WILTSHIRE Community Foundation, one of the beneficiaries of our Deepest Wiltshire book sales, is 50 this year. It was the country’s first community foundation and the golden jubilee was celebrated at a sunny party at Wellington Barn near Calne, below the beautiful north Wiltshire downs and the Cherhill White Horse.
The special guest at the party was Her Majesty Queen Camilla, a self-described “Wiltshire girl”, who cut the birthday cake and unveiled a plaque to mark the anniversary and the foundation’s new logo and changed name – it is now the Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation.
The guests were all connected to the work of Wiltshire Community Foundation – patrons, trustees, sponsors, donors, staff, and representatives of beneficiary organisations – including start-up and small businesses that received grants from WCF to get them off the ground.
Among them was Joanna’s Gelato, an old-fashioned ice-cream van which regularly visits Salisbury Market, selling the delicious range of ices produced by West Dorset-based Baboo Gelato. The van was at the party, dishing out free gelati for guests seeking a cool treat in the hot July sun – among them was Queen Camilla, who surprised many by her choice of passionfruit gelato.
Lunch was presented, street-food style, on wooden tables under the trees, and guests enjoyed a mouth-watering choice of Indian and Middle-Eastern vegetarians dishes and pizza, as well as local pork sausages.
WCF has produced an elegant book to mark the 50th anniversary. In her foreword, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire and Patron of the foundation, Dame Sarah Troughton celebrates “50 incredible years of helping people from all walks of life across the county … made possible through the generosity of its donors and the vision of its board and staff.”
She recalled chairing the Swindon Grants Board many years ago and the long and rewarding discussions on what grants they could award.
“Over the years, many people have given their time and expertise to this great [Wiltshire Community] Foundation, supporting its efforts in raising funds, awarding grants or delivering community projects. Most importantly, they have helped reach a wide and diverse range of causes, supporting people of all ages and addressing the most pressing needs in our county.”
The origins of WCF are in the 1970s when Lord Joel Joffe and Moyra James began to imagine how they might build a better future for local people in need. This laid the groundwork for Thamesdown Community Trust, a pioneering local funder that evolved into Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, launched in 1975.
A copy of the anniversary book was presented to the Queen. Among its articles are profiles and memories of some of the beneficiaries and the stories of the events or beliefs that have led people to donate – from Devizes-based brewers Wadworths to the family of an adventurous and active man, who died young and wanted to leave a legacy to give practical help to people, from individual philanthropists to Chickpea, the company that runs some of Wiltshire’s most popular and successful local pubs.
Over its five decades, WCF has awarded more than £26.8 million in grants, supporting hundreds of thousands of people and a wide range of local issues, from poverty and rural isolation to mental health, education, and domestic abuse. It helps young people to access higher education and training and launch their own businesses. In 2024/25, more than £2.5 million was handed out in grants, reaching more than 83,000 people.
We at Deepest Wiltshire are very proud to support the Foundation’s work with proceeds of our book. For stockists – including Devizes Books and White Horse Bookshop at Marlborough, see the list on the right-hand side of this page.
HM Queen Camilla is pictured cutting the anniversary cake with WCF joint chief executives Fiona Oliver and Vicky Hickey. Also pictured is the plaque, Deepest Wiltshire co-author and editor Gay Pirrie-Weir, and some of the guests with Joanna’s Gelato ice cream van in the background.