The RCSA Trust and the RCS Motor Club are, together, delighted to announce a new ‘restricted’ fund dedicated solely to supporting Jezebel and the RCS Motor Club, and timed to celebrate the Motor Club’s 70th Anniversary.
Called The Derek J. Toms Fund for Jezebel or ‘The Toms Fund’, it is named for Derek John Toms, the founder of the RCS Motor Club in 1955 and is an emergency fund, and a special-projects fund designed to support Jezebel and the RCS Motor Club.
It is lovely to remember Derek John Toms, who was responsible for bringing the then unnamed fire engine to South Kensington. Derek was a chemist, who was fully immersed in RCS and College life. He became a member of the ’22 Club in 1955 (Toms ’55), and married ‘Paddy’ (Mary Stella) Clarke, a Mathematician, who was RCSU Vice President. Stories are still told of Derek’s room in the Hostel which more closely resembled a garage than a bed/study room.
But much more importantly, we are anxious to buttress Jezebel and the Motor Club from the vagaries of ICU funding. Union funding was cut to zero in 2024/25, and to 50% of usual levels for the upcoming 2025/26 academic year.
Against that, the Motor Club has some long-term projects involving significant costs to contend with:
- The current radiator leaks like a colander. It was patched up for the last Brighton run, but by the end of the return trip it was requiring a top-up every fifteen minutes.
- The original radiator is in pieces and undergoing a slow refurbishment. An injection of expertise, assisted by an injection of funds, would help enormously.
- Milling jobs take days instead of hours for the want of a digital read-out.
- Lovely brass helmets are not useable as the linings need to be replaced.
- Rewelding of the gearbox . Probably several thousand pounds of repair to a pre-existing bodge.
- New solid tyres will be needed in the next five years, currently quoted at £3.5k
- Lots of repainting and gilding of a very tired Jez.
And there are many projects that can’t be planned for, such as the recent shearing of Jez’s reaction spring. So we wish to cushion the Motor Club from the uncertainties of ‘Crumbs – I wonder what is going to break next!‘
All donations received are invested (alongside the RCSA Trust’s General Fund) in order to earn a return and capitalise on the power of compound interest.
PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION. You can donate in so many ways, one of them is bound to suit you. Eligible donors can even…….
allowing the Toms Fund to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give.
Your on-line donation options include:
annual donations of various values (without GiftAid) paid directly from UK banks (and from those overseas banks that have an IBAN number). monthly, quarterly, biannual or annual donations of any amount whatever (with or without GiftAid) paid directly from UK banks and overseas banks with an IBAN number. And the same button allows you to make: one-off donations of any amount whatever (with or without GiftAid) whereby you pay using a credit or debit card or using PayPal. one-off donations (without GiftAid) of various values paid directly from UK banks (and overseas banks with an IBAN number).
…. And if on-line donations do not work for you, no problem. Just get in touch and we’ll give you our bank details so you can make a funds transfer or so you can set up a standing order, or we’ll give you our postal address for a cheque, or whatever is required to help.
Take a look at all the ‘donate’ buttons available below. And if you want a quick reminder of the good use we make of your donations take a look at these posts….. and remember that not one penny is spent on salaries or buildings or overheads of any kind.
Links for Annual donations from your bank:
Click on these buttons for annual donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. Suitable if you are not eligible for gift-aid, and if one of these amounts matches your generosity. You can cancel any time you like. For other amounts, please contact us.
Link for monthly or quarterly donations of various values. Suitable for Gift-Aid. Credit/Debit cards and PayPal accepted:
Use this button for other frequency of donations such as monthly, quarterly or half-yearly donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. Suitable if you ARE eligible for gift-aid. You may choose ANY amount that matches your generosity. For one-time payments you also have the option of paying with your credit or debit card, or of paying from your PayPal or CAF account.
Links for One-off donations from your bank:
For one-time donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. This sets up a ‘Monthly’ direct debit but that operates for only ONE month. Suitable if you are not eligible for gift-aid, and if one of these amounts matches your generosity. For other amounts, please contact us.