Harpur Trust

The Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) is a charity in Bedford, England which is principally concerned with the operation of private schools. The Bedford Charity (The Harpur Trust) is the legal name, but it is most often referred to as the Harpur Trust.

The stated aims of the Harpur Trust are as follows:

The promotion of education
The relief of hardship and need
Recreation with a social welfare purpose for the people of Bedford and its surroundings.

History

The Bedford Charity was founded in 1566 by Sir William Harpur (1496-1573). Harpur was a merchant from Bedford who became Lord Mayor of London in 1561. He was knighted in the following year. In 1566 he and his wife Dame Alice gave an endowment which consisted of some property in Bedford and 13 acres (53,000 m²) of water-meadows which are now Holborn. It was to support free schooling, dowries for poor maidens and “nourishing and informing poor children”. The school which he had founded in Bedford eventually became Bedford School. It was not until 1882 that girls' education was introduced.

Present day

Schools

Today the trust runs a range of fee-paying private schools:

Bedford School for boys (formerly Bedford Grammar School),
Bedford Modern School co-educational (for boys only until 2003)
Bedford High School for girls (formerly Bedford Girls' High School)
Dame Alice Harpur School for girls (formerly Bedford Girls' Modern School)
Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School co-educational

It is these schools run by the Harpur Trust that make Bedford famous for the quality of its private education. However, In July 2009, the trust announced its intention to merge Dame Alice Harpur School with Bedford High School. The decision has been made as both schools have seen a drop in pupil numbers over the years. The trust estimates that once started, it will take 3 to 5 years to merge the schools.^[1]

In March 2009, the Harpur Trust confirmed it would enter the state education sector with the opening of a new academy in Bedford: John Bunyan Upper School will close on 31 August 2010, and the school will reopen the next day as Bedford Academy. The new academy will be sponsered by the Harpur Trust along with Bedford College.^[2]

Other activities

The Harpur Trust also runs almhouses in Bedford and the nearby village of Bromham, and has a grants programme for local good causes. The Trust's gross income for the year to 30 June 2006 was £46,646,000, and at that date it had investments valued at just over £80 million. Its current Chief Executive is David Russell.

References

^ http://www.bedsonsunday.com/bedsonsunday%2Dnews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=430792
^ "Bunyan Academy set for next year". Bedfordshire on Sunday. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

Official site
Harpur Trust page from the Charity Commission - includes links to annual reports

[1] ttp://www.bedsonsunday.com/bedsonsunday%2Dnews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=430792

[2] "Bunyan Academy set for next year". Bedfordshire on Sunday. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

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