MERTON COLLEGE
FINANCE COMMITTEE
TRINITY TERM, SEVENTH WEEK
WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE 2023
CHARITABLE DONATIONS ADVISORY GROUP
1. 2023 meeting
1.1.
The Charitable Donations Advisory Group held its 2023 meeting on
Thursday 18 May 2023 at 15h.
1.2.
Present were : the Dean and Keeper of the Statutes (chair and convenor
vice the Chaplain),
(College staff vice
),
(MCR ; by Teams), and
(JCR).
1.3.
The Group reminded itself of the College’s Policy on External Charitable
Donations (attached) and of the College’s obligations under the Public
Sector Equality Duty. Members were also invited to declare any conflicts of
interest ; none were declared.
2. Amount available
2.1.
The Dean and Keeper of the Statutes informed the Group that the amount
available for distribution between selected charities would be the budgeted
figure for donations (£11,000) less recurring donations already made or
promised and less the amount required to match the money raised by the
College staff for their chosen charity (Oxfordshire Sexual Assault and Rape
Crisis Centre).1
2.2.
Annually recurring donations were noted as follows:
CHARITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Friends of the Bodleian
£100
Friends of the Ashmolean
£100
Oxford Nightline
£100
AC Irvine Travel Fund
£100
University Church of St Mary the Virgin PCC
£100
CHARITES NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY
Oxford Preservation Trust
£100
The Countryside Charity (CPRE)
£100
The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings
£100
Total of recurring donations
£800
1 A donation of £5,000 is made annual y to the Bodleian Library, but is separately budgeted.
2.3.
It was also noted that the College had agreed to pay £1,000 to Oxford
Homeless Movement (the fourth annual donation of five promised).
2.4.
The amount raised by the staff was not known to the Group, but it took
note of the fact that last year the figure was £506 and used that as an
indicative figure.
2.5.
The sum available for distribution to selected charities was therefore taken
to be approximately £8,694.
3. Nominations and applications considered
3.1.
Four nominations had been received from members of the College or of the
College staff and fourteen other applications had been received directly by
the College. Of these eighteen, five were considered by the Group to fall
outside the College’s Donations Policy; twelve were registered charities and
one was stated to be in the process of registering.
3.2.
The Group recommends to the Finance Committee that it recommend to
Governing Body that the available money be divided equally between the
following:
Name
Notes
College policy
Asylum Welcome*
To be directed towards its 3.1
education service
Emmaus Oxford
To be directed towards 3.1
developing their education
and training programme for
companions
Friends of Appleton Primary Preferably for IT equipment 3.1
School
(identified as a key project)
Home-Start Oxford£
3.1
Nature Recovery Network*
Registering as a charity
3.1, 3.3
Oxford Food Hub*
To be directed towards their 3.1
education
and
training
projects
Project Seagrass*
To support their Research 3.1
pillar
RAW Workshop£
To support RAW Educate
3.1
The Story Museum, Oxford
3.1
Students4Students
3.1
£ Received a donation (£100) in 2022.
* Nominated by a member of the College or of the College staff.
3.3.
The letters of application received from Emmaus Oxford, Friends of
Appleton Primary School, Home-Start Oxford, Raw Workshop, the Story
Museum, and Students4Students are attached, as are the nomination-
letters for Asylum Welcome and Oxford Food Hub, and the nomination-
letter and an associated article for Nature Recovery Network.
4. Further recommendation
As last year, some of the charities that fell outside the College’s policy were
charities that the Group would have liked to be able to recommend for support.
The Group would therefore like to repeat its previous recommendation that
consideration be given to instituting an annual charitable collection across the
whole College to support a charity or charities voted for by all members of the
College community without the constraint of the College’s statutory objects.
Dean and Keeper of the Statutes
May 2023
MERTON COLLEGE
POLICY ON EXTERNAL CHARITABLE DONATIONS
1. The charitable objects of the College are “to advance education, learning,
research and religion by the provision of a College” and the statutes of the
College grant the Governing Body of the College the powers necessary for or
conducive to the maintenance of the College for the advancement of these
objects.
2. The College is therefore not a general grant-giving charity and its power to
make donations is limited to those which either directly advance its objects or
which are conducive to their advancement.
3. The College can therefore consider making donations to external bodies only
in the following circumstances:
3.1.
Where the proposed donation has a direct impact on advancing the
College’s charitable objects.
3.2.
Where the body or organisation to which the donation is made is directly
connected with the College (e.g. its benefices) and the donation is
conducive to the College’s objects.
3.3.
Where the donation supports a service which is of direct benefit to or
otherwise clearly supports the educational activities or proper welfare of
members or employees of the College and is conducive to the College’s
objects.
Michaelmas Term 2021
John Eidinow
From:
Sent:
22 March 2023 16:52
To:
Cc:
John Eidinow
Subject:
RE: Request for Col ege Charity nominations
Follow Up Flag:
Fol ow up
Flag Status:
Flagged
Dear
I would like to nominate Asylum Oxford - https://www.asylum-
welcome.org/
Best wishes,
From:
Sent: 07 March 2023 10:27
To:
Cc: John Eidinow
Subject: Request for Col ege Charity nominations
From the Dean and Keeper of the Statutes
To all members of the College and College staff
Dear all,
Each year the College makes grants to local charities which advance the charitable objects of
the College or are conducive to advancing these objects. These grants are in addition to
charitable donations made by the JCR and MCR, the staff (principally through the Christmas
raffle), and from Chapel collections.
The time has come to consider this year’s grants, so I am writing to invite you to nominate
local charities that either directly advance the College’s charitable objects as set out
in our Statutes (“education, learning, research and religion by the provision of a College”) or
are conducive to advancing them. The College will consider making donations: (a) where
the proposed donation has a direct impact on advancing the College’s charitable objects, or
(b) where the body or organisation to which the donation is made is directly connected with
the College and the donation is conducive to the College’s objects; or (c) where the donation
supports a service which is of direct benefit to or otherwise clearly supports the educational
activities or proper welfare of members or employees of the College and is conducive to the
College’s objects.
You can do this by sending a message to
containing (i) the name of the charity
you’re nominating, (ii) a case for supporting the charity, and (iii) a link to the charity’s
website. Nominations will be considered by a small group including representatives from the
JCR, MCR, SCR, and staff, who will produce a proposed list of donations for consideration by
the College’s Finance Committee and Governing Body.
If you would like to nominate a charity, please write to
with the information
requested by Friday of 1st Week of Trinity Term (28 April 2023).
1
John Eidinow
From:
Eddie Blaze (Oxford)
Sent:
12 January 2023 12:14
To:
Subject:
Emmaus Oxford Training Manager
Attachments:
Merton Col ege 12.01.23.docx
Dear
Our Fundraising Manager, Laura, has prepared the attached document that details our Training
manager role as discussed. Our future strategy of trying to help more companions into
employment hinges on this role so it's a really important one for us
Thankful y we have already been successful in getting 50% of what we need for this from
Emmaus UK and are now looking to raise the other half.
If you need any more information, please let me know.
best wishes
Eddie
Eddie Blaze | CEO | Emmaus Oxford Ltd, 171 Oxford Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2ES, United Kingdom | Tel: 01865
402073 |
Emmaus Oxford Community:171 Oxford Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2ES Tel: 01865 402073 for referrals and
general information.
Emmaus Oxford Store: 242 Barns Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 3RQ. Tel: 01865 763698 for sales, donation
col ection and delivery information.
www.emmaus.org.uk/oxford
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Emmaus Oxford Ltd is a registered charity number 1066618 and company limited by guarantee number 03422350
registered in England and Wales.
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1
Emmaus Oxford
Working together to end homelessness
Enhanced Training and Employment Support
Project
Introduction to Emmaus Oxford.
We provide a real, alternative solution to homelessness that works; providing people with a
home for as long as they need it, and meaningful work in one of our social enterprises where
they are gaining valuable experience, new skil s and a route into independence. We can
currently support 28 people, known as companions, to live and work as part of the Emmaus
community.
Enhanced Training and Employment Support Project
Emmaus Oxford is a safe place for people to rebuild their lives from and when people are
ready, we’l help them move on to paid employment and their own accommodation.
We recognise that the current training programme is limited, and feedback from the
companions confirmed that they want to be doing more directed and advanced courses to
get them on the right road to achieve their employment goals.
Therefore, from 2023 Emmaus Oxford want to enhance our training offer to companions,
piloting an employment academy approach. We are looking to run this project in two ways.
By recruiting a Training Manager to develop, run and evaluate a new training
programme.
By investing more money in the companions’ training budget.
This project will al ow us to move companions forward in their employability and future
stability. Our team wil offer different interventions and opportunities and the training
programme wil be a key part of the support which we offer to our companions.
Over the last three years Emmaus Oxford have focussed our work around helping our
companions to move on wel . We have done this so we can have the space to reach more
people in need, but also so we ensure that people make progress whilst they are with us as
companions. We want to formalise and expand our training offer to help more of our
companions to accomplish this.
Investing more funding per companion to help people to access training and education
both within and outside Emmaus Oxford wil help more people to reach their medium and
long-term goals and aspirations.
Although we currently work with companions to identify and arrange training for them outside
of our organisation, we are aware that having a member of staff, a Training Manager, who
is dedicated to devising, running and evaluating the training we offer would move us further
towards our goal of introducing best practice in this area.
Part of our project wil also involve developing work trials or work experience for our
companions, offering them a more varied experience of employment than we can solely
through our social enterprise. We have already been able to work with some Oxford
University col eges, which has led to work experience placements and job interviews for a
smal number of companions.
We are now seeking to formalise and grow this work in order to develop a wider range of
employment options for companions
Emmaus Oxford currently has a smal budget to fund training activities for our companions,
and we ensure that new companions have an induction which covers basic training to work
in our store and live alongside others in our community. We would like to introduce a more
comprehensive training programme which companions work their way through, equipping
them with more skills, qualifications, and confidence. We wil create partnerships with
local col eges including Ruskin Col ege, Abingdon and Witney Col ege and EMBS
Community Col ege to ensure our companions can access a wide range of training and
education external y.
The detailed content of our training programme wil be partly shaped through consultation
with our companions and staff, but we will ensure that the options we present offer
accreditation at an NVQ level 2 or above.
Aims and outcomes
This project is focused on social mobility and employability for people who are most at risk
and the hardest to reach in society. Working with people affected by homelessness, we
can turn their lives around. Emmaus Oxford begins by offering someone not just a home
and work experience, but a purpose, confidence and respect. 49% of the companions felt
that finding a secure job was their biggest barrier to moving on. This project wil al ow us to
support our companions further by offering them more focused training and employment
opportunities, alongside a budget to fund any training or qualification they may wish to do.
As a result of this project, we would expect to see an increase in the number of companions
moving on to secure employment. This would then enable them to move out from the
Emmaus community and with the support of the Emmaus support workers, find their own
accommodation to live and work independently.
During this 3 year pilot project we would expect to achieve the fol owing outcomes:
- Support 25 companions per year to start training, education or external work experience.
- Support 12 companions per year to gain qualifications at NVQ level and above.
- Support companions to start employment. 6 in year 1, 7 in year 2, 8 in year 3.
Each companion will have a training and employment plan which wil be developed with the
Training Manager, assessed and updated to meet their needs and project aims.
We would also assess the project in a qualitative way using the Homelessness Star,
measuring any change in how companions rate their ‘meaningful use of time’ and ‘emotional
Registered charity no. 1066618, Limited company no. 03422350 registered in England and Wales
and mental health’, and aim to see a positive change in this area amongst companions who
are participating.
Case studies, fol owing the journey to employment wil also be used to demonstrate the
success of the project.
Emmaus Oxford are requesting the support of Merton College to help us deliver this
project.
We are delighted to say that we have received an award from Emmaus UK Capacity
Development Fund to fund 50% of the Training Manager salary and £50% of Companion
Training Budget for Years 1, 2 and 3.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Total Project Costs
Salary Training Manager
£25,740
£26,898
£28,109
£80,747
(inc. NI and pensions)
Companion Training Budget
£30,000
£31,350
£32,761
£94,111
Training for staff
£500
£500
£500
£1,500
Total
£56,240
£58,748
£61,370
£176,358
Funding awarded (from Jan23)
£27,187
£27,187
£27,187
£81,561
Funding still required
£29,053
£31,561
£34,183
£94,797
Salaries - This budget line shows the salary for a
Training Manager
working 30 hours per week for a salary of
£25,000 pro rata, allowing 4.5% for inflation
each year, NIER 14% and PENER 3%.
From the budget, you will note that we are currently looking for funding of approximately
£30,000 per year to be able to successful y deliver this project.
We would like to request the support of Merton College and ask that you please give
your consideration to providing a grant of £10,000 per year during this 3 year project.
We have further requests and funding bids in progress and are confident that we wil be able
to match any support offered by Merton Col ege to successful y reach our target and begin to
deliver this project as soon as possible in 2023.
Become a training and employment work experience partner.
Emmaus Oxford would like to develop a partnership with Merton Col ege to work together
offering work experience opportunities for our companions. Working closely with the
Training Manager to develop a programme of suitable placements where our companions
can gain experience working in their field of interest to compliment the training and
qualifications they are undertaking.
Thank you for your interest in Emmaus Oxford and I hope to have the opportunity to discuss
this project in more detail with you.
Registered charity no. 1066618, Limited company no. 03422350 registered in England and Wales
John Eidinow
From:
Charles Alexander
Sent:
15 November 2022 09:21
To:
Subject:
FW: Appleton Primary - Request for Support
Attachments:
Merton Col ege.docx
For your consideration.
From: Friends of Appleton Primary School <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
Sent: 15 November 2022 03:43
To: Charles Alexander
Subject: Appleton Primary - Request for Support
Dear Mr Charles Alexander,
I am writing on behalf of The Friends of Appleton C of E Primary School (the PTA) to ask whether Merton
Col ege would consider donating towards our school’s fundraising target for this academic year.
We are asking whether you would consider giving a gift to the Friends of Appleton School for one of the
fol owing priorities:
£100 towards Forest School equipment
£200 towards upgrading IT resources
£500 towards new iPads
We are a smal vil age school eight miles from Oxford centre, with 186 children. Our school is happy and
inclusive, and recently rated Good by Ofsted. Our staff care deeply about the children and go above and
beyond to ensure they provide the best possible education while also supporting wel being.
A gift towards our Forest School programme wil al ow al pupils to experience nature - encouraging free
play, imagination, and curiosity. Many of our children stil struggle with the impact Covid has had on
vital early years education and we would like to invest in additional resources to extend our provision to
weekly Forest School sessions for every year group to improve mental health.
A gift towards our IT resources wil al ow us to continue to offer extended support to Ukrainian pupils in our
school and to upgrade iPads loaned out during covid lockdowns so that every classroom wil have access to
a device.
Any donation would make an enormous difference to the school and to the children and would be greatly
appreciated. If you wish to donate, the account details are:
Friends of Appleton School Association
Lloyds Bank
Sort code 309089
Acct no 46832168
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering our request. I have attached a copy to
this message, but would also be very happy to send a hard copy by post should this be your preference.
1
Yours sincerely,
Dodi Tasker
Chair Friends of Appleton C of E Primary School
2
Friends of Appleton C of E Primary School
Registered charity number 1024450
Dear Mr Charles Alexander,
I am writing on behalf of The Friends of Appleton C of E Primary School (the PTA) to ask whether
Merton Col ege would consider donating towards our school’s fundraising target for this academic year.
We are asking whether you would consider giving a gift to the Friends of Appleton School for one of the
fol owing priorities:
£100 towards Forest School equipment
£200 towards upgrading IT resources
£500 towards new iPads
We are a smal vil age school eight miles from Oxford centre, with 186 children. Our school is happy and
inclusive, and recently rated Good by Ofsted. Our staff care deeply about the children and go above and
beyond to ensure they provide the best possible education while also supporting wel being.
A gift towards our Forest School programme wil al ow al pupils to experience nature - encouraging free
play, imagination, and curiosity. Many of our children stil struggle with the impact Covid has had on
vital early years education and we would like to invest in additional resources to extend our provision to
weekly Forest School sessions for every year group to improve mental health.
A gift towards our IT resources wil al ow us to continue to offer extended support to Ukrainian pupils in our
school and to upgrade iPads loaned out during covid lockdowns so that every classroom wil have access to
a device.
Any donation would make an enormous difference to the school and to the children and would be greatly
appreciated. If you wish to donate, the account details are:
Friends of Appleton School Association
Lloyds Bank
Sort code 309089
Acct no 46832168
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering our request.
Yours sincerely,
Dodi Tasker
Chair Friends of Appleton C of E Primary School
Home-Start Oxford
26 Kingfisher Green
Oxford OX4 7BX
Email: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
www.homestartoxford.org.uk
01865 649003
Professor Irene Tracey, Warden, Merton Col ege
By email
12th November 2022
Dear Warden
Over many years, Merton Col ege has supported Home-Start’s vital work with local families. Last
academic year you gave £100, and we are hoping the col ege wil be able to help us again this
year.
The earliest years make the biggest impact, and for over 34 years, Home-Start has been supporting
the development and happiness of disadvantaged children to improve long-term educational
attainment and life outcomes. COVID and the cost-of-living crisis have hit young families hard.
Over the last four years, pressing need in our community has driven significant expansion and
enhancement of our service. Many of the grants that paid for the expansion of our services came
from one-off COVID emergency funds. Unfortunately, whilst demand remains at an al -time high
the fundraising climate has become tougher and we currently have a funding gap of £50,000. Your
continuing support has never been more necessary.
In 2018/19 we supported 194 families, in 2021/22 we supported 301. Over the same period the
number of individuals we supported with complex needs rose by 31%, and our support to parents
with disabilities more than doubled. Before the pandemic, 26% of families we supported were lone
parents, while last year that rose to 47%. Currently, 81% of complex needs families are struggling
with financial or debt issues and 90% are dealing with mental health issues. The pandemic
disproportionately affected families from BAME communities and 45% of the families we support
1:1 are non-White British. Demand is currently 5 times capacity. The pandemic may be waning,
but the emergency is not.
Expansion means we now provide a greater range of services across different levels of need.
• 1:1 SUPPORT by 51 volunteers who visit families at home every week, giving non-judgmental,
confidential emotional support and informed and practical help.
• 1:1 SUPPORT by a family support worker for families with more complex and multiple needs.
• OPEN TO ALL GROUPS for babies and toddlers delivering community connection and
preventative support. Run by expert staff and trained volunteers they support mental health,
play, attachment, and early learning.
• BY INVITATION GROUPS supporting vulnerable, referred families and providing a vital first
step into community engagement. These smal er groups are general y located in areas of high
deprivation including Blackbird Leys in Oxford and Smiths Estate in Witney.
• GROWING MINDS is a ground-breaking initiative promoting home learning from birth that seeks
to improve school readiness and change life outcomes for babies and toddlers in Littlemore a
geographical area of identified need.
Families often journey through different levels of support as their circumstances change. It is
testament to our services that supported mums and dads often go on to become Home Start
volunteers. Three supported mums ran the Oxford Half marathon for us this year.
What we do works. In 2021/22 we supported 301 families, improving the lives of 409 children.
• 85% of parents reported more confidence being involved in their children’s learning
• 80% felt less isolated
• 79% reported improved self-esteem
• 73% reported improved children’s emotional health/wellbeing.
“I don’t feel alone anymore,” Littlemore single mum affected by domestic abuse, loneliness
and mental health difficulties
"I don’t cry everyday anymore. We love our volunteer," 1:1 supported mum of toddler and
severely disabled baby
Home-Start Oxford strives for excel ence and quality. Never resting on our laurels, we continue to
plan strategical y and responsively to ensure we are as inclusive, efficient and effective as possible.
Key areas of continuing service development are:
A new drive and focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. Our Inclusion Coordinator is
improving inclusiveness across our whole organisation. She is recruiting more diverse volunteers
and running a popular support group targeting women from BAME communities in one of Oxford’s
most deprived neighbourhoods.
A new model of extended outreach to engage hard to reach families in our groups. Anxious,
isolated parents, particularly those from marginalised groups, need more than just a colourful
advert to engage. Group coordinators give the most vulnerable families 1:1 support, including
home visits, direct messaging, and meeting with families to build trust and confidence.
Enhanced parent infant mental health support. We are providing training for volunteers and
staff so they can better support families affected by mental health issues. We plan to grow our
programme of mental wel being and trauma support.
Improving systems and organisational efficiency. We have invested in a cloud-based system
to track and evaluate family support activities and upgraded our web presence. We are currently
implementing new systems for fundraising, communications and finance.
We now need your support to sustain our enriched, expanded service. Home-Start’s vision is to
ensure al children have the best possible start in life. We are very much hoping that Merton wil
continue to help us realise our vision.
Yours sincerely
Katharine Barber, CEO Home-Start Oxford
Latest Annual Report can be found here
John Eidinow
From:
Sent:
16 March 2023 12:12
To:
Cc:
John Eidinow
Subject:
Nomination for support from the Col ege Charity
Attachments:
Dear
,
I would like to nominate the Nature Recovery Network
for support from
the College.
I believe the NRN charity would welcome a donation towards their fundraising, and their work meets
the college’s charitable objective’s for education, learning and research.
The NRN is directly connected to the college via the wildflower restoration project, and its leader,
Catriona Bass, has previously visited the college to give a talk about this
. It also helps promote welfare of employees
of the college, as I demonstrate below, by offering opportunities to get actively involved with
wildflower planting.
The Nature Recovery Network is a network of individuals, community groups, local businesses, and
councillors in Eynsham Parish and the surrounding parishes. It is dedicated to understanding,
protecting, and restoring local nature. The 'bottom-up' network aims to connect enthusiasts with
experts, schools, businesses and councillors all living in the same environment to enable a scaling-up
of nature recovery in the face of climate change and the ecological crises that have led to biodiversity
loss. Oxford colleges including Merton and Christ Church are participants in the Wildflower Meadow
restoration project with the NRN.
1
The NRN’s main activities are conducting surveys and creating habitats. Education at all levels is an
integral part of the Nature Recovery Network, including schools and also adults with learning
disabilities. A group of educationalists have self-organised to develop the means whereby to engage
pupils, students, teachers, university lecturers and school governors in increasing knowledge about all
aspects of biodiversity.
I hope you might consider them for support – thank you very much indeed if so.
Best wishes,
2
Restoring wildflowers in Merton’s Great Meadow and Music Meadow
Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project
On Wednesday,
, a small team of environmental
volunteers from the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project
(TVWMRP) and
planted many wildflower
plants in Merton's Music Meadow and Great Meadow, located adjacent to St
Catherine's College and opposite Merton's Sports Pavilion, where the sheep
recently grazed.
The plants were grown and tended from seed at Long Mead Local Wildlife Site in
Eynsham by Care Farming participants, mainly adults with learning disabilities.
Hard to establish species remain small for a long time after germinating and are
easily overgrown by grasses; by planting them when more mature they have a
better chance of colonising.
. Yellow Rattle is semi-parasitic and feeds off the roots of nearby
grasses; by doing so, it allows more delicate wildflower species to push their way
through.
To position the plants in their chosen spots to be identifiable for future
monitoring, bamboo sticks were placed on the ground in a cross formation like a
compass, with the arms pointing north, south, east and west. A plant was
placed at each tip, along the arm and in the centre of the cross. Species
included ragged robin, common knapweed, devil's-bit scabious and autumn
hawkbit, all excellent nectar sources for many butterflies and bees.
After, a drone camera was used to capture the location of all the planting spots,
with a bamboo stick pinpointing the centre of each to allow for future monitoring
of the site's restoration success.
Seed from Long Mead was spread onto the meadows in 2021, and the sheep
grazing this autumn will have helped trample in wildflower seed from this
summer's wildflowers into the soil. Plants planted this week will help broaden
the range of wildflower species to boost the meadows' diversity.
The Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project is an ambitious
environmental project along the Thames and Cherwell Rivers to create a
connected mosiac of meadows, through restoration and re-creation.
John Eidinow
From:
Sent:
09 March 2023 08:32
To:
Subject:
Charity nomination
1
Different to seaweed, seagrasses are flowering plants that live in shal ow sheltered water along
our coast.
Seagrass absorbs vast amounts of carbon at a rate greater than that of tropical forests and can
help in the fight against climate change.
1000's of species depend on seagrass for food and shelter such as shel fish, seahorses,
manatees and sea turtles. Over 30 times more animals live within seagrass compared to adjacent
sandy habitats.
Storms, disease and human induced pollution has had devastating effects, global y we lose an
area of seagrass the size of two football pitches every hour. Protecting what is left is vital, help
fund the seagrass restoration project Project Seagrass | Advancing the conservation of seagrass
through education, influence, research and action
2
John Eidinow
From:
Sent:
07 March 2023 10:52
To:
Subject:
Re: Request for Col ege Charity nominations
I would like to nominate the Oxford Food Hub. People in the wider Oxford community, of which Merton is
a part, of are struggling to make ends meet as a result of the cost of living crisis. With Oxford Food Hub
(formerly the Oxford Food Bank), not only are families receiving some of the crucial assistance with basic
needs but the organization also helps with reducing food waste in Oxfordshire, both of which are goals
that are in alignment with the values of Merton Col ege.
Here is the link: https://oxfordfoodhub.org/
Best,
From:
Sent: 07 March 2023 10:27
To:
Cc: John Eidinow
Subject: Request for Col ege Charity nominations
From the Dean and Keeper of the Statutes
To all members of the College and College staff
Dear all,
Each year the College makes grants to local charities which advance the charitable objects of
the College or are conducive to advancing these objects. These grants are in addition to
charitable donations made by the JCR and MCR, the staff (principally through the Christmas
raffle), and from Chapel collections.
The time has come to consider this year’s grants, so I am writing to invite you to nominate
local charities that either directly advance the College’s charitable objects as set out
in our Statutes (“education, learning, research and religion by the provision of a College”) or
are conducive to advancing them. The College will consider making donations: (a) where
the proposed donation has a direct impact on advancing the College’s charitable objects, or
(b) where the body or organisation to which the donation is made is directly connected with
the College and the donation is conducive to the College’s objects; or (c) where the donation
supports a service which is of direct benefit to or otherwise clearly supports the educational
activities or proper welfare of members or employees of the College and is conducive to the
College’s objects.
You can do this by sending a message to
containing (i) the name of the charity
you’re nominating, (ii) a case for supporting the charity, and (iii) a link to the charity’s
website. Nominations will be considered by a small group including representatives from the
JCR, MCR, SCR, and staff, who will produce a proposed list of donations for consideration by
the College’s Finance Committee and Governing Body.
1
If you would like to nominate a charity, please write to
with the information
requested by Friday of 1st Week of Trinity Term (28 April 2023).
Best wishes,
Fra’ John
Fra’ John Eidinow
DEAN AND KEEPER OF THE STATUTES
Merton College
Oxford OX1 4JD
www.merton.ox.ac.uk
College Lodge:+44(0)1865 276310
Merton College (The Warden and Scholars of the House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford)
was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1264 and is registered as a Charity in England and Wales | No. 1139022
2
www.students4students.org.uk
xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Registered charity no. 1186813
Trustees: Debi Reynolds, Fred Harrison-James, William Clare
29 January 2023
Dear Mr Alexander,
I am writing to ask whether Merton College would be interested in donating to Student4Students.
Students4Students was founded by Oxford students in 2015 with the aim of reducing educational
inequality. Our chosen method for achieving this aim is to provide one-on-one tutoring in English or
Maths to pupils in year 5 or 6 who are most in need of additional support.
We are readapting to in-person tutoring after having provided educational support using Microsoft
Teams and recruiting online. This means that our associated costs have risen to meet the demand
for in-person tutoring, which not only provides a more engaging learning process but allows for
greater rapport to be made between tutor and tutee. The associated costs have thus increased,
including travel to schools, comprehensive DBS checks, and NSPCC training courses. The switch to
in-person tutoring has shifted the demographics of our tutors, and so we are spending money on
recruitment to attract new volunteers. At the time of writing the branch has 5 committed
volunteers, and we are aiming to at least double our numbers this Hilary term.
The branch currently has several exciting developments planned. We intend to recruit a new
committee in the summer, including an Oxford Brookes University member to expand our reach
across the city and community. We currently have a strong relationship with two schools across
Oxford and have provided essential one-to-one tutoring over the last 7 years, reinforcing our
position as an essential educational service to two local primary schools in the area.
If you were to consider donating to us, we would be incredibly grateful. The costs of the COVID-19
pandemic to children’s education are significant and long-lasting; the National Foundation for
Educational Research found that the pandemic widened gaps between the academic achievement of
disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils. Furthermore, they found that the gap between
expected attainment of pupils and actual attainment of pupils is only recently beginning to narrow,
with wide gaps still prevalent in maths and reading – both of which are supported by
Students4Students. This ongoing disadvantage gap makes the work we do with young pupils even
more vital, and we will benefit from having a sound financial basis to recruit more tutors, provide
better educational support and expand further into the community.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
With kind regards,
Emma Giddis
Treasurer, Oxford Branch, Students4Students
