Finance and Bursaries
I am delighted to say that the Fund is in a healthy state in terms of its finances but as always we continue to seek more funding to allow the school flexibility on award and bursary giving each school year with the circumstances facing the eligible boys varying across the cohorts.
This year we agreed to increase the annual value of each Bursary i.e. new and existing bursaries are now £1200 to reflect inflation since our first Bursaries I n 2016.
This year we awarded 3 full bursaries i.e. for each of 3 years (assuming academic progress); 3 single-year bursaries for the runners-up in each category; a one-year bursary for HND; and a new Award of £500 for a Higher Level Apprenticeship.
This means that since we began, we have awarded bursaries/ awards to 33 boys, to the value of £76,000. I am sure that you will take considerable pleasure, as we do, from the success to date
Events
You will probably know that we are having a “ Back to School Dinner” event in the school on Friday the 28th of October. This is really for fun, and to encourage former pupils to visit the school. It is free - we have an anonymous sponsor - and we will have a presentation from the Architect, who himself is a former pupil.
To book, click on the link below or email Roy Adair at royadair@fastmail.fm and he will send you the booking link.
We are also hoping to have a big event in Spring 2023, possibly again in the Europa, with entertainment etc.
More to come in due course!!
New Board Members
You will also be aware that we were determined to appoint new Board Members from younger generations of former pupils who could, in time, take over the Fund governance. I am delighted to say that Mark Gilmore and Ronnie Armour (both of whom reached very senior posts with large public organisations) joined the board last year and are already making significant contributions. We have just appointed Frank Shivers who has a range of business interests and who is especially skilled in PR/PA and communications. We are pleased with this progress, and Mary (our esteemed Principal) and I are still, of course, hugely grateful to our other Board members for their continual personal contributions and interest in helping set up and develop the Fund.
Other Benefits for the School
I am also pleased to report that through the personal contacts of several Board members, the school has benefitted from the tremendous and very generous gift of a 7-person people carrier, to help transport pupils to sport and other events (the school also purchased one from its savings, and this impressed the donor!). A commercial barista quality Coffee making machine plus coffee beans to help the boys set up a small business and improve their potential for part-time jobs was also purchased with funds provided by other individual donors. The boys will receive professional training from an external experienced Barista as well as commercial coaching on how to run a profitable business. Both these gifts will make a significant impact on the lives of many boys over the next number of years.
During the summer we received a cheque from the USA for $12,000 for the Fund from an individual - John H Crawford - whose father came from Belfast and fought in World War I. He had found us through the website and wanted to help. As always, we wrote him a very fulsome reply, following which he has sent another $12,000, this time for the school to use in helping pupils through sport. This wonderful and very generous donation will be used by Mary (our esteemed Principal) in various ways. It proved the worth of the work done on the Fund and school website, especially by Kerry Deehan, a teacher at the school who kindly volunteered to support and update all the Fund’s web pages.
I hope that you will be pleased with this progress and, like us, continue to take great satisfaction in being able to help give back something to the current generation of pupils.
We thank you all for your continued support.
With best wishes
Nigel
Sir Nigel Hamilton
Chair
