BUILDING ACTIVE LIVES AT ST SWITHUN’S
ST SWITHUN’S SPORT AND WELLBEING
St Swithun’s is a world-class girls’ boarding and day school offering a complete education, founded in 1884. Our founding aim was to provide our girls with the same quality of education as that available to boys, and that has always included sport.
We know that sport and physical activity play an important part in our wellbeing, and that habits formed at school can last a lifetime. Research shows that girls and women who play sport have higher levels of physical health, confidence, selfesteem and psychological wellbeing. Moreover, sport teaches skills and behaviours such as teamwork, the importance of purposeful practice, goalsetting and resilience. It is unsurprising, therefore, that research from Ernst & Young and epsnW shows that 94% of top women leaders played sport.
want to make it easier for all of our students to be physically active whatever the weather. Extending our indoor facilities will give everyone a greater opportunity to experience the benefits of playing sport.
We want to build our new indoor facilities quickly, so that the current generation of students can benefit from it, but to do so we need support from our St Swithun’s community. We hope that any families, individuals or businesses that are able to help us will pledge their support to make our vision a reality.
Jane Gandee, Headmistress
From the moment a child starts at St Swithun’s Prep School, we are supporting and guiding their physical and mental development. Our children will benefit greatly from better indoor sports and activity spaces, as well as improved changing rooms for swimming.
Channelling energy, developing physical coordination and enthusiasm for all types of sporting activity helps to build resilience, strategic thinking and confidence, which are important cornerstones for the next phase of school, for life and for future success.
feel sure that the St Swithun’s Prep School community will see the great advantages of better indoor sports facilities for their children and provide whatever support they can to realise them.
Liz Norris, Head, Prep School
ST SWITHUN’S
SPORT – OUR MISSION
Our mission is to provide all pupils with a positive and purposeful journey through sport and exercise, which allows them to develop the desire, competence and confidence to continue this journey once they leave school.
We are very proud of the opportunities we are able to offer the girls currently but far too often the British weather negatively impacts our planned activity. Bad weather ultimately means that netball and tennis sessions are significantly compromised outside or we have to source indoor space which is in high demand.
Multiple indoor courts will ensure that we can consistently deliver the best training sessions for our netballers and tennis players, irrespective of the weather. It will also allow us to broaden our programme and offer a fuller range of activities for everyone.
We pride ourselves on delivering unique and exciting exercise sessions throughout the week. Additional studio spaces would allow us to deliver world-class exercise sessions, that reflect the sessions girls could find in the best gyms and health clubs around the country.
We know the huge benefits that sport provides. A positive relationship with exercise is fundamental to our pupils living an active and healthy lifestyle beyond school. Achieving both phases of this building project will mean the British weather never impacts on our ability to engage the girls with the sport and exercise that they love, and that benefits them so much. It should also help to keep spectating parents a lot drier. A double win!
Jon
Riley,
Director of Sport
SUPPORTING GIRLS’ SPORT AND WELLBEING
There has never been a more important time to support pupils in fostering a love of sport and excercise that will genuinely last them a lifetime.
The benefits of an active life are plentiful for young people and their development. Physical activity builds confidence and social skills, improves concentration and learning, maintains healthy weight, strengthens muscles and bones, enhances sleep and significantly reduces the risk of depression. As it stands, only 47.8% of all school-aged children are achieving the UK Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 or more minutes of physical activity a day, and within this statistic, girls have been consistently less active than boys since the pandemic.
This new facility will be groundbreaking in enabling us to deliver a wider range of sports and exercise to our whole community, whilst providing a space that has the capability to inspire everyone to move more and sit less. The deliberately versatile design of the building will help support the ambitions of every girl, whether that be finding her edge in performance sport or cultivating good habits for an active lifestyle. Ultimately, the opportunities presented by this new development will assist us in achieving our mission and ensuring every girl feels she belongs around physical activity.
We are already implementing a supportive programme for our girls in other areas of our PE and sports programme, tackling topics like periods and puberty, which can lead to significant drop-out from health-promoting activities, preventing girls from becoming their very best. We are confident that this new building development will amplify the impact of our trailblazing approach to girls’ health and wellbeing and allow us to create a truly world-class experience in sport and exercise for everyone. Please support us if you can.
Asha Riley, Head of Active Wellbeing
SHARING OUR VISION FOR INDOOR SPORTS
St Swithun’s School Council is embarking on a capital building project in two phases, to create the indoor sports facilities needed. The project is also being supported by the Bramston Foundation. The Foundation is an independent charity which fundraises to support the school with capital projects and new facilities. It also fundraises for transformational free boarding places for vulnerable girls.
BUILDING PHASE 1, INDOOR COURTS
(Planning Permission granted)
This building phase will give the school covered netball and tennis courts with an additional strength & conditioning suite and an upstairs viewing gallery to watch the action, as well as additional car parking and a separate entrance and exit from Alresford Road
THE FIRST PHASE OF THE BUILDING PROJECT WILL INCLUDE:
Relocating four existing tennis courts and three netball courts under one roof in a redevelopment of the area next to the swimming pool and car park
Formation of a tensile roofed building covering the newly located netball and tennis courts, as well as the addition of a two-storey building that will contain:
A strength & conditioning suite
A spectator gallery upstairs that seats 160
Shower and changing facilities
Extended and re-landscaped carparking maximising the best use of space, to create 14 additional spaces including EV charging
Photovoltaic (PV) panels over some car parking spaces to provide renewable power for the school’s use
Creation of a new entrance and exit (one way) to the swimming pool car park from Alresford Road, reducing traffic flow around the main school campus
BUILDING PHASE 2, STUDIOS, GYM & CAFÉ
(Planning Permission to be submitted)
The second building phase will create three generous indoor studios, a gym, new changing facilities, both wet and dry, and a café overlooking the school’s iconic grass pitches
THE SECOND PHASE OF THE BUILDING PROJECT WILL INCLUDE:
A café and social area with views over the school’s lacrosse & cricket pitches
Improved wet changing and shower facilities for swimming pool users forming a new connection to the pool.
A café and social area with views over the school’s lacrosse & cricket pitches
Improved changing and shower facilities connected to the existing swimming pool
Dry changing and WCs for gym/court users
A dedicated gym with capacity to take a full range of equipment as well as a Sports Physio/treatment room
Three generous multi-purpose indoor studios. Two of which can be made into one large space suitable for a range of functions
A dance studio with barre
Technologically advanced secure safeguarding features for multi-use
Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the south roof aspect generating electricity
Sedum flat roof over the changing facilities
Seating areas to accompany existing outdoor courts at rear of building
PROPOSED FUNDING MODEL: £5m
ESTIMATED BUILDING COST: Circa £10m
ESTIMATED BUILDING COST:
PROPOSED FUNDING MODEL:
ESTIMATED BUILD TIMELINE:
12-18 months with works expected to commence 2025
ARCHITECT:
LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT:
We are working with a local architect firm and a local landscape architect
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
St Swithun’s School Letting Company will generate income from the facility through hires, leisure memberships, the Emerging Talent Centres (ETC) programme and holiday camps, at times when the facility is not in use by the school. Any income generated will help support the running costs.
When not in use by St Swithun’s, this facility will be able to be used by leisure members and local sporting groups looking for one-off hires and block-bookings, for training and events. The Lettings Company will build on the strong partnerships it has forged with local sports clubs and build on these links with support from Sport Winchester. A wider tennis coaching programme will be offered to pupils, parents and the local community, as well as running a variety of holiday sporting camps. These facilities will be shared as part of our state school partnerships programme with local schools.
The School Council will finance half of the building costs. The Bramston Foundation will be seeking support from the school community for the other half. A minimum of £2m is needed.
SUSTAINABILITY:
We are utilising a sustainable location and creating a building development on previously developed land as encouraged by the (National Planning Policy Framework) NPPF
The building will also:
Reuse existing sports courts
Have low energy lighting
Install solar panels over some car parking
Provide EV charging in the car park
The indoor courts area will be uninsulated – but the project has an area of approximately 100sqm of insulated and heated spaces in the two-storey building
The project proposes low water consumption sanitary fittings to toilets and showers, LED lighting throughout the development, and smart controls for lighting and heating
Biodiversity Net Gain well in excess of 10% secured by additional significant planting
Use of Sustainable Drainage Systems
ESTIMATED BUILD TIMELINE:
2-3 years
subject to planning approval
ARCHITECT:
LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT:
Local contractors will be used wherever possible
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
These facilities will be a wonderful asset to our active wellbeing programme for students, providing the spaces for a huge range of movement and physical activity.
They will also be utilised by St Swithun’s School Letting Company when the school isn’t using them, to help generate income and provide access to them for our local community and leisure members. Swimming pool users will benefit from the refreshed and updated changing facilities. Everyone will benefit from the central hub the café will provide, with views over the school’s superb pitches.
These facilities will also be shared, as part of our state school partnerships programme, with local schools.
The School Council is seeking a contribution from the Bramston Foundation and the school community to help with the costs of this second much larger building. We are hoping to reach a fundraised income target of £3m+
SUSTAINABILITY:
This second phase 2 building will incorporate sustainable technologies used in Phase 1 including PV roof panels (subject to planning permission) and a green roof. The design seeks to minimise environmental impact. Many of the spaces will be accessible through membership or hireable. The hire income generated will help the school to cover the running costs.
Architect’s CGI of the Phase 1, Indoor Courts Building
Architect’s CGI of the Phase 2 Studios, Gym & Café Building
OUR FUNDRAISING TARGET
We hope to achieve our entire vision in five years. The building project is being split into two phases.
BUILDING PHASE 1 – INDOOR COURTS
The Bramston Foundation is seeking to fundraise half of the costs of this development. We need to achieve a minimum of £2m. Donors will have the ability to make gifts spread over a two-year period (2025-2026).
The second phase of the indoor sports building project will not begin until we have successfully achieved the first phase and sought the necessary planning permission.
BUILDING PHASE 2 – STUDIOS, GYM & CAFÉ
The Bramston Foundation will be asked to support the school by fundraising a further £3m+ to help the School Council to finance the costs of this second bigger building, which will be transformative for St Swithun’s indoor sports provision.
In total, the Bramston Foundation will be seeking to support the school with £5m+ to achieve the whole vision and both building phases for indoor sports, over a period of five years.
Please note:
Should the Bramston Foundation be unsuccessful in achieving the Phase 1 target of £2m+ for Indoor Courts, the School Council will need to review whether or not the second building phase for the studios, gym & café will be able to go ahead.
If the target for both buildings is exceeded, donors will be contacted to ask if they are happy for their donation to be put towards purchasing an item of equipment for sport.
In either situation where the target isn’t reached or it is exceeded, all donors and pledgers will be contacted.
We will contact project donors and pledgers at various intervals during the lifetime of the project to update on progress.
A)
INDOOR COURTS
- Phase 1
Pledge your gift over 2 years
UK TAX EFFICIENT PLEDGE PAYMENT PLANS
For flexibility and to make the most of UK tax benefits for those who qualify, there are three gift pledge payment plans for consideration, to help explain how those tax benefits could reduce the true cost of your support.
For UK domiciled individuals where both gift aid and higher rate tax relief of 20% or more can be applied, your support could look like this:
C) STUDIOS, GYM & CAFÉ – Phase 2 Pledge a gift over 3 years from 2027-2029, to support the phase 2 building only
You can easily sign up to a gift pledge payment plan for
A) Phase 1 – two years (2025-2026)
B) Phases 1 & 2 – five years (2025-2029)
C) Phase 2 only – three years (2027-2029)
Once you’ve decided on which payment plan you prefer, you just need to complete the gift pledge card at the back of this brochure and return it to the Bramston Foundation.
Or you can select your payment plan and make your pledge online via the QR code or web address: hub.stswithuns.com/pages/ActiveLivesProject
For those who wish to support the whole vision, and commit now to realising both buildings (Phase 1 & 2), there is a five-year gift pledge plan available that will run from 2025-2029, making the most of five years of tax benefits:
B) WHOLE PROJECT - Phases 1 & 2
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT
A gift of shares or funds
For those where gift aid and higher rate tax relief cannot be applied, a gift of shares or funds of any amount can be accepted by the school – either in a single transfer or a payment plan agreed over a specific time. UK Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is not applicable to a charitable gift of shares.
International donors
It’s possible to donate to the school via CAF America for American Donors.
We are also able to accept bank transfers in any currency to the Bramston Foundation, but the donation will be reduced by the bank’s exchange rate fees.
CAF donations
CAF donors can donate via CAF cheque or transfer to the school’s CAF account, having made a clear instruction that the donated amount is for this project.
Legacy gifts
Anyone who would like to make a legacy gift restricted to the school’s most urgently needed capital project (which will be indoor sports for the next five years) can do so by directing their restricted gift for buildings and capital improvements to St Swithun’s School Charity No: 307335 by either adding a Codicil to an existing Will, or contacting your solicitor to make a witnessed amendment.
For information on any other method of supporting this building project, or if you wish to make a corporate donation or a gift from a family trust or foundation, please contact Kate Lewis, director of development via development@stswithuns.com or 0044 (0)1962 835734
DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Major donor support will be recognised via an acknowledgement board, pathway or object within or in the near vicinity of these buildings, except for those who wish to remain anonymous. You can indicate your preference on your gift pledge card with regards to anonymity.
Significant major donations may be acknowledged by the naming of a sports or studio area or part of a building, at the discretion of the School Council.
BRAMSTON FOUNDATION
Chaired by William Beardmore-Gray, the Bramston Foundation is a volunteer trustee board of parents, former parents and students, supported by the headmistress and bursar, who all give their time, skills and support to help with raising funds for
The annual costs of the Bramston Foundation’s transformational bursary programme, which provides boarding places to bright but vulnerable girls from extremely disadvantaged circumstances.
Capital building projects and improvements that help to keep the facilities and the offer for students at St Swithun’s School world class.
Please email development@stswithuns.com if you would like any further information, or telephone 01962 835700 and ask to speak to the development department.
hub.stswithuns.com/pages/ActiveLivesProject
