Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Lincoln Medical School


 

Lincoln Medical School

The Ross Foundation and Rob Lucas have each donated £1m to Lincoln Medical School.

Established as a partnership between the Universities of Nottingham and Lincoln the medical school is training future generations of doctors with a focus on advancing healthcare in rural settings.  We are delighted to be supporting this visionary new medical school and the University ethos providing access to higher education for all students with the ambition and ability to succeed, regardless of their background. 

 

 

Tuesday, 3 August 2021

National Portrait Gallery’s Inspiring People Project

 


National Portrait Gallery’s Inspiring People Project

We are excited to announce a £4m donation to the National Portrait Gallery.  Proceeds from the donation will help to transform the National Portrait Gallery’s biggest development of its building in St Martin’s Place since 1896. This includes the opening up of previously closed-off areas, to provide a new outdoor public space in Central London. The donation will also support the Gallery’s ambitious programme of activities across the UK, helping drive access to the its important work for communities around the country. In recognition of the donation, the Gallery today announces that the new North Façade entrance and public space will be named Ross Place.

Friday, 20 November 2020

David Hockney’s Portrait of Sir David Webster

David Hockney’s Portrait of Sir David Webster

We are proud to see that through the generosity of RF Chair, David Ross, celebrated British artist David Hockney’s Portrait of Sir David Webster will be returning to its original home at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The painting will remain available to the British public and will also be loaned to the National Portrait Gallery for its reopening exhibition in 2023.


David Hockney’s Portrait of Sir David Webster was an important commission paying tribute to Sir David Webster, the visionary former General Administrator of the Royal Opera House and a defining influence on the cultural life of this country. Painted in 1971 and rendered on a grand scale, Hockney depicts Webster in his studio, seated upon a Mies van der Rohe ‘MR’ chair before a glass table. The work unites Hockney’s flair for human observation with his lifelong passion for opera. From 1975 until 1992, David Hockney would design sets for venues including Glyndebourne, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House itself. Inviting stylistic comparison with Hockney’s seminal double portraits produced between 1968 and 1975, Portrait of Sir David Webster demonstrates the meticulous exploration of space, perspective, lighting and compositional drama that would eventually come to inform his theatrical endeavours. 


David Ross said: “The arts have had an incredibly difficult year, with many institutions having to make extremely tough decisions in order to survive. Before I joined as its new chair, the Royal Opera House decided that it would sell this wonderful painting by David Hockney in order to sustain its community of artists and bring the world’s greatest performers back to the stage once again. This was one of the key parts of the Royal Opera House’s four point strategy to help it navigate the worst crisis in its history.
 
“As the Chairman of the Royal Opera House and the National Portrait Gallery I care deeply about the arts being as accessible as possible and their educational value. So, I decided to participate in the auction to secure the painting for the British public.
 
“This painting celebrates the key role Sir David Webster played in establishing the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera companies. It is fitting that Webster has helped to preserve the organisation he so lovingly built.
 
“I hope that the painting will continue to be enjoyed by art lovers and opera goers for many years to come. I am also delighted that the National Portrait Gallery has agreed to include it in its re-opening exhibition in 2023.”

DRF supports a number of organisations and projects across a range of artistic fields and is an ardent supporter of providing greater access to the arts for all.


Tuesday, 10 March 2020

British Paralympic Association



British Paralympic Association
The Ross Foundation and the British Paralympic Association are delighted to announce that they have joined forces ahead of Tokyo to support the athlete’s journey at the upcoming Summer Games this year, as well as the next Winter Games in Beijing 2022. 
The gift from RF will allow the BPA to harness the inspirational impact of Paralympic athletes to both challenge perceptions of disabled people and encourage grassroots participation and excellence in disability sport. Talented elite athletes will be visiting the schools within the David Ross Education Trust to inspire the pupils, highlight the ability within disability and ultimately help to shift societal perceptions.

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Hanging Stones Art Project



Hanging Stones is an ongoing project by Andy Goldsworthy in the North Yorkshire Moors, commissioned by the Ross Foundation. It is intended that up to ten existing buildings, all in varying states of disrepair, will be rebuilt as contemporary artworks, addressing our relationship with the landscape today.  They will be connected by a six-mile walk encompassing Northdale, near Rosedale Abbey.
Hanging Stones has been conceived as a single artwork – the walk between each building is as much a part of the artwork as the buildings themselves. The walk will include completed houses as well as the sites of works yet to be made. To date, four houses have been completed: Hanging Stone House, Redwall, Job’s Well and Hither House. The remaining houses are works in progress.

Thursday, 6 December 2018

5 December 2018 - SIR GEOFF HURST OFFICIALLY OPENS BOBBY MOORE ACADEMY ON LONDON’S QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK


Bobby Moore’s close friend and team-mate opens new state-of-art secondary school alongside David Ross, the school’s sponsor and they even played a bit of football with the pupils.
At the opening event, Sir Geoff spoke to students and guests from the local community about the significance of the new school being named in Bobby Moore’s honour, as well as the World Cup winning captain’s values.   
Bobby Moore Academy’s primary and secondary schools, will provide an outstanding education to more than 1,500 children and in 2022 the school’s Sixth Form will open allowing students to study for their A-levels.  
David Ross, Sponsor and Chairman, of the David Ross Education Trust, said“Our vision for Bobby Moore Academy was to create a lasting legacy from London 2012.  Ours is a new school with a traditional focus on academic excellence, mutual respect, and a belief in the importance of creating opportunities that allow our students to experience all that life has to offer outside of the classroom. 

Thursday, 5 July 2018

NEVILL HOLT OPERA- NEW THEATRE


NEVILL HOLT OPERA- NEW THEATRE
DRF is very proud to launch the new theatre designed by Stirling prize winning architects Witherford Watson Mann. “The transformation of Nevill Holt Opera in Leicestershire brings a touch of Glyndebourne to the Midlands and is a unique celebration of music, landscape and the English country house” 
William Cash