Fundraising
Support the Milestones Ride - a 900 mile cycle ride in aid of the Trust
It costs £28 million each year to run all of our services and most but not all of our
vital work is funded by contracts from the local authorities and service user fees. We do need
to fundraise for special projects, and we really need your help to make them happen.
These include the Expressions arts events, which give service users access to the arts. In addition, there are lots of small projects that many of our homes are raising money for, such as a sensory garden or a specially adapted tricycle for adults with mobility problems.
There are lots of ways you can help Milestones Trust, such as making a donation, organising a fundraising event, becoming a volunteer or leaving a gift in your will. Please click on the links to find out more about the projects we need support with, and how you can help.
Current Fundraising Projects
Expressions
Over the last two years, we have set up the Expressions art project, which aims to make arts and creative activities accessible to people with learning disabilities and mental health needs. We already run painting, photography and film workshops, and would like to broaden this remit to include creative reading and writing.
Arts
Our aim is to recognise the talents of service users as artists, and to give people a chance to build confidence by exhibiting their work and gaining access to the arts world.
The Trust has already demonstrated its commitment to this outcome by arranging a major arts event for the last two years at the Paintworks exhibition space in Bristol. The Expressions event took place over a week in October, in both 2009 and 2010, and showcased the artwork created by service users during the year.
We need funds to run workshops on animation, film-making, photography, visual art and music across the Trust, broadening access as much as possible. We also need money for materials and for exhibition costs. If you can help, by donating money, time or resources, then please get in touch.
Creative reading and writing
Creative writing has been proven to be beneficial for people suffering from mental health issues. However, our project goes beyond therapy. It aims to recognise people’s talents, and to give them access to the world of writing and the arts.This can open doors for them in terms of work, projects and volunteering.
We already work with the Reader organisation to run creative reading workshops, and would like to build on this by giving service users the opportunity to try creative writing.
We would like to arrange literary events, spoken word evenings and workshops, with further outcomes including the production of an anthology.
If you can help us raise funds for this project, or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact Heather Child at heatherc@milestonestrust.org.uk
Ways to Help
There are lots of ways you can help us, including:
Making a donation to one of our projects. We accept cheques (please make cheques payable to Milestones Trust), standing orders and direct debits. If you are sending us a cheque please click here and fill out the form to send with your cheque.
For standing orders and direct debits or BACs payments please contact us for our bank details which will enable us to collect the relevent information so that we know what your donation is towards.
Organise a fundraising event for your friends, colleagues or school friends. Click here to download our fundraising pack, and our sponsorship forms.
Become a volunteer, and help with a range of tasks from managing our collection boxes to helping with our raffle. Call Karen Bowden on 0117 9709324 or email her at karenb@milestonestrust.org.uk for more information.
Leave us a gift in your will. Legacies are a really important source of income for many charities, and they are the only way to ensure your charitable wishes are carried out.
Fundraising Pack and Ideas
There are many things you could do to help Milestones Trust raise funds for any of our current projects and help people achieve their life goals. Attached below is a downloadable pack full of fun ideas for raising money and a poster template that can be used to advertise your event.
Also attached are the sponsorship forms for collecting the support for your event.
Fundraising Pack and Ideas (pdf – 764 kb)
Sponsorship Forms (pdf – 526 kb)
Please give generously – we need your help!
Leaving a Gift in your Will (a Legacy)
Our work is only limited by the funds we receive, and you can make a big difference by leaving a gift to Milestones Trust in your will. When you are arranging your will, your first concern will naturally be for your own family and friends. You will want to ensure proper provision is made for them. But once this is done, you may also want to consider using your will to improve the lives of other people with a learning disability or mental health need.
Legacies are a very important source of income and they help to fund projects such as those above. Even small legacies can make a difference, for instance by funding a much-wanted greenhouse or summer house for our residents, or by funding a specially adapted bicycle, helping our service users to enjoy an active life in the community
There are a number of ways you can leave a legacy to Milestones Trust, and your solicitor will be able to advise you. You should make sure in all cases that the full name and address of the charity, together with the registered charity number is used (Milestones Trust, Unit 10, Eclipse Office Park, High Street, Staple Hill, Bristol, BS16 5EL; registered charity number 294377).
An example of the types of bequest you could make:
A discretionary form of trust – this can be set up in your will for the benefit of a person and provide that any sum of money left in the trust after his or her death will go to Milestones Trust to help carry on its work.
A residuary bequest – allows you to provide for family and friends by making specific gifts of money or property, while giving Milestones Trust all or part of the residue of your estate (i.e. what is left when all the specific legacies and other liabilities have been paid).
A specific bequest – this is a gift of a specific valuable object, for example these can range from a piece of antique furniture or jewellery to a house or piece of land that you wish Milestones to have after your death.
A pecuniary bequest – this is a gift of a specific sum of money.
Codicils – Leaving a legacy to Milestones Trust does not necessarily mean making a new will, unless you have other changes to make at the same time. You may prefer to add to you existing will by means of a codicil. This is an additional instruction which is simple and inexpensive to draw up.
The above should only be used as general guidance and the advice of a solicitor should always sought before acting on any of the above suggestions. The Local Law Society will give you names of solicitors who specialise in wills, trusts and tax laws concerning the above.
For more information on leaving a gift in your Will to Milestones Trust, please click here to download a leaflet or call 0117 970 9300. All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence.