HOW TO MAKE A GIFT TO THE MEMORIAL CHAPEL FUND
In 1950, ten years before the chapel was completed, Neville Bradshaw had already shown the foresight to set up a group of trustees to look after the future of the (then un-built) chapel. The chapel trustees, under the chairmanship of first Ivor Wycherley, and latterly John Davey, have continued to meet regularly since 1950 to discuss ways in which their limited funds could be used.
In particular they try to provide extra funding to keep the chapel looking as they think Mr Bradshaw and old boys of the school would approve.
In 2010 Priory School could not justify the cost of replacing the decaying altar cloths with ones that matched the originals but the Chapel Fund was happy to do that and the new altar drapes were ready in time for the last OLO Reunion service. When damp began to penetrate the south wall quite severely in 2012 it did not affect the use of the chapel by Priory School so was not a priority for routine school maintenance. However the chapel trustees felt it would have been a priority to Mr Bradshaw and for the old boys of the school, so they agreed to pay for re-pointing and redecoration from Chapel trust funds. In 2014 the Chapel Fund has agreed to pay for a new stair carpet to the organ loft and for some improvements to the interior ventilation system.
Until this year the Chapel Fund has been supported by donations from old boys, mostly made at the Chapel services held at our reunions but occasionally by generous individual donations. Taken overall these gifts have averaged about £2000 per year, all of which is spent on chapel improvements. The trustees take no expenses or other payments.
However, as the years go by and as reunions perhaps become less frequent, we must aim to leave funds in place to preserve the chapel both as a fitting memorial of the sacrifice of past pupils and as a lively place of worship and activity for those for whom that sacrifice was made.
With this in mind we are introducing four ways to keep the chapel fund healthy and we hope that everyone may be able to help in one or more of the four ways.
1) GIFT AID DONATIONS
If donations to the chapel fund are gift aided it adds 25% to their value. To print a gift aid form go to the OL website and click on CHAPEL at the top middle. Then click on CHAPEL GIFT AID FORM at the bottom left.
Gift aid forms, and cheques payable to Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund, can be posted to Paul Hayler, 60 Northfield Gardens, Watford, WD24 7RE
In recognising your generosity in gift aiding your donation the Chapel Trust Fund pledge not to contact you asking for additional donations except in the same annual email that all OLs will receive asking them to consider supporting the Chapel.
2) LEGACY GIVING - Remembering the Chapel in your will.
You are invited to consider making a legacy gift to the Chapel Fund in your Will. This simple act provides each of us with a tangible opportunity to reconnect with the School and to be involved in preserving the Chapel, both in commemorating its past and in ensuring it may be enjoyed by future generations. A legacy is any gift, whether monetary or asset, left in a persons Will. It may be created as a codicil to an existing Will or form part of a new Will. All charitable legacies are exempt from inheritance tax, which means the whole donation goes directly to the Chapel Fund. Any amount, no matter how great or small would be appreciated. A popular view of legacies is that it is all about death, but it need not be. Legacies are life driven and only death activated.
Wills function with precision and therefore, to avoid unnecessary doubt, here is some suggested wording for making a legacy:-
The sum of £xxxx to Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund, Registered Charity Number 274381, for its general charitable purposes and the receipt of the person who professes to be the Treasurer or other proper officer of such trust shall be a sufficient discharge to my Trustees.
3) GIFTS IN LIEU OF FLOWERS AT FUNERALS
Old Lewesians cannot yet live for 1000 years but that was the challenge Neville Bradshaw set for the chapel. At the dedication in 1960 he told us that the chapel was designed and built so that those who died in the war and those who helped the chapel to be built should rest in the hearts of men for a thousand years. Gifts from friends at your funeral can help preserve the chapel as a fitting war memorial. They should be sent to the address shown in the paragraph on gift aid and a record will be kept of all donations received.
4) GIVE AS YOU LIVE INTERNET SHOPPING
Internet shopping and search activity has become a common practice for us all. What many do not realise is that retailers often pay a commission to search engines or comparison websites that introduce prospective customers to their websites and on sales generated. Working with an organisation called Give As You Live, charities are able to obtain a percentage of such commissions as donations.
Effectively, when you shop online, if you do so through the Give As You live website or using their toolbar in your own browser, Give As You Live can collect these commissions and pass a minimum of 50% to charities registered to them. The Chapel Trust is now registered and if supporters nominate the Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund when they sign up with GAYL, any commissions earned on their online shopping via GAYL will create donations for the Chapel Trust. It doesn't cost anything, it is just reclaiming something that is already built into the price by the retailer. There are over 3500 businesses working with Give As You Live covering all the major online retailers.
The concept is fairly simple - once registered with Give As You Live and having declared the Memorial Chapel Fund as a charity you wish to support, your online shopping with a wide range of retailers will generate income for the Memorial Chapel Fund. This income is derived from the online commissions and referral payment made by retailers to those sites that direct customers to them, in this case Give As You Live.
To find out more and to sign up to support the Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund please click HERE which will take you to the dedicated webpage of the Memorial Chapel Fund on the Give As You Live website. There is an introductory video and opportunity to sign up, create your own account and nominate the Memorial Chapel Fund as your supported charity.
Thereafter, whenever you wish to shop online, you may do so either from the Give As You Live website or probably more conveniently, download their toolbar which will sit in your own web browser. This will tell you whether a retailers' site you are visiting is registered with Give As You Live and generating donations.
The important point to remember is that you do need to have logged into your personal Give As You Live account for donations to be routed to your chosen charity. If you have not logged into your account, you will generate donations but unaware of your personal preferences, Give As You Live will allocate them to their charity of the month. They rotate through their registered charities to ensure a fair and even distribution. You can log into your personal account on the Give As You Live website or from the Give As You Live toolbar, which does make it the most convenient option.
The Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund trustees hope you find this a worthwhile initiative and one you feel you can use and support. If there are any questions that are not resolved by the information on the Give As You Live website, please do feel free to contact John Murray (Memorial Chapel Trustee) on john@jrmurray.com who will endeavour to deal with any issues.
Thank you for reading this, we hope you feel you are able to help in one of these ways.
John Davey
Chairman of the Lewes Priory School Memorial Chapel Fund