About The Trust
The Charity is governed by a Scheme approved by the Charity Commission and sealed on 17th November 1983. The charity was formed as a result of the merger of the Tasker’s School for Girls Charity (scheme dated 13 December 1966) and the Haverfordwest Grammar School Charity (scheme dated 2 September 1964), the latter originating from a bequest in the will of John Milward (died 1654) shared between Haverfordwest Boys Grammar school and King Edward VI School in Birmingham. (Birmingham has recently sold the property in that area and the proceeds have been shared with the Tasker Milward and Picton Charity)
Trustees are appointed by the governing body of Haverfordwest High VC School and serve for four years, after which time they are eligible for re-appointment. Two Trustees retire each year and appointments (or re-appointments) are made at the first governing body meeting in each calendar year. The Trustees appoint a chair in their first meeting of each calendar year. Trustees give of their time freely and no trustee remuneration is paid. The treasurer and independent examiner are unpaid but can claim expenses properly incurred in the administration of the business of the Charity. The clerk receives an honorarium.
Trustees are required by the governing scheme to hold at least two ordinary meetings a year. In practice, the Trustees normally meet termly, following the governing body meetings of the school which benefits from the Charity, in order to consider applications for grants approved for submission by the governors. A fourth meeting is also normally held early in the academic year to consider applications from individuals responding to an advertisement inviting such applications. The Trustees review the level of funding available to the school annually and unused allocations carry forward to the following financial year (see activities below for examples of what the allocation have been used for).
The Charity does not actively fund raise and seeks to comply with the provisions of the governance scheme through careful stewardship of its existing resources. The Charity’s income is generated from investment of capital.
HISTORY OF THE TRUST
TASKER MILWARD AND PICTON TRUST
(Formerly the Milward Trust and the Mary Tasker Trust)
The foundations of the Tasker Milward and Picton Trust and its financial support of education in Haverfordwest can be traced back as far as the 17th century.
In 1613 Thomas Lloyd of Cilciffeth, Pembrokeshire conveyed certain lands and tenements, the income and profits of which were to be paid in the maintenance and sustenance of a School Master.
In 1654 John Milward bequeathed property in Haverfordwest and Birmingham, the income of the charity was to be applied so that one third was given to the Grammar School at Haverfordwest, one third to King Edward School, Birmingham and one-third to support a scholar at Oxford University.
In 1684 Mary Tasker, by her Will, bestowed her farm in Camrose, the rents and profits from which were to build an Alms House for children.
These bequests, together with later legacies, formed two Charities – the Milward Trust and the Mary Tasker Trust, both which, in time, became individually linked to Haverfordwest Grammar School for boys and Taskers School for girls.
The Milward Trust was by far the larger of the two as it contained lands and properties which eventually formed part of the centre of Birmingham, and as a result, the income for both the Haverfordwest Grammar school and King Edward School was significant.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s when the closure of the two schools was being discussed, together with the closure of the Haverfordwest Secondary Modern School in order to form two comprehensive schools in the town, the Trustees of the King Edward School claimed that as Haverfordwest Grammar school no longer existed, the Investments and Income from the whole of the Milward Trust should be transferred to the King Edward School. The respective Chairmen of the Governors of Haverfordwest Grammar School and Taskers School for Girls at the time took legal advice and made every effort to retain their portion of the Milward Estate to benefit pupils in Haverfordwest.
This event was pivotal in the history of the schools and a court case ensued, the result of which was, following significant efforts by Councillor Warren and others, that the case was successful. The Tasker Milward and Picton Charity was duly formed as a successor to the two previous Charities, the aim of the Trust being to benefit secondary education and the pupils of Haverfordwest, which it has done by providing and improving many facilities in the school over the years and supporting individual pupils in their further education and development.
The Trust supported both Tasker Milward VC School and Sir Thomas Picton School from their inception in 1978 until both schools merged to form a new school, Haverfordwest High VC School, in September 2018 following the latest secondary school re-organisation in Haverfordwest. The Trust now supports the successor Haverfordwest High V C School.
The Voluntary Controlled (VC) status of the previous Tasker Milward VC School and the current Haverfordwest High VC School is due to the connection with the Tasker Milward and Picton Trust and in particular is related to land ownership on which part of the school is built. Foundation Governors, ie those representing the Trust, form 25%, a significant portion of the Governing Body. The Trust therefore has a formal influence in the running of the school.
The Charity holds significant investments and supported each of the two former schools by granting many thousands of pounds every year to improve facilities.
Charity Trustees
Mrs Nicky Howells, Chair of Trustees
Mrs G Bryan MBE
Mrs H Curtlin
Mr B Hearne
Mr P K Lucas
Mrs J Richards
Mrs H Ross
Mrs C Williams
Clerk to the Trustees Treasurer to the Trustees
Mrs Anne Evans Mr Graham Morgan
Contact Address
11 Albert Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA61 1TA
Email: mpaevans@btinternet.com Tel 01437 764073 or 07971 846801