How is Flag Fen funded?

As you visit the site and see how well it is maintained and how smoothly it runs, you probably do not give a thought to how it is all funded.  Well on this page I hope to let you know as well as ignite some passion into help with fundraising. The following levels of income are based on the 2004/5 accounts

Given that our normal trading activities gives us less than 50% of the income needed, you can see the sort of funding deficit that can occur, and this was a typical year.

Examples of items that have to be paid for on an ongoing basis are:

Salaries of the manager and other staff
The centre works on a skeleton staff, with the help of our army of volunteers.  As we open 7 days a week for most of the year, it is increasingly important that key staff are paid to ensure a consistent service for visitors and the wages have to be covered.

Upkeep of buildings and the park
We have to insure and maintain our buildings and the park.  Maintenance includes painting fencing and wooden buildings; mending fencing; relaying pathways etc.
Feed and veterinary bills for animals

We have pigs and sheep and plan to develop the flock of sheep in the future.  Although they graze, we have to provide food, especially for the winter along with hay for bedding.  There are also vets fees which are ongoing. 

Means of funding our black hole

1. Large cash donations through trusts and wealthy individuals.
2. Project funding through Trusts and grant making bodies
3. Small donations through our collection box at the Flag Fen counter
4. Regular giving through our standing order scheme. 
5. Recycling mobile phones and printer cartridges.
6. Gifts in kind from businesses.

One of my jobs as fundraiser is to identify projects to apply for specific funding. I then apply to bodies who make grants – these might be private trusts, government bodies or companies.  If I make a good enough case we might be lucky and receive the grant, only then can we proceed with projects.  We have lots of ideas but can only proceed when we have the funds.

How to donate
You can send us a donation at any time by sending us a cheque or postal order for the amount to our address in Peterborough.  This can be gift aided – see below.

Alternatively you may wish to give us a regular amount. 
You can do this by standing order form which you can download.
With standing orders you have total control over the system.  You send the form in to us so that we know what has been set up.  We then send it to your bank and you can cancel it at any time.  You state how much you want to give and when you want to give.  You can also gift aid you donation (see below).

Please click here to DOWNLOAD the standing order form (PDF).

Gift Aid
The government allows us to claim back any tax you have paid on a donation – this includes Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax.  This allows you the rare opportunity  to choose where your tax goes!
All you have to do is fill in a gift aid form asking for your tax to be refunded to the Trust. 
We get an extra 28p for every £1 of your donation.  The only stipulation is that you have paid in tax the amount that the charity reclaims on your donation.
Separately you can gift aid your admission fee to our Centre, although there are conditions.
See our admission prices page for more details.

Please click here to DOWNLOAD the Gift Aid form (PDF).

Legacy Fundraising

Sometimes it is not easy during our lifetime to be able to give as generously as we would wish. 
However in death this situation can be reversed.
After looking after friends and family, you may wish to give a donation to one or more charities.

Leaving a legacy to the Trust provides us with another source of income and is a way to continue to help us beyond your own lifetime.

You can leave a legacy for general purposes of the Trust or it can be restricted to a specific area that you name such as research, animal care, collections care or education.

It would be helpful if the Trust has been informed that we might receive a legacy on your death.  We appreciate that some people may prefer not to disclose the details of their will.  However, if you have included a legacy in your will in favour of the Trust, and if you are willing to advise us of it, we will treat the information with the utmost confidence. I am always available if you would like to talk about leaving a legacy or how it could help us. 

Once again this would be treated in the utmost confidence.
Sharon Shortland - Fundraising Officer. 01733 313414

Administrative information on leaving a legacy - More Important details

Volunteering
There is not just the cash route to helping out at Flag Fen.  You can donate your time, which is extremely helpful to the trust.  We have a small army of volunteers without whom Flag Fen would not be able to operate, but there are always room for more.  Our volunteers cover all age groups, currently from 16 to 86, so there really is something for all.

The jobs to be done at Flag Fen are varied and include

1. Helping on 20 acre park with Pruning; Planting; Maintenance of (Buildings; Hedges; Fences; Paths etc.
2. Being available on site (roundhouses and museum in particular) to talk about history and wildlife
3. Tour guides for groups
4. Working with the education team
5. Helping with café
6. Working in our shop
7. Greeting visitors on arrival

1. Meeting people, learning new skills,
2. keeping active,
3. gaining confidence. 
4. Sometimes it is a gentle way of getting back into work, and
5. can be a gentle way of slipping into retirement!

If you are interested in volunteering call or email us with your details and we can discuss ways we can benefit each other.

Community Volunteering

In addition to individuals companies can often help us.  This first started through business in the Community who arranged for two teams to come on site in October last year.

The team from the passport office, lead by Christine, who sanded and then applied stained varnish to the museum building.  On the same day a team headed up by Ross, took up slabs from an uneven and dangerous path, and fenced off the old dig area, in preparation for its extension to the bog garden.




Photos show before and after.

This year we had a team of 13 from Anglian Water Legal services who laid a slab floor in our schools activity room and paid for Astroturf, which our regular volunteers laid.  The floor was wood and rotted every 2-3 years, this then being uncomfortable to walk on and impractical.  The legal services team had a great day and we got a great floor which has gone down very well with the children and education team.

Flag Fen is extremely grateful for a £10,000 cash boost to our Archaeological Resource Centre scheme from Peter Boizot, through his Foundation.

This funding is allowing us to get through the first stage of planning approval

The donation was announced at the recent Members Day, with Mr Boizot present.  Peter stood up and said how pleased he was to make the donation to this important site.  He stressed the importance of the site to Peterborough and urged everyone present to continue to support the site and raise its profile to the rest of Peterborough.

Whenever you shop at Natural collection, linking from this webpage Fenland Archaeological Trust gets 10%.  The Natural Collection is a distributor who supports sustainable innovation and ideas. They offer a wide selection of ecologically considered products and service.  More information about the organisation is available on the web site – visit now.  

Every time you switch2help to your preferred supplier, Flag Fen will receive a donation of £5 per product. There is no charge or cost to you or the charity you support to use this site.

Anyone interested in assisting with funding or volunteering should contact Flag Fen on 01733 313414.

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