Dear Friends and Supporters,
It has been another busy, inspiring year providing funding for 14 projects helping London’s disadvantaged children and young people. We are truly grateful to everyone who has donated to Tom’s Trust this year, your continued support is tremendously appreciated. Our special thanks go to the Yerbury Family Charitable Trust for their very generous support, and to TSR Select, Linklaters and Cycle To for their valued sponsorship.
Best wishes, the Trustees.
Here are some reflections from three of the remarkable youth organisations your donations have helped this year...
Pride of Bankside
Based beneath the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, SE1 United is a youth-led organisation that helps over 1,000 10-to-21 year-olds through education and aspiration-raising activities every year.
My SE1 United Story: Timi Raji
“Before I joined SE1 United I was always finding myself in trouble, no matter where I went. Having had bad experiences throughout my education, I always felt I was being victimised. I was an active gang member and had been in constant battles with rival Boroughs for no apparent reason.
Left: Timi. Right: Timi with MP Nick Hurd (third from left) and staff and young people of SE1 United.
In 2008 a friend of mine, Sunday Essiet, was stabbed to death. I realised life is more serious than I had thought. So myself and three friends decided to volunteer at SE1 United. We created a programme called ‘Leadership’ where young people can get help with any issues they face and be themselves without always being told what to do. I have been to almost all our funding interviews, pitching to the local council or funders to apply for grants for our projects.
“When I joined SE1 United, I had just left secondary school with no GCSEs and was really negative about education. But (SE1 United staff member) Jacob never gave up on me, he paid for me to retake my exams out of his own pocket and has supported me even when I found myself in trouble again. Coming from a broken home, living with my mother and four brothers it was good to have a positive father role model I could speak to and relate to.
“I can honestly say that without SE1 United I would be dead or in prison, but instead I now have a degree in Applied Social Science, Community Development & Youth Work, I am the Project Manager for the Leadership Programme and doors are now open to me that I never dreamed I could open.” SE1 United
Raise funds for Tom's Trust as you do your Christmas shopping
"Give as you Live" is a simple, smart and free way to earn money for Tom's Trust every time you shop online. Hundreds of retailers, including Amazon, John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury's and many airlines and travel companies like Trainline and Expedia will give a percentage of what you spend to the Trust. If all recipients of this newsletter joined Give As You Live and each raised just £6 per year through the purchases they would make anyway, we would be able to support another deserving project for a year.
You can also send a cheque payable to "Tom's Trust" to:
Andrew Hughes, Tom's Trust, c/o Linklaters, One Silk Street, London EC2Y 8HQ.
Tom’s Trust has been supporting Toynbee Hall’s flagship youth programme Aspire, for several years. Participants get the chance to spend a week at Jamie’s Farm in Wiltshire, often the first time they have had any real contact with farm animals.
Toynbee Hall has now launched a new project, to replace Aspire, called ‘Make It’. This adds one-to-one mentoring sessions weekly through the school year as well as continuing the group work sessions and Jamie's Farm visit which previously formed part of Aspire. It provides vulnerable young people aged 11-13 with the emotional and social support they need as they embark on their challenging secondary school journey.
Students on the ‘Make It’ programme are initially referred by their partner schools, and Toynbee Hall reviews all referrals to ensure the programme is directed at the children who need it most. These are children from disadvantaged backgrounds and often turbulent homes who have multiple and complex issues which might include a bereavement or having to care for a dependent or addicted parent. ‘Make It’ was piloted last year and was a great success.
This year 36 young people will be helped to realise their true potential. The project leads to improved relationship and interaction skills, greater self-confidence and increased aspiration that help the young people avoid the dangers that can otherwise arise from lack of engagement at school, absenteeism and exclusion.
The latest beneficiary of the Tom's Trust Bursary at Marlborough College is George Nicholson. Here he shares his first impressions, mid way through his first term.
“Being at Marlborough College is great! I am in C3 house and it has become my second home very quickly. I love the feel of community there and I felt settled almost right away. We spent the first few weekends doing House activities to enable the Shell boys to get to know each other; my favourite was taking part in water activities in Savernake Forest. The older boys and our House Master are really friendly and encouraging to us. We have a big playing field at the back of our house, so there are plenty of games of football after and in between lessons. We are very close to the music block which is convenient for music practice. “Music is the reason that I am at Marlborough and I am enjoying it very much. I play three instruments: the trumpet, piano and the drums and I have very good teachers for all three. The trumpet is my main instrument as I have been playing it since I was 10 years old. The music scholarship has allowed me to take up the other two instruments. I also sing but don’t have lessons at the moment. I am in one brass group called Brasser. I really enjoy it and hope to join more music groups as I move through the school – the Swing Band for example. “Sport, as well as music is a big part of my life, so I was happy to make it into the third team for rugby I was then even more surprised and happy to be made the captain of the team. On the subject of sport, I have also made it into the 1st team pre-season training for hockey which I am especially excited about! “I am honoured to have been awarded the Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Bursary for music. Tom’s Trust is enabling me to attend Marlborough College and is making all this possible for me. The Bursary has given me an amazing opportunity to continue to enjoy, experience and learn music, as well as all the other things the school offers and I am hugely grateful to have been chosen to receive this.”
