Recent legacy gifts that have made a difference
We have recently received some very generous gifts from our alumnae and friends which will continue to support the work of the GDST and our schools.
Hear are some examples of our most recent gifts.
We hope that you feel your time at a GDST school had a positive influence on your life, or on the life of someone close to you. Remembering the GDST in your will is one of the most personal and significant ways you can help our schools. Every bursary place at a GDST school can be life-changing. You would be enabling talented girls, no matter their background, to receive the opportunity of a GDST education.
Legacy gifts often take the form of a specific sum of money or a percentage of a person’s estate. All legacy gifts, whatever type or size, play a vital role in our work and can have a transformative impact. For advice about leaving a gift in your will to charity, you can visit the Remember A Charity website.
If you would like to know more about leaving a legacy to the GDST, please contact the Philanthropy Team via email giving@wes.gdst.net or by calling +44(0)20 7393 6898. If you would prefer you can print and fill in a legacy pledge form. If you are an executor or solicitor donating a sum of money left in a will, please contact us so that we can provide the correct bank details based on how the gift is to be used.
We are hugely indebted to those who have recognised the importance of providing for the long-term financial support of GDST in this way. Those who have pledged a legacy to any GDST school are part of the Minerva Circle. Members will be recognised in our annual Philanthropic Review and will be invited to our annual ‘Evening of Thanks’.
Please pledge today to be part of shaping tomorrow.
Amanda Triccas
Portsmouth High School, 1984
“The first-class education I received at Portsmouth High School gave me self-confidence, lasting friends and a strong scholarly grounding which allowed me to choose the future I wanted.
Dorothy Whittington
Oxford High School, 1948
“My GDST generation benefited from state financial support to help pay our school fees and girls were awarded places on academic merit, not on whether their families could pay. When I was at school the Butler Education Act turned us into a direct-grant school. All books became free, and fees became related to parental income, which helped a lot of families including mine, as my fees dropped from 13 to 10 guineas a term, which was a great help.
Hilary Williams
Hilary Williams left Bath High School in 1963. Hilary’s generous bequest to the Royal High School Bath came as no surprise to the many people whose lives she touched.
She was very involved in the alumnae community and continued to provide years of service to her school. She relished achieving results through others by encouraging, empowering and supporting. Enabling future girls to benefit from all the opportunities that her much-treasured education at Bath High School afforded her would have given her great satisfaction.
Hilary was immensely dedicated to the school through years of unswerving support, especially during challenging times. ‘She showed much kindness and was a thoroughly good sort, who cared very deeply about the School and the Alumnae Association.’ Whilst Hilary is much missed, her legacy will continue to enable motivated girls and women.
Hilary once said: “I am all in favour of doing what you want to do; I’ve made a career of it.”
Her legacy gift will be used to support the bursary fund at Royal High School Bath.
Marjorie Macaulay
Marjorie Macaulay was a pupil at Streatham & Clapham High School and taught at Nottingham Girls’ High School.
Marjorie later held the position of head of the English department at South Hampstead High School, from 1954 to 1976, and left a gift of £20,000 in memory of her over 20 stimulating years at the school. Her gift has been dedicated to improving library resources.
As a former pupil and teacher, Marjorie also left £100,000 to the GDST Girls First Bursary Fund to enable us to offer an outstanding education to girls who would otherwise be denied it.