Almshouses in the community

This year’s Municipal Charities Garden party was held at their Guild Cottages almshouses on 1 August 2024.  Special guests including the Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon Jason Fotjik, the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Rajvinder Kaur Gill and the new MP for Stratford-upon-Avon Manuela Perteghella, joined trustees, staff and residents for a wonderful afternoon in the grounds of the almshouses.

Mayor Jason Fotjik presented a grant cheque for ÂŁ2,500 from the Relief in Need charity to the Stratford Youth Collective and the High Sheriff, Rajvinder Kaur Gill presented a grant cheque for ÂŁ2,500 from the Relief in Need charity to the Friendship Project.

Andy Smith, Chair of Municipal Charities said,

“We are delighted to be able to give these two organisations funding to help them in their work. The grant to the Stratford Youth Collective will support their Holiday Activities and Food Fund programme which provides healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning during the summer. The grant to the Friendship Project will enable them to provide volunteers to offer one to one support to disadvantaged children in Stratford who by virtue of their family circumstances are withdrawn and lacking in confidence or suffering from low self esteem.”

MP Menuala Perteghella (centre, red blouse) was introduced to Phil Sweet, almshouse resident and DDay veteran (front, holding framed photo) who proudly showed her his photograph with Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh, taken at Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance to mark D-Day 80, at the National Memorial Arboretum.

She commented after, “It was a wonderful event and I am very grateful that I was able to see the good and important work almshouses do at so many levels.”

The grants are from The Relief in Need Charity, which is part of the Municipal Charities of Stratford-upon-Avon.  The Relief in Need Charity has given out over ÂŁ70,000 of grants in the last year to help those in financial difficulties in Stratford-upon-Avon. These grants have supported families by providing items including washing machines, cookers, ridges, school uniforms for refugees, food vouchers at Christmas and carpeting.    To find out more, please get in touch with the Chief Officer on chiefofficer@municipal-charities.org.uk 01789 293749 or via their website https://www.municipal-charities.org.uk/relief-in-need-charity/contact-relief-in-need

posted 4 September 2024