The four constituent funds

Four bequests, set down by Farndon neighbours between 1722 and 1962.

Farndon Charities is the umbrella name for four historic parish bequests that were brought together under a Charity Commission Scheme in 1962. Each fund keeps its original character. Each is administered by the same three trustees, at the same kitchen table, four times a year.

A bound parish ledger open on a worn oak vestry table at St Chad's, Farndon, with an inkpot and a pen at the side — The trustees' ledger at the vestry of St Chad's · the same ledger, rebound, since 1799

01 · Poor's Allotment 02 · Coal & Bread 03 · Apprentice Bequest 04 · Sick & Aged

Fund 01 · 1722

The Poor's Allotment

Annual income · approximately £1,200 · drawn from rent of allotment land

The oldest of our four funds, set aside in 1722 by the parish vestry under the will of John Davies, yeoman of Farndon. A small strip of land at the parish edge, near the river, was given over in trust to the parish overseers, with the annual rent to be used for the relief of the poor. The land is still in trust, and the rent (paid quarterly by a local tenant farmer) is still our largest single income stream.

In modern practice this is our general parish-relief fund. About a third of our annual grant-making is drawn from it, in single payments of £40–£300, in response to specific household need: a school uniform, a winter coat, an essential white good, a quarter of oil, a one-off bill that cannot otherwise be met.

Who benefits

Households living within the civil parish of Farndon, of any age and any circumstance. We tend to receive applications via the parish neighbour, the church warden at St Chad's, the duty officer at Citizens Advice Cheshire West, or by letter directly to the trustees.

Geography

The civil parish of Farndon, on the Cheshire bank of the River Dee. We include households in Sutton Green, Crewe-by-Farndon, and Caldecott where these fall within the civil-parish boundary.

Supported by · the original John Davies trust deed, kept at Cheshire Archives, Chester

The strip of glebe land at the edge of Farndon known as the Poor's Allotment, in soft autumn light

A volunteer carrying a hessian bag of coal to a Farndon doorstep at dusk in December

Fund 02 · 1840

The Coal & Bread Charity

Annual distribution · approximately £1,400 in winter fuel and food

The Coal & Bread Charity was bequeathed by Hannah Yarwood of Sutton Green in 1840, in a will held at Cheshire Archives. She left a sum of £400, invested in consols, the interest of which was to be distributed each Advent in the form of coal and bread to the elderly poor of Farndon.

In 2026 we no longer distribute coal door-to-door (though we did, well within living memory). The fund now pays winter fuel vouchers redeemable at any utility, supermarket food cards in the week before Christmas, and the occasional grant towards an oil delivery. Where a household struggles with arrears, we will help with a single payment on their account — their meter, their name, their dignity.

Who benefits

Households of pensionable age living in the parish, identified each November by the trustees in consultation with the rector of St Chad's, the parish-council clerk, and the duty officer at West Cheshire Foodbank.

Geography

The civil parish of Farndon. Approximately sixteen households on the list in a typical winter.

Supported by · the Quiet Hearth Appeal · runs each December, see donate

Fund 03 · 1891

The Apprentice Bequest

Annual distribution · approximately £900 across 3–6 young people

Founded in 1891 by the Reverend Thomas Allbright, rector of Farndon, in memory of his daughter Caroline, who had died young. The original subscription was a few hundred pounds raised from the parish; the purpose, set down in the founding deed, was ‘to help young Farndonians enter the trades and the working life’. The Scheme of 1962 extended it to include ‘trades, training, and further education where these are not otherwise met’.

In modern practice this is the fund that has changed the most. It now pays for tool kits, workwear, the cost of getting to college in Chester, the kit list for an electrician's or plumber's apprenticeship, modest fee top-ups for a course not covered by Cheshire West and Chester Council, and occasionally the deposit on a first rented room near a placement. Grants are typically £100–£250 and are paid termly.

Who benefits

Young people aged 16–25 from the parish, beginning an apprenticeship, a trade, or a further-education course. Each application is read by the trustee with the Apprentice portfolio (currently Margaret Clarke), who will often arrange a coffee with the applicant at the Memorial Hall before the next meeting.

Geography

Young people resident in the parish of Farndon, including those who have moved away to take up training but maintain a substantial home connection.

Supported by · in partnership with the Reverend Allbright's descendants, who contribute an annual top-up

A young person in workwear stacking new tools in a workshop, with a Farndon apprenticeship handbook on the bench

A nurse's hand resting on an older neighbour's hand, soft window light, on a Farndon kitchen table

Fund 04 · 1962

The Sick & Aged Fund

Annual distribution · approximately £700 across small one-off needs

The newest of the four, constituted at the 1962 amalgamation from a long-dormant balance held by the parish vestry. Its purpose is the relief of hardship arising from sickness, disability, or old age within the parish — the kind of small, urgent, real-world cost the NHS and the welfare state do not cover.

In practice this is the fund that hears about most urgent applications: a freezer that has died and cannot be replaced this week; a stair-lift battery that needs renewing; a quarter of oil because the wind has changed and the meter has run; a dignity-saving £80 for a hearing-aid replacement out of warranty. Grants are small (mostly £40–£250), fast (chair's action within forty-eight hours), and held confidentially.

Who benefits

Households in the parish where sickness, disability, age, or caring responsibilities are bearing on the household budget in a specific, identifiable way. We work with district nurses, social-prescribing link-workers at the Chester GP practices, and the duty officer at Chester Aid to the Homeless, who sometimes refer to us.

Geography

The civil parish of Farndon, and any household with a substantial Farndon connection who is presently being cared for elsewhere on grounds of clinical necessity.

Supported by · partnership notes with Cheshire West & Chester Council adult social care

If you live in the parish and would like to apply

Write us a letter, or ask a neighbour to write one for you.

There is no application form. A short letter — or an email to the trustees — is enough. We will reply by the next quarterly meeting; urgent need is handled inside the week.

Write to the trustees