We are thrilled to announce a new £¾m fund to benefit the work of Seven Stories, which has been founded thanks to the Enid Blyton Trust for Children. Its Trustees have decided to wind up the Enid Blyton Trust for Children and donate its assets to set up a permanent fund at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. This fund will support the work of Seven Stories for years to come.
An Enid Blyton Trust for Children trustee explained their decision, “Seven Stories is a truly inspiring place. We know that we have made the right decision and believe that Enid herself would feel very happy with everything Seven Stories is doing for her, her work and for the children”. This new Fund deepens Seven Stories’ connection with Enid Blyton and her outstanding contribution to children’s literature in Britain. Grants from the Enid Blyton Fund for Seven Stories at Community Foundation will support our work to inspire more children from different walks of life to enjoy reading and the life opportunities that this brings.
The Enid Blyton Fund for Seven Stories has made it possible for us to have an endowment, which until recently was just a dream. Though support from our public funders continues to be vital, our fundraising ambition is to grow our endowment to £5m, building a more secure future for Seven Stories and our mission to protect, share and celebrate our precious literary inheritance for children with generations to come. We are very excited to be entering this new phase in our development, and we feel confident Enid would heartily approve of our mission!