User:Wsport/The Skiers Trust

'''THE SKIERS TRUST OF GREAT BRITAIN LIMITED (Originally The British Ski Educational Association Ltd)''' Reg Charity No.313185 Reg Company No.888963

Registered Address:Craigmore, Barrow Lane, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells Kent TN3 0BP

'''President: The Rt Hon The Lord Lyell Patrons: Mr Alan Blackshaw OBE Mr John Leaning Lord Moynihan Sir John Ritblat Mrs Gina Sopwith Honorary Vice President: Mrs P Budge'''

1.	Introduction

The Trust was originally created in 1966 as part of the devolution of the Ski Club of Great Britain ski racing arm. Primarily this brought about the creation of the National Ski Federation of Great Britain which also took on the role of the development and promotion of the sport within the UK. As part of this devolution it was a natural progression to form a charity to provide assistance for the less privileged to enjoy the sport.

1.1	Aims and objectives (extraction from Memorandum and Articles)

To promote, financially support and otherwise further such of the following purposes as are legally charitable:

(1)	education, instruction, coaching and provision of experience at all levels, of young persons in skiing, including all activities which take place on skis or boards on snow or other surfaces at schools, youth organisations or movements but only as part of and within the general framework of the whole curriculum or programme of educational and/or physical activities provided or undertaken by any such school, youth organisation or movement, club or ski governing body;

(2)	support for education in skiing for those above who are in financial need;

(3)	advancement of education by payment of all or part of the school fees of children talented in skiing;

(4)	education in and/or research into environmental issues of skiing areas;

(5)	promotion of safety in skiing and skiing areas and accident prevention.

1.2	Founding of the charity

The Trust was founded by General Sir Roderick McLeod GBE., CBE., DL. who was chairman of the National Ski Federation of Great Britain for many years and Mr Nathaniel Garrett, managing director of Lillywhites department store; a further five members of the council were appointed soon after. Amongst these council members were The Rt. Hon. Lord Hunt of Llanvair, famous for leading the first successful expedition to reach the summit of Everest, Brigadier V.A.P. Budge, CBE., MVO who after leaving the forces dedicated the remainder of his life to Nordic skiing and the Trust.

1.3	History

The first minutes of the British Ski Educational Association, as it was originally called, were taken on 11 October 1966 and recorded that the BSEA Ltd is a “Company Limited by Guarantee” registered under the Charities Act, 1960. It is quite clear from the minutes that the Trust was itself created as a conduit for raising funds to grant aid individuals and organisations involved in skiing activities. The company set about raising funds by an appeal to help children skiing. It has assisted with school fees for talented skiers, funded schools for projects into environmental research, helped disadvantaged children experience the joys of skiing and aided deserving skiers in the Armed Services. It was not intended that the Trust should attempt to administer sporting activities itself and at one stage had to disassociate itself with the Junior Ski Test Award Scheme to stay within its mandate. Although the evolution of the Trust has led to raising funds in a variety of different ways, the objectives of the Trust still remain the same and no change in these objectives is envisaged in the foreseeable future.

1.4	Mission

In an increasingly urban society, it is imperative to offer young people an activity that develops their initiative, individuality and courage. In the mountains, the skill and determination of the individual are pitted against the elements, and therein lies the attraction and challenge. Aspects of self-discipline, personal responsibility and leadership qualities are the benefits of the mountain experience. Thus, skiing fulfils a need which is fundamental, and the importance of such a challenge has never been so urgent as it is today. Skiing is no longer restricted to snow rich areas. Artificial ski slopes and more recently indoor snow slopes, play an increasing part in the provision of sports facilities in urban areas, opening up opportunities to many more children which were almost unattainable in the past, skiers progress to the mountains from these initial steps.

Following the change of name in 1994 the mission of the Trust remains the same for the future.

1.	to raise the profile and effectiveness of the Trust through creating constructive funding and fund raising programmes; 2.	to involve the skiing fraternity as a whole in the work of the Trust by widening the membership base; 3.	to enable a broad spectrum of young people to experience wider skiing opportunities than they would otherwise have done, in an educational context; 4.	to give support where appropriate to research into ski safety and the impact of skiing on the environment as outlined in the objectives above.

2.	Future marketing and fund raising

Future marketing and development of the Trust are the main reason for this business plan and need further significant thought and support by the council members. The Trust has substantially improved its turnover during the last few years and it is the wish of the council to increase the annual fund raising still further within the foreseeable future. This requires a policy, which is not solely reliant on the efforts and generosity of the council members, but a regular source of involvement by enthusiasts must be devised to assure the future of the Trust. In the short term the immediate aim will be to create additional fundraising to expand the grant-aid capability of the Trust's unrestricted funds which are beginning to reach a significant level.

2.1	Future marketing strategy

The aim is to make the Trust far more proactive and successful at fund raising through fundraising initiatives, making appearances at events and applications to grant making trusts, following the progress of individuals and organisations as the new structure of the sport develops and doing as much as possible to make our presence felt as an entity within the sport. Future marketing will be concentrated in five areas:- The Trust image Fund raising initiatives and events Sponsorship and donations Membership Bespoke funds

2.2	This will be carried out as follows.

a) 	Trust image

The existence of the Trust has been one of the best-kept secrets within the sport of skiing, and we are convinced that a new effort must be made to meet the challenge of reduced sports funding. Promotional material through a new website has been launched which is aimed at substantially increasing the awareness of the Trust and its activities. This, together with the efforts of the trust members to create other initiatives will make it possible for Trust representatives to promote the activities of the Trust at all the major skiing events during the year. This should create a positive increase in all income areas. Firstly there is a need to display the corporate image in all our literature and make it available throughout the skiing fraternity by seeking advertorials in ski journals. Therefore the charity needs the right tools and materials to reinforce our presence. Professionally designed banners, brochures and posters are needed to display the Trust’s achievements and objectives. This is intended to be the subject of a grant aid application to Charities Aid Foundation, which is one of the immediate aims of this business plan.

b)	Fund raising events

It is the intention to host a regular reception which, until the availability is removed, will be at the House of Lords once every two years. New fund raising ideas are already under discussion. On the agenda for the future is the possibility of taking the event to Scotland and Wales. Other events such as charity dinners and concerts are being considered. Ideas such as credit card schemes, film showings and collection of old mobile phones will be explored.

c)	Sponsorship and donations

Wherever possible some form of corporate sponsorship should be sought. It can take a simple form in appearance on all our literature or a more major form of sponsored fund raising events or educational bursaries. Where people do not want the involvement of membership they should be encouraged to make donations, however small. This business plan will also form the basis of applications to be made to other grant making trusts and charities.

d)	Membership strategy

The main aim of the membership strategy is to establish the Skiers Trust as more of a focal point for fund raising within the sport. The intention is to provide an increasing and reliable flow of income to support our grant-making capabilities and to allow the council to plan the grant-making strategy more effectively for the future. We also need to promote the aims and objectives of the Trust, thus making membership a prerequisite for all British skiers regardless of other club memberships and affiliations. Skiing provides an exceptional feeling of freedom and exhilaration, which has transformed the lives of some children who have been awarded grants. It is therefore incumbent on those who have experienced the overpowering spectacle of the mountains to provide the opportunity for the less fortunate to experience the sport that they have enjoyed.

In 1995 the post of Membership Director was created with specific responsibility for membership matters following the change to the constitution to reflect the increased importance of membership of the Trust. Numbers have slowly increased with new members being signed up only just keeping pace with lapsed members. Whilst the numbers look insignificant in relationship to the reputed 4.6m people that have skied in the last five years, the Trust has set a target which amounts to a membership total of 250 in ten years time. It is therefore clear the primary target for membership should be those people who regularly take part in the sport. Initially the main effort to enrol members will be concentrated on bespoke fund holders and donors, as well as existing members of ski clubs, corporate ski organisations and the ski trade. Thereafter the membership drive will be widened to all skiers and supporters of the sport, but this can only be effectively considered in conjunction with a substantial promotion of the Trust and a heightened profile within the sport.

Besides the personal efforts of the council members, other means will be found to increase the membership through marketing the aims and achievement of the trust. Consideration is currently being given to include a membership incentive as part of ticket sales for functions. Given an average of £25 per annum this would increase the subscription income to £5,000

e)	Bespoke funds

Bespoke funds are seen as means of making the skiing establishment aware of the Trust's activities. Considerable success has been achieved in this area and maximum advantage must be taken of this avenue whilst the revenue concessions remain in being. One of the largest grants made over the last few years has been to Snow Camp. The Trust was the first organisation to support this organisation which has now formed its own charity and continues to grow each year. The following funds are currently being administered by the Trust, the Kirsteen McGibbon Memorial Fund, the Penny Mabey Fund, the British Ski Academy Bursary Fund, the Snowsport England fund. As this area of our remit becomes better known, it is expected that other bodies will approach us. All of this will go hand in hand with the membership drive and as the profile of the Trust expands, so should the willingness to become members.

3.	Success evaluation

Evaluation of the individual grant recipient will be made from the feedback material supplied to the Trust by the recipient, which will detail how the grant was used and what has resulted from the expedition or outing. Evaluation in terms of schools usually means a report on the event, the progress of the pupils at the event and the degree to which the name of the Trust was promoted at the event. In the long term the success can only be evaluated by the growth of the sport generally and the success of its athletes and pupils.

The success of the Trust itself will be primarily measured by the rate at which funding can be increased and the degree to which more support can be given to individuals and causes. The Trust will only grant funds that it has received in donations. A proportion of all donations are diverted into investment annually and the balance of the general fund, which includes dividends from investments, is distributed on a six monthly basis. As to the efficiency of the Trust in general, overheads and expenses are kept to a minimum through the generosity of the council members who absorb the majority of the administration costs themselves. The time given to Trust matters cannot be evaluated but the expenses should in future be recorded, so that a realistic evaluation of financial efficiency can be made. With the increase in income comes the increase in administration and before long the work required will exceed the time made available by the council members. This does not necessarily make for an entirely efficient organisation but it does maximise the amount of funds available for distribution, which is currently the main objective of the Trust administration strategy.

4.A Winter Sports Academy will be part of the SnOasis resort and is planned to significantly change British participation in Alpine Skiing and the other winter sports. SnOasis is a planned development that is intend to become the world's largest indoor winter sports resort. Construction has not yet begun, but planning permission has been granted and funding secured.

The concept of the SnOasis project came about after a prototype ski slope was built by Richard Berry in 1967 and research was carried out as to the potential viability of an artificial snow slope situated on the South Downs overlooking Brighton. He has been working on the concept ever since, and more recently, since the technology for making artificial snow was introduced in 1994. He has been developing the SnOasis project with his partner Maurice Shnaps.

Richard’s conversion to winter sports management came about as a result of his experiences as a member and later on as manager, of the British Alpine Ski Team. Richard also qualified in the first ever examination of International Technical Delegates as the youngest and the 41st to be qualified world wide. From that time on he specialised in Alpine speed events, Downhill and Super G and studied snow management in the preparation of race courses and pistes. Richard was given the honour of organising the Swiss national championships in 1974 and remains the only non Swiss national ever to have run this event. He established a revolution in piste and race course preparation by introducing agricultural equipment into snow preparation techniques.

Richard became Chairman of the Skiers Trust in 1999 and has considerably built up grant aid for the trust. The Trust is now considered to be one of the top 10% of Charities in the country. At the same time he began the British Schoolboys races which have been organised in the Alps for the past 10 years. The trust recently set up a new website and now has over 200 Bespoke funds.