The Executive Headmaster Charles Fillingham, and his wife Clare, recently welcomed to their house members of the 1560 Society for Old Silhillians, Saint Martin’s Old Girls, former teachers, and friends who have chosen to leave a legacy gift to Solihull School.

Members of the Society, which is chaired by Old Silhillian and former chair of the Board of Governors Mark Hopton (Shenstone, 1968-1973), are hosted for dinner, providing an important opportunity for Mr Fillingham to thank members of the society for changing the lives of young people through their generous commitment to the Old Silhillian Fund that they have made in their estates.

Once again, it was a lovely, convivial evening, featuring a superb menu created by our school caterers Thomas Franks, with plenty of catching up amongst old friends and stories of how the school has changed and grown over the years. Glasses were raised in remembrance of members whose legacies are already supporting the school and, in his address to the guests, Mr Fillingham remarked upon the enduring bonds of community and generosity of spirit that had led to the creation of the 1560 Society and offered thanks to all those in the room that had made the generous decision to leave a gift in their estate.

A legacy is one of the simplest and most flexible ways of making a gift and allows you to support Solihull School and its pupils, over many years. All lifetime gifts and legacies left to the school make a significant difference to the success and development of the school and transform the lives of the pupils who are supported through bursaries.

Reflecting on the second year of his chairmanship of the 1560 Society, Mark Hopton said, “The important and wonderful role played by Old Silhillians who have chosen to fund bursary students at the school through generous gifts left to the school enables the transformation of the lives of so many young people who would not otherwise have access to Solihull’s first class offering. For those of us with the means to do so, there are also worthwhile potential tax benefits in this form of charitable giving. George Hill’s remarkable vision did so much to lay the foundations of Solihull’s endowment provision. Like him, the current generation too has the opportunity through its collective efforts to make legacy provision to contribute meaningfully to the school’s long-term future and the education of tomorrow’s generation of Silhillians.”

We appreciate that making a will is a sensitive and deeply personal matter, but should you decide to leave a gift to Solihull School, we would love to know – so that we can invite you to be part of the 1560 Society to recognise your generous support during your lifetime.

Find out more here.