Oli Bennett Charitable Trust

Oli Bennett

Charitable Trust

Here’s a question for you: what links Loyd Grossman, a gin distillery near Pitlochry and a pair of tickets to see the musical School of

Rock? Well, yes, perhaps there is more than one answer to that, but the answer I was looking for was this: the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust.

To explain: Loyd Grossman was a lively guest speaker at our fundraiser at Westminster in June, the theatre tickets were among the prizes to be won that evening, and Badvo Distillery is one of the many new businesses that the charity has supported over the past 15 years.

That was just this year. Previous fundraisers have featured art fairs, opera singing and Peep Show’s and The Thick of It’s Jesse Armstrong sharing his secrets on successful sitcom writing.

But, you might be wondering, how exactly does the charity work? After Oli Bennett (RR 1985-90) was killed in the September 11th attacks in New York, his parents, Joy and Adrian (RR 1954-59), established the charity to help enterprising young British people (aged 18-30) get their business ideas off the ground. Since 2002 we have awarded more than £145,000 to a diverse range of entrepreneurs, including stained glass restorers and furniture makers, fabric and fashion designers, bakers and shoemakers, potters and plumbers, blacksmiths and beauticians, as well as people developing educational resources for autistic children. Among many others.

Oli had always dreamt of starting his own business. His life was cut short before he could, but today the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust has helped set up more than 100 new businesses. We look forward to supporting many more.

For more information on the charity’s work and future events, see: olibennett.org.uk

Kieron Connolly (GG 1985-90) @oli_charity

Artwork from Matthew Croft, available at the 2017 Art Fair

Work by Eden Stained Glass; one of the businesses supported by the Trust