The William Ellis Trust launches the Rather Use Than Fame Club
Donations from our alumni and other supporters are a major source of income for us as a charity, and the ongoing generosity of our supporter base has allowed us to have a huge impact on the educational experiences of generations of William Ellis pupils. This continues to be the case today. All gifts, whether large or small, make a big difference to our work and demonstrate the support our community has for our mission.
In November 2025 we launched our regular giving initiative - the Rather Use Than Fame Club. It is designed for those who want to support our work and our pupils, and would prefer to do so by giving a monthly recurring donation in the form of a direct debit. You can read more about the club and how to join on its dedicated page on this website.
Your support makes a huge difference to our work.
A donation of £10 per month over the year with GiftAid would provide us with £150 of income. This could gift any of the following;
A three or four night residential trip to the Mill for a student from a low-income household
Educational enrichment trips for a number of pupils
The opportunity for larger scale projects such as a film-making and story telling work
Future events to bring our community together
Boost our staff innovation fund and back more ideas from our teachers and support staff
”I realised that my life, with reading and writing at its centre, would have been much less rewarding without the transformative influence of my English teachers from William Ellis. So I’m very happy to donate from a deep sense of gratitude and a belief that the current generation should also be encouraged to love books.”
WES alumni John SimmonsWe hope you will consider joining the Rather Use Than Fame Club and helping us create more positive impact for the pupils of today and tomorrow.
