Support the TVYO and TVIO
Thank you for your interest in supporting the TVYO and TVIO
Like many choirs and orchestras in the UK, the Thames Vale Youth Orchestras are run as a registered charity (the TVYO Trust) and managed by volunteers. Our costs are principally for: venue hire (both rehearsal and concert); instrumental coaching and conducting; instrument and equipment purchase and repair; and music hire and royalties. These are funded mainly by members’ subscriptions and ticket sales.
The TVYO Trust has bold ambitions to develop the orchestras and recent initiatives demonstrate our commitment to that vision, including: establishing the new Thames Vale Intermediate Orchestra; the participation in the Music for Youth National Festival in Birmingham in 2025; increases in the level of instrumental tutor support at rehearsals; and the purchase of a full set of new music stands for the TVYO. While we endeavour to set subscriptions at a level that will cover our costs, we are increasingly finding that our new ventures and ambitions require additional expenditures. Furthermore, as we seek to diversify our membership, we want to ensure that all players are able to join or continue their membership irrespective of their financial circumstances.
Throughout our long history, the TVYO Trust has received generous donations and several generations of players have benefited from these. Our top priority for 2026 is to secure donations to support a new Bursary Fund.
Introducing the TVYO Trust Bursary Fund
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The ethos of the TVYO orchestras is that all members should be able to fully participate in all our activities, and should not have to miss out on any of these because of financial need. Our current bursary scheme, through which a reduction of subscription is offered to players in financial need, has been funded since 1994 by a generous and substantial donation, but the original fund has now run dry. Through establishing the new fund, we intend to expand our bursary scheme to cover not only a proportion of the member subscription where help is needed, but also contributions towards individual instrument tuition where this would help players to rapidly progress, and to support travel costs for orchestra concerts outside the normal Thames Vale venues.
Through a generous donation from Dr Janine Aron, we have already received funding to cover three bursaries a year for the next five years, which will be named in honour of three former conductors who each played a particularly important role in the development of the orchestra: Frances Kitching: Founder of the Abingdon Holiday Orchestra in the 1950s, the predecessor of the TVYO; John Melvin, TVYO Musical Director and Conductor 1976-1992; and Michael Stinton, TVYO Musical Director and Conductor for a remarkable 31 years, 1992-2023.
We now seek additional donations with the initial target of matching the funds already received to double the number of bursaries we can award in the next 5 years. Ultimately, we would like to establish a permanent endowment. The bursaries are awarded by the Trustees at a level up to the current annual subscription (currently £190 a year for members of TVYO).
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How to donate to the TVYO orchestras
If you would like to contribute to the new bursary fund please go to our dedicated donations page on the Total Giving website, which will enable you to make donations to the TVYO Trust. It would be helpful if you could indicate 'Bursary Fund' in your Donor Message in making a donation through that site.
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Total Giving: is a not-for-profit organisation that enables charities to collect donations directly, with no sign-up or on-going fees. This means that your donations will go directly to support the work of TVYO Trust. The full web address is:
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/charity/thames-vale-youth-orchestra-trust
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Gift Aid: if you are a UK taxpayer, please consider selecting this option. Gift Aid enables TVYO Trust to claim an extra 25p for every £1 that is donated at no additional cost to yourself.
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If you would like to discuss supporting the TVYO Trust, please email the TVYO Chair, Tim Softley (link opens in a new page), or use the 'Contact TVYO' button below.
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