United Eleemosynary Charities

Our own charity
Because Andrew Reeder in 1565 and Robert Laughter in 1622 made bequests in their wills to benefit the poor of the parish of Old Buckenham, and the Commons Commissioners in 1791 allotted land to the Overseers of the Poor, and the Fen as part of the arrangements for the enclosure into private holdings of all the land of the village, the United Eleemosynary Charities in Old Buckenham are still receiving rents for the benefit of those less fortunate than the rest.
The trustees of the charity will be meeting in November to allocate benefits and would like to hear from anyone who wishes to apply to be added (those who benefited last year do not need to reapply). There is a simple one page form to complete which can be obtained from the clerk to the trustees, Joan Jenkins, 49 Fen Street or one of the trustees, Bridget Burton, Amberly, The Green. Completed forms need to be returned by the end of October.
Although the trustees make their main allocation in time for Christmas each year they wish to stress that they do have money in reserve to enable them to offer help to anyone in need at any time of the year. It is also the case that the charities are for the less fortunate of any age, not simply the elderly. Circumstances may leave children needing help of one kind or another, or temporary need may arise from loss of a job or a home, or the stay of a relative in hospital. The trustees are willing to receive requests whenever they arise.