Hi everybody please contact Eventbrite on the following link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secret-art-sale-tickets-630864451557 … There is no need to collect a ticket but please let Kieron Connolly, our Chairman, know by email connollykieron@aol.com so we know numbers and can inform Westminster School Security.of names. Thank you.
We are very pleased to announce the return of Oli Postcards – the charity’s regular fundraiser which sells anonymous A5 postcards by the great and the good of the art world and by up and coming artists and would be artists.
Over the years Oli Postcards has garnered a loyal fan base and a list of past contributors which has included Sir Antony Gormley RA, Sir Peter Blake, Norman Ackroyd RA, Jonathan Yeo, D*Face, Theresa May MP, Eddie Redmayne, Dhruva Mistry RA, Pejac, Lawrence Weiner and many, many others.
This year, sadly, we cannot arrange a face to face sale due to Social Distancing restrictions so, for one year only, the sale moves to an online auction (details to be announced shortly).
If you are an artist and would like to contribute to our sale please fill out the simple form below and we will send you a pack. Alternatively you can buy a pack for 99p from eBay and we will get one sent out to you.
Deadline for requesting a pack is 4 May 2021 and deadline for returning cards is 4 June 2021.
Past grant beneficiaries are kindly requested to take part in a “video montage”, in the hope of making the website more accessible and energising budding enterpreneurs.
A complete guide may be found on the Video Submissions page.
BTW: It doesn’t have to be video; a series of photos and / or an audio recording would be great too!
Just a quick note from the monkey at the controls. The domain olibennett is now .com and .org.uk, but .com is now the preferred extension
This message is primarily for those who may notice the difference or whose security systems flag up this inconsistency
This won’t affect any future contact with .org.uk, for example if your bookmarks and email conversations are still using .org.uk
As the chairman of the Oli Bennett Charitable Trust from our setup following Oli’s death in 2001, I stood down from this role at our last AGM in july 2015. I am delighted that Kieron Connolly, a trustee, friend and contemporary of Oli’s has agreed to take on the role.
I will remain as CEO and oversee applications. All the trustees support Kieron in his new role and wish him well.
Joy Bennett CEO
OBCT.
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We just have had an enormously successful art postcard sale. Our thanks to all our artists
See the cards on olipostcards.com
Wonderful balmy evening for gathering friends and supporters together with enough to drink and plenty of food to reaffirm our aims of helping young people harness their business ideas into viable businesses. Some of our recent sucessful applicants were able to come. It was good to greet them and intoduce them to some of our longterm grantees. They have a wealth of experience to exchange. Especially 4 year old Roxanne.
This year Luke Mugliston spoke movingly of his friendship with Oli and how they might have gone into business together [ideas along the night club range] but with Luke getting married, he became committed to needing a predictable income. Not that that stopped Oli from discussing fresh ideas. Luke recalled how Oli spoke often his mantra – ‘Love all, trust few, always paddle your own canoe’ and ‘not knowing how life will turn out, enjoy the journey along the way’. Luke said how much he misses Oli, as do we all.
We had a humorous and very sucessful auction with Ed Stern calling the bids. Donations from a number of thriving businesses who we helped in earlier years. To mention a few, Tristram and Liz from Somerset Wood brought a beautiful wooden pestle and motars. Hetty Rose sent a clutch bag decorated with antique kimono silk panels. Kieron had obtained theatre tickets to several shows, all snapped up rapidly. Roxanne said she was 4 but that wasn’t enough to get her Kieron Connolly’s book on ‘The Dark History of Hollywood’. Champagne went well as did a CD set of Fresh Meat [all 943 minutes] donated by the scriptwriter Jesse Armstrong.
The Oli Bennett Art Prize was won this year by a final year pupil called Maddy who came to the evening for her presentation of a cheque for £100 and a congratulatory speech from Joy. Simon Crow the Westminster School Head of Art, who has been nothing but supportive to us extra to his school responsibilities, was able to come as well. Maddy leaves Westmnister this term going on to study art history in USA.
Joy and I could not have carried on for the last 12 years running the Oli Charity without the support of our trustees, contempories both of Oli’s and ours’. Joy the mainspring and I both thank everyone for their help and support.
AS FRIENDS OF THE TRUST YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO JOIN US AT WESTMNISTER SCHOOL ON FRIDAY 20TH JUNE 6.30-8.30 PM FOR A FUND RAISING EVENT. IT WILL INCLUDE AN ADRESS BY A SCHOOL FRIEND OF OLI’S AND A FUN AUCTION OF DONATED ITEMS. NO CHARGE FOR ENTRY NAMES ARE NEEDED FOR SECURITY. VERY BEST WISHES JOY AND ADRIAN BENNETT
SINCE OUR STARTUP IN 2002 WE HAVE GIVEN 97 GRANTS TO 77 ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS WORTH ABOUT £100,000. APPLICATIONS ARE ASSESSED AS THEY ARRIVE. IN NEARLY EVERY CASE WE NEED TO ASK FOR A BUSINESS PLAN. SO IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT ONE YOU MUST THINK ABOUT A PLAN. WE ALSO NEED TO CONFIRM YOUR NAME AND AGE. DETAILS ARE IN GUIDANCE TO APPLICANTS FIRST PARAGRAPH. WE DO NOT GIVE GRANTS TO ANYONE OVER 30 AND YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 18.