Support us
We are an independent charity not funded by government
A community that understands its past is better placed to celebrate its present and shape its future
Our vision: for every town and city in Great Britain to have an authoritative atlas of maps and text that leads to a greater appreciation of its urban history and historic townscapes.
Our mission: to support and promote research into the history and topography of British cities and towns.
Education: we have a specific remit for educational outreach.
As a charity, we rely entirely on donations, legacies and income generated from investments. We receive no government funding. We are dependent on generating our own income. All the projects that we undertake have to be fully funded to proceed.
The Case for Support
Why support the Historic Towns Trust?
We believe that our maps and atlases are much, much more than excellent academic publications. They are proof of a shared local experience; they are symbols of local pride; they can help communities discover more about themselves; they are vital pieces of evidence when we plan towns for the years to come. In short, they are as much about the future as the past.
We have prepared a Case for Support which explains who we are, what we do and what we plan to do. Click on the link below to download the PDF.
In summary, our aim is to achieve:
a representative national coverage that will provide at least one volume of the British Historic Towns Atlas for every historic county or regional authority in Britain by 2050.
We plan therefore:
a much-expanded programme of education and outreach that will bring together the knowledge we have assembled about Britain’s urban past to help communities use this to shape their cities and towns for the future.
How you can help
For an atlas to be produced, a local team has to be assembled and money raised to pay for its production. Given that an atlas costs on average £30,000 to £35,000 to produce, each project that we embark on has to be accompanied by a substantial fundraising campaign. If you would like to contribute your suppport, there are several ways you can donate your time or money.
Donations
The Trustees all give their own time to run the Trust and its projects. They are very appreciative of all donations given to the HTT, whether for a specific project or for the Trust's core funds which help to run it. In return, donors feel that they have a sense of having contributed to the fascinating work we undertake.
No donation will go unacknowledged.
No donation is too small.
All donations contribute to the work of making known the histories of our towns and cities.
If you can make a donation either for a specific project, or for a specific purpose, please contact our treasurer, either through the contact form below or by post at:
The Historic Towns Trust
7 Juniper Drive
Maidenhead
SL6 8RE
All donations will be acknowledged. Cheques should be made payable to the Historic Towns Trust..
Buying our publications
Every time we sell an atlas volume or a map, the income we receive from it goes to the work of the Trust. In most cases, the net income is shared with our partners (usually also charities) who contributed to the publication.
The net returns on our publications are quite modest, by the time that the distributors and retailers take their cut. But all income helps.
Shopping on Amazon
We encourage you to purchase our publications from your local outlets. However, the Historic Towns Trust will receive a donation from Amazon if you select us as your chosen charity when you shop through Amazon. All you need to do is use this Amazon link when shopping on Amazon and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price to the Trust. If you do so, we thank you!
Gift Aid
Because the Historic Towns Trust is a registered charity, UK taxpayers can increase the value of any donation through Gift Aid which allows the charity to claim basic-rate tax relief on the gift. If therefore you make a donation, and are a UK taxpayer, we hope that you will be willing to complete a Gift Aid form, available as both a PDF and a Word file below. The completed form should be returned to our treasurer at:
The Historic Towns Trust
7 Juniper Drive
Maidenhead
SL6 8RE
Legacies
Legacies are an important source of income for all charities and have a significant impact on their work. The HTT has benefitted from the generous legacy of Mrs M.D. Lobel which forms the basis of the Trust's endowment.
If you leave a gift to the Trust in your will, you would provide a lasting benefit to the spread of knowledge and understanding of urban history, geography and archaeology and to the development and use of modern cartographic techniques.
Moreover there would be financial benefits to your estate. Under current law, a bequest to the Historic Towns Trust would be exempt from Inheritance Tax and might therefore reduce the tax payable on your estate, because the Trust is a charity. Those who leave at least ten percent of their estate to charity benefit from a reduced rate of Inheritance Tax.
If you can make a donation either for a specific project, or for a specific purpose, or would like to discuss a possible bequest, please contact our treasurer at:
The Historic Towns Trust
7 Juniper Drive
Maidenhead
SL6 8RE
Volunteering with the Historic Towns Trust
The Trust is run by a group of trustees who have the legal responsibilities of any charity which is registered with the Charity Commission. From time to time, we are looking to recruit new trustees.
However, we are always keen to seek support from people who don't wish to be trustees but who have skills that can help us and who are prepared to come to occasional committee meetings and do a little voluntary work outside of them.
For example, we seek people with knowledge of legal matters (especially contracts and IP), of accountancy, and business skills, and also people with experience of primary and secondary education.
If you have any skills that you think could be beneficial to us, then we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us via the contact form at the foot of each web page, and we'll get back to you.
Trust Project Partners
Producing an atlas volume or map is a serious but rewarding commitment with significant research and administration demands including financial and staffing implications. The key to our success is the partnership forged between the Historic Towns Trust and our local partner(s).
As a charity, we deliver our products through partnerships. Our project partners help us raise funding and resources for producing the atlases and maps for their town or city. Find out more about how you can apply to become a Trust Project Partner for our next atlas or map project.
An Historical Timeline
When was the Trust established and how is it still evolving? View a historical timeline of our origins and key milestones including the impact of our atlases and map publications.
Current and Upcoming Projects
See our current and upcoming projects to learn how your donations and support are helping us. You can also learn more about our project outputs to see what the Trust is creating and producing with our partners and friends.
Details of the post of Development Manager
Details of the post and how to apply can be downloaded below:
