Barkham Parochial Charities

The trustees of Barkham Parochial Charities met in January and were sad to receive the resignation of Sam Hosgood.  Sam has been a trustee since 1979 and chairman since 1986.  We wish him well in his retirement and want to record our thanks for his dedication and commitment to the people of Barkham over the past 19 years.

Barkham Parochial Charities are a collection of six individual charities, each established “for the benefit either of the poor of the Parish of Barkham generally, or of such poor persons resident therein, and not in receipt of Poor-law relief.”  The trustees have interpreted this language from the 1930s and we now usually make one-off cash grants to individuals, to provide temporary financial assistance.

More recently, the Barkham Millennium Celebrations resulted in a cash donation to the charities.  This has been used to set up a seventh fund called the Barkham Millennium Fund and has gone a little way towards combating the effects of inflation over the years.

The trustees aim to meet twice a year to distribute cash grants and keep the charity’s affairs in order.  On the outside Barkham appears to be affluent but at the same time there are individuals that would benefit from a small grant when they fall upon hard times.  The charities are small in today’s terms but are focussed on local needs and so have always been able to respond to requests for assistance.

We are now looking to appoint a new trustee and to search out any family or individual who may benefit from a grant.

If you know someone who wants to become a trustee or of someone in need, please contact me or any of the other trustees.