Update on The Vulcan Experience

Thank you for your kind contribution to Vulcan to the Sky Trust (charity number 1101948) (registered office address Unit 4, Delta Court, Sky Business Park, Auckley, Doncaster DN9 3GN).  The contribution was to the Operation Safeguard appeal, the specific purpose of which was to help towards securing a new home for Vulcan XH558 and Canberra WK163 – The Vulcan Experience at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Very sadly, we recently announced that our plans for The Vulcan Experience will not be going ahead as we had hoped due to a fundraising shortfall.  In order for the appeal to be successful we needed to raise £1.6 million by no later than 31 December 2021, to enable us to raise by mortgage the money needed to build the hangar.  To date we have raised approximately £500,000 so considerable short of our target.  As a result we are unable to meet the deadline to demonstrate that sufficient funding was in place to enable us to acquire a lease for the necessary land at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.  As we are no longer able to proceed with the Vulcan Experience our appeal has failed.

My Donation and Rewards

You originally contributed the sum of £3,000 towards the appeal and have received a certificate and your company logo on our website wall of honour.

As the fundraising appeal has failed, you are entitled to have your original contribution of £3,000 refunded.  If you chose to have the contribution returned then we will be unable to place your company logo on our website wall and include your business in any future PR around the outreach work that is carried out with the history and engineering of Vulcan XH558 as the centerpiece.

If you would like to receive a refund for your contribution to Vulcan to the Sky Trust, please confirm by completing the detail on the form at the bottom of the page.  You have three months to confirm whether or not you wish to have your contribution refunded.  If you do not reply within three months(i.e. by 17 May 2022)you will be treated for the purposes of section 63(1)(a) Charities Act 2011 as a donor who cannot be identified or found.  However, you will still be able to claim back your contribution (less a deduction for expenses) within six months of the date on which any scheme is made by the Charity Commission or the court, in relation to the appeal funds.

You do not have to ask for your contribution to be refunded, and if you would like to disclaim your right to a refund, then your valuable contribution can still help towards the continued care and protection of Vulcan XH558, keeping her well maintained for visitors to enjoy the sight, sound and smell of the iconic Avro Vulcan.  If you choose to disclaim your right to a refund, you will still be entitled to have your name permanently displayed on our website wall of honour.  We will be applying to the Charity Commission for a Scheme to enable the appeal funds that are disclaimed to be used for the charity’s wider charitable purposes, to enable us to continue and protect the Vulcan XH558 for future generations.

Our on-going education outreach program will continue with the Vulcan at the heart. The aircraft type was at the forefront of innovation and technology when it was designed 70 years ago. We will continue to tell the story of the RAF, its people and the Cold War based around the V-Force and the famous Avro Vulcan XH558, in our newsletters and through our education events to inspire future generations into careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.