Newsletter 1 21170614

The Newsletter of Maidstone Grammar School’s Alumni and Development Office

Issue 1 July 2017

A Little Bit of History

When Maidstone Grammar School needed to expand in the late Olim Meminisse Juvabit
1920s, George Foster Clark, a local businessman, donated the
land on which the School now stands. Many of you will not realise Looking at old editions of The Maidstonian, dating back to 1884, it
that several iconic parts of MGS, including the beautiful stained- is a pleasure reading about the lives of students after they have
glass windows in the hall and pavilion, are there solely because of left school.
previous fundraising efforts by staff, parents and OMs.
The sporting achievements, graduations, jobs, promotions,
But even before then, in 1871, when MGS moved from Corpus marriages and deaths of Old Maidstonians are all faithfully
Christi Hall to a site in Tonbridge Road, parents, OMs and ‘local recorded for posterity. The many sad obituaries of the ‘boys’ who
worthies’ raised a huge amount of money (over £1,500!*) gave their lives in both World Wars are beautifully written and
enabling a brand new, state-of-the-art school to be built. Some lament the loss of such young men but many are also uplifting,
thirty years later, a new ‘chemical laboratory’ and gymnasium heart-warming and a celebration of their short lives.
were added, again through generous donations.
There are also proud birth announcements, as OMs go on have
These generous individuals were instrumental in helping our their own children, many of whom then follow in their father‘s,
school become what it is today. They are, and will always be, part grandfather’s and, in some cases, even, great-grandfather’s
of our history. We hope that you will be the next generation to footsteps by becoming pupils at MGS.
become part of that history.
The Maidstonian gives a fascinating insight into the life and times
If you have any ideas as to how we can now shape our future, or of our ‘old boys’. Before the 1980s, ‘old girls’ did not exist
would like to be involved, please do contact us. We would love to although, contrary to popular belief, there were female teachers
hear from you. even before WWI. We know that for our leavers, the words ‘Olim
Meminisse Juvabit’ really are true.
*About £850,000 relative to average wages and £2.5m comparing to a share of GDP

An original printing block for the School magazine c. 1952 Stay in Touch! is our new initiative. Read all about

it on the next page.

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 1
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk

July 2017

Stay in Touch!

We know that once our students leave MGS, most go on to
university, they secure jobs, form new relationships and lead full
and busy lives - and that is exactly how it should be. A number do
stay in contact but, over the years, we have lost touch with far
too many of our OMs.

This is a great shame, as we genuinely enjoy hearing about their
chosen career paths, sharing their news and celebrating their
successes. We would encourage all leavers to remain members of
the Old Maidstonian Society and stay in touch.

Most 6th form leavers become members of the OMS on their last
day at MGS (unless they opt out) but not all realise the benefits of
that membership.

Ex-staff and other leavers are, of course, eligible to become
members and can do so by getting in touch with either MGS or
OMS, assuming they are of school-leaving age.

We may have lost contact with some of you over the years but
are determined not to let this happen again. We will be giving all
leavers a card with our contact details on it, as a reminder to stay
in touch and that “Once a Maidstonian, always a Maidstonian”.

We hope you come back to visit us whenever you can and let us
know how you are getting on, even if it’s only at Christmas!

If you are an Old Maidstonian and would like a ‘Stay in Touch”
card, contact Lois Birrell at [email protected]

The Office – 2b or not 2b? The headmaster has described MGS
as an extended family, so let’s just
The alumni and development office’s aim is to ensure that all see how far it extends!
members of the school community, past and present, staff and
student, continue to feel an affiliation with MGS throughout their Please tell us where you are now
lives. This will involve strengthening and nurturing existing and, if possible, attach a photo,
relationships, and establishing and building new ones, so that especially if you are wearing or
each and every individual feels a valued and valuable member of using something either MGS or OMS
the MGS family. related! We’ll even put your photo
in our next edition.
It is also the home of the Maidstone Grammar School
Development Fund, a registered charity (No. 1158329), which is So whether you’re on holiday in
helping to re-establish a culture of supporting Maidstone Skegness or Shanghai, living in San
Grammar School through charitable donations. These will fund or Francisco or the Scillies, or just
help fund MGS’s capital projects, primarily but not exclusively, visiting someone in Scunthorpe, let
new-build and refurbishment projects, for which funding would us know!
not normally be available from the local authority.

The office will also keep you up to date with any new ideas,
events or items of interest and is here to help you get back in
touch - and stay in touch!

And the title? We are currently working in room 2b but are
hoping to move over the summer holidays. What this space!

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 2
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk

July 2017

Sport and the Pavilion Architect’s impression and proposed floor plan (below) of the new pavilion

Sport may have played a huge part in many of your lives and it Sadly, the pavilion, the construction of which was funded by Old
continues to play a very important role for students at MGS Maidstonians back in the 1930s, is now beyond economic repair
today. Sport is known to bring academic, health and and we need to look at replacing it in the immediate future.
psychological benefits to young people; boosting confidence and
well-being, building character and self-esteem, promoting self- A site for the new pavilion has already been identified and,
discipline and developing teamworking skills. alongside a new building, we are wanting to include a full-size 3G
all-weather sports pitch, suitable for rugby and football. The
We are all justifiably proud of our architectural heritage at MGS advantages of this type of artificial surface will be obvious to
and recognise that the big hall, quad and pavilion remain etched those of you who remember matches being rained off because of
in many Old Maidstonians’ memories. Unfortunately, nothing soggy, waterlogged pitches or going home with a bag full of
lasts forever and even nostalgia cannot save the pavilion from muddy sports kit. Hopefully both these experiences will become
the ravages of time. just a distant memory!

Additionally, this will be a valuable resource for the local
community and provide another income stream for MGS. The
Development Fund is helping to fund this project but we
shouldn’t stop there.

Owing to financial constraints, the pavilion will initially be a
single-storey building but the design allows for a second storey
to be added in the future, giving us both flexibility and time.
Watch this space!

The Development Fund will help provide MGS with the
opportunity to become an even finer school, offering superb
facilities to our students, staff, OMs and the local community.

Thank you to our fabulous donors! Thinking of becoming a donor?

Regular donations are an ideal way to save for the future and If you would like to become one of our wonderful donors and
these have already helped enable us to apply for a loan to build contribute towards our new pavilion, please look at the
the new pavilion. We cannot thank our donors enough for their information on the next page or call the alumni and development
incredible generosity, which will allow us to get the pavilion office. Every donation is important and even small amounts build
project both off the drawing board and off the ground! up surprisingly quickly. Each and every penny really does count.

The new pavilion will provide modern facilities for our students, With so many resources being provided by volunteers and MGS
helping them to enjoy sport and develop as sportsmen. (premises, services, IT, etc.), our administrative costs are kept to
an absolute minimum. This means that almost every penny you
It will also give visitors and spectators a place to gather for a cup donate will go directly towards our projects. At the moment, it’s
of tea and shelter from the rain whilst watching the match! almost 98p in every pound!

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 3
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk

July 2017

How it Works Ways to Donate

MGS’s state-of-the-art physics laboratory c1871 Regular donations

The idea of an MGS Development Fund was conceived by the This is the most popular way of making a gift as donations can be
headmaster, Mark Tomkins, who had seen one working very made by monthly, quarterly or annually by standing order.
successfully at his previous school.
One-off donations
Basically, all monies donated and raised will go into a ‘pot’ that is
specifically for use on capital projects. A capital project is just one You may prefer to give a lump sum either as a one-off gift or just
that is a long-term investment requiring a large sum of money to donate as and when suits you.
acquire, develop, improve or maintain a capital asset, such as a
building. The first money out of the pot will go towards the new Payroll Giving
pavilion.
If your company operates the Payroll Giving scheme, you will be
Being a charity allows us to claim Gift Aid on all qualifying gifts, able to donate directly from your earnings or personal pension
meaning the pot increases by an additional 25p for every £1 you before income tax is deducted. We do not claim Gift Aid.
put into it. You will need to fill in a simple form for us but it’s as
easy as that. For further information, please do visit the following website
www.hmrc.gov.uk/businesses/giving/payroll-giving.htm.
Apart from charitable donations from Maidstone Grammar
School’s friends and family, we will also be looking at various You may also like to check if your employer has a matched giving
methods of fundraising and other funding streams to help us scheme.
achieve our ambitious goals. It is important to remember that
every penny really does count. Whether your donation buys just Legacy Gifts
one brick or the whole building, it will be greatly appreciated and
put to good use. Please do remember that it is also possible to remember
Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund in your will.
“ We shape our buildings;
thereafter they shape us” For further information on legacy donations, please visit
https://www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/leaving-gifts-to-charity-
Winston Churchill in-your-will or speak to your solicitor when making your will.

Other ways to get involved

You may think you have nothing to offer but if you have any skills
(professional, technical and/or practical) and would be happy to
help, even for just a couple of hours, please let us know.

Gift Aid As MGS As
As a registered charity (No. 1158329), Maidstone Grammar School
Development Fund is able to reclaim basic rate tax on your gift, if you
pay either income or capital gains tax.

This means that for every £1 you donate, we receive £1.25 and if you
are a higher-rate taxpayer, you can claim extra relief on your
donations.

Just request a Gift Aid declaration form from the alumni and
development office.

See www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htmviduals

New Gift Aid declaration form

If you signed the old form, please don’t worry! It is still valid. However, things have changed slightly and we do need to advise you that if
the amount of Gift Aid claimed by ALL the charities to which you donate exceeds the amount of income or capital gains tax you pay,
then you will have to pay the difference to HMRC. For example, if you pay £100 to 10 different charities (and have signed a Gift Aid
declaration form for each one), they will each be able to claim £25 in Gift Aid. You must therefore have paid at least £250 In either
income or capital gains tax. If you have only paid £200 in tax, you will have to pay £50 to HMRC.

We should also advise you that, although the School’s bursary acts on our behalf, Gift Aid is actually being claimed by the Maidstone
Grammar School Development Fund and not Maidstone Grammar School, as previously stated on the Gift Aid declaration form.

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 4
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk

July 2017

Maidstone Grammar School and OMS Merchandise

Please return order form to: Name & Delivery Address: Alternatively:
The Development Fund & Alumni ___________________________________________ Please deliver my items to my
Office ___________________________________________ son/daughter in Class ______________
Maidstone Grammar School ___________________________________________
Barton Road ___________________________________________ Name___________________________
Maidstone ___________________________________________ ________________________________
Kent ME15 7BT ___________________________________________ (**Do not add postage & packing!)
Tel:________________________________________
Or email to:
[email protected]

*Please make cheques payable to Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 5
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk

July 2017

We say what we do. Preference Form
We do what we say.
N.B. The Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund
Some of you may have read in the media about changes to will not contact you directly without your consent.
legislation being introduced in May 2018 for anyone
fundraising and/or handling data. There is some debate about how long consent lasts

It is designed to give added protection to the unsuspecting Name _______________________________________
public from the unscrupulous practices to which so many
of us have fallen victim; the ‘small print’ you cannot read • I consent to Maidstone Grammar School sharing the
without a microscope, the use of double or even triple
negatives and the ever-present ‘opting in’ tick we often following with Maidstone Grammar School Development
forget to delete!
Fund;
Rather than go into all the legalese, it is suffice to say that
we need to be open and upfront about what we’re doing, Address Yes / No
why we’re doing it and how we’re going to do it. We need
to do what we say we’re doing and if we don’t, we have to Tel. No. Yes / No
have a jolly good reason for not doing it!
Email Yes / No
We’ve tried to make it as simple as possible, so you can tell
us what you do or do not want us to do. You can change or
your mind at any time but please be sure to let us know!
Email address ___________________________________
Any questions? Please just ask.
• I consent to MGSDF contacting me by: Yes / No
You may print this form, use the on-line form or ask for a Email Yes / No
paper copy to be sent to you. Letter Yes / No
Telephone Yes / No
Text

• N.B. If the MGSDF is required by legislation to inform me

of any changes, it should do so by:

Email Yes / No

Letter Yes / No

• I would like to receive: Yes / No
All your news! Yes / No
Newsletters Yes / No
Invitations Yes / No
News on specific campaigns

Our promises to you: • The proposed level of communication is acceptable
Yes / No

• We follow guidance from the Charity Commission, the • I have made amendments to a previously completed
Institute of Fundraising and the Information
Commissioner’s Office, amongst others. preference form Yes / No

• Your data will never be shared with anyone outside the • I consented on a previous occasion but please remove
MGS ‘family’ (unless we are required to do so by law);
me from your database. Yes

• No sensitive personal, confidential or information given Signature
in confidence will ever be shared; ________________________________________________
(if returning by post)
• We will not flood your inbox with emails or weigh down
your postman with letters! Date
________________________________________________
• Even though you have given us your details, you may
amend or withdraw your consent at any time

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 6
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk
Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund Registered Charity No. 1158329

July 2017

Maidstone Grammar School If you would also like to make a gift to the fund, please
Development Fund Gift Aid would you complete the following:
Declaration Form
• I would like to make a monthly/quarterly/annual
All data provided to the MGS Development Fund is treated in donation of £ ______________
accordance with the Data Protection Act (from 25 May 2018 the
General Data Protection Regulation 2016 [GDPR]). MGS • I would like to make a one-off donation of £ _________
Development Fund is registered with the Information
Commissioner’s Office. Registration Number: ZA150763. We will send you MGS Development Fund bank details and
your unique reference code to enable you to donate
Boost your donation by 25p of through online banking or to set up a standing order. If you
Gift Aid for every £1 you donate wish to donate by cheque, please make the cheque payable
to MGS Development Fund.
Title _______________________________________
Forename _______________________________________ • I would like my donation to remain anonymous Yes / No
Surname _______________________________________
Address _______________________________________ • My child/children’s names are* ___________________
Postcode _______________________________________ _____________________________________________
Telephone ______________________________________
Email _______________________________________ • He/she/they started at MGS in* ___________________

• I am a UK taxpayer and would like you to claim Gift Aid *This information will not be shared. It will only be used for
invitations and to help us plan for the future. Some parents
on my donations Yes / No may stop donating when their children leave, so it is helpful
(but not essential) for us to have this information.
• I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income
Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April • I no longer wish to Gift Aid my donations Yes
to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax
that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports • Please remove me from your database. Yes
Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts
for that tax year. I would like Maidstone Grammar • I have made amendments to a previously completed
School Development Fund (Charity Registration No.
1158329) to reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I Gift Aid declaration. Yes / No
understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every
£1 that I give. I understand that if I pay less Income Tax We may share your information with Maidstone Grammar
and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid School but only with your consent (please see and complete
claimed on all my donations, it is my responsibility to preference form) and where necessary to facilitate the aims
pay any difference to HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs). of the Development Fund. Maidstone Grammar School’s
I will notify MGSDF if I no longer pay sufficient tax on bursary deals with all financial matters on our behalf. Your
income or capital gains, or I change my name or home contact information will be kept on record but bank details
address, or wish to cancel this Gift Aid declaration. will be destroyed if you cease to donate. You may consent
Yes / No to or withdraw your consent to having your information
shared at any time, by writing to or emailing the
N.B. Please note that if you pay Income Tax at the higher or Development Fund office, or use this form to update your
additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief preferences.
due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on
your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and • I consent to my details being shared with Maidstone
Customs to adjust your tax code.
Grammar School Yes / No

• Please treat all qualifying gifts of money made today Signature _______________________________________
and in the future as Gift Aid donations Date _______________________________________
Yes / No

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 7
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk
Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund Registered Charity No. 1158329

July 2017

MGS4 - The MGS Family

Maidstone Grammar School prides itself on its traditions, ethos
and standards. It is a family where we all work together, in the
best interests of the whole family.
Maidstone Grammar School Parents’ Association actively
fundraises for those items which are not capital projects but
which would not normally be purchased from the School’s
budget – the niceties of life! The Association has recently
purchased another minibus and lighting for the quad, and holds
various events through the year, including the fireworks display
and an annual quiz.
The Old Maidstonian Society plays a pivotal role in co-ordinating
OMs once they leave MGS. It produces an excellent magazine
three times a year, organises events and holds an annual supper.
The Society also hosts reunions, which are a wonderful
opportunity for OMs to come together, meet old friends and
teachers, and reminisce about the ‘good old days’!
The Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund is the
newest member of the family and has come about out of
necessity. The need to modernise and replace some of our
buildings has required an imaginative and long-term approach to
fundraising. Like Capability Brown and his trees, we are planning
(rather than planting) for the next generation of students.

A new face in the office “The bond that links your
true family is not one of
Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. blood, but of respect and
My name is Lois Birrell and I had various incarnations at MGS joy in each other's life.
between 2012-2014 as cover supervisor, exam invigilator and Rarely do members of one
archivist. I have now returned as volunteer alumni and family grow up under the
development fund administrator. I also coach rowing during same roof “
Extended Learning Week, and cox and coach the sixth form
rowers every week. As an ex-member of staff, I am also an OM! Richard Bach

I started volunteering in our local library at 14 years of age,
trained as an architectural draughtsman (when we used pen, ink
and huge drawing boards!), worked for the RIBA office library
service and then for a London-based architectural practice
carrying out their marketing and business development. Since
then, I have helped my husband establish his building surveying
practice and seen 3 children fledge the nest!

If you have any questions, ideas, would like to visit MGS or just
have a chat about the developments, please do contact me at
Maidstone Grammar School on 01622 752101 or email
[email protected].

Maidstone Grammar School, Alumni and Development Office, Barton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 7BT Page 8
T. 01622 752101 F. 01622 753680 E. [email protected] W.www.mgs.kent.sch.uk
Maidstone Grammar School Development Fund Registered Charity No. 1158329