Jill Todd Trust
Jill was a Hillsborough girl, born and bred, and enjoyed and contributed to all aspects of living in her much-loved home town. She was a member of St. Malachi’s parish church and on many occasions during morning service gave musical recitals as a member of a small ensemble. Jill contributed to the art work which now adorns the walls of the new Parish Hall.
Jill played a full role in the Hillsborough community. She was a member of the Girl Guides, worked part- time in local shops and reataurants and was a pupil at Hillsborough Primary School.
Having achieved a grade ‘A’ in the transfer test, Jill continued her education at The Wallace High School where she worked extremely hard and further developed her natural gifts of art and music.
At the young age of 16 Jill achieved the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music grade 8, the highest grade, in pianoforte and grade 6 in the theory of music. She sang in the school Capella Choir, and also played the guitar, saxophone and violin.
Jill also displayed a natural talent for fine art from a very young age and at the age of 13 showed an astounding natural ability for photography. At ‘A’ level stage she became the first pupil in the history of Wallace to employ that medium and became joint first in Art in the school.
Photography and film became her chosen career path, leading to the study of that subject at Edinburgh Napier University from where she graduated with a first class honours degree in Photography and Film in 2009.
Thereafter her career took off very quickly starting with a much-coveted internship in Stills, Scotland’s National Photographic Gallery, followed by commissions from prestigious sources such as The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Science, Book and Film Festivals. That successful and rapid career start was however tragically and cruelly ended when, after a short but aggressive illness, Jill’s life was taken by cancer in October 2010. Jill was 23 years old.
To commemorate Jill’s life in the best way possible, in January 2011, her family established the Jill Todd Trust, which is registered by HMRC as a charity [number XT 2803], the stated objectives of which, succinctly expressed, are to promote photography, the careers of young photographers and raise funds for the care of those who suffer from and research into the quest for a cure of this devastating disease.
For more information on The Jill Todd Trust and to view a major photographic competition being organised in memory of her name in Edinburgh by her friends in the world of photography please click on the link: www.jilltoddphotoaward.com
