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24/04/08
SUPPORT THE CANTERBURY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION
As Kent’s International Arts Festival, the Festival plays a major role in bringing people to Canterbury and establishing the city as an international cultural centre. It provides a spotlight for up-and-coming young artists and brings international performers from across the globe to Canterbury each year, providing the people of Canterbury and beyond the chance to witness some of the world’s most spectacular artists performing in their city and district.
In order to develop artistically and invite and commission work of the highest standards of artistic excellence, the Festival must be able to take calculated financial risks on new and innovative work. In addition, it must be able to continue to develop and grow its outreach and education programme – providing free arts events for communities that need it – particularly in schools and community groups.
The Canterbury Festival Foundation was formed as a registered charity in 2002 to supply the Festival with a permanent financial backbone and to provide an overarching structure for the Canterbury Festival Friends scheme. The Foundation sees its role as an active and dedicated fundraising wing of the Festival’s overall organisation – working to help stabilise and protect the future of the Festival.
Chairman, Richard Sturt contends: ‘It is an important part of the Foundation’s work to build up a strategic funding reserve for the Festival, which will help reduce the risk which the Festival takes in providing a platform to artists who do not have the world-wide fame and box office pulling power of some of our established stars. It will also help to keep ticket prices at affordable levels, and generally support the work of the Festival.’
‘The Festival Foundation needs funds. It looks for capital gifts from individuals and companies who believe in supporting the Festival and the work it does. A particularly good way of achieving this is by way of legacies. I hope that many of those who admire the work of the Festival will appreciate the good they can achieve by making such a legacy. As the Foundation is a charity, there are tax advantages as well.’
Without the financial support generated by the Festival Foundation, the Festival would not be in a position to continue to pursue its long-term aims – to continue to commission new and exciting artistic work; to help nurture emerging young and local talent; to continue providing free education, outreach and community programmes to schools and groups throughout the region; and to ensure that anyone, from any background, can afford to enjoy the wealth of world-class performers it invites each year.
If you are considering making a charitable bequest in your will, or adding one (codicil) to an existing will, please remember the Canterbury Festival Foundation (Charity no. 1097824).
By remembering the Foundation in your will, or donating a gift to the Foundation, you will help to secure the future development and long-term financial stability of the Canterbury Festival.
To request a Foundation leaflet, which gives full details of possible ways of giving, or if you would like to offer a contribution, please contact Sylviane Martell by post, telephone or email at the Canterbury Festival office, Christ Church Gate, The Precincts, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2EE. Telephone: 01227-452853. E-mail sylviane@canterburyfestival.co.uk
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