Chapter 14. Charities


Chapter 14 Charities

 

There are three charities specifically associated with Papcastle.

 

A) The Village Hall: (see also Chapter 10)
(Charity Commission Registration No: 520357)
This was built as a reading room for men only in 1895, gifted by local resident, Honora Wybergh, who lived at The Mount, the large house now demolished to make way for the Mount estate of modern houses.
Run by trustees originally, a new scheme was set up in 1940 by the Charity Commission and this is still the governing document. Two trustees are nominated by the Parish Council, up to four* others are co-opted. Apart from the Hall itself, there is no permanent endowment and all funds to cover running costs and maintenance must be raised locally. The Parish Council now gives a regular grant each year.
(The Charity now has the power to make amendments and so increase this number.)

 

B) Cockermouth and Papcastle Recreational Charity
This is a replacement for the Cockermouth Drill Hall Trust.
(Charity Commission Registration No: 1040902)
Origins of the Charity
1886 E. L. Waugh (living at The Burroughs, Papcastle) as captain of the Cockermouth Company of Volunteers purchased leasehold a field to permit erection of Drill Hall and Gymnasium which were done by public subscription.
1907    [7th Jan] Deed of Trust/Indenture assigned all the field/parcel of land called Mawkin Close and building on it (more detail in deed) to Trustees for the residue of 999 years for use and benefit of the Company of Volunteers and for gymnastic and athletic purposes for such company and the inhabitants of Cockermouth and Papcastle. The Trustees (six) had power to sell field & hereditaments.
1923    [5th Feb] Board of Charity Commissioners Order (10 Nov 1922) authorised trustees to sell field & hereditaments for not less than £1120 to the Territorial Army Association. (£920 was a mortgage). Proceeds were invested in 3½% War Loan with interest to accumulate in the same.
1968    Property and land was purchased from the Territorial Army Association by Cockermouth Urban District Council (now subsumed into Allerdale Borough Council). This is for information only-nothing to do with the charity.
1990    Charity Commission was preparing for the Charities Act of 1992 which included the disinvestment of charity funds by the Official Custodian of Charities. They wrote to Allerdale District Council who passed the matter to Cockermouth Town Council. There had been no scheme to regulate (or utilise) the funds, the trustees of the time had done nothing and all were long since dead.
1992    [28th May] Charity Commission appointed six new trustees with the instructions that they were to submit a new scheme for the regulation of this charity (the draft was prepared by the Charity Commission).
1994    [8th Aug] The new scheme was sealed and this became the controlling document for the affairs of the charity.
Its essential purpose is (Clause 22 of the scheme) the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure-time occupation for the benefit of the inhabitants of the area of benefit with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.

Area of benefit is defined by clause 4 of the Scheme as the Parishes of Cockermouthand Papcastle.
2008    [31st March] The investment now stood at some £61,246 invested in M & G Charifund and had allowed some £3,000 a year to be made in grants to local organisations.
In the 13 years from April 1995 to April 2008, the Charity had awarded 135 grants to the value of £42,364. With very few organizations in the village (only the village hall and the groups which meet in it), applications from the village are usually successful, and of course there will be many inhabitants of the village who enjoy activities run by organisations in the town who have also benefited.
The Parish Council nominate two of the eight trustees. (Cockermouth Town Council four, and two others are co-opted members.)

 

C) Lamplugh Trust [1]
(officially Hospital of Dovenby of the Foundation of Sir Thomas Lamplugh)
(Charity Commission Registration No. 257436 )
Founded by indenture by Sir Thomas Lamplugh 7th October 1628. Registered as a charity by a scheme dated 19th June 1946.
The endowment is now represented by 432 Income shares in the Charities Official Investment Fund (COIF) – managed by CCLA Investment Management; it generates some 32 p per share per year, i.e. of the order of £150, paid gross (no tax involved). The Trustees are:
The Vicar of Bridekirk (ex-officio), one representative each from Town/Parish Councils of Bridekirk , Broughton, Broughton Moor, Papcastle, Camerton and Cockermouth.
The representative Trustees are appointed for a term of FOUR years. A quorum is THREE trustees.
The objective is to apply the income in such way or ways as the Trustees think fit for the benefit of NOT MORE than SIX AGED, HONEST, and RELIGIOUS POOR persons of the Ancient Parish of Bridekirk, to be selected by the Trustees.

 

Notes and References