About us
Historic background
The Community Trust of the Blessed Virgin Mary has its roots in The Community of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an Anglican religious community of nuns who were based at St Mary’s Home on Queen’s Square and Wykeham Terrace in central Brighton. Founded by the Reverend Arthur Douglas Wagner in 1855, the nuns’ original purpose was to care for the fabric of St Paul's Church, where he was vicar, to help with the Sunday school, train girls for service, and carry out district visiting. They also ran an infirmary for older females; a dispensary for the poor of St Paul's parish; a relief room; a nursery; an embroidery school; a needlework society and a Bible class. Coal and clothing clubs were established, and 600 blankets were available for loan during the winter.
Fr Wagner proceeded to take over a house for ‘female penitents’ (i.e. prostitutes) run by his cousin George Wagner in Lewes Road, after the latter's death in 1857, and moved it to houses in Wykeham Terrace. This led to the Sisters becoming much more involved in street and social work which included caring for ‘fallen women’ and running an orphanage for infants, boys and girls.
The Sisters moved to a property in Buxted in 1878, before a new home was built for the Order in Ovingdean in 1912. Its various names over the years included ‘St Mary's Home for Female Penitents’, ‘St Mary's Training Home for Girls’, and ‘The Convent of St Mary’ until it was closed in the mid-Seventies when the nuns moved to a smaller property in Rottingdean Village. The proceeds from the subsequent sale of the property (now known as Rottingdean Place) were duly invested into an endowment fund which is the original source of the Community Trust’s income.
Our aim is to continue supporting the local community in a similar vein to the original Sisters’ mission, albeit through grantmaking and in a way that is relevant to life in a 21st Century Brighton and Hove.
More detailed information about the history of the Community of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Brighton, Ovingdean and Buxted can be found on the National Archives website.
The Trustees
Jonathan Prichard (Chair)
After reading Law and History, Jonathan worked in Parliament, the Church of England, the financial sector and a number of charities and a grant-making foundation. In addition, he has served as a trustee/chair of charities involved in the housing, meeting needs of children and young people, education, community development, conservation and overseas medical sectors. He enjoys gardening, visual and performing arts and travelling. Jonathan has lived in Brighton more than 30 years and been active in his locality. He strongly believes in supporting local initiatives which aim to improve people’s lives.
Andrew Peel
Andrew is a fundraiser and consultant with a 30-year track record in the UK charity sector. He held senior fundraising positions at Sightsavers, the British Red Cross and Help the Aged before establishing his own consultancy in 2007. He has now worked with more than 200 charities, including Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation, the RNLI, Guide Dogs, Epilepsy Action, Home-Start UK, Saltdean Lido and Worcester Cathedral, and numerous hospices and NHS hospital trusts.
A Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, Andrew is also a trustee / director of Terrys Cross, a not-for-profit residential care home near Henfield, West Sussex.
Rosemary Mitchener
Having been educated in Brighton and always worked in the area, Rosemary has a keen and active interest in supporting the local community.
She has worked in Adult Social Care (at East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council) for 32 years, during which time she was a manager in the Learning Disability Service and Hospital Discharge Assessment Social Work Service.
Rosemary was a school governor at St Bartholomew's C of E Primary School for 12 years; a charity trustee and a Parochial Church Council member. Since 2007, she has also been a Church of England Eucharistic Minister.
The Revd Steven Foster (Clerk to the Trustees)
Steven was trained for the priesthood at King’s College London and The College of the Resurrection Mirfield, and has ministered in the Dioceses of Chelmsford, London and Chichester. Latterly, one of his appointments was at a church in Brighton, also founded by Fr Wagner - the original founder of The Community of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He has extensive experience in school and charity governance and compliance - having been Chair of Governors of a church school, and Chair of Trustees of a local Brighton charity that was subsequently awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Angela Way - to follow
Clare Phelan - to follow
Tony Potter - to follow
The Revd Richard Tuset - to follow
Our accounts
Please see our Charity Commission entry.