The Alexander Williams Davie Charitable Trust  Scottish charity: SC024169 Alexander Davie requested in his Will that:    "The parish minister and local bank manager" [at the time of his death] "may agree to supervise the setting up the proceeds of the remainder of my estate into an Alexander Williams Davie Trust Fund, the estate to be invested into SOUND industrial or government stock. The proceeds (i.e. the income) of the fund to be used to provide assistance to educate poorer children born in the parish of Lumphanan, provided that their parents are unable to do so". Alexander Davie wrote this in 1982 as an old man. He probably had memories from his childhood of the poverty that had existed in the farming community and was keen to prevent poverty being an obstacle to education. He gave no other guidance and one of the first jobs that the trustees had to undertake was to interpret and investigate the viability of Mr Davie's wishes. It was not as simple as it seems. The population of Lumphanan parish had been in decline for nearly a century and the number of children and young people had also decreased significantly. Family sizes were smaller and the abject poverty of the 1800s and early 1900s had all but vanished. The number of births in Lumphanan declined to virtually zero with improved natal care and nearby maternity hospital in Torphins. Few, if any youngsters are denied access to education through lack of parental funding. In short, funding was available but there were few applications from youngsters or their families who met the requested criteria. As the Trustees were thus unable to expend the annual income of the Trust they decided to apply to the Court of Session to widen the scope of the Trust. That application was only partially successful, the Court declining to widen the Trustees’ powers to permit the expenditure of capital or the benefiting of groups and organisations, as opposed to poorer individual applicants. The awards are made annually with preference going to Lumphanan youngsters provided that they meet the relevant criteria. There is a degree of flexibility on the interpretation of 'poorer'. Parents or guardians will have to provide financial information to demonstrate their financial position. Normally, though not always, below-average income would merit support. All applications, decisions and awards are treated with the strictest confidence. About the Trust