Latest News
Time to Celebrate!
The Tony Loy Trust has now provided £57,000 in grants to well over a hundred individuals, organisations and projects.
To mark this achievement we are holding a Celebration Concert on
Saturday 1st June 2024
7.30pm
St. Michael's Church, Blewbury
Join us to listen to and watch some of the beneficiaries of the Trust
plus other invited guests
Tickets £15 to include a glass of wine or soft drink
Starring Simeon Lord
Jazz Saxophonist
And featuring Megan Hughes
plus
Angels Performing Arts
amongst others
That's The Way To Do It ...... Undefeated to date!
Having supported Harwell and Hendred Stripes in their first season, with purchase of their team strip, the Trust was delighted to hear their news in the run up to Christmas and to see them proudly donning their silver medals.
Hope you’re all well and enjoying the busy run up to Christmas. I wanted to updated you with our team’s progress. I am delighted to report that they ended the first leg of their season undefeated!
An absolutely incredible achievement for a newly formed team. Due to their outstanding performances, they qualified to compete in the Oxfordshire Youth Football League tournament. They found themselves playing against teams ranked several bands/leagues above their own, and played with such heart and determination. They exceeded all expectations and came second for the entire tournament! As parents and coaches, we could not be prouder of how they played and how they have bonded as a team.
We all wanted to thank you so much for your donation and support, allowing us to enable the boys to become the wonderful team we witnessed today. It really has meant the world. On behalf of the players, parents, and coaches, thank you!
Surprise for Oxford City Girls
18 year old Alex, from Blewbury, applied to the Trust. He is massively in love with sport and has played football since the age of 5. We think his dad played football with Tony Loy.
Recently Alex joined Ignite Sports, a company that offers sports apprenticeships in Oxford. Before that, he studied with Velocity in Oxford, as well as playing football full time. In July he finished his 2nd and final year where he finished with 3 Distinction stars, a grade of which he is extremely proud.
He is currently completing a Level 4 sports apprenticeship where he is coaching children in the local community in Oxford. He currently manages the Oxford City Girls under-11 team, which can be tough due to lack of equipment. He asked for a proportion of the funding money to go towards equipment for the girls' football team, as well as paying for his coaching badges. When we asked what equipment he said – new kit, new balls and a bench. He thought he would surprise them with the bench as he knew that would make them very happy. It looks as though it did!
Break A Leg, George!
The Trust has supported George for several years now. We have seen him grow from a talented young actor, through drama school, to now, about to launch his own theatre company for which he has written and produced his first play.
Thank you for keeping in touch George and we wish you all the best for your rehearsed reading of The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret.
Dear Trustees,
As Autumn has officially arrived I figured it's a great time to reflect, to send thanks and update those who have helped me on my journey through drama school and beyond. The money you have given has helped me massively with my training and post-graduation life which has now reached a very exciting point in my development.
This year I have been working on writing and producing my very first show 'The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret' with my very own theatre company 'Linnet Theatre'. We are now at a very exciting point where we are sending out emails into the industry announcing ourselves and claiming our space in the world, setting our mission as a company and selling our show to producers.
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I have attached the artistic pack which we will be sending to theatres and producers inviting them to the rehearsed reading of our show on the 10th of November.
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Feel free to have a look at the process of which you have been a massive part and I couldn't be more grateful. Of course if you would like a ticket to the reading you would also be more than welcome. Please email me and I can organise a couple of complimentary tickets for you.
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Once again thank you so much for your belief in myself as an Actor, Artist and a Theatre-maker.
Harwell and Hendred Stripes
The Trust was recently approached by the newly-formed Harwell and Hendred Stripes FC U8's and is delighted to have been able to provide financial assistance for purchase of the boys' striking black and blue-striped strip. Here they are looking splendid before their first ever game and some words from their manager.
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I wanted to write you a little update on the team you sponsored. The boys of the newly formed “Harwell and Hendred Stripes FC U8’s” took the the field this morning for their first ever football match together. They were absolutely brilliant. All nerves were left behind on the side of the pitch, with all the boys full of excitement and energy to get playing their first game. They played with such heart and joy, it was an absolute delight to watch and support. The cherry on the cake was the team winning 2-0, a perfect way to start their season and boost their confidence going forward.
Thank you again for your support. The boys were speechless when we revealed their very own kit, which we could only buy due to your donation. It meant the world to them.
I will be sure to keep you updated as the season progresses, everyone is looking forward to the next match, although we are all very much hoping for a much cooler day for it!
Podium Finish for Zak at Brands Hatch
As the racing season progresses, Zak has a great weekend at Brands Hatch finishing Race 1, the sprint race, in 3rd place and gaining that all important spot on the podium. Congratulations Zak, the silverware suits you!
Below you can read Zak's detailed account of the meeting.
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A great weekend for me and the team. Great to see a few of you and to share the moment. Hopefully the first of many podiums together.
FP1 - P11, after Snetterton the team and I wanted to try a new setting with the bike which we put in the bike but unfortunately it didn't work as we liked but it was something we had to try with the new tyres we have this year.
FP2 - P7 +0.7 to P1, FP2 was now really our first session to get used to the bike. We ended with a strong time and also knew there was still plenty to come from myself and the bike for Qualifying the next day.
Qualifying - P8 +0.8 to P1, only 0.3 seconds would have placed me on the front row that's how close it was. We improved our time in every session. A lot of traffic on the closing laps stopped us from getting higher but we knew we could do something from where we were on the grid.
Sprint Race - P3, Our very first British SuperSport Podium in our Rookie season. A great jump off the line and a few moves on the opening corners put us into P4 by turn 2, throughout the opening lap we progressed to P2 where we were for the majority of the race just behind first but unfortunately a rider behind came past and crashed infront of me causing me to slow right down to avoid and lose the gap to first, then another rider managed to just catch me on the closing laps and ended with a 3rd position.
Warm up - only managed 2 laps due to a gearbox breaking. We swapped and got ready for race 2.
Feature Race - Starting P7, we got an okay start keeping our position into turn 1, passed a couple into turn 2 and held 5th for a few laps, just behind the lead group. I then noticed after lap 1 that the water temperature was sky high at over 105 degrees and throughout the race the power decreased lap by lap but we managed to hold off and get some more solid points on the board. We now know the head gasket went.
Thank you all for making this happen. Looking forward to catching you all over the season, next stop is my local round at Thruxton 11/12/13th August.
Simeon at All Saints
Although his time in the Junior Department of the Royal School of Music has come to an end, Simeon continues to excel as a saxophonist and as a musician in general, having gained a DipABRSM with Distinction.
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We were, therefore, delighted to be invited to a jazz concert at All Saints Church in Didcot that he gave with guitarist Hugh Turner and surprise guest Howard King on double bass. We were treated to such pieces as East of the Sun and Alone Together.
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Thank you Simeon and we look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
Uptonogood? Again?
To meet its aim of supporting young people to follow their dreams in either sport or the arts, the Trust raises money throughout the year. Donations are very welcome (please see our Donate tab above) as is fundraising by individuals or groups. If you have a money-making idea please do get in touch (via the Contact tab above, found by hovering over the About Us tab).
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This year Sarah raised £1200 in sponsorship when she took part again in Uptonogood?, a local cycle event, with friends and fellow supporters of the Trust. Although the day began with a few showers they completed the 12-mile off-road circuit of the Berkshire Downs in some lovely sunshine, arriving back in time for a few refreshments!
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Thank you Sarah!
World Ranking for Jack
The Trust has supported triathlete Jack for several years and loves hearing of his continued success. Here's his latest news.
...I was ranked in the top 200 of long course triathletes in the world at the end of last year. I was also fortunate enough to compete in my first ever world championships in Slovakia in August 2022 in which I finished 22nd in the world. Thanks to your support, alongside these championships, I was also able to race at multiple professional triathlon races across the globe including Challenge Gdansk in Poland and Clash Miami in the USA!
Your support has allowed me to compete at a higher echelon of elite triathlon year-on-year and without your help I wouldn’t be where I am today. It has also helped fund a lot of my day-to-day equipment, such as running trainers and repairs for my bike which are essential when training multiple times per day and has helped to cover some of the other financial costs involved with triathlon such as travel to international races across the world.
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Looking forward to this year, I have another professional middle-distance triathlon race calendar lined-up, including the European Middle Distance Championships in Belgium this September. I also have several other long-course triathlon races planned including Ironman 70.3 Swansea and Challenge London.
I would like to conclude by thanking you once again for all the support you have shown me over the past few years.
Zak is back!
It's been 11 months since Zak's last race in May 2022 when he sustained serious injuries from a high speed crash at Donington Park. Thanks Zak for telling us about your first race this season...great to see you back!
Firstly I would like to thank you for supporting and getting us back on the grid after a tough 2022 season. It was amazing to finally get back out and finish the two races at Silverstone in the points.
The four days testing at Donington and Silverstone one week prior to Round 1 didn’t go as planned due to the great British weather. We managed just 30 laps/35mins over the course of 4 days, out of a maximum of 480 hours that we could have had if the weather had been good to us.
Round 1, Silverstone, we started on the back foot with a lack of testing but issues we would have found in testing we had in Free Practice 1 (FP1), it began with clutch issues and we managed 4 laps in that session then FP2 we had a spill mid-session which did not help the situation and we ended the day in P12.
Saturday QUALIFYING and SPRINT RACE - Throughout qualifying we started well but the quicker we got, an issue with the suspension occurred and meant we could not get a great lap time and ended P17. Starting P17 meant we had a lot of work to do in the race, we got a good start, made up a few positions but as soon
as we relaxed into the race the issue with the suspension started to happen again so I decided to just back it off a touch and finished the race in P12, gaining some points and some valuable seat time.
Sunday FEATURE RACE - Our lap time from Saturday’s race determined our position for Sunday’s race, we started from P18 and that meant we had work to do again. Overnight we swapped out the front forks so we could get rid of the issue all together instead of trying to fix it. I tested out the suspension in the morning warm up and it felt much better so I knew I could push on. In the race we had a great battle with old rival Jack Nixon and beat him to finish P11, some more points on the board and making progress.
Overall it was a great weekend and great to be back with the team doing what I love! We had a few issues throughout the weekend but we all worked hard to correct them and move in the right direction. Massive thanks to the team for the hard work - can’t wait for Round 2 at Oulton Park 29/30/1st May.
Didcot Rugby Union Football Club has been busy raising funds
Earlier this year youngsters from Didcot Rugby Club took part in a sponsored run on Boundary Park. Covering the distance from Didcot to Twickenham they raised money to purchase new training kit for the U11 Boys' team, the cost of which The Trust were also delighted to contribute. We look forward to some photos when the kit arrives!
Thank you again for the bursary that contributed to the advancement in my musical studies and for supporting me going forward in 2022 - 2023.
The Trust is delighted to be able to support Simeon for another year as he continues to attend the Royal College of Music's Junior Department in London on Saturdays.
He has provided us with extensive detail of his time with the RCMJD last year. Here are some excerpts.
Each Saturday began at nine o’clock with a classical saxophone ensemble led by the marvellous Sarah Markham. From this I went into Chamber Choir for another hour.
After the first two hours of my morning I had an hour of one-to-one jazz saxophone tuition with the legendary Mornington Lockett (a leading London professional). This year he has helped me develop my stylistic jazz improvisation and since the summer has guided me with looking at conservatoires to apply to.
To round off the day I would have a rehearsal with Big Band led by Mornington Lockett. Big Band has had two major gigs this year at top London venues. The summer began with a performance at the 606 Club in Chelsea. This is a very well known jazz club that hosts top of the range professional performers. As the summer continued we prepared for a late night special at the Royal Albert Hall in their stunning Elgar Room. These are two experiences that I hugely enjoyed and will never forget.
Simeon's Saturdays
£1000
Thank you!
Last weekend's Take That Experience raised over £1000 and it looks like everyone had a great evening!
They're back!
The Take That Experience
returns to Blewbury on
Saturday 24th September 2022
7.30pm Blewbury Village Hall
Tickets £25
On General Sale Saturday 25th June
Limited capacity - avoid disappointment!
Email tonyloytrust@gmail.com for information on early access to tickets.
Thank you for supporting the Trust in this exciting fund-raising event. We look forward to seeing you there!
A 2022 update from Ben...
Thanks Ben for keeping us up-to-date. It sounds like you have an amazing summer ahead.
Last time I emailed these were my words, "As 2022 is approaching, this is the most excited I have been for a season in a long time. Training is going really well and I can’t wait to race indoors in the new year, followed by outdoors in the summer."
Now 2022 is underway I wanted to write to let the Trust know how I’m getting on. I have just finished my indoor season. This was only two competitions but both were significant. In the first one I ran a new indoor personal best over the 800m (1:49.29). The second was the British Indoor Athletics Championships. With it being my second year back at 800m the goal was to go there and just be competitive. Much to my surprise I managed to make the final and then go on to finish 4th!
The Trust played a massive part in this, contributing to race entries and top treatment. The Trust has also helped towards funding a warm weather training trip I have coming up at the end of March to help prepare for outdoors. As a result I would like to say another MASSIVE thank you for the Trust's support, as always it is much appreciated.
Oxfordshire's first Girls Football Club
Whilst other football clubs may have girls' teams, Blewbury Amazons is the first all girls football club to be established in Oxfordshire and the Trust is delighted to have been able to support the club in its inaugural season.
In a remarkable first season, the club has no fewer than seven teams taking part in the different age groups and divisions of the Oxfordshire Girls Football League.
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Named as follows, U12 Assassins, U12 Warriors, U11, U9 Avengers, U9 Gladiators, U8 Spartans and U8 Valkyries, it is easy to see that the girls are keen to live up to the clubs name. In Greek mythology, the Amazons were a race of female warriors and hunters who matched men in physical agility and strength and were noted for their skills, courage and pride.
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We wish them all every success.
Angels Performing Arts off to The West End
Celebrating their ten year anniversary, Angels is a local performing arts school based in Didcot. Teaching a range of dance disciplines, acro, singing and acting, Angels offers local children the opportunity to find and develop their joy, confidence and ability in performing at local events and in competitions.
However, this summer they have been given the opportunity to attend dance and performance workshops at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London's West End. The children are so excited to gain experience and spend time with professional performers, building their skills, and self-confidence. The fact that they will be able to perform on an actual West End stage is the stuff of dreams.
Angels is in full fundraising mode. As well as preparing for upcoming competitions and showcases, they are hoping to raise as much of the total cost of the workshops as possible, determined that no-one should be left out and that families should not be burdened with the cost.
The Trust is delighted to have been able to donate towards this wonderful experience.
Phoebe at The Royal College of Music
Phoebe grew up in North Moreton, attended Didcot Girls' School and recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied classical voice under the tutelage of Jane Irwin.
Throughout her undergraduate study, Phoebe was regularly chosen to represent the RNCM in large-scale performances, gaining operatic experience as Soeur Saint Charles in Dialogues des Carmelites, Nancy in Albert Herring, Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief, and Mrs Sedley/Auntie in Peter Grimes (RNCM Scenes and RNCM Conducting Masterclass).
She was also selected as an RNCM Songster and placed on the External Engagements List. In the summer of 2020 she was set to make her professional debut as a Young Artist at Buxton Opera House and in the British Youth Opera chorus.
The Trust are very pleased to be supporting Phoebe now, in her postgraduate study at The Royal College of Music in London. She receives weekly vocal tuition from world-class practitioners alongside vital advice and support to advance her career in such a competitive industry. It was lovely to receive news from Phoebe on how her first term has gone.
I am incredibly grateful for the financial support The Tony Loy Trust has provided me this academic year. My first term of postgraduate study at the Royal College of Music has been a real success. I am relishing the opportunity to hone my craft and collaborate with exceptional musicians and tutors.
This upcoming term, I have several exciting projects and performances. I am particularly thrilled to be performing in the RCM Opera Scenes, as it is my first opportunity to sing in the Britten Theatre. I will be singing the roles of Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring on Friday 4th February, and as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro on Tuesday 8th February.
In the summer term, I am greatly looking forward to performing the role of Stewardess in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with the Royal College of Music Opera Studio. The show run begins on Wednesday 29th June, and I will be performing in both casts.
