The Somerford Keynes Village Charity
This charity can help villagers, who find themselves struggling to meet an immediate financial need or pressure, by means of a grant.
Enquiries and applications for financial support for, or on behalf of residents of Somerford Keynes or Shorncote should be addressed to the Revd David Austin, in the first instance. This could be in person, by telephone on 01285 862102 or by email addressed to [email protected]
Financial requests may be for a wide range of purposes which could include
- supporting an individual’s educational needs by paying for textbooks or school uniform
- the repair or replacement of essential but unaffordable household items
- heating costs and/or general household bills
- urgent health or dentistry costs
- exceptional transport costs, such as for hospital visits
The Revd David Austin chairs the biannual (and ad hoc) charity’s trustee meetings where each application is considered in the strictest confidence by the board of trustees : The Privacy Notice posted on the village website provides more detail about the trustees’ responsibilities in this regard. Awards are typically between £50-£200.
The trustees are village residents ; two are nominated for terms of four years by Somerford Keynes Parish Council, one by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and another is co-opted every 5 years by the other trustees. In addition to the Revd David Austin, they are
Mrs Diane Gibbons
Mrs Ellie Tracy
Mr John Hayward
Mr Graham Shearn
The History of the Charity
George Soley Foyle died in 1839 leaving a bequest of £200 to be invested by the Minister of Somerford Keynes, Wiltshire (now Gloucestershire). He instructed that the interests and dividends should be divided amongst “such poor and indigent persons resident in the Parish of Somerford Keynes as the Minister shall think proper”.
A few years later, in 1857, Joseph Mill provided an endowment “for the provision of blankets or clothing at Christmas for poor families in the Parish of Shorncote”. Three further charitable endowments followed and all five were subsequently consolidated in 1967 into the single Charity we know today, its’ objective being to provide grants of money or gifts for the benefit of residents in need in Somerford Keynes or Shorncote.
The Somerford Keynes Village Charity is registered and regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.