ABOUT US
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Who are we
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The William and Patricia Venton Charitable Trust is a private endowed charitable trust created by the late Patricia Venton who was the widow of William Venton.
William Venton was an architect born in Plymouth who emigrated to South Africa in the 1930s and established himself as an architect and developer. He went on to develop in South Africa and Bahamas. He was a passionate conservationist and wildlife lover. During his lifetime he and his wife Patricia established a charitable foundation.
On his death Patricia continued the works of the charitable foundation and donated funds to allow the construction of centres for the elderly that are now run by Age Concern or Age UK in Plymouth, Eastbourne and Northampton. She also donated funds to construct an animal welfare centre in Cornwall which is now operated by the RSPCA.
On her death the residue of the charitable foundation and her estate passed to a newly created trust, the William and Patricia Venton Charitable Trust. Under the terms of this Trust the trustees are charged with supporting the centres that she created for the welfare of the elderly. Subject to that primary condition the trustees are free to apply the income of the Trust for the benefit of other charities that operate to provide support or comfort to the elderly or animals.
What we do
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The trustees try to establish the likely needs of the supported centres at the start of each financial year and the projected income from the endowed funds. The Trust does not fundraise and therefore the income available to the trustees is dependent upon the performance of the investments which of course is closely linked to the performance of stock markets. That means in times of great uncertainty in the markets, the trustees’ ability to support grant applications is restricted.
Subject to those limitations the trustees seek to support charities that benefit the elderly or animals, who might otherwise be unable to access funds for worthwhile projects.