Stop press – celebrate the coronation and raise money for good causes at Toast the King! on 5 May. Full details here.
Background
“Omnes ad Unum” was set up in 2015 to bring two groups of people together – members of St John’s congregation who wanted to raise money for local good causes, and members of the community who weren’t members of St John’s but valued the church and wanted to help support it financially. We always need more people to support our activities to support good causes. We’re informal and friendly and can promise lots of fun. We try to meet bi-monthly to catch up and plan events. We are well supported by St John’s PCC.
We also welcome any ideas that you may have for fundraising events. We are game to try anything!
Our email is omnesdevizes@gmail.com
Sponsors
In recent years Omnes has benefitted from a group of major sponsors enabling events such as the Christmas tree festival to expand. Foremost among these sponsors have been:
- Cross Engineering
- Grist Environmental
- Devizes Town Council
- IDILIQ Group
- Wansborough’s Solicitors
- Wiltshire Wealth Management.
It also benefits with help from The Lions, Rotary and many individuals.
What is Omnes ad Unum
Omnes ad Unum is Latin for “all for one”, and it organises and co-ordinates social events to raise funds. Its founding principle was that at least half of the profits from its events are distributed to a charity or charities, and the remainder goes to St John’s. In practice, since it was set up, a whopping 85% of its profits have been distributed to local charities. Omnes is independent of the Parochial Church Council of St John with St Mary.
Since it started, it has raised almost £160,000. Thanks to money raised by Omnes, many of the charities have been able to obtain further grants: hence this large figure.
Omnes operates under the charitable status of the St John with St Mary PCC, is run entirely by unpaid volunteers from various backgrounds, and does not incur any fixed overheads. In 2021, eighty-six local businesses participated in the Advent Window Trails together with a further 48 household supporters.
Events throughout the years have include concerts, Pimm’s parties, silent auctions, bridge days, gala dinners and visits by authors… Alexander McCall Smith being a notable guest.
Around Christmas, Omnes conducts its major fund raising push. This breaks down into three elements: a Christmas Tree Festival with concerts; The Devizes Bazaar; and a Draw with up to 50 prizes, some of them major, supplied principally by business organisations.
Media coverage has included a BBC Points West TV feature, a radio programme from The Tree Festival by BBC Radio Wiltshire, and frequent coverage in the Gazette and Herald.
In 2022, Omnes added two major events to its programme: firstly a Grand Gala Dinner and cabaret on 3 June, the Jubilee Bank Holiday evening, in the Town Hall; and a traditional English Fayre in Hillworth Park on 11 June, Her Late Majesty’s official Birthday.
Beneficiaries
Since Omnes ad Unum’s inception beneficiaries of its events have included Devizes & District Opportunity Centre, Bradbury Manor, 3rd Devizes Scouts, Devizes District Guiding, Julia’s House Children’s Hospice, Rowdeford Charity Trust, Wiltshire Young Carers, Caen Hill Countryside Centre, Wiltshire Sight Zoom Club, Canon’s House, Dorothy House Hospice, Wiltshire Air ambulance, The Wilshire Museum, Devizes Food Bank, DOCA and PHAB.
Would You Like to be Involved?
All of the charities we help are democratically chosen by those involved in Omnes.
As with any organisation we need more people to join our number. If you would like to join, it’s all very informal and friendly and we try to meet bi-monthly to catch up with each other and plan events etc. We are well supported by St John’s PCC.
We also welcome any ideas that you may have for fundraising events. We are game to try anything!
CONTACT US via omnesdevizes@gmail.com