A tailored approach to giving: How the Vickery Fund is bringing communities together through music

Brian Vickery playing flugel horn 2026

Brian Vickery’s life is rooted in his love of music, and in the county where he grew up. 

Born into a farm worker’s family near Crewkerne, Brian spent the first years of his life on a farm until his family was made homeless when he was 14. Money was tight but the opportunity to join a local brass band aged 11 offered Brian and his brother a chance to travel and left them with a lifelong love for music. Decades later, that passion has inspired Brian’s Fund with Somerset Community Foundation, bringing together his love of music with local philanthropy. 

Over the past year, the Vickery Fund has awarded £3,500 to four Somerset groups using music to bring communities together, with half of its grant making also dedicated to supporting amateur music groups in Dorset.  

The Fund supports musicians and community-led music groups alike – funding everything from instruments and performances to workshops and training – with priority given to smaller organisations that might otherwise struggle to access funding. 

Music can unite a community 

We spoke to Brian about his passion for music and what led him to set up his Fund. 

“For two young boys from a farm in Somerset, joining the band was eye-opening. Most of the youngsters in the band I played in came from the council estates in Crewkerne. None of us came from affluent backgrounds,” he explains. Several of those youngsters went on to build successful careers and businesses around the world. For others lifelong friendships were formed.

“When I think about what I’d like to help with, one thing is supporting young people whose families might not otherwise be able to afford music tuition. The other is about bringing people together – at a time when there’s so much discussion around immigration, I think music can be a powerful way to help people feel part of a community.” 

How SCF eased the process 

Brian’s decision to set up a charitable fund felt overwhelming, until he discovered the work of community foundations. 

“Initially, I looked at setting up a trust myself. But once you start looking at what’s involved – finding trustees, doing the accounts, all the bureaucratic stuff one has to do – I wasn’t looking for another business at this point in my life,” he says. 

“Somerset Community Foundation take away the responsibility, but you still have a say over where the money goes. There was a lot more flexibility than I expected. 

“I think a lot of people plan to leave money in their Will, rather than give while they’re still alive. What I’ve found, for my own peace of mind, is that it’s been good to set up the Fund now – because you can fine-tune it as you go.” 

What the Fund means for the future 

“It’s about giving back to groups like the ones that helped me. I hope that in 50 years’ time, there’ll still be money going towards brass bands and other music groups, paying for instruments, so amateur music continues in Somerset and Dorset.”

Brian’s story is testament to what’s possible when you give back to your community in a way that’s meaningful to you. The Vickery Fund will help make sure people have access to opportunities to play and enjoy music, for generations to come. 

To find out more about how to set up a fund, visit our website.  

If you’d like to support causes that matter to you in Somerset, explore your options here.