Melville College Trust Update

An update after an unusual year from Alan Veitch, Chair of the Melville College Trust.

The Covid 19 pandemic has obviously impacted all our lives in recent months and in these times of great uncertainty it is good to report much has happened in the work of the Melville College Trust over the last 12 months. Along with most organisations we continued our regular Committee meetings and our Annual General Meeting via Zoom technology. The main purpose of the Melville College Trust is to promote the advancement of education through the provision of school bursaries and grants to perpetuate the memory of those Former Pupils who lost their lives during the two World Wars. We are an Independent Trust set up in its current format in 1976 and registered as a Charity under OSCR (The Scottish Charity Regulator). The Trust has formally elected Trustees all from the ESMS family. During the School Year (2019/2020), the Trust provided £230,000 in bursaries to the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools, which has enabled 26 pupils to enjoy the excellent facilities and education available. I am pleased to say the bursary provision covered 11 boys at Stewart’s Melville, 13 girls at Mary Erskine and 2 pupils in the Junior School (primary 7). In addition to the bursaries, the Trust has donated £10,000 to a diverse number of School clubs and societies. In the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Junior School we supported the purchase of photographic equipment for School trips, play materials for the Queensway House playground and equipment for the primary 7 Netball Club. Mary Erskine School received funding for their basketball club, 2 rowing machines for the Rowing Club and a video tripod plus camera stabilizer for the Film-making Club. In Stewart’s Melville College the Astronomy Club received support and across the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Senior School there was the purchases of a canoe trailer for canoeing/kayaking trips plus Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and Challenge Scoreboards for the Middle School. The Trust is formally registered for Gift Aid and this is now helping to attract new donations from not only Melville FPs but others with connections to the extended ESMS family. Recent donations helped the purchase of a defibrillator now available at the entrance to the Inverleith clubhouse.

Alan Veitch (Chair of Melville College Trust) with Charles Wilson (FP Club)

The Trust again acknowledges the fantastic work now being done by the School Archivist David McLeish and in the past year with further donations we have been able to support the digitisation of the History of Edinburgh Institution 1832-1932 and the History of Melville College 1832-1973. Some years ago, the Trust published a book covering Edinburgh Institution WW1 and Melville College WW2 roll of honour and it is great to this this has also been digitised and available on-line at https://archives.esms.org.uk/ Recently the Trust received exciting news from the School that their new building for Modern Languages and Classics is to be officially named the Rutherford building in memory of James Wight Rutherford a former Governor of Melville College and a very generous benefactor to the Melville College Trust where income from his bequest goes to assist the School bursary funding. At our Annual General Meeting last November, Julian Scott our long serving Clerk and Treasurer stepped down after some 25 years of service. Julian and Grant Macrea, who also retired as a Governor and former Chairman were elected Honorary Members of the Trust in recognition of their outstanding service. The elected governors of the Melville Trust are currently – Alan Veitch (Chair), Stephen Patterson (Vice-Chair), Andy Scott, Ken Richardson, Christine Collingwood, Malcolm MacColl, Steven Newlands, Victor Coltherd and Tommy Bryson. David Dunsire has been appointed as the new Clerk and Treasurer. For further information about the Trust or perhaps you are considering a donation then do visit our website:

http://melvillecollegetrust.uk

and follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/melville_trust Alan Veitch

Chair Melville College Trust