The Graham Burrough Trust

The Graham Burrough Trust was founded in 1998 by Pam Burrough in memory of her late husband Graham.
Graham was diagnosed with diabetes in 1933 and was one of the first generation to survive on insulin, with a life expectancy of just 40 years.
Graham achieved professional and personal success against the odds, becoming a successful Tax Consultant and prize-winning wildlife sound recordist, despite being blind for 40 years. His illness took a tough physical and mental toll on him.
Eventually, after several years in and out of hospital, Graham and Pam found refuge and loving care for him at The Retreat in York which supported him to live to 66. Graham had truly beaten the odds. Pam founded the Trust both to remember him and in gratitude for the care he received. The Trust provided support for local mental health projects that would help to lighten the burden for both sufferers and carers.
After 25 years of running the Trust, Pam realised she needed to secure its future.
“I spent several anxious weeks trying to decide what to do with our memorial trust,” she says, “Someone I knew spotted SCF and I realised that this was the answer. The complete right and perfect answer.
“It meant money would go to the county that meant the most to me to help local people and local charities – to smaller enterprises and little groups doing something and hoping to make it grow. My husband Graham’s name was added to all the other benevolent names that make up the Foundation.”
The Trust was closed down in 2018 and its assets shared between Somerset Community Foundation and Dorset Community Foundation, to be held as Forever Funds in our endowment.
Since 2018, The Graham Burrough Charitable Trust has made grants of over £50,000 to local mental health charities in Somerset. It’s a vital source of funding at a time when demand for mental health support is higher than ever.
Pam spoke at our Annual Celebration in 2023 about her experience of transferring the Trust to SCF:
“SCF makes a difference for a lot of people and is the perfect vehicle for smaller charities to be set up or transferred, knowing that their future will be well managed, or for any bequest to go straight to your local community. That decision has always felt absolutely right to me and I’m so grateful to SCF.”
Impact Story details
Location: | County-wide |
Theme: | Disability |
Funding Programme:The Graham Burrough Trust