A small charity with a long memory.
Stretton on Dunsmore Charities brings together four historic parish trusts under one volunteer board. We have been formally registered with the Charity Commission since 1963 — though the bequests we administer are older still.
From village bequests to a modern parish charity.
The parish of Stretton on Dunsmore, like many English villages, inherited a number of small charitable trusts over the centuries — land and funds left by parishioners to help neighbours in need, repair the church, heat the homes of the elderly, or support the education of local children.
Following guidance from the Charity Commission, these trusts were brought together in the mid–twentieth century to be administered as a single body: Stretton on Dunsmore Charities. We were formally registered on 19 June 1963, and have been served ever since by volunteer trustees drawn from the parish.
Our four linked trusts each retain their own historic purpose. They share common governance, common accounts, and a common commitment: to be careful, modest and useful to the village.
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Church and Poor's Land (or Denchwood Charity)Linked charity 217992-1Scheme of 1859
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Herbert's (or School) CharityLinked charity 217992-2Education
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Poor's Plot (or Coal) CharityLinked charity 217992-3Fuel & warmth
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Stretton Field CharityLinked charity 217992-4Relief of need
Eight volunteer trustees, all from the parish.
Our board meets regularly to consider applications for help and to oversee the care of the charity's assets. No trustee receives any payment, benefit or expenses from the charity.
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Catherine Dorothea LisztwanChair of TrusteesAppointed 2013
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Paul Howard MabeyTrusteeAppointed 1979
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Neil ThompsonTrusteeAppointed 2011
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Victoria Kay DeasleyTrusteeAppointed 2015
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Vanessa Sheila BraithwaiteTrusteeAppointed 2020
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The Rev. Barbara Carol CluttonTrusteeEx officio
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Paul Underhill WhitbyTrusteeParish appointment
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Robert John KennedyTrusteeParish appointment
Key dates in our history.
- 1859
Scheme of the High Court of Chancery establishes the governance of the Church and Poor's Land (Denchwood) Charity.
- 1963
Stretton on Dunsmore Charities is formally registered with the Charity Commission (No. 217992) as a linked body of four parish trusts.
- 1979
Longest–serving current trustee joins the board.
- 2013
Catherine Dorothea Lisztwan appointed Chair of Trustees.
- Today
Annual returns filed on time for five consecutive years; annual grants continue to quietly support village life.