Reverend John Hymers 1893 Legacy Society

In 2023 25 pupils aged 11, despite passing our entrance exam, were unable to accept a place at the school because of a lack of bursary funding.

Make your legacy the gift of education

This is your time to pass it on…

Hymers College

1893 Legacy Society

The Reverend John Hymers Bursary Fund

true principles Staying to our founding

Hymers College was founded in 1893 by Reverend John Hymers “For the training of intelligence in whatever social rank of life it may be found”. We are proud to try to remain true to this objective since the school’s foundation. The Reverend John Hymers Bursary Fund appeal was launched in 2020 after the loss of the Direct Grant Scheme and Assisted Places Scheme over the twentieth century.

Transformational Impact

As well as being fee-paying, Hymers College has always needed gifts, legacies and donations from the wider Hymers community to keep up the first-class standard of education, enhanced facilities and more specifically to fund bursary places.

Many of the wider Hymers community may not realise that, whilst the school is very successful and one of the top in the North of England, to maintain

and enhance the standard of facilities and fund the bursary programme, a budget of over £3 million per annum is needed. Although we support approximately 100 students at any time, much still remains to be done as we cannot afford to provide enough bursaries to meet legitimate demand.

Since the foundation of Hymers, benefactors have been very willing to contribute, sometimes with large

donations, legacies or regular giving. Many of the buildings on site would not exist without their generous support. Hymers College is a very special place, is loved and respected by many of its former students, parents and teachers alike. Many Old Hymerians are incredibly grateful for the start that the school gave them. We would be most grateful if you could consider helping our mission, no matter how small the contribution.

Thank you for your generosity

We warmly thank the many Old Hymerians who have already made a provision in their will to support the school.

All of our pupils have benefitted from a Hymers education because of our founder John Hymers. Our ambitious plan to increase our bursary offering requires a considerable level of investment and, whilst we allocate a significant

proportion of our finances each year to development, further gifts through legacies will enable our development goals to be reached much earlier.

The school allocates approximately 12% of its

budget for bursary places (either fully or part-funded and means-tested). At the end of 2021, we were able to offer two additional places because of our recent fundraising success. However, the resources of The John Hymers Bursary Fund are not sufficient to ensure that all deserving pupils are able to take up a place at the school. In

I could never have attended Hymers if it were not for the generosity of Old Hymerians who went before me. I did not come from an affluent family and my parents could never have afforded the fees without help from people they never met. I have always been most grateful to those people, as they helped place me in a position whereby I earned a university degree and a professional designation. These have enabled me to live a comfortable life and be able to work in five countries in the course of my career. Today, there are other students with academic abilities, whose families could not afford to send them to Hymers without financial assistance. That’s why I “give back” to Hymers by way of annual donations for bursaries.

Robin Bolton, OH Class of 1964

2023, 25 pupils aged 11 were unable to accept a place at the school because of a lack of bursary funding despite passing our entrance exam. We have many shining examples of people who simply would not have had the life opportunities and the successful careers they have enjoyed without the support of a bursary place.

“… leaving a legacy was an easy decision to make…”

How will my legacy gift support Hymers?

Current school fees primarily cover today’s educational costs but charitable and philanthropic support is critical to help with wider activities, especially those requiring long term investment. Legacies in the form of unrestricted gifts, enable the school to direct funds to the areas of greatest need. The school has two main areas of development: fundraising and bursaries. Bursaries enable the school to continue its long standing tradition of nurturing talent by ensuring access for children whose parents may not have had the funds to be able to pay the fees. A Hymers education can make a huge impact on a child and provide opportunities for a life that otherwise may not have been possible.

Enhancing the pupil experience

Over the last few decades, the school has not stayed still. Major projects such as the new Junior School, Dame Judi Dench Theatre, swimming pool, Stephen Martin Music Centre, Learning Resource Centre and the new science labs have, in the major part, been funded by extremely generous benefactors. Other plans are actively being discussed but will only happen with significant additional external funding.

The historic fabric of the School

The original Hymers College building was built over 130 years ago and is now a Grade II listed building. Whilst this is something we are incredibly proud of, it does cause significant maintenance and energy usage issues. It is our responsibility and intention to not only maintain the building infrastructure but enhance it where we can. This will ensure it is fit for its purpose as a modern learning facility now and for future generations.

“A legacy is not what I did for myself; it’s what I’m doing for the next generation.”

Vitor Bellfort

Year 6 pupils receiving a handwritten letter from Old Hymerians in our pen-pal initiative.

My mum and dad made many sacrifices to enable me to get to Hymers. Leaving a legacy was a simple decision for me. If I can somehow repay that gift, I am doing the right thing.

I would encourage everyone to reflect on what Hymers has given them throughout their life up until now, and what it will give in their years ahead. This gives each of us the chance to truly make a mark on a young person’s life chances when we’re gone.

I hope my gift will give someone the springboard they need to become the person they’re destined to be.

Howard Bradley OH 1983-1993

Why I’m supporting Hymers College with a pledge for the future with a gift

I attended Hymers for 9 years. The teachers and the school helped me achieve my full potential by both encouraging and pushing me. I still have so many memories, and friends, from my time there. It is a special place and it was a unique privilege for me to be able to attend.

I don’t joke when I say that the life lessons I learned there are still with me today. That was in the past. I now execute multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions for a leading life science company in California. I am a long way from home but I still feel connected to the Hymers community.

As such, it is my honour to be able to support current and future students however I can - whether through financial or professional support.

Jonathan Seaton OH 1981 - 1990

REVEREND JOHN HYMERS LEGACY FUND

Recognition, to say a big a small way

Thank You

All of our donors are recognised as benefactors of Hymers College and listed in our Benefactors’ Book unless anonymity is requested.

Major Donors

Donors who give £50,000 or more additionally have the opportunity to name a building or classroom in honour of their gift.

Benefactors’ Lunch

We invite all donors to our annual Benefactors’ Lunch who tell us of their intention to leave a legacy gift to Hymers, as well as those whose lifetime gifts qualify them as Benefactors.

… all of our benefactors are recognised…

We are enormouslygrateful

… to the number of Old Hymerians who are already members of the 1893 Legacy Society. These members have indicated to the Development Office that they intend supporting the school in their will.

They want to be able to pass on to the next generation of Hymerians and ensure a student’s future with this commitment. All levels of support are vital from the OH community.

By supporting education, you create a living legacy, constantly repaying your generosity. Bequests large or small help shape tomorrow as new generations of Hymerians take their learning, leadership and ideas out into the wider world. If you have already made a will but would like to amend it to include a gift to Hymers you can simply complete a codicil form and store it with your will and send Hymers a copy.

Thank you for having the will to give.

What a bursary place means to a pupil…

I always looks back at my time at Hymers very fondly and am very grateful for the opportunity to have studied there between the ages of 12 and 18. My parents are both university-educated but I grew up on a council estate in Hull. In addition to the natural sense of “not fitting in” that is customary in adolescence, my upbringing created an additional feeling of being out of place and I had difficulty making friends during primary school. Hymers was an excellent school that enabled me to challenge my weaknesses, find friends and expand my horizons. When I was transitioning to secondary school my catchment school was one of the worst in the country and so I was quite excited at the prospect of an opportunity to get a bursary to attend Hymers. I was a little nervous that I might be seen as ‘the bursary kid’ but I quickly found my feet and in fact being on a bursary was never really mentioned. My secondary education really spring-boarded my future and I went on to study Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Since then, education and social mobility has remained an important part of my working life and I am now Head of Local Accountability and Performance for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at the Department for Education.

Emily Bentley OH 2005- 2012

Pennack Development Manager

No gift is too small to be valuable to us; all are welcome, gratefully acknowledged and spent wisely. We hope that you can give according to your means and include The John Hymers Bursary Fund as a chosen charity in your will. We are hugely grateful to those who are already members of The Reverend John Hymers 1983 Legacy Society.

Should you wish to leave as little as 1% of your estate, local law firm Rollits LLP are offering a reduced rate to make a will for Old Hymerians.

would love to hear from you…