OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2025-03-31-accounts

Legasee Educational Trust

A N N UA L R E PO RT 2 02 4 - 2 0 2 5

Registered charity number: 1145354 (ENG & WAL) SC047748 (SCT) www.legasee.org.uk

LEGAC Y

N O UN

  1. The long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.

  2. An amount of money or property left to someone in a will.

Oxford Languages Dictionary

It costs money to preserve and maintain the Legasee archive — let alone to film and add new veteran interviews.

If you value the work we do, please consider leaving just 1% of your estate to Legasee when you update your will. Your gift will help ensure that future generations can learn from the experiences and sacrifices of the British Armed Forces.

Legacy gifts are generally exempt from inheritance tax, making them a tax-efficient way to support our work.

To find out more about remembering Legasee in your will, please call +44 (0)788 1814 707.

Thank you.

2 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

OUR MI S S I ON

Legasee Educational Trust works with British veterans to preserve their stories and deepen public understanding of military life, conflict, and service.

We film in-depth interviews with veterans, capturing their personal reflections and lived experiences. These recordings are made freely available for future generations and form the foundation of educational and community projects that engage and inform.

We are committed to using our resources responsibly, working professionally and respectfully with every veteran we meet, and ensuring transparency in everything we do.

3

FRO M THE C HA I R

O F T RUST E ES

2024/25 has been a year of

momentum for Legasee. As we look back, I’m proud to say we’ve not only delivered on the ambitions outlined in last year’s report, but we've also laid firm foundations for the future.

Our flagship National Lottery Heritage Fund project, Journey to the Frontline: Trailblazing Women of the British Army, is nearing completion. It has exceeded expectations. This collaborative effort has brought together students, veterans, volunteers, and museum professionals to create a remarkable new resource, both as an archive of filmed interviews and as an exhibition. We now have a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the changing role of women in the British Army, thanks to those who generously shared their stories, and to the many who helped preserve them.

This work has been ably led by Lucy Smith, our Project Manager, whose energy and organisation have been instrumental. She brought over 100 volunteers on board, all of whom have contributed across areas ranging from curation and research to editing, outreach, and the improved functionality of our website.

Speaking of which, thanks to funds raised in the autumn of 2023 (most notably via the daring abseil off London’s ArcelorMittal Orbit) we’ve launched a new, much-improved website. Visitors can now explore the archive in greater depth, thanks to enhanced search tools and restructured metadata, a significant effort led by Martin Bisiker.

Our volunteers, both new and longstanding, have become the lifeblood of our organisation. Their skills, enthusiasm, and generosity have brought fresh energy to everything we do. We’re proud to support them in return, offering meaningful experience, training, and

4 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

professional references as they continue their own journeys.

In another exciting development, we’ve taken our first steps into podcasting. The Veterans’ Voice, our debut five-part series centred on D-Day testimony, was released in time for the 80th anniversary commemorations. It has already been praised for the emotional power of its storytelling and the way it foregrounds veterans' own voices.

All of this activity signals a period of real growth. As we look to the future, we’re focused on strengthening our governance and bringing new trustees onto the Board who can support our ambitions with fresh insight and expertise. If this might be of interest to you, please do contact us.

contributions are deeply valued. Together, we are preserving voices that deserve to be heard, and ensuring that future generations understand the sacrifices made in service to our country.

Darren Richards

Chair

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Winston Churchill

Finally, on behalf of the Trustees, I would like to thank everyone who has supported Legasee this year. From our volunteers and donors to the veterans who have generously shared their memories, your

5

OBJECT I V E S

Our Charitable Purpose

Legasee Educational Trust is an unincorporated charity established to advance public education on the effects of military conflict, by means recognised as charitable in law.

To achieve this, the charity is empowered to:

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.

Albert Einstein

6 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

What We Want to Achieve

Over the coming year, Legasee’s priorities are to:

How We Measure Impact

Legasee is committed to learning from its work and maintaining high standards. We evaluate each project through feedback from our partners, funders and volunteers, and use these insights to refine and improve our approach.

Reports are available upon request by contacting: info@legasee.org.uk

7

HOW WE M E T OU R 2024-25 OBJE C T I V E S

JO URNEY TO TH E F RO NTL I N E : T R A ILB LA Z I N G WO M EN O F TH E BRI T I SH A RM Y

The main focus of our work this year has been the completion of the Trailblazer project. Thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund at the end of 2023, and in collaboration with the WRAC Association and the AGC Museum in Winchester, Legasee has been able to record, preserve and share the testimonies of former members of the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC).

Over the past year, we completed filming the 30 interviews with WRAC veterans to add to the archive. These first-hand accounts offer powerful insight into how women’s roles evolved within the British Army during the Cold War, decolonisation, and beyond. The interviews were researched, edited, transcribed, and summarised thanks to the dedicated support of Legasee’s volunteers, whose

8 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

It became obvious that we could do more, and we should be allowed to do more. We were an untapped resource.

contribution has been essential to the project’s depth and accessibility.

Mary Woollard

On the disbandment of the WRAC in 1992

Engagement with schools has been a key part of this project. Working with Year 10 students from Wildern School in Hampshire, Legasee designed and delivered a programme of workshops introducing pupils to the WRAC’s history, oral history as a method, and the work of museums in curating memory. This culminated in students preparing for and filming an interview with WRAC veteran Lt Col (Ret’d) Sue Westlake MBE, an experience that built confidence, curiosity, and critical thinking. The school has since used these skills to film an interview for VE Day 80 with someone who remembers the end of the Second World War, demonstrating the programme’s lasting impact.

9

All interview material has been shared with the Adjutant General’s Corps Museum in Winchester, where it will add valuable and unique testimony to their archive. This collaboration extends the reach of the project, ensures sustainable access to the material, and supports the museum’s efforts to embed women’s stories more visibly in the public history of the British Army.

Finally, to ensure the project also contributes to the academic record, we are delighted to be submitting an article to the British Journal for Military History for publication. Drawing on insights from the interviews, it explores key themes such as gender, service, and institutional change, placing WRAC veterans’ voices firmly within the historical canon. Special thanks to Joan Turner for sharing her skills and expertise to make this happen.

This project has once again powerfully demonstrated Legasee’s commitment to recording service, promoting understanding, and ensuring that those who served are not forgotten.

10 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Within six weeks we’re all in uniform and it was amazing to see the transformation in all of us really.

Lieann Andrew

On the six-week basic training programme

11

TH E LE G A S E E A RC H I V E

A key deliverable of the Trailblazer project was the development of a standalone microsite. However, through close collaboration with Anna Ewing and her team at Creative Asset, it became clear that the functionality we envisaged for the microsite could be integrated into the main Legasee website. Thanks to the funds raised through the previous year’s orbital abseil, we had the resources to do just that.

In March 2025, after considerable work by Martin Bisiker, Creative Asset, and a brilliant team of volunteers, we were proud to launch a major update to the website. The result is a transformed user experience that significantly improves access to Legasee’s growing archive of oral history interviews. Designed with educators, researchers, and the general public in mind, the new platform offers greater clarity, structure, and powerful new functionality.

12 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Interviews are now organised into Collections, and further grouped into Projects, such as the recent WRAC series (Women of the Army 1949-1992). A refined search function enables users to explore the archive by keyword, with results ranked according to relevance — whether the term is mentioned in passing, highlighted as a key theme, or featured in the veteran’s summary profile. This layered approach helps users quickly find the content most suited to their needs.

New tools also allow users to share interviews directly via social media or email. For academic users, citation details are now provided, enhancing the archive’s value as a credible resource for students and researchers at every level.

While the migration of existing content is still in progress, early feedback has been unanimous: the redesigned site marks a significant improvement, delivering a cleaner interface and much greater educational utility.

Pleased to have contributed my story to this brilliant new website (recommending to others in education and research).

Julia C

13

OUR VOLU NT E E R S T R AT E GY

The Trailblazer project created an opportunity to test and refine Legasee’s volunteer recruitment strategy, and the results exceeded expectations. Recruitment was primarily conducted through the Charity Jobs website, supported by local Hampshire-based volunteer services in keeping with the project's regional focus. What followed was an overwhelmingly positive response, with applicants ranging from students and graduates to those on career breaks, sabbaticals and retirees, as well as individuals in full-time work seeking meaningful ways to contribute.

I took early retirement to be a carer. When I joined Legasee as a voluntary transcriber I felt I had a purpose.

Wendy C

Volunteer Esta Pitney

14 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Many were drawn in by the WRAC story and the opportunity to help surface the voices of women in the Army – a group historically under-represented in mainstream narratives of British military history. The opportunity to contribute to telling those stories resonated strongly with our volunteers, who responded with both energy and commitment.

Our approach combined clear structure with a flexible, responsive ethos. Every volunteer took part in an onboarding call, received a volunteer agreement and role description tailored to their interests and skills, and was supported through regular updates and emails. Some volunteers stayed with us briefly, others became long-term contributors. All added enormous value.

In total, we recorded over 2,000 hours of volunteer time in the past year, and we estimate the true figure to be much higher. Quite simply, we could not have achieved what we have without them. We are enormously grateful to every individual who gave their time, skills and support to the charity.

The programme’s success meant we were able to extend volunteer support beyond the core project to include the wider website transformation. Volunteers were not only fascinated by the oral histories they helped preserve but also expressed deep appreciation for the chance to listen to veterans recount their experiences of momentous events.

15

TH E VE T ER A NS ’ VO I C E PO D C A S T

Our expanded volunteer base brought with it a rich variety of skills and fresh perspectives. Among them was a volunteer who recognised the untapped potential of the Legasee archive to produce a podcast series exploring major moments in British military history, told directly by those who lived them.

Thanks to the dedication and expertise of volunteer, Kate Haddock, the first series of The Veterans’ Voice was launched in June 2024 to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with listeners praising the series for its authenticity, intimacy, and emotional power.

Building on this success, production has begun on two new series: one amplifying the voices of WRAC veterans, and another

Brilliant and a privilege to listen. Great Job. Apple review

exploring the Berlin Airlift. Each series centres testimony over commentary, creating a powerful record of lived experience for audiences today and for future generations.

https://shows.acast.com/the-veterans-voice

16 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

TH E ROYA L FU S I LI E R S B REA KING TH E GO TH I C L I NE

Legasee has continued its valued partnership with The Fusilier Museum in London, working closely with Colonel (Ret’d) Simon Diggins OBE.

The third and concluding film in a threepart series — which began production in March 2025 — explores the role of the Fusiliers in the closing stages of the Italian Campaign, often referred to as the “forgotten front” of the Second World War. Spanning from the capture of Rome on 4th June 1944 to the German surrender on 25th April 1945, the film draws on expert commentary from Colonel Diggins and features contributions from journalists Gabriella Incalza and Mia Jeronimus, helping to bring this overlooked chapter of the war vividly to life.

Images from The Fusilier Museum

Supporting the Italian people as they threw-off the Fascist yoke is an achievement for aeons, not just decades.

Colonel (Ret’d) Simon Diggins OBE

17

LO O K IN G A HE A D: FUTURE DI RE C T I O N

Legasee’s work in 2024–25 has affirmed both the value and the potential of our unique archive. Looking forward, our focus is twofold: securing the long-term sustainability of the charity, and continuing to uncover and preserve under-represented stories from Britain’s post-Second World War military history.

Twenty4Seven Education is proud to support Legasee Educational Trust in its mission to preserve and share the personal histories of British military veterans.

We are committed to finding ways to meet the charity’s ongoing running costs and to future-proof the archive. This means ensuring the platform remains accessible, secure and meaningful for the next generation of users. In 2025–26, we will explore partnerships and draw on best practice from institutions such as The National Archives, whose guidance is helping us shape our long-term vision.

18 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Thanks to the success of our work with Wildern School, we have also seen the transformative educational potential of embedding oral history into the classroom. The WRAC interviews provided powerful material for a critical-thinking curriculum, and students developed confidence, oracy, teamwork and a tangible sense of connection to their local and national history. Building on this success – and initial work by one of our brilliant volunteers, Jo Atherton – we are now looking to pilot a practical and accessible educational programme. This will support schools in running their own oral history projects, helping students preserve the voices of their own communities and build valuable life skills in the process.

We are also delighted to have secured our first corporate sponsor, Twenty4Seven, an education recruitment company. Their backing represents a significant step in diversifying our income and building the financial resilience of the charity.

Can't thank yourself, Lucy, and Col Sue enough. I've been telling my colleagues about the interview and they've been in awe!

Michael Morrison

Wildern School

The road ahead is ambitious, but it is grounded in everything we have learned so far: that there is deep value in preserving these stories, that oral history can have a lasting impact on education, and that with the right partnerships, we can grow Legasee into an enduring national resource.

19

PART NE RS HI P WO R K I NG

Legasee views partnership working as essential to fulfilling our charitable objectives. We have invested time and care in developing relationships that not only add value to our own projects, but also offer meaningful benefit to our partners.

Whether through collaboration on

educational initiatives, sharing expertise, or co-producing resources, these partnerships have significantly strengthened the reach and impact of our work.

These include:

20

LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

GOVERNA NC E A ND D E C I S I ON MAK ING

Legasee Educational Trust is managed by an Executive Committee of Trustees, elected by the charity’s members. The Committee meets quarterly to oversee the strategic direction and governance of the organisation. The Development Director attends all meetings in an advisory capacity, and all members of the charity are welcome to attend.

If no one can tell you no, consequences will.

Frank Halden

We are currently looking to broaden the range of skills and experience represented on our Board of Trustees. If you are interested in contributing to our work in this way, please get in touch at: info@legasee.org.uk

21

TR EAS U RER’ S REPO RT

F O R T H E Y E AR END I N G 3 1 S T M A RCH 2025

This year’s financial performance reflects the delivery of the Trailblazer project (funded by players of the National Lottery through the Heritage Fund) and the upgrade to the Legasee website.

By year end, much of the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant had been spent on ensuring smooth delivery of the project and the filming of all 30 WRAC veteran interviews. Work was also well underway on the development of the additional materials needed to bring the Trailblazer stories to life for schools, researchers, and the wider public. In addition, we invested unrestricted funds raised in previous years to enhance the searchability and accessibility of the whole website, ensuring that our resources are easier to find, use, and share.

We were also pleased to secure our first corporate sponsor, Twenty4Seven Education. This marks an important step towards diversifying our income and building a more sustainable fundraising base. Their commitment will not only provide financial support through dedicated fundraising activities, but also open up valuable opportunities to connect with schools and extend the reach of Legasee’s educational work.

Financial Review

Total income for the year was £38,108, comprising £35,390 restricted grant income and £2,718 unrestricted donations and bank interest. Total expenditure was £65,542, resulting in a planned net deficit of £27,431.

At year end, the charity held reserves of £35,259, of which £10,501 are restricted.

22 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Future Developments

Looking ahead, we remain committed to strengthening Legasee’s long-term sustainability by diversifying income, building partnerships, and developing new ways for schools and communities to engage with our archive. The figures this year reflect not just costs, but investments in resources and infrastructure that will ensure the stories we safeguard continue to have real impact.

With the continued support of funders, partners and donors, I am confident that Legasee will build on its achievements and deliver even greater value in the years ahead.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Winston Churchill

James Butler Treasurer

To request the full accounts, please contact: info@legasee.org.uk

23

LEGASE E VOLU NT E E R S 20 2 4 - 2 5

Jo Adams

Atiyyah Afzal

Charlie Akhlaq Amanda Akhuemokhan Tomisin Akinbami Anna Alcock Toby Analwenze Ella Ashwell Zak Awes Vita Banducci Vicky Barnes Caroline Barratt Matilda Barton Sam Bennett Chloe Bicker Lewis Blades Toby Boddy Amelia Bolton Alexandra Booth Danny Booth Melanie Boulton Hannah Bowers Eamonn Bownes Léonie Briendo

Anna Bristow Rin Butler Wendy Campion John Chamberlain Nina Chana Darren Chin Mary Chude Katie Clark Georgina Close-Smith Dani Cole Alex Cook Gillian Cousins Louie Craft Julia M. Crockett Jennifer Darvill Sian Dennis Lynsey Ford Carolyn Foster Kate Foxton Laura G Steven George Tobias Gibson Ellie Goodson Joanna Grace

Leon Graham Lizzie Gray Katie Greenaway Kate Haddock Suzanne Hagan Olivia Hannam Megan Hardwick Anita Hewitson Francesca Holt Rebecca Hoskins Leo Hynett Zain Jarjis Marta Jastrzebska Rachel Jennings Ayeasha Johnson Gemma Jones Kathryn Jones-Mamba Aarti Joshi Emily King Louis King Iain Kitching Indianna Knight Nina Kumari Jenny La Fontaine

24 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

Papadopoulos Alexander Parnham-Cope Tim Laulik-Walters Louise Pemble David Maguire Alex Piele Mary Makinde Brooke Piper Fiona Marshall Esta Pitney-Hall Amy Martin Matt Pitt Susanna Mason Lucy Raymundo Mark Mason Lesley Rhind Scott McDonald Eleanor Rodrigues Melanie McGarry Marisa Sankar Marguerita Misconi Jo Sayer David Mishan Meghan Shaw Consuelo Monson Kerry Shaw Olaitan Moore Jeremy Sidgwick Lily Morgan Amelia Smith Lucy Morris Kye Alexander Sparks Nour Mostafa Emilie Stewart Nadine Muir Gemma Suyat Rae Murphy Ed Thorns Leila Nairne Harriet Toeman Katie Newbery Isobel Troni Wanjira Ngunju Joan Turner Natasha Norris Nithilan Vimalakannan Evie Painter Andy Voase

Dawn Walker Steve Ward Gary Washbrook Sian Webb Liz White Jamie Whiting Harvey Wood Jake Woods Kitty Wright

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

Helen Keller

25

TH ANK YOU

To everyone who has supported Legasee this year — by visiting our website, listening to our podcast, donating time or money, agreeing to be interviewed, or simply sharing one of our films — thank you.

Your encouragement, generosity, and belief in the power of storytelling has helped us preserve and share voices that might otherwise be lost. We quite simply couldn’t do it without you.

No one has ever become poor by giving. Anne Frank

26 LE G A S E E A N NUAL R EPORT 2024-2025

CAN YOU HE LP ?

Our Annual Report illustrates some of the work we do to record, store and share the personal stories of our Veterans.

If you believe that what we are doing is important please help us by sending a donation. Any amount, however small is sincerely appreciated; it all goes towards our work to inform and educate future generations about the bravery and heroism of our armed forces.

I would like to help Legasee record more interviews with veterans.

As a single donation (enclosed) of: £………………… A regular monthly gift of: £…………………

Name ………………………………………………………………………… Address ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… Postcode ………………………………………………………………………… Tel ………………………………………………………………………… Email …………………………………………………………………………

Signed ………………………………………………………………………… Date …………………………………………………………………………

I am a UK taxpayer and DECLARE that I want Legasee Educational Trust to treat all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.

27

Legasee Educational Trust 13 Mornington Road

London E4 7DT Legasee is a registered charity no. 1145354 (ENG & WAL) SC047748 (SCT)

+44 (0)788 1814 707 info@legasee.org.uk Legasee Educational Trust @Legasee_Veterans

©2025 Legasee Educational Trust www.legasee.org.uk