Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund Guide

The Orwell Park Foundation

The WilkinsonSpurgeon Bursary Fund

OUR ENDOWMENT FUND About our endowment for bursaries Thanks to a generous benefactor, an endowment has been established to equip us to provide bursaries at Orwell Park in perpetuity.

This fledgling endowment – the Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund – will fund bursary places for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, offering them a transformational education and a chance of a new life.

Every year, hardworking pupils from disadvantaged families seek a better education and a better future. Through our annual bursary programme, we already support many individuals in preparing for senior school and achieving their dreams. But there is so much more we could do.

With your help, our bursary programme could grow immensely, enabling us to offer many more places to deserving young people who, for whatever reason, do not have access to a good quality learning environment. This may be due to a difficult family situation or background, or other factors. Whatever the reason, we want to be able to support these young people and to enable them to flourish.

With your support, we can do so much more. Please join us by making a donation today.

Every donation counts, and 100% of the funds you give go directly to our bursary programme. Please help us to support young people to achieve their best and to experience a transformational education today.

Read on to learn what makes the Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund so special, and to see how you can help.

OUR MISSION Our hopes for the Fund and for Orwell Park School Widening access and a sustainable future Orwell Park’s vision is to create an endowment of sufficient size to enable us to fund the equivalent of 10 full bursaries every year.

To do this, we hope to grow the Fund to £500k by 2025, and then to £5million, drawing down on the investment’s interest to finance a sustainable programme.

Every year, many able, hardworking young people from challenging or disadvantaged backgrounds visit Orwell Park in the hope of securing a transformational education. Sadly, we are only able to help a small number of these prospective Orwellians. Through the WilkinsonSpurgeon Bursary Fund, we will help many, many more, securing the future of financially accessible places at the School in perpetuity.

The Fund is named after the School’s founding families. Our mission is to continue their legacy, ensuring the Orwell Park education is available to many, for many years to come.

WHY SUPPORT US? A donor shares his thoughts Your family very generously made the initial £50,000 donation that enabled us to setup the Endowment Fund. What led you to think of taking this step?

I was approached by the school because they were looking to raise money in various different ways, and I suggested that, rather than people donate money in a drip-feed way, it would be of great value to be able to build an endowment fund which would be a significant capital sum. In this way, one would be able to create an income stream from the fund that would assist pupils in the school. Some of these pupils possibly couldn’t afford to go to the school at all, or in other cases perhaps there would be pupils whose family had had difficult times, who would suffer quite badly if they were removed from the school for financial reasons. You need a large amount of money to put together that sort of assistance, which I’m aware a lot of schools do have – particularly larger schools – which is why I thought it would be a good project to initiate.

I was interested also because I have a family connection with the school – one of my relatives was one of the founding fathers of the school, and the other founding father was a relative of my godfather, so there was a very close association. My father was a governor early on, and I was educated there myself, so it is a very strong family connection. I spoke to my mother, who is still alive, and she is very interested in matters to do with Orwell – she was in fact a pupil there during the war. As a result she has very generously donated some money to set this fund up.

What do you remember of being at Orwell Park yourself?

They were very happy times and it’s a beautiful school, and I got a very good education actually – I think my academic highlight was my final year at Orwell Park!

There are marvellous sports grounds and I learnt to play golf there, which is something that has been great for me for all my life. I guess they were fairly early adopters in having golf courses at a prep school, and golf is a life skill for sure, so that was important.

“I think that Orwell Park has stood the test of time.”

There are so many causes to give to at the moment; why should our alumni consider a gift to the School?

I think that Orwell Park has stood the test of time. So many schools, particularly prep schools, have disappeared over the years, but Orwell Park has been incredibly successful over many generations now, and if you’re going to get involved with a

WHY SUPPORT US? bursary, you certainly want to do it with a school that is going to be around in the future. I think within the East Anglian community my sense is that they are a standout school, and that’s another good reason for continuing to support them in any way I can. Unfortunately I don’t live nearby so my children didn’t attend Orwell Park but they otherwise would certainly have done so had I lived in the area.

The Endowment Fund is in support of bursaries. Why do you think that cause is so important?

I think what appeals to me about bursaries is a) what the money is used for – children who can’t afford to have the luxury of such an excellent education, or come across hard times; b) it’s a fund of money which is there for the long term whereas other types of donation – maybe for a specific project (which is great) – are of that moment and it’s not truly long term. That comes back to why it’s nice to associate it with the founders of the school. I’m sure it’s easy to name a building after them, but this is hopefully a legacy to them in a sense, and thanking them for all the great things they did to get the institution established.

Education is obviously really important and the private system is an incredible achievement for this country, and a testimony to that is that people want to come from all over the world to go to school here, but its economic future is not assured and there will be times when schools find it difficult. I think in the world we now live in, private schools, to continue to have their slightly special charitable status, need to be making their education and facilities available to people who aren’t privileged enough to be about to afford it, and I think a bursary is a very good way for the school to – at least in part – deliver this obligation.

The fund is named after our founding families, the Wilkinsons and the Spurgeons. Do you remember them?

I remember Noel Wilkinson very well (Noel was the son of the founder) and he taught me Latin. I didn’t know Maurice Wilkinson and I never met Spug (Spurgeon) either because I’m not that old! But Noel was responsible for introducing my parents to one another, and he was an extraordinary man, and I always remember him standing up and teaching Divinity and talking about Beelzebub and “the burning fiery furnace” which stuck with me all my life. And of course Ted Cawston – there were three headmasters at once which was pretty extraordinary – he was a delightful guy, a really really lovely man – and Brian Belle. They were all great sportsmen, and it was a great place to be. Once I got settled down it was great.

What are your hopes for the Fund’s future?

“The bigger it gets, the bigger the contribution the fund can make towards these bursaries” From acorns and all that – I would like to see a first step for the fund of half a million, and then onwards and upwards from there, and the bigger it gets, the bigger the contribution the fund can make towards these bursaries. Then you start to get to a situation where it becomes not just helpful in terms of providing education opportunities to people who can’t afford it, but it also becomes very helpful in sustaining the school, because the school will effectively receive that income towards its costs, which might be very important in the future because the world changes. The bigger the foundation you can get in place the better, for sure. If you were able to deliver 5% on half a million, that’s one pupil – once you get to 5 million, that’s maybe 10 pupils. That would be the objective – ten pupil equivalents – it might be 20 who got 50%. 20 would be around 15% of the total school, which is certainly possible.

WAYS TO GIVE How you can make a gift There are several ways to make a donation to our endowment, the Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund.

Make a one-off donation One-off donations are greatly appreciated and enable us to continue to grow the Fund year by year. You can donate easily online, or you can send a cheque. If sending a cheque, please be sure to fill in a Gift Aid form so that we can claim Gift Aid on your donation.

Commit to a regular gift Regular gifts help us to plan for the distribution of bursaries in the mid-term, and are vital to growing the Fund consistently and effectively over time. You can set up a regular gift easily on our website, setting the frequency as monthly or annually. Alternatively you can arrange a standing order – please be sure to include WSBF in your payment reference.

Leave a legacy in your will Leaving a gift in your will can be a wonderful way to commemorate a transformational period of your education, and of your life. Read on to learn more about leaving a gift in your will.

Boosting your donation with Gift Aid Gift Aid allows us to claim tax back from HMRC on all your donations, and means boosting your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate. Gift Aid is reclaimed by the charity from the tax you pay for the current tax year.

Visit giftaid.orwellpark.org to fill in a form online, or email foundation@orwellpark.org to request a paper copy.

What you will need Donating online Simply visit give.orwellpark.org and click the DONATE button. When making your gift, you can set the frequency of your donation and fill in a Gift Aid declaration within our helpful form.

Donating by cheque Please make cheques payable to The Orwell Park School Foundation and post to The Foundation, Orwell Park School, Nacton, Ipswich, IP10 0ER. Visit giftaid.orwellpark.org to fill in a Gift Aid declaration.

Alternatively email foundation@orwellpark.org or call 01473 659225 to request a paper copy.

Donating in your will Turn to the back of this guide for details on how to leave a gift in your will.

More information If you decide to make a gift, we can arrange to speak with you so that you can be confident your gift will be used as you intend. We can also confirm how your gift will be recognised, or whether you would like to give anonymously. For more information on this, or the Fund in general, please email foundation@orwellpark.org or call 01473 659225.

LEAVING A LEGACY The gift of a lifetime For many, leaving a legacy is a joyful experience as we remember those people, places and experiences that have had the greatest impact on our lives.

Orwell Park School depends upon the philanthropy of our alumni and friends to sustain our work, and legacies form a huge part of supporting this ongoing need.

When you make a gift, you can choose to support a specific cause, such as our Bursary Fund, or to leave an unrestricted gift so that your gift can be used where it is needed most.

There are many kinds of gifts you can leave – pecuniary gifts (cash) and residuary gifts (a share of an estate) are the most common. You can also gift property such as photographs, art and books. You are very welcome to get in touch with us to discuss a gift you are considering before you decide.

We welcome gifts of any shape and size. When you decide to make a gift, we can arrange to meet with you for a discussion so that you can be confident your gift will be used as you intend. We can also confirm how your gift will be recognised, or whether you would like to give anonymously. 100% of your gift will go to the cause you nominate.

At present, we are particularly grateful for donations supporting bursaries, as well as towards restoration and redevelopment of our facilities such as the historic mansion and swimming pool.

Our website includes more information about our most pressing areas of need. Anyone considering making a gift – whether to one of these areas, or to a personal project – is encouraged to get in touch to speak to our Development Manager so that we can answer any of your questions.

Thank you for considering leaving a gift to Orwell Park School.

WHY LEAVE A GIFT? Richard Oakman speaks about why he has chosen to leave a gift to the Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund.

Richard, can you tell us about your connection with Orwell Park School?

I went to work at Orwell Park directly from Forest School in 1968, and the aim was really just to have a gap year before going on to university. I was only there for a term in the end, but I have always been a squirrelly type of person and I kept my draft of the school reports, and also my book of stars and stripes. I wasn’t very popular with Noel Wilkinson because I would give out stripes so readily – I was told to be strict you see – and by giving out too many I skewed the figures! I would send boys down to him at a mere moment of slight indiscretion. I enjoyed it though, very much. I taught French and English, and I used a Grundig tape recorder with my teaching, and I think I still have the tapes.That would be hilarious, if I could get them to work.

“I thought it would be nice to make contact” Do you keep in touch with anyone from your time at Orwell?

I don’t keep in touch with many people, but I do enjoy it if I go back to the reunions.

My cousins also went to the School, so I used to see them if I came up, and I think that always amused them. I did keep in touch with David Howard for a time, and one or two of the boys I taught wrote to me after I had left, but we didn’t correspond after that. I think I still have the letters. In fact, I really left it until Andrew Auster came, and then for some reason I thought it would be nice to make contact and he was very welcoming. We met up and I went to one or two reunions back then, and met up again with David Howard and Ian Angus, which was nice, and I have been to several Old Orwellian Days since.

What path did your life take after Orwell Park?

I struggled to get A Levels, but I also struggled to get into College. I feel like I’m an example of those who don’t pass exams straight away as I had too many wide interests and so I didn’t study or concentrate enough. I didn’t get a degree until my Open University degree, later in life, in my sixties. I should have been told when I was younger to concentrate on something! In the end I chose law and I went to Lanchester Polytechnic, but I was no good at law. It requires a much greater depth

of knowledge. I was a Solicitor’s Articled Clerk – and everyone thought that was great. But I didn’t have that intellect or ability. I worked in the consumer advice field for a while, because I failed the law exams, but they knew I had some legal training.

I then went on to be a Fair Rent Officer, which is the old scheme of fixing rents and holding meetings between landlords and tenants. I had to be good at relating to people, mediating and keeping landlords and tenants in their place, and then inspecting the property and noting the plus points and minus points. We covered the Inns of Court, for instance, where the judges had their flats – I didn’t do those as I was too new then – and then we took on housing benefit. In the end I was dealing with lots of boroughs as I was an Appeals Officer, so I covered everywhere from Hackney to Leyton to Lowestoft to Southend.

“I thought, what a wonderful school that is” Do you feel that your time at Orwell was particularly influential on your working life?

It was my first job, and I think it was very useful – it was quite a challenge – particularly with the three headmasters. Perhaps it was too much for me in a way because it was very challenging. But it set me up well. I could see the beauty of it.

The staff had a nice chummy atmosphere – they were very supportive and we all helped each other. It was a small team.We just had a big table by the main staircase where we gathered, and then of an evening we would go down into the basement which had a barrel of beer, and we would sit round together.There wasn’t a lot of money in those days. My room was at the very top of the school. It was my first experience, and what a challenge – being thrust in – we were like an ordinary member of staff in charge of the class. I enjoyed it and I was very methodical. I used to enjoy doing dictations with the tape recorder, because I don’t think anyone had done that before. I didn’t go into teaching in the end – I think I could have been alright except my stature isn’t particularly big, and nowadays pupils of a certain age can be quite challenging, and I’m quite a sensitive person really – good fun but quite sensitive – and I think I would have got quite stressed.

“For Old Orwellians it’s very important that they can ensure that the School prospers” What first led you to consider leaving a gift to Orwell in your will?

I’ve always been a great believer in people - that those who can’t afford it should still be given the opportunity, and that was my main thinking. I thought, what a wonderful school that is, for location and ethic and generally, and I thought it would be a good recipient. It was really a desire to help young people who are less fortunate, to ensure they can access that education.

“I also think it’s important to give back to what you’ve enjoyed” They always say education is particularly important in your younger years, so that’s one thing – that start in life is very important. And for Old Orwellians it’s very important that they can ensure that the School prospers and has a good reputation.

Plus, if people know there is a good number of people on a bursary there, they’ll realise it’s a good range of people. It makes for a more enriching experience. I think that’s very important. It’s very easy to stay in your bubble, but I have always believed in being able to mix with all types – the bright and the not-so-bright, the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy. Plus Orwell has such wonderful grounds, and hopefully the young people will be able to make the most of it.

I also think it’s important to give back to what you’ve enjoyed, and to ensure it maintains standards.That place is awfully expensive to maintain, so they need every penny they can get. I think the least people can do is give something.The first thing is, if you’ve been there, it’s the natural thing to put some money in, I would have thought, and it’s good to provide for other people to get there. So I would say there is no question. Why should it be Orwell? They do need a lot because it’s such a fantastic location, but it needs a lot of money to keep it going. That’s another consideration, to ensure other people can have that wonderful experience.

“What’s also nice is that you can keep in touch” What’s also nice is that you can keep in touch - particularly if you are left as a widower or widow, then to have a link with something, a community, is rather nice.

Life is too much around the family and sometimes people don’t have the family, so if they have something like that to go to once a year, and keep in touch with old pals, that’s very important.

WHY LEAVE A GIFT? Stephen Hiner (1965-69) shares his thoughts on leaving a legacy to Orwell Park School Stephen, what do you remember of your time at the School?

I suppose memories come in stages don’t they – when you think back to being very young when you first arrive there, you think of the wonderful activities you were first involved in – maybe things like the boating pond and building huts in the woods, which was great fun. Then I suppose the various sporting events when you start to get involved in cricket, or in my case in air rifle shooting. My fondest memories probably revolve around photography as I used to take lots of photographs and had the opportunity to process all the photographs at the School. But there was also the great camaraderie of the friendships and the hobby clubs – there was no doubt that you made tremendously deep friendships with a lot of your friends because you shared very similar interests. It just became a big family. Nowadays I keep in touch with a few people – we were a bit of a group at school. The irony is a lot of us fell out of contact for many, many years, and either through Orwell Park reunions or through business, people made contact again.

Then, you find yourself almost picking up where you left off all those years ago. It’s quite extraordinary.

“It was just great fun to be there” Looking back, I do remember that the School had a very calm atmosphere in which to live and be educated. It had a nice regime and was an easy environment to grow up in, with wonderful scenery and views of the river – the grounds were magnificent and still are.

Photo: Stephen Hiner

I particularly remember when Noel Wilkinson interviewed me while his wife took my parents round the School. Noel gave me a few questions, and I had to read a bit from the Bible and he asked me a few mathematical questions as well. As he sat and chatted to me, I could see boys outside playing with cricket balls and I thought it seemed a nice place – it was a

warm sunny day - and it just seemed very friendly.When I turned up there at 8 years old, as a full boarder, I wasn’t the slightest bit upset. I never remember being homesick. It was just great fun to be there.

How did your time at Orwell impact you in later life?

I think my time at Orwell provided a great element of self-discipline and structure to the day – young people generally like security, which can be found by having a structured, disciplined day – and that kind of background and education where you’re rigidly held to a programme every day of the week, Saturdays and Sundays included, certainly provides you with a great deal of self-discipline. I think it helped enormously. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t been through that system. My first job was working with Strutt & Parker on country house sales. Living effectively at Orwell Park for five years (you didn’t see your parents very often) I lived in that exact sort of environment, in a massive house, no more than about 90 boarding pupils with me – and so it was second nature really. So yes, I think it set me up very well.

What first led you to consider leaving a gift to the School in your will?

“I have very happy memories of those days” I suppose it is my being part of an extended family there. It’s not that I have any bad family history of my own – quite the reverse actually, as my father was very involved with Orwell Park (although he didn’t go there himself) as a consultant school architect for many years, and was very involved in the science laboratory. So I have very happy memories of those days. It’s almost a thank you for that.You can’t put a finer word on it, and I hope that the School will continue.

I look back at certain aspects of life and see what made a very significant contribution to my well-being and personality and way of life, and you leave a gift in gratitude.You also like to think that other young people could share something of your experience. Of course it’s a different world, and that’s reflected in the way the school operates now, but you can contribute to the pupils having an experience that is as enriching as the one you had. A lot of the reason you give legacies is memories, and memories aren’t made up of the future, they’re made up of the past. It’s a repayment for the past. You could be very negative and say it’s a very different world now, but so much has remained – the scenery and the buildings don’t change at all, for instance.

“At the end of the day it’s an appreciation of the legacy that the place left you” At the end of the day it’s an appreciation of the legacy that the place left you, and what it has done for you over the years, and the wonderful memories. You can never reflect too highly on some of these memories and put a price against them – it’s just not possible.

MAKING A WILL

Beginning the process of making a will It is always advisable to have your will written by a solicitor experienced in Wills and Probate.

Adding a gift to an existing will A form called a codicil can be added to your will by a solicitor. Go to solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk to find a solicitor locally.

Understanding Inheritance Tax HMRC provides guidance on Inheritance Tax, and a solicitor will be able to go through the details for your particular situation.

What you will need It is important to include our charity name, address and registered charity number when you leave a gift in your Will: Charity name: The Orwell Park School Foundation Address: Orwell Park School, Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP10 0ER Registered Charity No: 1070488

READY TO LEAVE A GIFT? If you feel ready to leave a gift in your will, we would be glad to discuss this in more detail so that we can answer any questions you have. You do not have to tell us the size of your gift if you don’t want to, and speaking to us simply enables us to ensure your gift is recognised and used in the right way when the time comes.

When we speak, we can tell you more about the ongoing and future projects that you can support, as well as discussing any ideas you have for a project that you would like to see.

There are opportunities to contribute to our endowment, the WilkinsonSpurgeon Bursary Fund, so that your gift supports education at Orwell Park in perpetuity, as well as to give to current areas of need such as the care and redevelopment of our buildings and grounds. All gifts are gratefully received, and better understanding your wishes is always our priority when discussing your legacy.

Our Development Manager is always on hand if you would like to discuss your gift. You can get in touch by email (foundation@orwellpark.org), phone (01473 659225) or post (Orwell Park School, Nacton, Ipswich, IP10 0ER).

Thank you.

The Wilkinson-Spurgeon Bursary Fund is managed by The Orwell Park School Foundation (registered charity no. 1070488)