We have a number of
donors who support
Winchester because of their
love of the place or their
appreciation of our values,
in spite of not having
attended the School or
having had boys there.
2013/14 has been another good year for fundraising,
in spite of the lack of an ‘attention-grabbing’
capital expenditure project. The total cash banked
at 31 August 2014 was just over £2.8m, and a further
£1.04m was received in donation pledges and
£957k in legacy pledges. This brings us to some
£21m raised in total for the Wykeham Campaign
since its inception in 2008, generously supported by
the Campaign Committee, ably chaired by Richard
Morse. Whilst this is excellent news, there is more
to do, particularly in support of Quirister endowment
and bursary endowment, and the welcome addition
of Barton Farm income will go some way to ensuring
we can afford our ambition to educate any boy
who would profit from a Winchester education,
irrespective of his parents’ means.
Of particular note was this year’s record-breaking
telephone campaign in support of the Annual Fund
projects, which took place over three weeks of the
summer holidays, and for the first time, current and
past parents were also called. Parents are becoming
increasingly generous, and it is encouraging to note
the close relationships we are developing with so
many who want to become more involved.
I was happy to support the campaign, and one of the
incentives for the callers on offer was a two-week
internship at Sky Arts, for the most successful caller,
William Elger (A, 2009-14). The total raised was
£400k, with a challenge grant of £30k giving extra
encouragement to the callers to secure donations.
The recent leavers really enjoy the experience, and it is
gratifying for them to have the opportunity to engage
with the wider Wykehamical community and receive
54 The Wykeham Journal 2014
(usually!) such an enthusiastic response. I would like to
thank everyone involved for making the experience so
enjoyable and such a success, from the callers to those
on the end of the phone who responded so positively.
We have a number of donors who support Winchester
because of their love of the place or their appreciation
of our values, in spite of not having attended the
School or having had boys there. This is commonly
thanks to connections with OWs, who enthuse and
inspire others to support. This includes lovers of
music, Laura and Jamie Rosenwald, who recognise
the uniqueness and tradition of the Quiristers.
They are generously supporting two Quirister
scholarships through the Orinoco Foundation.
Another area of growth is the Guild movement.
With the addition of two Guilds, for Energy and
Arts, there are now 11 professional groups of OWs.
The Guild movement is rapidly becoming global,
and Patrick Medley (G, 1970-74) has started to gather
a group keen to become part of the movement in
Australia and New Zealand. There are also promising
developments in Singapore. The Hong Kong Guild,
under the leadership of Paul Tao, (I, 1980-85), has
a strong following and the events are always well
attended. Perhaps the inspiring and varied events
programme has something to do with this, and it is
great to see that the Guild movement is encouraging
younger OWs to stay connected. Social media is
helping with this, and the Guilds are all represented
on LinkedIn, which is proving successful in providing
a hub for networking, job opportunities, internships
and work experience.
Of particular note
was this year’s recordbreaking telephone
campaign in support
of the Annual Fund
projects, which took
place over three weeks
of the summer holidays,
and for the first time,
current and past parents
were also called.
At a recent Guild dinner I commented that if you
want the world to be a better place, then do something
about it. No government in the world has the
resources to do all that is needed. Charitable giving
is fundamental to a healthy society and education is
a basic human right. If you give in a thoughtful way
and get involved, you can make a huge difference
and it gives you a great deal of satisfaction. It creates
opportunity and the benefits of a top-class education
really can change the world. I would like to thank all
of you who support Winchester College by donating,
volunteering, networking or by attending events,
or indeed, by leaving the greatest gift of all in your
will, following William of Wykeham’s radical
example all those centuries ago.
Above: The Quiristers singing in Chapel.
The Wykeham Journal 2014 55