme.

Questions from those present included:

Do we break even/make a profit on any of our concerts? We make a loss onall our concerts – none of them cover their costs.

Can we show sponsorship as a separate item so that it is more obvious inthe accounts? It is actually Restricted Income and appears there in the fullaccounts of which copies are available but we can do this in the future.

Are rent, staffing and stationery costs included under Governance? Yes, thisis standard accounting practice and you can see more detail in the fullaccounts.

Clarifying that we need another £80k sponsorship for next season? What ifwe can’t raise it? There are reserves but we don’t want to draw on them ifwe can help it so ideally we need to raise another £80k in sponsorship thisyear.

Can we get sponsorship of education programmes by local organisations?These accounts relate to last year, however this year we have applied to theFonthill Foundation for £1k and are working with B&H Music Hub.

Could Friends buy tickets for underprivileged children in state schools toattend BPO concerts? We are looking at what we can do in this area andthat is a possibility.

Did the John Carewe Orchestra Trust help the BPO last year? Yes they madetwo donations to the BPO.

There being no further questions the meeting approved the Report andAccounts for the year to 31st March 2014.

5. Election of Members of the Board of Management

Noted: that no elected member of the Board may serve for more than nineyears in total and that one third of elected members were due to retireeach year.

John Barkshire, Daniel Bhattacharya and Neil Gershon had served for one,one and six years respectively and were eligible for re-election. Themeeting approved their re-election for a period of three years. All wereproperly nominated and elected unanimously.

6. Election of Officers for the Year 2014/15

Nominations were as follows:

Chairman – Nicolas Chisholm

Hon. Treasurer – Sue McHugh

Company Secretary – Catherine Stead

Music Director – Barry Wordsworth

All were properly nominated and elected unanimously.

Nicolas Chisholm gave a short speech thanking Friends for theirconfidence in electing him, accepting the responsibility, which is also aprivilege. He thanked Karen for her service to the BPO and all the Friendsfor their support. He announced that he saw it as his responsibility to seethe BPO celebrate their 100th anniversary.

The Meeting approved re-elections as follows:

President – John Lill

Vice Presidents – John Carewe, David House, Jackie Lythell and RonniePower

All were properly nominated and elected unanimously.

7. Appointment of financial examiner for the year to 31st March2014

Approved: the re-appointment of Plummer Parsons as independentfinancial examiner.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 5.50pm.

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11 OCTOBER 2015

NO. OF TICKETS

CIRCLE OR STALLS

VIOLIN / CELLO SIDE?

6 DECEMBER 2015

NO. OF TICKETS

CIRCLE OR STALLS


31 JANUARY 2016

NO. OF TICKETS

CIRCLE OR STALLS


20 MARCH 2016

NO. OF TICKETS

CIRCLE OR STALLS


Please complete both sides and detach and return to: BHPS, 41 George Street, Brighton BN2 1RJ or the Friends’ Desk in Brighton Dome foyer.

91st Concert Season 2015/16FRIEND OF A FRIEND BOOKING FORM

PRE-CONCERT INTERVIEWSIt always amazesand impresses methat our guest soloistsare willing to talkabout themselves

and the music they are about toperform so soon before the actualperformance. Pre-concertinterviews are enlightening and fascinatingexperiences, addingso much to theenjoyment of theconcert itself.

Peter Back, BPO's resident hostand programme-note writer, whowrites the informative programmenotes that appear in ourprogrammes, invites you to joinhim at the Pre-Concert Interview

before each BPO concert* to meet the soloists and learn about theirmusical backgrounds, careers and the music they are about to play.Discover the personalities behind the performers and the insights thathelp create great performances. You might even care to ask aquestion or two of your own.

The Pre-Concert Interviews take place at 1.45pm either on stage in theConcert Hall (8 Nov, 6 Dec & 31 Jan) or in the Education Pavilion inBrighton Museum (11 Oct, 14 Feb, 6 Mar & 20 Mar). Please note thatwhen the venue is the Museum’s Education Pavilion places are limitedto 40 so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment!* No pre-concert interview on New Year’s Eve

DISCOUNTED NCPCAR PARKING FORBPO CONCERTSThe discounted car parking scheme willoperate again this season for thoseparking in NCP Church Street between1pm and 6pm on BPO concert days. Thecost has increased to £6 and voucherswill be available at the Dome on the dayof each concert, for collection eitherbefore the concert, during the interval,or immediately after the concert.

BPO E-NEWSLETTER*Some of you have already signed upto receive our newsletter by email. Ifyou would like to receive future copiesof the newsletter electronically, pleaseemail: [email protected] withthe title EMAIL NEWSLETTER in thesubject bar.

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* Data Protection:Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra conforms to the terms of the 1998 Data Protection Act. The personalinformation that you give us will be held securely and will not be used for any other purpose than for us to contact you aboutBrighton Philharmonic Orchestra activities.

* Personal Data:We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about youlawfully, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The type of information we collect includes your name, address, phonenumber and email address. The personal information which we hold will be held securely.

* Direct Marketing: If you have opted to receive information from us, we will use your details for this purpose. We do notdisclose your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes without your consent. We will give you the chance torefuse any marketing emails from us in the future.

Name(s) of Member(s): Membership number:

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Email address for acknowledgement of receipt:

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A SINGLE FREE TICKET DURING THE SEASON IS OFFERED FOR EACH MEMBERSHIP WHICH YOU HOLD.I WOULD LIKE THE FREE TICKET(S) FOR:

Name: .................................................................

Address: ..............................................................

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Email: ...................................................................

Name: .................................................................

Address: ..............................................................

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Email: ...................................................................

FRIEND OF A FRIEND SCHEME2015/16Now firmly established as one of the benefits ofmembership, the Friend of a Friend Scheme will beoperating again in the forthcoming season. Friends ofBrighton Philharmonic, whose membership is up to date,are offered one free ticket for each membership duringthe season. Members have four concerts to choose fromin the 2015/16 season (see right). The free ticket may beused to bring a friend or for the member themselves. Inthe case of joint membership, two seats are available.

Please note that while we cannot guarantee that the freeseat will be close to the seat of the originating member orseason ticket holder, we will try our best to ensure it is inthe same part of the auditorium.

The concerts at which these tickets are available are:Sunday 11 October & Sunday 6 December 2015, Sunday 31 January & Sunday 20 March 2016.

The booking form is below - please return to CatherineStead at the Brighton Philharmonic office, 41 GeorgeStreet, Brighton BN2 1RJ. Forms must be returned to theBPO office by the date of the concert prior to the one forwhich you are requesting a ticket. For the first concert inthe season the deadline will be Friday 25 September.

Tickets will be left for collection at the Ticket Office in theFoyer of the Concert Hall on the day of the performance.If you require confirmation that your request has beenreceived please provide an email address or enclose astamped addressed envelope.

Please note we will use the information you provide on therecipients of the free seats to send invitations and publicityfor future Brighton Philharmonic events and offers.

SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2015

ConductorBARRY WORDSWORTH

Piano STEPHEN HOUGH

TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.1

KALINNIKOV Symphony No.1

SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER 2015

ConductorSTEPHEN BELL

HornMARTIN OWEN

DVOřÁK Overture: In Nature’sRealm

STRAUSS Horn Concerto No.1

BRUCKNER Symphony No.4

SUNDAY 31 JANUARY 2016


ViolinMATTHEW TRUSLER

WEBER Overture: Oberon

PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No.1

BRAHMS Symphony No.3

SUNDAY 20 MARCH 2016


Piano ROB CLARK

BRIGHTON FESTIVALCHORUS

WILLIAM ALWYN Overture: Derby Day

BERNSTEIN Symphony No.2 (The Age of Anxiety)

VAUGHAN WILLIAMSSymphony No.2 (A Sea Symphony)

Please complete both sides and detach and return to:BHPS, 41 George Street, Brighton BN2 1RJ or the Friends’ Desk in Brighton Dome foyer.

91st Concert Season 2015/16FRIEND OF A FRIEND BOOKING FORM

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