MILTON ABBEY ANNUAL GIVING REPORT 2014
MILTON ABBEY SCHOOL Milton Abbey is a small co-educational boarding and day school set in a stunning rural position in mid Dorset. Our size and reputation for excellent pastoral care mean that at our School the individual really does matter. Milton Abbey has a unique ability to deliver a bespoke education, making the most of each pupil’s individual skills and talents to enable them to achieve the best possible results inside and outside the classroom.
CONTENTS Welcome statement from James Barnes (Chairman of Governors)
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A message from the Headmaster
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Development Update from Valentine Beresford (Chairman, Development Committee)
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MA60 – A year of celebrations!
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Future Projects
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Annual Fund Programme
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Community Outreach
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Getting Involved
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Special Thanks
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Milton Abbey School Donors 2013-2014
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Development Committee
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WELCOME This has been a very special year for Milton Abbey School, and marking our 60th anniversary has given us a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this unique place with many of our pupils, current and former parents, alumni and friends. We have enjoyed some superb events during the year from our reception at the Grocers’ Hall in London back in the spring, to our new Friends of MA School fete, our alumni lunch and dinner, the auction and Countryside Ball and, in November our final event, the exciting art exhibition and reception at Messum’s gallery – a year of true celebration for the whole Milton Abbey School community. With our new Headmaster in place, it has also given us the opportunity to review our plans for the future as well as celebrating our recent and past achievements. This year’s Giving Report highlights some of the projects that we have been able to launch during 2014, and demonstrates once again how generous our constituents are when it comes to investing in the future of this wonderful school.
James Barnes Chairman of Governors
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A MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER The celebrations to mark sixty years of Milton Abbey’s life as a thriving school have given everyone in the school community an opportunity to stop and reflect on what has been achieved in its relatively youthful life, and also to place its evolution and development in a broader historical narrative. The former pupils who have returned to the School after long absences for some of our MA60 events this year have all commented on how the main mansion building, the Abbey and the landscape haven’t changed. For many of them the School seems like the still centre in a turning world.
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The reality of course is that even over the relatively short time span of sixty years (when some of our close rival schools are six hundred years old) Milton Abbey has changed and developed to offer a contemporary and relevant education in a fast changing world. The tercentenary celebrations in 2016 to mark the birth of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, whose landscaped valley I am lucky enough to look out onto from each of the windows in the Headmaster’s study, will make clear the realisation that all of us who are lucky enough to live and work at Milton Abbey School are tenants and
custodians, rather than owners, of what surrounds us. The School’s continuous evolution has been more radical and exciting this year than in times past. We are now a thoroughly co-educational school, with our girls’ house, Hodgkinson’s, already full. Our balanced and innovative educational offer, with the broadest range of vocational studies courses in the whole independent sector sitting alongside our traditional academic A Level offer, has put Milton Abbey in a strong position to respond to a changing educational qualifications market. The details in this report will
show where some of our key areas for development will lie in the future, and will demonstrate how committed we are to providing an exciting, wellresourced and modern educational context for all our learners. The generosity of former pupils, past and current parents and friends of the School has helped us realise many of our ambitions, and my thanks go to them for their support and loyalty over this past year.
Magnus Bashaarat 5
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE It has given me great personal pleasure to be involved with the Development Committee during this year of celebrations. As Chairman, I have had the privilege of working with our team of volunteers, stemming from our parents, alumni and governing bodies. As a result the development plans for the school have grown and evolved significantly during the year enabling us to put in place the foundations to support our next phase of fundraising. The leadership from our Headmaster has given a clear direction to our fundraising priorities for the coming year. These include our new Countryside Management and Equine Studies Centre, the development of the Art Department (to create a new Gallery and Art Centre), and the Milton Abbey Bursary Programme. We have also seen the launch of a new Annual Fund programme, which has helped us to provide some well-needed facilities for the immediate benefit of our current pupils, including the Kelsey Conditioning Studio. More details of these projects can be found in the following pages. We are privileged to welcome Alice Reynolds to the Committee in the role of Development Director. Alice joined the School in July and has already made a significant contribution to our campaign.
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The School is at a pivotal point in its development and investment is urgently needed in order for it to continue to flourish both now and in the future. We are therefore looking to establish a new Development Board to provide leadership and support for the next ambitious phase to underpin the School’s philanthropic and capital endowment programme. We are immensely grateful to all our donors and the Milton Abbey community for their marvellous support of the School during the 60th anniversary celebrations this year. As we begin our next sixty years, I invite you to help us write the next chapter in the Milton Abbey story. We need your support to accomplish our vision of a bespoke education for our pupils to enable us to achieve the best possible results, both inside and outside the classroom to ensure that our School continues to flourish now and for many more years to come.
Valentine Beresford Chairman, Development Committee
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A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS In celebration of the School’s 60th anniversary, the Development Office has played a key role in organising a number events during the year, which have brought together many of the School’s supporters. Our donors have been invited to share in our celebrations at events ranging from a reception at the Grocers’ Hall in London back in May, to our Countryside Ball at Milton Abbey during Michaelmas half term and our inspirational Art Launch and Reception in November. Other events held to mark the anniversary during 2014 included the launch of the Friends of Milton Abbey School (FoMAS), with our inaugural FoMAS summer fete in June, the Milton Abbey Association (MAA) lunch and dinner, held for members of our alumni group during July, and our very first online auction in October, which was open to all members and friends of the Milton Abbey community. The key fundraising events of the year were the auction, which culminated in the Countryside Ball on 1st November, and our Art Launch and Reception at Messum’s gallery in Cork Street, London on 18th November. The auction featured more than sixty items generously donated by parents, alumni, suppliers and friends of the School, including fantastic holidays, food and wine, artwork, exclusive event tickets, gadgets, luxury goods, plane tickets and even dinner cooked by the Headmaster! We were delighted with the number of those who got involved in the bidding and this raised over £11,000 towards our new Countryside Management and Equine Studies Centre. In addition, tickets and auction items sold at the Countryside Ball, along with a number of donations, raised a further £21,000 for the new Centre.
The Art Launch and Reception was a splendid celebration of sixty years of art and creativity at the School, jointly hosted by the Development Office and the Milton Abbey Association (MAA). The exhibition, which was organised in close collaboration with the School’s Art Department, featured over a hundred pieces of artwork including paintings, photography, sculpture, masks and design pieces, which were contributed by more than a dozen former pupils from across the School’s sixty years, alongside work from numerous current pupils. In addition to being a celebration of MA art, the event was also held in support of several good causes connected with the School: the Toby Mann Fund, the MAA Gap Year Grant and the School’s new Gallery and Art Centre project. Thanks to the generous support of those exhibiting, donations from sales of artwork at the event raised over £4,000 to contribute to these projects. Further information on the Countryside Management and Equine Studies Centre and the new Gallery and Art Centre project can be found on page 10.
FUTURE PROJECTS This year has been a very busy one for the Development Office and one of our key aims has been to reach out to as many of our constituents as possible through our programme of celebrations and to demonstrate to our current and former parents, our alumni and many friends of the School that Milton Abbey is thriving in its sixtieth year. We have been overwhelmed at the strength of support and generosity that we have already seen in response to our various appeals this year and the plans for going forward that have been laid down during 2014 are exciting and ambitious for such a small school.
Countryside Management and Equine Studies Centre The plans for our new Centre for Countryside Management and Equine Studies were launched earlier this year and provided the focus of fundraising for our auction and Countryside Ball. The Centre is one of our priority projects and will provide enhanced facilities for pupils studying two of our most popular vocational courses. The project, which will cost approximately £460,000, will involve a redevelopment of the current stable block to create classroom spaces, changing rooms and toilets, and a new tack room. In addition the plans feature the creation of a new outdoor equestrian arena and the building of a new treetop classroom and home for the Grounds and Gardens Department in the Arboretum. Following a number of lead gifts along with the funds raised from our events this year, we have already raised over £91,000 towards this target.
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New Gallery and Art Centre The Art Launch and Reception in November at Messum’s gallery in Cork Street, London was held to showcase the talents of current and pupils and alumni of the School and to raise the profile and support for several good causes connected to the School, including our plans for a new Gallery and Art Centre. This project will involve extending and refurbishing the present Art Department to provide new teaching space and a permanent gallery for pupils’ artwork, a new Pottery Studio and Kiln Room, a new photography studio and Dark Room, and a new Sculpture Garden. The project will cost approximately £340,000. We are delighted to announce that a major Challenge Grant of just under £70,000 has been offered by the Garcia Family Foundation to help encourage others, including parents and alumni, to support this important initiative.
Bursary Programme
Legacy Programme
The Milton Abbey Bursary Programme is designed to enable support to be given to current and prospective pupils to ensure they have the opportunity to benefit from all that life at the School can offer. The programme, which incorporates funds that are already in place, including the Toby Mann Fund and the William Holy-Hasted Trust, currently helps more than 8% of pupils at the School and will be formally relaunched in early 2015 with the aim of building further resources to help meet the increasing need for support from both new and current pupils.
During 2014 our aim has been to raise the profile of legacy gifts among our alumni community. Gifts to the School in the form of legacies and bequests are a vital source of support as they can be used to fund long-term priorities, such as the Bursary Programme already mentioned, and can also help to build an endowment to provide security and ensure the future growth of the School. At our June MA60 lunch for old boys who were at Milton Abbey during the 1950s and 1960s, old boy, Governor, and former MAA Chairman, Patrick McGrath spoke with great feeling on the benefits of leaving a gift to the School in your Will and this was very well received by the former pupils present. Our 1954 Society has been set up to acknowledge during their lifetime those who have pledged to leave a legacy gift to the School, and our aim for 2015 is to see membership of this group increase as more of our alumni, parents and friends recognise the benefits of legacy giving.
The Trustees of the William HolyHasted Trust were very grateful to receive a major legacy donation in 2014 from William’s father, the late Colonel Richard Holy-Hasted, valued at £180,000. The Trustees offer financial bursaries to deserving pupils in the 6th form at Milton Abbey who would normally be unable to take advantage of an independent school education.
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ANNUAL FUND PROGRAMME Launched in May as part of our MA60 initiatives, the Annual Fund appeal has been a great success with a total of over £40,000 being raised to date. We have been delighted with the response from our parents and alumni and the first project to be completed as a result has been our new conditioning gym, which has been generously funded by current parents Paul and Fenella Kelsey, along with a year’s support for a strength and conditioning coach. The Kelsey Studio, which is based in the refurbished Boat House, opened in September and has proved to be a fantastic facility for current pupils.
The opening of the Kelsey Studio. Pictured L-R: Headmaster, Magnus Bashaarat, Paul and Fenella Kelsey, George Kelsey, and Director of Total Curriculum, Francesca Porter
We have also received a generous gift from Stephen and Kirsten Gates to fund a new Turbo Training Zone, which will provide ten bikes with turbo trainers that can be used for spinning turbo classes in the winter and can also be taken out on the road in fine weather. This will introduce pupils to the benefits of low impact high cardio exercise and help support our talented cyclists in training for competitions. The Training Zone is being established in time for use early in the Lent term. 12
In addition to donations towards the projects highlighted for support this year, which include equipment for the New Barn Theatre, a new Steinway piano and a variety of sports equipment, we have also been able to provide funding for a new IT initiative. This project, generously funded by current parents Ali and Zaynep Dermanci, will see the purchase of 14 graphics tablets plus two HD cameras with tripods, and will enable pupils to improve their graphical art skills, learn how to manipulate photographs and improve accuracy when doing computer-aided design.
We are hugely grateful to all those who have supported this new initiative and look forward to seeing more projects come to fruition through the Fund during 2015.
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH Not only is the School focussed on building support that will benefit our pupils but there is also a programme of activity that is aimed at providing benefits to the wider Milton Abbey community. The Abbey Church is at the heart of School life but it is also an important heritage building and forms part of the active life of the local parish. The building has been in need of vital maintenance for some time and it was announced in September that development funding of £105,000 has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help a partnership of the Forestry Commission, Milton Abbey School and the Diocese of Salisbury, under the leadership of the Diocese, to progress its plans to apply for a full grant of £760,000 towards the estimated overall project cost of just over £1m towards the restoration, repair and conservation of the church. The School has been a key partner in
this project, which has also been widely supported by many of our alumni under the leadership of former staff member, Peter Traskey. In addition to supporting the HLF bid, we launched our Friends of Milton Abbey School group at our inaugural summer fete back in June. The total funds raised from this event were over £1,800, which were donated to the Abbey project and the village Parish Council. The School is also keen to engage with local groups and organisations to make its facilities available to the wider community, including the Milton Abbas Sports Club, which holds swimming and cricket training on the campus, the Abbey Swimming Club, the Bere Regis Swimming and Cricket clubs and Kingston Maurward College. Members of the local community are also able to join the School golf club, which offers competitively-priced membership yearround.
GETTING INVOLVED It is not only financial support that is of great value to the School. There are many opportunities for getting involved in life at Milton Abbey, even from some distance. The School welcomes help in many areas including assistance as volunteers (to host or help with events), as mentors (to provide careers advice, guidance or work experience) and as guest speakers (to give life-experience talks to current and past pupils). The Friends of Milton Abbey School, which was launched in the summer, has been established to provide a way of keeping in touch with life at the School for all those who care about our community and want to continue being involved whatever their connection. There is also the Milton Abbey Association (MAA), which aims to support all former pupils and staff from the School via a network of contacts, offering careers advice, business links, sports and social events, all of which are promoted via its online community The MAA Hub.
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SPECIAL THANKS In this year of celebrations, our special thanks go to all those who have so generously supported the School financially, helping us to put Milton Abbey on a sound footing for the future and ensure the next sixty years see the School continue to thrive. We have endeavoured to involve our donors in as many of our events as possible during the year and have been delighted to see so many joining us for these celebrations. In recognition of the generosity of all those who have given during the past twelve months, we have listed their names overleaf. In addition, our new Benefactors Boards are now being installed in the Queen’s Room, which will provide us with the opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of all those who have supported the School since 2008. We are also hugely grateful to all those who have helped us with our activities this year. This includes Valentine and Evelyne Beresford for their tremendous support of the auction and Countryside Ball, and to the organising committee of parents, including Selina Bunting, Jennifer Carrington, Jane Coleman, Julia Gardner, Daniela Garrett, Tanya Grant, Emma Leschallas, Kerry Mills, Carrie Southwell and Anna Williams. Further thanks go to our auctioneer James Green, Camilla Bashaarat, Oli Amphlett, James Joicey-Cecil and Justin Langham. We would also like to thank our sponsors of the Countryside Ball, in particular our lead sponsors, Utilitywise Plc along with our supporting sponsors Ward Goodman and Wilsons Solicitors. In addition, our considerable thanks go to Johnny Messum for hosting the Art
Launch and Reception at his gallery, along with former pupil David Mounde, who with Johnny had the vision to support current and former pupils through this initiative. We are also extremely grateful to all our alumni who exhibited their work and gave their support to the evening, including Oliver Amphlett, Alex Ashby, Jon Bond, Will Grassby, Tim Mann, Olivia Post, Robert Rattray, Prince Rostislav Romanoff, Peter Searight, Piers Secunda, James Sinclair, Guy Smallman, Graham Swift and Patrick Williamson. We would also like to thank all those who helped with the art event, including Sarah Beeny, Nick and Antonia Heming, Angus and Jane Mann, Alice McLaren (for very generously providing the superb catering) with Sara-Jane Upton, and Patrick McGrath (for very generously providing the wine) and to our sponsors Black Moth Ltd (Paul Amin), Caliterra (Patrick McGrath), Deverill Executive Search (David Mounde), Maskells (Jamie Hope) and Working Voices (Nick Smallman).
The new Benefactors’ Board in the Queen’s Room
ACKNOWLEDGING OUR SUPPORTERS As part of our stewardship programme we were delighted to install our first Benefactors’ Board in acknowledgement of all those who supported the ‘Educating, not just Teaching’ campaign between 2008 and 2012. The board is in the Queen’s Room, which will be refurbished during early 2015 to create a space in which to welcome our many visitors. A second board is being installed as part of this project, which will acknowledge our top level donors in addition to our new Benefactors’ Book, which will list all donations received at all levels since 2013.
OUR SUPPORTERS Those who have given generously to Milton Abbey School between September 2013 and August 2014. 1954 Society (legacy gifts and pledges) Mr M D de Soissons Francis Brown Society (gifts over £50,000) Mr V Kirpichev Bancks Society (gifts between £10,000 and £49,999) Mr & Mrs V T Beresford Mrs M Carrier Mr & Mrs S Gates Mr & Mrs P H Kelsey The P F Charitable Trust Herzog F & M Von Wurttemberg Sir Philip Williams BT Middleton Society (gifts between £1,000 and £9,999) The Lady Elizabeth Barne Professor A Bruce of Crionaich Mr O J H Chamberlain General Sir Jack Deverell Mr & Mrs P M Dunne Mr & Mrs L K F Fan Mr M E Hatchard Mr H Hurrell Mr M Sherwin Mr P Stopford-Adams Mr A Vaswani Mr & Mrs G Wates
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Abbot’s Society (gifts up to £999) Captain & Mrs N G Amphlett Mr & Mrs J G Barron Mr & Mrs M K Bulsara Mr O Clark Mr & Mrs J Kulei Mr M G Lockwood Mr S Meszaros Mr J Morris Mr A Quinton Mr P Ramsay Mr J F J W Robarts Mr D E Roe Mr & Mrs G R Stafford Charles
In addition, we would like to thank those who have given their support for the benefit of our pupils via the Toby Mann Fund and the William Holy-Hasted Trust.
Your support is greatly appreciated
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Our thanks also go to our Development Committee, which was appointed in 2012 to guide and advise on all fundraising activity being undertaken by the School. We are enormously grateful to all those on the Committee who have helped provide such valuable support during the past two years of considerable change: • Valentine Beresford (parent), Chairman • Katharine Butler (Governor) • Michael Hatchard (former parent) • Patrick McGrath (former pupil, former parent and Governor) • Richard Pownall (former pupil, parent) • Charles Vivian (former pupil) • Magnus Bashaarat (Headmaster) • Julian Litchfield (Bursar) • Alice Reynolds (Development Director) • Lindsey Kelly (Development Manager)
Milton Abbey School | Milton Abbas | Blandford Forum | Dorset DT11 0BZ t. 01258 882234 e. development@miltonabbey.co.uk www.miltonabbey.co.uk Registered charity number 306318