• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Wednesday May 7 2025

Wiltshire Community Foundation celebrates 50th anniversary

Wiltshire Community Foundation, one of Wiltshire and Swindon’s largest grant-giving charities and the oldest community foundation in the UK and Europe, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week.

Founded on 6 May 1975 as the Thamesdown Community Trust, the foundation began with a simple but powerful idea: to support local voluntary groups by bringing businesses together to pool their charitable giving — believing they could achieve far more together than alone.

The Foundation’s vision was set from the start by its founder, Lord Joel Joffe, a passionate advocate for social justice and charitable giving.

Lord Joffe, who also served as Nelson Mandela’s lawyer before he was jailed for life by South Africa’s apartheid government, believed deeply in the power of communities to drive meaningful change.

His vision laid the groundwork for everything the foundation has accomplished over the past five decades — and continues to inspire its work today.

In 1991, Thamesdown Trust merged with Wiltshire Community Trust to form Wiltshire Community Foundation, with an ambitious goal of building a £2 million endowment fund to create a lasting resource for supporting communities across the county.

Today, that endowment has grown to nearly £30 million, generating steady returns each year through investments and providing a reliable, long-term source of funding for local causes.

In 2024/25, these returns accounted for around 45 per cent of the Foundation’s total grant-making of £2.5 million, with the rest raised through its other philanthropy activity.

To date, the foundation has awarded over £26.8 million across 10,000 grants to charities, local groups, and individuals tackling a wide range of local issues and needs including domestic violence and mental health, fuel poverty and rural isolation as well as supporting young people to access higher education or to start their own business.

These grants have helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals across Wiltshire and Swindon.

As the first community foundation established in the UK and Europe, Wiltshire Community Foundation has helped inspire a movement that now sees community foundations active in every corner of the UK.

Today, 47 community foundations across the UK manage over £811 million in endowments and distribute more than 30,000 grants each year to strengthen local communities.

Over the past 50 years, UK community foundations have collectively awarded more than £1.6 billion to support local causes — a powerful testament to the impact of local philanthropy.

Wiltshire Community Foundation’s joint chief executive, Fiona Oliver, said: “Since 1975, we’ve been privileged to build on the vision of those who established the Foundation — people who believed in the power of local communities to come together and support one another.

“Their foresight, along with the dedication of those who followed, laid the strong foundations we stand on today. We remain committed to continuing that spirit by strengthening and supporting communities across Wiltshire and Swindon.

“Our 50th anniversary is a remarkable milestone, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible generosity of our supporters, the contribution of our partners, and the tireless work of the local voluntary sector. We simply couldn’t do what we do without them.

“As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue building on these partnerships, inspiring even more philanthropy, and championing our voluntary sector. By connecting people who care with causes that matter, we know we can keep creating lasting change.”

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire and Wiltshire Community Foundation Patron, Dame Sarah Troughton, said: “I’m delighted to congratulate Wiltshire Community Foundation on reaching this wonderful milestone.

“For 50 years it has been at the heart of our county, quietly but powerfully helping those in need and supporting the organisations that do such vital work.

“The foundation’s dedication to improving lives in Wiltshire and Swindon is something we can all be proud of. Long may it continue to bring people together to make a difference where it really matters.”

To mark its 50th anniversary, the foundation is hosting a series of events throughout the year.

Celebrations began this week with a conference recognising the voluntary sector’s contribution, followed by a Volunteers’ Lunch in June and a special anniversary celebration in July.

The foundation is also calling on those who want to make a difference to their local community to find out how they can get involved and support its work.