28 May 2025

From mansion to mission: The Eagle House Trust story

Blog post

Written by Justin Sargent, CEO at SCF.

As I reach my 20th anniversary of joining Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and we finalise our new strategy looking ahead to 2035, I have been reflecting on the milestones that have shaped our journey. This is my 3rd blog in this short series looking back on seminal moments.

During my 2 decades working at SCF, I feel one of the most meaningful responsibilities we’ve taken has been safeguarding the future of local charitable trusts. We ensure these vital community assets continue to make a lasting difference across Somerset.

Today we hold over £5 million through 20 charitable funds, forming part of Somerset’s heritage. One education trust that transferred to us dates back to the 1680s. An incalculable number of young people have been helped by this Fund through the centuries, and we are guaranteeing that this continues for generations to come and the names of its founders – Dorothy Cheeke and Henry Stodgell – live on.

But it’s the story of the Eagle House Trust that I wanted to reflect on as an example of how transformational and impactful these transfers can be.

A trust transformed

Eagle House, an 18th-century Bathford mansion, became a ‘Community Home with Education’ before closing in 1982. Somerset County Council converted the sale proceeds into a £490,000 charitable trust to help vulnerable children and young people access educational opportunities.

The need was urgent. Care-experienced young people are 8 times more likely to be out of education or employment, and 62% more likely to die prematurely. Yet by 2010, only a third of the trust’s income was being used.

County Councillor and SCF Trustee Jane Lock spotted the opportunity to revitalise the trust and in 2011, the Eagle House Trust transferred to us – our largest endowment donation at that time.

Extraordinary impact

We immediately tripled the annual distribution. Since then, we’ve awarded almost 200 grants worth over £230,000 across Somerset and surrounding areas, plus introduced Higher Education bursaries, helping 21 care-experienced young people attend university. Unsurprisingly, many have studied social work or nursing, using their experiences to help others.

The trust enabled one of our first grants to PROMISEworks in 2012, supporting their volunteer mentoring programme. Over 400 Somerset young people have benefited from their long-term relationships, and we’ve awarded them over £500,000 across the decade.

This partnership with our local authority has come full circle. When Somerset Council provided match funding to secure £114,000 from CCLA for a dedicated Care Leavers programme – shaped by care leavers themselves – it felt like the natural progression of work that began with Eagle House.

A living legacy

Today, the Eagle House Trust endowment has grown to nearly £700,000, carefully managed to provide steady, reliable income for generations of vulnerable young people.

Looking back, this story not only illustrates how we can add real value to funds that are entrusted to us, it exemplifies the transformative power of endowment funds – helping create a Somerset where anyone and everyone can thrive.

If you’re a charity Trustee or professional adviser and are interested in transferring a trust to us, learn more about our Charitable Trust Transfer Service. Alternatively, you can explore more options on our charitable trusts webpage.

Photo credit: Group photo taken at the Care Leavers Conference 2025.