The Mitre Society
Trinity’s Legacy Trinity’s Future
There are powerful reasons why our former students and friends should remember Trinity School in their Wills. Our history is one of benefactions, starting with the founder Archbishop John Whitgift and continuing in a line of generosity which can be traced from the foundation of the Poor School, through the establishment of Whitgift Middle School right up to the moving of Trinity from North End to Shirley and the present day School. This is your opportunity to make a difference to the lives of generations of students to come and to take your place among the School’s benefactors. All donations to the School are recorded and I ask you to add your name to the list and to emulate your predecessors in helping maintain Trinity’s proud traditions of excellence and opportunity for all. Alasdair Kennedy Headmaster
“I loved my time at Trinity under Oliver Berthoud and made many friends, some of whom I still see today. I’m delighted that new generations of pupils are being given such a great start in life. Thinking in centuries, rather than years, must be in our minds when we consider the future of the School. Small though our individual legacies may be their collective impact underpins the Trinity of today and will provide for the Trinity of the future.” Alistair Johnston 1970
Front cover: Alistair Johnston (Trinity 1970), a Mitre Club member in conversation with Head Boy, Krishna and Head Girl, Shreya (both 2018)
“I’m always busy: studying for an assessment, playing the trombone in an ensemble, or training for a sports match. There are so many opportunities available that every day is exciting and different. I love the atmosphere and the camaraderie: the knowledge that you have a whole team of students and teachers behind you to support you in everything that you do. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without Trinity School, and will always be immensely grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and for the friendships which blossomed here at Trinity.”
The Mitre Society
Krishna Head Boy
Making a gift in your Will to the School is a very personal matter, but it would be helpful for us to know if you have done so. This gives us the opportunity of showing our appreciation and to thank our benefactors during their lifetime.
I Will Make A Difference. I Will Change A Life. We are committed to remaining the community school we have always been, where talent and determination are the only prerequisites for access to a Trinity education. Educational opportunity is the very best engine of social mobility and we are determined to ensure that our School remains a diverse, balanced community. With the steadfast support of the Whitgift Foundation, our bursary programme currently benefits nearly one-fifth of Trinity’s pupils, helping the School to remain an inclusive community, Your legacy is one of the simplest and most flexible ways of making a gift and allows you to support the School in a way which you may not be able to during your lifetime. A gift in your Will helps secure Trinity’s ability to continue to offer an excellent education to those who would most benefit from it, irrespective of family income, for generations to come. The tax benefits of a legacy gift to the School are considerable – all such gifts can be made free from Inheritance and Capital Gains Tax, so you could reduce the total tax burden levied on your estate to your family.
Alumni who inform us of their intention to make a gift in their Will automatically become members of The Mitre Society.
Our way of saying “Thank You”
We thank members of The Mitre Society by inviting them to an annual lunch with their partners to keep them up to date with the School’s progress and future plans. All benefactions to the School, however great or small, are entered into the School records, and are recognised in our annual report*. We are deeply grateful to all those who remember Trinity in their Will regardless of the size of their gift. Together these gifts make a real and lasting difference. *Please note, you can remain completely anonymous if you so wish.
Types of Legacy There are different types of gift you might consider giving to the School via the Whitgift Foundation in your Will. The main ones are:
A Pecuniary Bequest – This is the gift of a fixed sum of money. You may wish to ask your solicitor about linking it to inflation so that it retains its value over the years.
A Specific Bequest – This is the gift of a named item left to the School in your Will; this may be property, shares, a work of art or other assets.
A Residuary Bequest – This is the gift of the whole or a proportion of your estate, after all other bequests, fees, debts and expenses have been paid.
A Reversionary Bequest – This type of gift allows named people to benefit from your assets during their lifetimes, after which the assets are transferred to the School as the ultimate beneficiary.
A Deed of Variation – If you become a beneficiary of someone else’s Will, you may wish to consider transferring the whole or part of that inheritance to Trinity using a deed of variation. The value thus transferred would be exempt from the inheritance tax which would otherwise have been payable.
The School is happy to discuss the options above and which one might be right for you. We can provide standard formulations of words when drawing up your Will or preparing a Codicil.
What Next? We hope that you will consider leaving a gift in your Will to Trinity and cement a bond with the School that will live on in perpetuity. The Whitgift Foundation, of which Trinity is a member, is a registered charity. As such, your legacy to Trinity, directed via the Whitgift Foundation, may reduce the amount of inheritance tax due on your estate. If you have not yet made a Will please consider contacting your solicitor for advice. If you have already made a gift naming Trinity or the Whitgift Foundation as a beneficiary and are happy to inform us of your intention to pledge, please let us know by completing the attached confidential Legacy Pledge Form and return it to us using the Freepost system provided.
“I’ve no doubt that Trinity is preparing me very well for life beyond school. The excellent teaching, the exposure to such a cosmopolitan and socially mixed student community and the opportunities offered by so many clubs and societies has made my time at Trinity unforgettable and transformational.” Shreya Head Girl
For more information please contact: David Young on development@trinity.croydon.sch.uk or 020 8662 5162
Trinity School Shirley Park, Croydon, CR9 7AT Tel: 020 8656 9541
www.trinity-school.org Part of the Whitgift Foundation, Registered Charity Number 312612
NAME & ADDRESS
LEGACY PLEDGE FORM I plan to remember Trinity School in my Will by leaving a legacy to the Whitgift Foundation (charity no. 312612). I confirm that:
Name: Years at Trinity School: Address:
I intend to include the School in my Will; OR
I have already included the School in my Will.
All those who indicate that they are leaving a legacy to Trinity School are eligible to join the Mitre Society and are invited to an annual event:
I wish to become a member of the Mitre Society; OR I would prefer my legacy to remain anonymous.
Post Code: Telephone: Email:
Please indicate below your current intentions for your legacy
I intend making an unrestricted legacy; I intend my legacy to be directed towards bursaries for pupils to be educated at Trinity School I intend my legacy to be directed towards supporting capital building projects at Trinity School. Please specify any particular area of interest, e.g. the Music Department)
Please return this form to: The Development & Alumni Office FREEPOST RTZK-CTKR-CHLB, Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon, CR9 7AT