The 2009 Annual Report and Accounts is available from the Trust
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The Reedham Trust Summer 2009 Newsletter is now available from the Trust.
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A biography of
our Founder, The Rev
Dr Andrew Reed was  published in July 2005.  See "Our Background" page on this website for details.

Report of the Reedham Trust Chairman, Mr Richard Link, taken from the Reedham Trust Annual Report 2009.

The Reedham Trust has maintained its commitment to assisting vulnerable children over the past year.  Grants of £312,354 were paid towards boarding school fees, about one-tenth more than in the previous year.  We recognize that the schools which children attend are usually providing a substantial bursary element from their own Foundation, in addition to grants obtained from other charities.  This partnership of commitment assures us that the student will benefit from strong pastoral influence and encouragement at such schools.  During the year our Trustees have made several visits to schools where the Trust supports children.  On these occasions it is rewarding for us to see how the help we give is reflected in their lives.

The year under review in this Report brought a further deterioration in the value of our investments, although there had been some improvement by the year-end to show an overall 10% decline.  The Trust holds regular meetings with our two Investment Managers who are committed to maintain a policy to provide long-term growth of both income and capital.  However our bank deposits have been severely affected by the evaporation of interest and these are being absorbed into our investment portfolio.

During the year assistance was given to 132 boys and girls at 65 schools, 31 of these being new grants.  Priority has continued to be given to children up to the age of 16.  13 completed their A level studies in 2009 and 13 sat their GCSEs.  Of the latter 7 will continue to receive Trust support at 6^th form level.

The Selection Panel has continued with their difficult task of assessing cases submitted by our Caseworker. This is often in conjunction with other Trusts and organisations with similar objectives to Reedham. Substantial funds can accumulate in this way and this is supplemented by family contributions whenever possible.  However in the current year it is the general practice for grants to be kept at last year’s level. Our grant budget for the year 2009/2010 has already been spent. On page 4 the case studies provide some examples where support was provided last year.

The Pathfinder Project, a government backed initiative to assist vulnerable children into boarding education, continues to make slow progress and 22 local authorities are now involved.

During the year, the Board appointed a sub-committee to carry out a Strategic Review of the aims and objectives of the Trust.  The ever-increasing cost of boarding education is a matter of great concern.  Following research, the Trust has agreed in principle to support a pilot project to assist The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, providing small grants to young carers in the North East of England.  We have also agreed to support an outreach project run by the Chorister School in Durham , targeting children from some of the most deprived areas in South Tyneside, Durham and Sunderland .

There have been no changes in the membership of our Board of Management.  After many years involvement with Reedham, Pam Peters resigned from the Fundraising committee in May and we recognise the great help she has given to the Trust, particularly with the management of our Golf days over many years.  In the near future further appointments will be made to the Board and the Selection Panel.

Our Museum room at The Lodge continues to attract interest from the locality and Old Scholars.  The display space has been increased and several new exhibits have been acquired. We often get enquiries and visits from former Reedham pupils, and others who are keen to research into their family history.  Our links with the local community have been maintained with our neighbours Beaumont and St Nicholas schools, local churches and the Purley Rotary Club.  Douglas Reed and I were pleased to share with the Reedham Old Scholars Association (ROSA) the opportunity to give the annual address to the Bourne Society at their AGM in April.

The Trust continues as a member of the Fundraising Standards Board and we are delighted to report that fundraising efforts have been surprisingly successful despite the difficult economic climate.  We are very appreciative of the further considerable generosity shown by an Old Scholar – who has not only continued to donate substantial sums to the Trust, but organised a highly successful Ball at Alnwick Castle in May when the amazing sum of £59,000 was raised.  The proceeds from this event are being specifically directed to support vulnerable children in the North East.  We would also like to express our thanks to Douglas Reed for organising another benefit concert this year.  The event was a sell-out and proceeds are to be split between all the Andrew Reed Foundations.

We were delighted to learn that our application to the Barbara Ward Children’s Foundation (BWCF) this year was successful and the BWCF have generously agreed to provide another substantial grant to the Trust, to be spread over 3 years for the purpose of emergency funding of cases.

Many other Trusts and organisations support Reedham and we are very appreciative of this support.  In particular, specific thanks are due to the following for their help over the past year:

The Bourne Society
Fenwick Ltd
Gants Hill United Reformed Church
Helen Robertson Charitable Trust
Hubert Blake Charitable Trust
Joseph Strong Frazer Trust
Marsh Christian Trust
Nestle Pensioners Association
Probus Club of Purley
Purley Rotary Club
Purley United Reformed Church
Purley Group WI
Reedham Old Scholars Association
Terrington Hall School
Thoresby Charitable Trust

We would also like to thank the Sir James Knott Trust and the William Leech Charity for their grants, which provide support for children in the North East.

It would be an impossible task to mention all our individual donors by name, but we very much value their ongoing assistance.  The addition of Gift Aid relief in many individual cases also helps to boost the level of donations.

The Fundraising Committee continue to seek out ways of raising funds and this year have been actively encouraging legacy giving.  All ROSA members have received a letter from Douglas Reed to this effect.

The Trust’s 11^th Newsletter was produced in the summer, enabling us to keep in touch with our donors and supporters.  As usual, Lesley Ackerley put together an informative and attractive document which is much appreciated.

The Trust owes a great debt of thanks to all members of our enthusiastic Board and others who join our committees. In an ever-changing social environment we are pleased to continue with the work of helping children which has continued under this Charity for 165 years. Our connection with the Old Scholars Association reminds us of the past and we do appreciate their involvement and the support given by their members to our present work.

Thanks are also due to our Investment Managers, on whom depends the ability to carry out the work we do.  The work itself is carried out with great dedication by our three members of staff, Jean Watkins, Jane Pocock and Lesley Ackerley. They are well known to many outside the Trust and the Board is very appreciative of the great service they provide.

Richard Link