Wilson Memorial Trust

The Wilson Memorial Trust, established in 2001 by Steyning residents Ted and Margaret Wilson, is a community-focused charity dedicated to promoting the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of residents in Steyning and its immediate neighbouring villages in West Sussex, independent of statutory services. Rooted in the founders' personal commitment and endowment, its mission emphasizes enhancing quality of life, fostering community cohesion, and supporting sustainable, inclusive projects that create lasting local impacts. With a pragmatic, community-responsive ethos, the Trust prioritizes grassroots initiatives in physical activity, social connectedness, mental health, and preventative health, funding capital projects like tennis club clubhouses, outdoor gym equipment, environmental huts, and medical equipment for local health centres, alongside activities for sports clubs, ecological groups, and voluntary organisations.

It supports UK-registered charities and grassroots community groups delivering direct benefits within the Steyning Medical Practice catchment area, showing a strong preference for smaller organisations without strict income limits, while excluding projects outside this hyper-local geography or those reliant on statutory funding.

Grants typically range from £1,000 to £10,000 (most £2,500–£7,500), covering capital costs, equipment, activities, wellbeing projects, and select core costs aligned with objectives. Unsolicited applications are accepted via the official form emailed from the website, reviewed at trustee meetings every two months (January, March, May, July, September, November), with decisions in 2–3 months—no fixed deadlines. Distinctively, the Trust empowers local self-help and resilience through hands-on, place-based grantmaking, favouring broadly shared community benefits over individual or narrow-focus efforts, setting it apart as a deeply localised wellbeing enabler in the UK charitable sector.