7:00am Saturday 20th March 2010
By Alana Lewis
Members of a village trust in Sutton Benger are celebrating after its latest grant took donations to a £100,000 in ten years.
Since it was reformed the Church Piece Trust, an ancient charity set up for ‘the good of the inhabitants’, has awarded £100,000 to residents and groups in Sutton Benger.
Trustee Dr Kay Taylor said: “We are delighted that we have been able to provide assistance to all age groups within the village from the toddler group and pre-school, Rainbows and Brownies and the school to the Green Buttons Theatre Company, the Women’s Institute and the WRVS Over 60s Club.
“Grants have also been made to the new village hall and towards the provision of the games area on the recreation ground and to the many sports groups in the village.
“The church has also benefited over the last decade, most recently through help towards the costs of installing toilet and kitchen facilities and a meeting room in the base of the church tower.”
The charity was originally created to hand out donations from the income from a field known as the Church Piece, but knowledge of its existence was lost by the late 19th century.
Dr Taylor, a local historian, rediscovered it when she was researching the history of the village, and it was re- established by the Charity Commission in 1993.
Dr Taylor said: “It was a further six years before the trustees were able to sell part of their land for a development of five detached houses, investing the capital to provide an income to fulfil the charity’s original remit.”
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