Altrincham Youth Choir
Booking, Fees and Cancellation Policy
Version: 1.0 | Date: 6th October 2026 | Contact: Cally Youdell, 07715 559306, cally@altrinchamyouthchoir.co.uk
1. What your fee covers
AYC membership is paid by the term, not by the session. The termly fee covers:
weekly rehearsals
music and scores
hire of our rehearsal space
accompanist and conductor fees
participation in our termly concert, and any extra rehearsals leading up to it, at no extra cost
Because the fee pays for the whole term, including costs we meet whether or not each child is present, we do not divide it into individual sessions.
2. Fees
| Student | Fee per term |
|---|---|
| First child | £150 |
| Second child from the same family | £112.50 (25% off) |
| Third and any further child | £75 (50% off) |
The fee is the same for AYC Juniors and AYC Seniors.
There are no other compulsory costs. Children need to wear all black for concerts, and bring a black folder and a pencil to rehearsals (see section 14). Holiday weeks, specialist workshops and Come & Sing days are charged separately (see section 13).
3. Term dates
AYC rehearses on Thursdays: AYC Juniors 5pm to 6pm, and AYC Seniors 6pm to 7:15pm, at Altrincham United Reform Church hall, Cecil Road, Hale. We follow local school terms.
| Term | Thursday Rehearsals | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | Thursdays 7 January to 25 March (no rehearsal 18 February, half term) | 11 |
| Summer 2027 | Thursdays 15 April to 22 July, excluding half term. | 13 |
| Autumn 2027 | [dates to be confirmed] | - |
Our spring concert will be at the end of the spring term, and we will confirm extra rehearsal dates once known.
4. Trying AYC first
Free trial rehearsal: every new child is welcome to one free trial rehearsal before booking. Trials can be booked on our website, or please email us to book one in. We ask families to complete our registration form before the trial.
Come & Sing day: our Come & Sing day on Saturday 5 December 2026 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon, is a paid taster at £15 per child. If you book a term’s place on the day or within 7 days, the £15 is deducted from your first term’s fee.
Our trial is there so that you and your child can decide before paying. Once a term’s fee is paid it is not refundable (see section 10).
5. Booking a place
Book a free trial rehearsal, or come to a Come & Sing day.
Complete our online registration form. You only need to do this once, and you do not need to re-enrol each term.
Pay the term’s fee online (or choose to pay in instalments).
Your place is confirmed only once payment has been received.
Your child’s place then continues from term to term until you tell us you are leaving. Before each term we will email you a reminder and payment link.
We do not currently have a waiting list. If demand exceeds the space we have, we may introduce one and will tell families.
6. Paying
The fee for each term is due by the first rehearsal of the term.
Payment is made online through our website, and goes to AYC’s business account.
Instalments: if you prefer, you may pay the termly fee in three equal monthly instalments across the term, for example 3 payments of £50 for a first child. The first is due by the first rehearsal. We prefer payment for the whole term where possible. Instalments are a way of paying the termly fee, not a different fee, and the whole term’s fee remains payable.
Late payment: if a payment is late we will send you a reminder. If it is still unpaid after 14 days, we will contact you to ask why it is late. We’d much rather your child stay singing in the choir, so if you are struggling please talk to us first (see section 11).
7. Joining part-way through a term
Children are welcome to join during a term. Because the fee covers the concert and extra rehearsals as well as weekly rehearsals, we do not charge per remaining session, and instead use the following steps:
| Joining in rehearsal | Fee for that term |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 3 | Full fee |
| Weeks 4 to 6 | 75% of the full fee (£112.50) |
| Weeks 7 to 9 | 50% of the full fee (£75) |
| Weeks 10 to 11 | No fee for the rest of the term. Your child can attend rehearsals, and the full fee starts from next term. We will use these rehearsals as their free trial, though they will not take part in the end of term concert. |
Sibling discounts apply to the fee after these adjustments. For anyone joining after week 6, we will talk with you about whether your child is ready to take part in the concert.
8. Missed rehearsals and attendance
No refunds, credits or make-up sessions for individual rehearsals that a child misses. The fee pays for the whole term, including the concert and extra rehearsals.
Please tell us before the Thurday rehearsal if your child will be absent, by 4pm, either my email or Whatsapp (07715559306). We need to know for safeguarding and so that we can keep to our adult-to-child ratios.
We know life happens and children get ill, so there is no minimum attendance number and we will not remove a child for missing sessions. But we do expect members to come as often as they can, ideally every week, to learn their music, and to commit to the concert. That is when everyone gets the most out of the choir.
If your child cannot take part in a concert, or if they are thinking of leaving, please tell us as early as possible and let us know why. There are no penalties, and we would like to help if we can.
9. Leaving AYC
Please email cally@altrinchamyouthchoir.co.uk to tell us you are leaving. To avoid being charged for the next term, tell us at least 14 days before the first rehearsal of that term.
If you leave part-way through a term, that term’s fee (including any remaining instalments) is still payable and is not refunded. You will not be charged for later terms.
If your child is unhappy, please talk to us! We want every child to enjoy their music making and will always try to help if we can.
10. Refunds
The termly fee is not refundable once paid, including where a child misses sessions or leaves part-way through a term.
In exceptional circumstances, such as long-term illness or injury, moving away or family difficulty, we may refund or credit part of a fee. This is entirely at the discretion of the artistic director. Please contact us.
If AYC cancels, see section 12.
11. Bursaries and hardship
We have bursary and scholarship places, and we would always rather a child keeps their place. If cost is a barrier, or your circumstances change, please contact Cally at cally@altrinchamyouthchoir.co.uk or 07715 559306. Conversations are confidential.
12. If AYC cancels
A single rehearsal (for example because of director illness, venue problems or severe weather): we will do our best to arrange a make-up session. If we cannot, there is no refund for a single session, as the fee covers the concert and extra rehearsals. We will tell you as soon as possible by email.
A whole term, holiday week or workshop cancelled by AYC: you will receive a full refund or credit, whichever you prefer.
13. Holiday weeks, workshops and Come & Sing days
These are not included in the termly fee. They are booked and paid for separately through our website.
They are open to children who are not AYC members. Places are first come, first served.
To secure a place you pay a deposit, and the balance is due by the specified date.
If you cancel: more than 14 days before the start, we will refund what you have paid apart from the deposit. Less than 14 days before, there is no refund unless we can fill the place.
If AYC cancels: full refund.
Our Child Protection Policy applies at all AYC events, and children must have a completed registration form.
14. What your child needs
Children wear all black to rehearsals and concerts, and bring a black folder and a pencil. There are no other costs for the time being. We may offer AYC T-shirts to buy in future, or tours, festivals and one-to-one vocal lessons. These are all optional.
15. Your legal rights and changes to this policy
Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights as a consumer. We may update this policy from time to time, and will tell families by email before any change affects them.
Questions? Contact Cally on 07715 559306 or cally@altrinchamyouthchoir.co.uk