Calne Foundation Trust Newsletter 2016

The Calne Foundation Trust Issue 4 Summer 2016

Welcome to the annual CFT Newsletter Since its inception in 2012, The Calne Foundation Trust has gone from strength to strength. Established in order to support present and future generations of pupils at St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School, The CFT has made tremendous progress this year. I remain so grateful that so many members of the wider school community (be they alumni, parents, former parents or staff) choose to support the Foundation when there are so many other calls on their generosity.

A number of recent capital developments at St Mary’s and St Margaret’s have been funded entirely from school resources. But, unlike many independent schools, we do not have the benefit of substantial endowment reserves so, for bigger projects, it is essential to raise funds by other means. We are extremely grateful to have received significant pledges and donations to enable us to move forward with various projects identified in the strategic plan for the next 10 years.

Our recent Cantabile concert raised almost £7,600 for this worthwhile cause bringing the total raised by the three schools to £1,983,100.

Great schools such as St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School are made up of outstanding pupils from a wide range of backgrounds. Ensuring that talented and academically gifted students from all walks of life have access to an education at Calne is integral to the vision and ethos shared by both schools.

The Bursary Fund now stands at £484,607 thanks to the tremendous support following our recent appeal. We owe a debt of gratitude to every single donor for every single pound. Through generous donations the school is able to offer places to pupils who, quite simply, without this help, would struggle to find the means to benefit from the outstanding education offered by the schools.

Thank you to all who have supported the CFT over the past year.

We continue to raise funds for The Armed Forces Fund – a joint venture with Radley College and Downe Cari Depla House – to support the education of children who have Director of Development a parent, of any rank, killed or wounded in active service.

Shaping the Future St Mary’s and St Margaret’s have set out their vision for the next 10 years. There are a wide range of projects from sport through to science, the performing arts and library provision. However, the schools cannot achieve the vision through fee income alone. Like most schools, the majority of our income is spent on teaching and learning.

Approximately 7.5% of income is spent annually on the estate and on reinvesting in assets.

To continue to be at the forefront of independent education, we need to invest more heavily in the future of the school, and provide pupils and staff with the best possible environment in which to live, learn and work. The new facilities planned will provide greater opportunities for the pupils and we also want to bring these opportunities to those from a wide range of backgrounds through our bursary and scholarship programmes. Therefore, we need to fundraise in order to make the 10 year vision a reality and we are grateful to those philanthropists in our community who have already offered support.

If you would like to find out more information about our Capital Projects, please contact the Director of Development, Mrs Cari Depla.

The Calne Foundation Trust Charity No. 1147327 office@calnefoundation.org

Recent Capital Developments The following projects have largely been funded from School reserves:

Boarding House Refurbishment Programme, St Mary’s 2008-2016 As part of St Mary’s ongoing vision and development, this year has seen the completion of a £10.5 million extensive refurbishment programme of our boarding facilities which benefits the whole school community, not just our boarders. Our ethos is based on the breadth of education boarding offers, and day girls are fully integrated in all of the Boarding Houses.

The project began in 2008 with the construction of the Helen Wright House – home to the UVI Form. An eleven room extension to Joyce Walters House followed in 2009 which included new shower rooms and refurbishment of the kitchen and Common Room.

In 2010 School House witnessed some major reconfiguration to create a lovely large Common Room for our youngest girls, and homely, comfortable dorms.

In 2014 Florence Dyas House was built thus completing the Sixth Form Centre. Gibbins House also benefited from some major reconfiguration at this time.

In 2015/16, major work took place in both St Prisca’s and St Cecilia’s in order to provide more private bathroom facilities for the girls as well as improved accommodation for staff, thus enabling us to attract the best possible staff. Extensions have been built for both Houses which include Boot Rooms (a much needed space for muddy boots and lax sticks) and more social spaces where the girls can relax and spend time with friends. The interior of St Cecilia’s has been refurbished and renovated, restoring some period details and improving the living space for the girls. We have tripled the social, activity and study spaces for the girls, adding an elegant Common Room, a large Study Room and two kitchens - one for tea and toast - and the other - a large family kitchen where girls can cook and bake at weekends, as well as meet with their tutors, study in groups...

The result: • Impressive boarding facilities • Age appropriate accommodation • Welcoming, warm, comfortable spaces • A real home-from-home for the girls

Sound-proof Drum Room and new Changing Rooms, St Margaret’s Fifteen years ago, St Margaret’s had approximately 60 pupils. The cohort now is well over three times the size and we are delighted that this year the children at St Margaret’s have benefited from much needed additional changing rooms.

A new sound-proof drum room was built last summer and it has been transformative, not least in providing acoustic relief for non-participants! The number of children currently learning the drums has trebled. There are two peripatetic teachers giving lessons to pupils from as young as six years old and St Margaret’s now boasts a talented Rock School comprised of drummers, guitarists, keyboard players and vocalists.

Enrichment Scholarships The Calne Foundation Trust is now awarding scholarships for enrichment and academic development to girls in the Sixth Form at St Mary’s. Applicants need to present their proposed project to a panel of Trustees and awards may be made up to £1,500 dependent on the project and at the discretion of the panel.

We are delighted to announce that CFT Enrichment Scholarships funded from the Discretionary Fund will be supporting four Sixth Form girls in 2017. The Selection Panel comprising Lady Lansdowne, Cate Bell, Felicia Kirk and Cari Depla met in early May and enjoyed listening to the proposals put forward by the girls.

The first presentation was delivered by three LVI Form girls, proposing a volunteering expedition to Nepal to work with the Charitable Foundation for the Education of Nepalese Children in the summer of 2017. The Selection Committee awarded a grant of £500 to each girl and, in addition, offered a further grant conditional upon their own fundraising efforts: for every £10 they raise,The Calne Foundation Trust would award £5, up to a maximum of £500 each. The girls’ fundraising efforts and their progress with the planning of the trip are being reported in their Blog - Mission Nepal 2017: www.nepal2017.weebly.com The second presentation was given by a Music Scholar requesting support to attend an Eton Choral Course this summer prior to applying in the Autumn Term for a place at the Royal Academy of Music for September 2017. A grant of £600 was awarded towards the cost.

For more information about applying for Enrichment Scholarships, please contact Mrs Cari Depla.

The Gabriel Appeal – A gift from the Leavers The parents of St Mary’s 2016 leavers have joined the parents of the 2013-2015 leavers in raising money for the Bursary Fund to enable the school to award ‘Gabriel Scholarships’ to talented girls who would not otherwise be able to attend St Mary’s. Elinor Gabriel, one of the Founders of St Mary’s, was passionate about providing girls with a first-class education, and her vision still prevails today.

The names of families who have made a donation will be recorded in our Donors’ Book and they will become members of The Gabriel Society which has recently been established to thank everyone who has made a gift to the Bursary Fund. A special event will be held for Gabriel Society members biennially to enable us to show them our appreciation. If you would like to join The Gabriel Society, please contact Mrs Cari Depla (cari.depla@stmaryscalne.org).

Silent Auction Success We were delighted to host an online silent auction for prizes and promises during the Summer Term. The Auction was raising money for the 2016 USA Lacrosse Tour and the Sports Fund of The Calne Foundation Trust.

Prizes were generously donated by parents and included a week’s stay in South West France, Fly Fishing, tickets to Queens Tennis, cases of wine, tickets to Lords and the use of a chauffeur driven Bentley for the day!

Over £3,000 was raised and a proportion of this will go towards the food and drink costs for the girls during their summer tour.

The remainder will be for the Full details of the plans can be viewed on Sports Fund.

We had many bids from both parents and staff, and the successful bidders were able to buy wonderful experiences and prizes for fantastic prices.

the CFT website:

www.calnefoundation.org/10yearvision

A Memorial Concert to celebrate the Life and Music of Sir David Willcocks CBE MC Sunday 20th November 2016, Salisbury Cathedral We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a memorial concert to celebrate the life and music of Sir David Willcocks at Salisbury Cathedral on Sunday 20th November 2016 at 7pm. The Calne Girls Association has kindly sponsored the event and all profits raised will go towards music bursaries and scholarships at St Mary’s.

Sir David Willcocks was the most influential composer, musical director and choirmaster of his generation, and was a visiting Director of Music at St Mary’s Calne from 1948 to 1950, as well as a Governor of the School from 1986.

The evening will be presented by Petroc Trelawny (BBC Radio 3) and attended by Jonathan Willcocks, the acclaimed composer and conductor and Sir David’s son. He will be conducting the premier of his commissioned piece, written to celebrate his father’s life, giving the choirs of St Mary’s Calne, St Margaret’s Preparatory School and other visiting prep and primary schools the chance to sing a unique and exciting piece in this splendid setting.

Bob Chilcott, one of the most active composers and choral conductors in Britain today will also be attending and conducting two of his popular compositions Mid-Winter and This Joy. Bob was a chorister under Sir David at King’s College, Cambridge, and later returned to King’s as a Choral Scholar.

James Lancelot, Director of Music and Organist at Durham Cathedral and former Organ Scholar of Sir David’s, will be performing William Mathias’ Toccata Giocosa, of which Sir David gave the first performance.

The choirs will be made up of pupils from St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School as well as Old Girls, parents and staff, and we are also inviting other prep and primary schools to participate.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit http://www.calnefoundation.org/sirdavidwillcocks

Music Bursaries Raising funds for talented and aspiring musicians at St Mary’s To nurture the musical talent within the school, and not have gifted girls impeded by financial constraints, a Music Bursary Fund is being established within the Calne Foundation Trust.

Music is a life-long pleasure that has the power to inspire, transform and bring joy. Not only does it bring people together, but it also prompts lovely memories of significant moments in life.

Music is central to life at St Mary’s and the musical diary gives every possible opportunity for girls to hone their performance skills and to enjoy making music to the highest standard. Music Scholarships and bursaries are in demand, and St Mary’s would like to make it possible for more talented young people to have the opportunity and the enjoyment of studying music.

What being a Music Scholar has meant to me

I think the best thing about being a Music Scholar is the opportunities that it offers. It really helps you to pursue things you want to try and broadens your horizons. It also strengthens your relationships with the music teachers, and creates a strong musical community that I know will really support me when I do my GCSEs. The Music Scholars have a fun and informal meeting with Mrs Cavill and Mr Totney a few times each term (where there’s plenty of cake!). This helps to integrate the scholars from different age groups. We all help each other and have fun at the Music Scholars’ Concert, where we perform in Chapel.

Another great thing about being a music scholar at St Mary’s is that we get lessons on two instruments completely free; this means that we can enjoy doing the thing we love most without worrying about the cost.

Charlotte UIV Form (St Mary’s) St Margaret’s (Alumna 2009-2013)

Since my time here as a Music Scholar from LIV, I feel that the school has really given me the opportunity to showcase my talents, through opportunities like going to London to perform at the school’s Art Exhibition, through to the Music Scholars’ Concert, Spring Concert and much more. I really enjoy being part of Strings Sinfonia, Clarinet Group and especially Orchestra, where we’ve played some amazing pieces such as Bernstein’s West Side Story and the Lord of the Rings. I am very grateful to St Mary’s for giving me such memorable and wonderful opportunities to perform and I look forwards to performing much more in the future, whether it be in an ensemble or individually!

Ila UV Form (St Mary’s)

The Armed Forces Fund The Armed Forces Fund was set up in 2010 by Radley College in partnership with St Mary’s Calne and Downe House to provide funding for the education of sons and daughters of Forces Personnel killed or wounded while serving their country. To date, the three schools have raised £1,983,100. The aim is to reach £5m by 2020. Our recent Cantabile Concert raised almost £7,600 for this worthwhile cause.

CANTABILE An Evening of Song & Swing with the Royal Air Force Squadronaires Big Band By permission of the Air Force Board of the Defence Council In April, the CFT hosted a spectacular evening of song & swing with The RAF Squadronaires (by kind permission of the Air Force Board of the Defence Council). The third concert in the acclaimed Cantabile Concert series continued to raise money for the Armed Forces Fund, which provides education to children who have a parent, of any rank, killed or wounded in active service. The Squadronaires added a particularly appropriate tone. The evening raised just over £7,600 which is a magnificant amount towards to such an important cause.

The evening kicked off with a fast-paced selection of Big Band music by the Squadronaires, followed by individual performances by St Margaret’s Chamber Choir, St Mary’s Chamber Choir, Junior Consort and Sixth Form Vocal Ensemble. Between all the wonderful music & singing, Phoebe, our Deputy Head Girl, read moving pieces harkening back to Wartime Britain, and Isabella & Lily from St Margaret’s read their creatively written evacuee letters home. Eliza gave a wonderful solo of a Glenn Miller arrangement of At Last accompanied by the Squadronaires, and what an opportunity for Susannah to join the band with her trumpet and Galina with her saxophone.

An interval of drinks and canapés was a very sociable affair, and the second half continued with more toe-tapping performances by the choirs, a reading from Vera Lynn’s Memoirs and a final Big Band selection.

Our VIP Air Chief Marshal, Sir Richard Johns, gave a heartfelt appeal on behalf of the Fund ,followed by a wonderful Finale which included all the choirs, band & performers as well as the audience and really raised the roof with everyone joining in and flag waving to We’ll Meet Again. The Band were persuaded to end the evening with a memorable encore – In the Mood, which we certainly were!

Our grateful thanks to the RAF Squadronaires who allowed us to create a truly uplifting and entertaining evening of Big Band Music; to Air Chief Marshal, Sir Richards Johns; to the Cadets of 2 Dorset & Wilts Wing ATC; James Allard as our guest presenter; and to all the musicians, choirs, support staff and catering teams.

How can I support The Calne Foundation Trust?

At St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Preparatory School, we are fortunate to have a community of parents, alumni and supporters who are passionate about the future and the continued evolution of the schools. Through fundraising we are able to offer the outstanding education received at both schools to a wider group of children.

In addition, we are able to realise additional projects, sooner than would otherwise be possible, that have the broadest impact on current, as well as future, pupils.

All funds raised are ring-fenced and kept separate from main school finance, and the CFT acts as a vehicle for collecting, holding/investing, and dispensing sums donated for the benefit of both schools.

As a donor you may be assured that your donation will be held in a fund of your choice.

The operational costs of The CFT, including the costs of the Development Department, are paid for by the schools as part of their running costs. This means that every penny raised will be applied for the purpose for which it was donated.

As The CFT has charitable status, it qualifies for Gift Aid and other tax benefits. Therefore, any donation you make to The Calne Foundation Trust will be deployed to be of maximum benefit to the schools and to you, as a donor.

If you are a UK tax-payer, The Calne Foundation Trust can reclaim £2.50 for every £10 that you give, through the Gift Aid scheme. In addition, if you are a higher-rate tax payer, you can reclaim £2.50 on every £10 you donate, simply by entering the details on your tax return.

For more information, please visit www.calnefoundation.org

Single Gift (Higher rate tax payer at 40%) Gift Net Cost to Gross Value Donor to The CFT £250 £187 £312 £1,000 £10,000

£750 £7,500

£1,250 £12,500

Setting up a recurring gift is one of the most effective ways of supporting St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s.

It not only helps the Trust to plan a successful future, but it makes it easier for you to manage your giving and ensures your gift will make a real difference.

A gift of...

£5 a month = £60 a year

£20 a month = £240 a year

£250 a month = £3,000 a year

and if you Gift Aid your donation, it will be worth even more.

You can set up a direct debit or standing order to the fund of your choice, which can be paid monthly, quarterly or annually. To set up a direct debit, please complete the online form at: www.calnefoundation.org/gifts/directdebit For more information about ways to give, please contact the Development Department on 01249 857345 or office@calnefoundation.org

The Trustees Mr John Moore (Chairman)

Current Parent of St Mary’s Calne

Mrs Vicky Wilson

Governor i/c Development, Calne Girl, Former Parent

Mrs Cate Bell

CGA Committee i/c communications, Calne Girl

Mr Edward Nicholson

Current Parent of St Mary’s Calne & St Margaret’s

Mr Graham Le Fevre

Current Parent of St Mary’s Calne

Ms Lara Leigh-Wood

CGA Committee, Calne Girl

Mr Gianfranco Chicco

Current Parent of St Margaret’s

“It has been an extremely productive year for the Calne Foundation Trust and I am so proud of the hard work and commitment that has led to the great achievements of the past 12 months. For me personally, it was a real pleasure to be involved in selecting the winners of the Enrichment Scholarships, and being able to meet the girls as they put forward their applications. I wish them all the best of luck in their endeavours and look forward to hearing about their challenges and experiences.”

Our Funds

Lady Lansdowne, Patron of The Calne Foundation Trust

Capital Projects Fund Fundraising for significant capital projects has been and continues to be vital to ensure ongoing investment in the facilities of St Mary’s and St Margaret’s for present and future generations. As leading independent schools, we cannot afford to stand still and we need to ensure we continue to provide the best possible facilities and environment in which to educate our pupils. Previous Capital Projects include the St Margaret’s Library, The Helen Wright House and the Carolyn Shaw Swimming Pool.

Our 10 Year Vision - Shaping the Future - includes a number of projects in a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular areas. Subfunds have been set up for the projects under development and consultation.

Bursary Fund

As a donor, you may prefer to support directly the educational needs of young individuals. We are aiming to build a substantial Bursary Fund exactly for this purpose.

Armed Forces Fund The Armed Forces Fund was initiated by the Radley College Foundation in collaboration with St Mary’s Calne and Downe House to provide an education for the sons and daughters of service men and women killed or seriously wounded while serving their country.

Discretionary Fund

A fund for donors who simply wish to donate to The Calne Foundation Trust and leave the application of funds to the Trustees. All donations to The Calne Foundation Trust will be dedicated to the funds listed above, that is, to bursaries and/or capital/specific projects.

The Calne Foundation Trust They will not be deployed, under any circumstances, 63 Curzon St for straightforward refurbishment or maintenance.

Calne SN11 0DF www.calnefoundation.org