insideKENT Magazine Issue 93 - December 2019 | Page 184

CHARITY
COLYER-FERGUSSON CHARITABLE TRUST’S
50th Anniversary Event
ON 7 NOVEMBER THE COLYER-FERGUSSON CHARITABLE TRUST HELD A GLITTERING 50TH ANNIVERSARY
EVENT AT SHAKESPEARE’S UNDERGLOBE, ON LONDON’S SOUTH BANK. SINCE ITS INAUGURATION IN
1969 THE TRUST HAS MADE GRANTS TOTALLING OVER £45M TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IN
KENT. THE TRUST WAS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE SEVEN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS ON THE EVENING,
TO CHARITIES THAT IT HAS WORKED WITH OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE
ACROSS KENT. THE AWARDS WERE GIVEN BY CELEBRITY CLERIC REVEREND RICHARD COLES, WHO
REGALED ALL PRESENT WITH TALES OF HIS LIFE.
WINNERS THANET COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST WINNERS SWITCH CAFE
WINNERS GAP THANET WINNERS CONSTRUCTION YOUTH TRUST
Reverend Richard Coles said of the evening: “I was
delighted to host the Awards. They paid tribute to charities
that work to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable
and disadvantaged young people in Kent. It was a
wonderful opportunity to celebrate 50 years of philanthropy
and remember Sir James Colyer-Fergusson, a modest
man who cared so very deeply about the churches and
communities of Kent”.
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Winning charities received £20,000, and remaining finalists £7,500. There were also
moving performances by young people who had taken part in charity initiatives in Kent, spoken
word artist Esther Bamuyi, and classically trained singer Alaric Green. Jacqueline Rae, chief executive
of Colyer-Fergusson said: “These awards provided the Trust with a fantastic opportunity to show
how much the work of some of Kent’s most outstanding charities and community groups is appreciated.
It is only through their hard work that the charitable funds of the Colyer-Fergusson Trust are able
to make a lasting and positive difference to some of the most disadvantaged & marginalised
young people in Kent”.