£2.25m legacy to enable Devon seaside town to bloom
Howard Lake | 7 September 2013 | News
A £2.25 million legacy from investment banker Keith Owen will provide £100,000 a year for the Sid Vale Association in Sidmouth, Devon. The Devon-born donor's gift will enable the Association to fund conservation work and community projects.
In particular it will fund the purchase and planting of one million bulbs for the seaside town, the first 150,000 of which will be planted this year on 26 October. Before he died in 2007, he had discussed with the charity how it should use the substantial funds, and he had encouraged them to "think outside the box". He also hoped that they would encourage as many people as possible to become involved in the planting.
In particular the Sid Vale Association has invited local voluntary groups to get involved in this initiative.
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Keith Owen's mother had lived in Sidmouth and, although he lived abroad, he had often visited the town.
The Association was founded in 1846 and claims to be Britain's oldest civic society.
Photo: daffodils by Vorobyeva on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.