www.wrington.net

Trustees’ Report on the Wrington Parish Charities by Richard Thorn, delivered by trustee Judith Gallop I’m one of the Trustees of the Wrington Parish Charities, a collection of relatively small bequests made by individuals starting back in the 19C. Details of the Charities are available on the village website at <http://www.wringtonsomerset.org.uk/organisations/wringtonparishcharities.html> The value of the combined holdings of these small amounts totals around £5.5K. The income they contribute consequently ranges from a few pounds a year to a total of nearly £300. We also receive occasional very welcome donations from individuals anonymously, and organisations such as the Annual Show Committee, which enabled us, in the last couple of years, to increase the value of the vouchers we dispense to £20, redeemable only at businesses in the parish. We refund to the shopkeepers the value of the vouchers they’ve taken, and we receive some very appreciative cards and other messages of thanks from recipients, nominally 18 in Wrington, and 6 in Redhill. Apart from me, the other trustees are the Rector, ex officio, and 3 parish council nominees - Hilary Vowles of Redhill and  Pauline Wathen and Judy Gallop in Wrington. They have knowledge of, and sensitivity towards, the needs of local people, mainly, if not exclusively, elderly and living alone. Such parish charities, and the amounts they give out, may seem pretty small by today’s values, but, by continuing to show community concern for fellow parishioners, we try to support a continuing sense of belonging - something of which rural communities may feel proud. Richard Thorn May, 2014