SUPPORT US
Sherborne Girls Foundation
The Sherborne Girls Foundation exists to assist the school in developing its social-responsibility activities, and stimulating philanthropy to support the growth and development of the school.
Katherine Massey Director of Development and Marketing kem@sherborne.com 01935 818215
Supporting Sherborne Girls
We are raising funds to:
“The Sherborne Girls Foundation is focused on changing lives and empowering the girls to be an influence for good – whether through bursarial support, community partnerships and service, inspirational experiences or exceptional facilities. It is also about supporting the school so that we can remain at the forefront of women’s education; driving innovation and educating the girls for the future. We would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to support this vision. Thank you so much.”
• Provide full Candlelight Bursaries to girls with the promise and character to thrive at Sherborne Girls, where challenging circumstances at home mean a boarding education is life-changing for both the girl and her family. • Expand and deepen our community relations and partnerships within Sherborne and further afield, sharing facilities and expertise and facilitating studentled initiatives with an emphasis on service.
• Support enrichment opportunities to nurture a community of fulfilled, inquisitive, confident women who are thoroughly prepared for higher education and their future lives, with the desire to make a difference. • Develop the buildings and grounds to deliver the highest standards and provide exceptional facilities and sustainable resources for the girls today and for years to come.
For over a hundred years, Sherborne Girls has been educating young women who have gone out into the world to make their mark. We hope that you will support us, whether because you or your family have benefited from an education at Sherborne Girls or because you support our vision for the girls today and for generations to come. Sherborne Girls is a registered charity and receives no other funding. We do not have a big endowment on which to draw and the majority of fee
income goes on running costs. This means that fundraising is necessary for us to continue to deliver our vision and remain at the forefront of women’s education. Help us widen access, change lives and send out into the world girls with character, commitment and compassion who are able to think clearly and creatively, choose wisely and who have the courage to make a difference.
Candlelight Bursaries
Through our full, transformational Candlelight Bursaries we aim to widen access and support girls for whom a boarding education can be life-changing. As well as benefiting the girls’ social and educational opportunities, we hope that our Candlelight Bursaries recipients will also raise the educational aspirations in their home communities and in so doing further encourage social mobility.
We partner with The Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation (RNCSF) to identify girls who would really gain from our help. It is not about finding the most gifted but about ensuring each student receives high quality help and support, giving them the opportunity of a brighter future, regardless of their background.
We currently have four girls on full Candlelight Bursaries in the school. We aim to increase this by one girl each year over the next three years so that by 2021 we have a girl in every school year throughout the school and by 2024, the school’s 125th anniversary year, we have 10 girls on Candlelight Bursaries at any one time. The longerterm strategy is to grow an endowment fund to ensure sustainability of the bursary programme.
“Being a Candlelight Bursary recipient has changed my life. It has given me opportunities I never thought were possible. It has helped give me a different perspective, along with the tools and confidence to go on to university and have a career. I have been supported in all areas of my life, both at school and at home, by teachers and by my friends. There are no problems that I can’t talk about or get support for. Sherborne Girls has given me friends for life.” Chesney Taylor-Smith, Candlelight Bursary recipient, 2012-19
The RNCSF contributes to the cost of each Candlelight girl; however, we need your help to fund the difference. You can help change a girl’s life by making a one-off donation or regular gifts of any amount to our Candlelight Bursaries Fund. Alternatively for £25,000, you can support one girl for a year.
Community relations and enrichment opportunities
Community is the bedrock of Sherborne Girls; our school community, our boarding house communities, our collaboration with Sherborne School and also the town community. We are privileged to live and work in Sherborne and we aim to develop and deepen our links with the town. We encourage and facilitate student-led community initiatives in and around the area, with a particular emphasis on service. Such outreach activities include members of our sixth form sitting as Youth Advisors on the Sherborne Town Council; our teachers and girls volunteering in local state schools, girls performing for patients in the local hospital and care homes, and our girls interacting and connecting with adults and children in the area with specific needs and disabilities. These initiatives not only add value to the community but also encourage student leadership and provide opportunities for the girls to make a positive difference and give back – key principles in our
school vision. We also enjoy educational links with several state schools in the area including The Gryphon School in Sherborne and Preston Primary School in Yeovil. Members of our Senior Leadership Team sit on local governing bodies, many of our teachers deliver workshops within the state schools and we welcome a number of students from the Gryphon School to sit their IB at Sherborne Girls on full bursaries. We aim to be as outward facing as possible. In many cases, these activities involve the sharing of time, expertise or simply our facilities but in some cases, additional funding is required.
100%
of Sherborne girls take part in charity or community outreach projects
Giving back to inspire the leaders of tomorrow We also look to identify opportunities for members of our school community – parents, past parents, Old Girls and Honorary Old Girls – to ‘give back’. We invite you to share your time and expertise to enhance the girls’ learning, and to help prepare and inspire the girls to flourish in, and make a positive contribution to, the world ahead of them. We recently launched a Women in Leadership initiative in collaboration with the Sherborne Old Girls. Guest speakers from the Old Girls and school community gave ‘TED-style’ talks, while industry experts representing over ten industry sectors shared their knowledge and experience, offering careers advice to the
wider Sherborne Girls community encompassing Old Girls, recent graduates, parents, and governors, as well as current students deciding on their future career paths. Ambition, leadership and 21st century women are key areas of our school strategy and our culture. By embedding these ideals and behaviours in girls from a young age, we are equipping them with the skills needed for the future work place where gender should be no bar to success. We are extremely lucky to have such strong links with our Old Girls association who willingly ‘give back’ by sharing their expertise and experience to inspire girls to be the leaders of tomorrow.
We are committed to further developing our programme of careers and networking events and encouraging Old Girls and members of the community to be role models. If you would be prepared to give up your time and talent to: offer careers advice; mentor; offer work experience; attend our careers events, including future Women in Leadership initiatives; or to talk to the girls as part of our inspirational speaker series, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch on 01935 818215 or development@sherborne.com
Buildings and grounds
We aim to deliver excellence in every area of school life and we have invested boldly in our facilities over the past ten years: a new science centre; refurbished classrooms with first class technology; new and improved boarding houses; a new swimming pool and sports centre; new sixth form centre; and new astro.
Arts Centre The new Arts Centre, currently under construction, is the biggest and most exciting development Sherborne Girls has ever undertaken. As well as giving creative arts the facilities they deserve, the new centre will also create a welcoming hub at the heart of the school, benefiting the daily lives of the girls, staff and Sherborne community for generations to come.
• Recital Hall with over 300 fixed seats • 560 capacity as assembly hall • Performance space, purposebuilt sound-proofed practice rooms and recording studio • Conversion of Stuart Centre to drama school, black box performance space • Foyer and display space • Multifunctional social space
Arts Centre Appeal We have raised over ÂŁ2m towards our ÂŁ2.5m target but, with building work now underway, we need your help more than ever to close the gap. Please support our Appeal and help us reach our target. You can make a gift as a one-off donation or payments spread over a period of time. We value every donation, whatever size, and would be delighted to hear from you. A huge thank you to everyone who has already made a donation. We are delighted to have offered named seats and rooms to a signficant number of donors who have already generously supported our appeal. We are so nearly there.
Together we can make it happen!
Future Projects We are committed to providing the best possible facilities, care and experiences to prepare the girls for their future careers and lives. It is not enough for our girls to leave us with the best possible exam results; they need to be creative learners, critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective communicators. We need to educate our girls for the future and drive innovation in the classroom. To deliver on this promise, we are continually looking at how we can develop, improve and maximise our facilities and resources.
If you would like to discuss capital projects at Sherborne Girls or ways in which you might be able to offer help and support, please contact Katherine Massey, Director of Development and Marketing on 01935 818215 or kem@sherborne.com
Legacies
For over a hundred years, Sherborne Girls has been educating young women who have gone out into the world to make their mark. These young women have come from many different backgrounds and have gone on to pursue a myriad of dreams. We want to give future generations of girls, from all walks of life, the same opportunity and are asking those who are ready to make their Will to consider passing on the light of a first-class education to future generations of girls through a legacy gift of any kind, of any size, no amount being too small. Those who choose to leave a gift in their Will to the school are our ‘Torchbearers’, passing on the light of an excellent boarding education to future generations of girls. Torchbearers are invited to join The Torchbearers’ Society, led by Old Girl and former School Governor Jane Reekie (Mrs Nicholson) E’59.
“Those of us who are privileged to have been educated at Sherborne Girls know how greatly the experience has enriched our lives. Today, there are even more opportunities for girls to develop their own individual skills and interests and to build their selfconfidence. By way of thanks I have left a legacy in my Will in order to help future generations receive an education which will prepare them to face the challenges of a rapidlychanging world.” Elizabeth Honnywill (Lindsay-Rea) A’54
Writing a Will can be a life-affirming experience. When the time is right, it is an opportunity for you to make sure that your wishes count after you have gone. Always consult your solicitor before making a Will. If you have already made arrangements, you can make a simple addition by Codicil.
“The prize is a fair one, and the hope great”
Torchbearers
The school emblem features a torch, which represents the ancient Greek ‘Lampadedromia’ or ‘torch race’. The race challenged the youth of Athens to run a relay through the city to the Acropolis with each team bearing a lit torch. The winning team was the first to arrive at the finish without letting the torch go out. This legendary race of torchbearers, which embodies the values of strength, endurance, teamwork and individual responsibility, gave rise to the Olympic flame and in turn inspired the school motto and torch badge, originally the school’s before being adopted by Sherborne Old Girls. These values still underpin Sherborne Girls today.
Gwendoline Merritt, affectionately known as Queenie, left her estate worth £140,000 to the school when she sadly passed away in 2014. Queenie was employed as a domestic at Sherborne Girls for an extraordinary number of years, as well as being a tea lady for Kenelm.
She loved working at the school and commented when she retired that it was a privilege to have been able to work here. The privilege was ours. Queenie never failed in her commitment to the house, even reporting that if the weather was bad, she would sleep on the floor in the kitchen in front of the stove so that she would be at work the following day. Queenie made the ultimate gesture in leaving her estate to the school in her Will. Her donation has made a significant contribution to the Arts Centre Appeal and we are delighted to name a room in the new Centre in her memory.
Remembering Sherborne Girls in your Will is one of the most personal and significant ways in which you can help us change lives, empower girls to be an influence for good, remain at the forefront of women’s education, widen access and attract talent irrespective of financial means. For more information on different types of legacy gifts and what to do next please contact Katherine Massey, Director of Development and Marketing on kem@sherborne.com or 01935 818215.
Making a Gift
The Sherborne Girls Foundation’s strategy is about changing lives and empowering the girls to be an influence for good – whether through funding bursarial support, community partnerships and service, inspirational experiences or exceptional facilities. It is also about supporting the school so that it can remain at the forefront of women’s education; driving innovation and educating the girls for the future. Thank you for considering making a gift to Sherborne Girls.
Payment methods If you are ready to make a donation, the following are the different ways in which you can choose to make your payment. Alternatively, please visit our website www.sherborne.com/support-us for more information. If you are elgible for Gift Aid, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration form found on the website (or at the back of this brochure), which will enable us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. Cheque You can send a cheque made payable to The Sherborne Girls Foundation to the Development Office, Sherborne Girls, Bradford Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3QN.
Standing Order You can spread your donation and make regular payments by standing order. The Gift Aid Declaration form also serves as a standing order request. Bank Transfer You can electronically transfer your donation to us. Please pay NatWest Bank, Sherborne for the credit of The Sherborne Girls Foundation. Sort Code: 60-19-12 Account Number: 26128969 Please use your full name as your payment reference. Online You can visit our donation page on the website www.sherborne.com/support-us and pay online. Please note there is a transaction fee.
Where the school needs it most A gift for general purposes or where the school needs it most is the most useful as it allows us to focus on the greatest need without restrictions. However, you may prefer to leave your gift to Candlelight Bursaries or to fund the Arts Centre Appeal. Thanks to a donation from the ‘where the school needs it most’ fund, we were able to develop a new, state of the art Astro Turf. In order to continue hosting visiting teams and competitive sports fixtures, the school faced the urgent need to upgrade its Astro facilities. A financial contribution from the ‘where the school needs it most’ fund meant that the new development could be put into action immediately rather than delaying until budgeting could accommodate such a cost.
Tax Benefits Matched Giving
Sherborne Girls has charitable status, so this allows any gifts that you make to us to be tax-efficient. The benefits of Gift Aid are considerable. If you pay tax on any kind of income, including capital gains, then the school is entitled to reclaim the basic rate of tax that you have already paid on your gift at no cost to you - this works out at 25p for every £1 donated. Higher rate tax payers can also reclaim the difference between standard and higher rate tax on their donation for themselves through their Tax Return, which means it costs you less to give. In order to make a Gift Aid declaration and claim back 25p for every £1 you donate, we ask you to complete the Gift Aid declaration form on our website www.sherborne.com/support-us
Legacies The declaration applies to all donations made in the last 4 years. Your donations will qualify as long as they are not more than 4 times what you have paid in tax in that tax year (6 April to 5 April).
Company Giving When a company makes a donation to charity, the value of the gift can be offset against the company’s highest rate of Corporation Tax. Companies pay their donations gross and will not have to make any Gift Aid declaration. Your company simply makes whatever donation you want and then tax relief is claimed against the value of the gift when calculating profits for Corporation Tax. Company gifts can be made on a regular or one-off basis.
If you choose to leave a legacy to Sherborne Girls, your bequest will be free from inheritance tax. You may also decide to bring your legacy forward, so that you can see the benefits of your gift during your lifetime. As Sherborne Girls is a charity, you would also not have to pay tax on your lifetime gift and you may benefit from tax savings by offsetting the donation against your taxable income or gains. A gift or legacy for general purposes or where the school needs it most is the most useful as it allows us to focus on the greatest need without restrictions. However, you may prefer to leave your gift to bursaries or to fund a specific building or project.
Matched Giving
Gifts in Kind
Matched giving is a simple way of maximizing your giving. It is an arrangement between a company and its employee. Many companies will donate a sum of money relating to the amount their employee has raised for, or donated to, the charity of their choice. Please check with your HR Department as to whether your company offers a matched giving scheme as this could make your donation worth even more. Please visit the website for a list of companies who are known to support matched giving.
As Sherborne Girls is a registered charity, it is also possible to make taxefficient donations of land, property or shares. Donors benefit from tax relief on both Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax. Please ask for further details about this at development@sherborne.com
Overseas Giving If you live in Canada or the United States we have tax-effective giving schemes, set-up in partnership with Sherborne School, through the Canadian Friends of Sherborne (CFS) and the American Friends of Sherborne (AFS). You can find supporting literature on how to make a gift tax-efficiently from Canada or the United States on our website.
If you would like to discuss ways in which you might be able to support the school or any of the initiatives that you have read here, please don’t hesitate to contact Katherine Massey, Director of Development & Marketing on 01935 818215 or development@sherborne.com. Thank you so much.
THANK YOU
For more information please visit www.sherborne.com