Notices

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

Mrs Clare Baker

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.

Charity No. 200808

(George Soley Foyle and other charities for the relief of poverty)

“The Charities”

Privacy Notice

The Trustees of the Somerford Keynes Parish Charities (“We”, “Us”, “Our”, or “the Trustees”) are committed to respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice is provided for Our current and past beneficiaries, for anyone (“You”, “Your”) who wishes to provide personal information to Us; and for the Trustees themselves. 

This Notice tells You about how We collect, process, use and share Your personal data, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679), (the “Act”), as transferred into English Law from 25 May 2018. 

In relation to any personal data You give us We are a Data Controller under the Act. We can be contacted by writing to the clerk of the Trustees at 3 Arlingdon Fields, Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire GL7 6BL. 

1. Data (information) We collect and store about You. 

We collect from You and store Your name and contact details so that We can provide You with information about or help from The Charities and in order to consider if you might become a beneficiary of The Charities. We do not seek to obtain any information about You from third parties unless we have your specific consent.  

2. Sensitive Personal Data (“Special Categories” under the Act). 

We may receive from You information which You volunteer about Your health and financial circumstances and sometimes other sensitive personal information. This is not stored electronically but may be shared verbally between the Trustees unless you request otherwise. Your permission may be needed in order for the Trustees to consider an award of benefits. 

3. Children 

If You are under 18 we will seek specific consent from Your parent or legal guardian for the information about You which We store, process or disclose. 

4. How We may contact you. 

Our usual method of communication is by a personal visit to Your home. We may also telephone You or use hand delivery to Your home address. You can stop Us contacting You by telephoning or writing to the clerk. 

5. Your choices about what We collect and Implications of withholding data. 

Your name and contact details must be held by Us while You are a beneficiary. If You prefer Us to use or store less personal data about You, You can provide us with less, for example by not providing a telephone number.  

6. Our use of Your personal data. 

For as long as we hold your data, it will be used for the following purposes: 

PURPOSE	LEGAL BASIS
To consider the provision of financial grants.	Necessary to inform Our decision.
To provide information upon request.	Necessary to respond to such requests.
To enable the financial records of the Charities to be examined and verified.	Our duty under the Charity Act 2011.

7. How long We retain Your personal data. 

Unless required by law to hold Your personal data for longer, We will hold it for no more than 3 years after You cease to be a beneficiary. We are required by law to retain records of grants made in any year for a period of seven more years. 

8. Disclosure of Your personal data. 

We are a registered charity governed by its Trustees. The information which You provide to Us is shared between the Trustees, which include a person nominated by the Parochial Church Council of Somerford Keynes,  two Trustees nominated by Somerford Keynes Parish Council, and two Co-optative trustees who may live in the Parish. Financial records, including receipts for grants made, may be inspected by an Independent Examiner appointed by the Trustees. We will not provide Your name and address or any other information about You to the Parish Council, PCC, or  any other third party. 

9. Your rights under the data protection legislation. 

1. You have the right to access any personal data that we hold about You, by submitting a request to any of the Trustees.  

2. You have a right to request that any inaccuracies be rectified or erased. 

3. You have a right to ask Us to erase some or all of Your personal data. 

4. You have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office http://www.ico.gov.uk if You have any concerns about Our handling of Your data. 

10. Changes to this Privacy Notice. 

We may change this Privacy Notice at any time, in which case a revised notice will be placed on the village website, www.somerfordkeynes.org.uk . If the changes are material to our future relationship with You, We will notify You in writing. 

Reviewed and agreed by The Trustees 10 June 2024. 

Villagers have been asked to keep an eye out for honeybee swarms as the warm weather continues. A local gentlemen has a spare apiary with a couple of empty hives ready for any swarms that appear.

If anyone sees a swarm or has one in the garden feel free to contact via message or call  James Buse on 07551387487