In March, with the kind permission of Mr Sunak and Mrs Murty, we kicked off our 25th anniversary celebrations with a special drinks reception. The event brought together many of the local philanthropists who have generously supported our Foundation since we awarded our first grant in 2000. During the evening, we highlighted the incredible impact grassroots community organisations have in making Buckinghamshire such a wonderful place to live.
We are deeply grateful to The Mulberry Trust for kindly sponsoring and facilitating the event. On the night, Chairman James Frost announced a match-funding challenge: The Mulberry Trust pledged to match every pound donated, up to a total of £1m.
Over the following six months, Heart of Bucks worked closely with our guests to raise the funds. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of local philanthropists, we surpassed our goal, raising more than £1 million. In an incredible act of further support, James and Elsie Frost extended the match-funding offer, bringing the total amount raised to an astounding £2.6m by September.
A heartfelt thank you to James, Elsie, The Mulberry Trust, the team at Chequers, and all who donated. Your support will help us address the most pressing challenges facing communities in Buckinghamshire, both today and in the years to come.
James talks about his motivation for the match-funding challenge in the video below:
