The Cheryl King Trust was founded in 2015 by local professional bass player and the founder of Guildford Jazz, Marianne Windham, in memory of her dear friend and colleague Cheryl King. The Trust’s aim is that no young person in Surrey should be prevented from learning a musical instrument because their parents can’t afford it. They achieve this by providing bursaries for instrument lessons and grants for music ensembles.

The Cheryl King Trust provides bursaries and grants for instrumental and singing lessons across all musical genres for children and young people from financially disadvantaged families in Surrey. The Trust actively pursues relationships with other organisations such as Surrey Arts, Young Sounds UK and Future Talent to extend their reach to potential young musicians and in the last academic year supported 116 young people to take individual or group lessons. They have an ambitious target to achieve 200 by 2027.

The Trust also co-funds ensemble projects in schools with a high percentage of Pupil Premium.  The strings project at Sandfield School in particular has flourished and there are now children participating across three year groups. New projects are on the horizon as discussions proceed with other schools and partners.

Funds are raised from charitable trusts and personal donations and they are proactive in encouraging musical groups to support them by Giving a Gig, such as donating proceeds from concerts, organizing bucket collections, or holding raffles. All members of their team are unpaid volunteers, and they operate with minimal overheads of just 3% of expenditure.

• Surrey Arts lead schools to be empowered to nominate suitable candidates without the need for formal means testing.
• A CKT Surrey Arts Scholarship scheme for more advanced young musicians.
• A partnership with the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford involving fund-raising initiatives and the musical engagement of young musicians.
• New ensemble projects
• A developing programme to work with charities to reach more financially-challenged families and to raise awareness amongst education leaders in Surrey.

For more information visit www.cherylkingtrust.org.uk or email admin@cherylkingtrust.org.uk