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Author: Annie McKeown

Somerford Keynes summer garden party

Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful garden party at the Manor House in June; we are grateful to everyone who came, to all those who made delicious cakes and helped serve the teas and pimms, who donated raffle prizes, helped with setting up and clearing up afterwards and of course, huge thanks to Sussanne and Andrew Lock for allowing us to enjoy their beautiful garden

The event raised the sum of £1,300 for the church. A fantastic amount.

The Somerford Keynes Village Charities

George Soley Foyle died in 1839, leaving a bequest of £200 to be invested by the Minister of Somerford Keynes, Wiltshire (now Gloucestershire), directing that the interest and dividends should be divided amongst “such poor and indigent persons resident in the parish of Somerford Keynes as the Minister shall think proper”. In 1857 Joseph Mill provided an endowment “for the provision of blankets or clothing at Christmas for poor families in the parish of Shorncote”. Three further charitable endowments followed and all five were consolidated into a single Charity in 1967, its objects being to provide grants of money or gifts for the benefit of poor residents of the parish of Somerford Keynes with Shorncote.

The trustees today typically award annually grants of between £50 and £200 to households which identify a need. Applications can be for a wide range of purposes, e.g. supporting an individual’s education needs, such as for text books or school uniform when starting school; repair or replacement of essential but unaffordable household items; heating costs and general household bills.

The trustees are chaired ex officio by our Rector, Revd Trevor Kemp, with four other villagers as trustees. Two are nominated for terms of four years by Somerford Keynes Parish Council; two are co-opted every 5 years by the other trustees. They are currently:

Revd David Austin

            Mrs. Ellie Tracy

            Mr. John Hayward

            Mr Graham Shearn

Enquiries and Applications for financial support for or on behalf of residents of the parish of Somerford Keynes with Shorncote will be considered in the strictest confidence by the trustees. Please see our Privacy Statement.

Please address enquires to Revd. David Austin either in person, or telephone 01285 862102; email [email protected]

Somerford Keynes Parish Charities – Privacy Notice

Charity No. 200808

(George Soley Foyle and other charities for the relief of poverty)

“The Charities”

Privacy Notice

The Trustees of the Somerford Keynes Parish Charities (“We”, “Us”, “Our”, or “the Trustees”) are committed to respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice is provided for Our current and past beneficiaries, for anyone (“You”, “Your”) who wishes to provide personal information to Us; and for the Trustees themselves.

This Notice tells You about how We collect, process, use and share Your personal data, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679), (the “Act”), as transferred into English Law from 25 May 2018.

In relation to any personal data You give us We are a Data Controller under the Act. We can be contacted by writing to the clerk of the Trustees at 3 Arlingdon Fields, Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire GL7 6BL.

  1. Data (information) We collect and store about You.

We collect from You and store Your name and contact details so that We can provide You with information about or help from The Charities and in order to consider if you might become a beneficiary of The Charities. We do not seek to obtain any information about You from third parties unless we have your specific consent.

  • Sensitive Personal Data (“Special Categories” under the Act).

We may receive from You information which You volunteer about Your health and financial circumstances and sometimes other sensitive personal information. This is not stored electronically but may be shared verbally between the Trustees unless you request otherwise. Your permission may be needed in order for the Trustees to consider an award of benefits.

  • Children

If You are under 18 we will seek specific consent from Your parent or legal guardian for the information about You which We store, process or disclose.

  • How We may contact you.

Our usual method of communication is by a personal visit to Your home. We may also telephone You or use hand delivery to Your home address. You can stop Us contacting You by telephoning or writing to the clerk.

  • Your choices about what We collect and Implications of withholding data.

Your name and contact details must be held by Us while You are a beneficiary. If You prefer Us to use or store less personal data about You, You can provide us with less, for example by not providing a telephone number.

  • Our use of Your personal data.

For as long as we hold your data, it will be used for the following purposes:

PURPOSELEGAL BASIS
To consider the provision of financial grants.Necessary to inform Our decision.
To provide information upon request.Necessary to respond to such requests.
To enable the financial records of the Charities to be examined and verified.Our duty under the Charity Act 2011.
  • How long We retain Your personal data.

Unless required by law to hold Your personal data for longer, We will hold it for no more than 3 years after You cease to be a beneficiary. We are required by law to retain records of grants made in any year for a period of seven more years.

  • Disclosure of Your personal data.

We are a registered charity governed by its Trustees. The information which You provide to Us is shared between the Trustees, which include a representative of the clergy ex officio, two Trustees nominated by Somerford Keynes Parish Council, and two Co-optative trustees who may live in the Parish. Financial records, including receipts for grants made, may be inspected by an Independent Examiner appointed by the Trustees. We will not provide Your name and address or any other information about You to the Parish Council, nor to any other third party.

  • Your rights under the data protection legislation.
    • You have the right to access any personal data that we hold about You, by submitting a request to any of the Trustees.
    • You have a right to request that any inaccuracies be rectified or erased.
    • You have a right to ask Us to erase some or all of Your personal data.
    • You have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office http://www.ico.gov.uk if You have any concerns about Our handling of Your data.
  1. Changes to this Privacy Notice.

We may change this Privacy Notice at any time, in which case a revised notice will be placed on the village website, www.somerfordkeynes.org.uk . If the changes are material to our future relationship with You, We will notify You in writing.

Reviewed and agreed by The Trustees 19 June 2023.

Somerford Keynes Coronation celebrations – May 2023

Villagers enjoyed a fabulous weekend, celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. All ages got involved with a variety of activities, including the Ring for the King, the street party in the sun and the volunteering event at the village lake. Thank you to all who helped with the organisation and set-up – and also to everyone who took part!

Parish Clerk Job Vacancy

A vacancy has arisen for the Parish Clerk role within Somerford Keynes Parish Council. The Parish Council aims to play an important role in preserving the traditional nature of the village whilst ensuring it is a vibrant community for residents.

The Clerk plays a critical role in enabling the success of the Parish Council. With significant new funding in place and a predominately new group of Councillors, this is a great time to get involved to help shape and drive new initiatives.

Role Overview

Key responsibilities include;

  • Attending monthly Parish Council meetings (typically Monday evenings); assisting with agenda preparation, producing minutes and monitoring action follow-ups.
  • Providing financial reports; monitoring accounts and expenditure and preparing records for audit purposes.
  • Liaising with councillors, parishioners and third parties as required. Third parties could include other Local Authorities and public and charitable bodies as well as landowners and contractors.

Training can be provided on specific Parish Council procedures and regulations.

Required Skills and Attributes

This role will suit someone who is organised, enjoys working with others and is happy to deal with a range of people across different organisations. A working knowledge of Microsoft (Word, Excel and Outlook/email) is required. A laptop will be provided.

Pay and Hours

The role is for five hours a week at a rate of £12.73 per hour.

Application Process

To express your interest please send an email to [email protected] by June 30th. We are looking to make an appointment in July as the incumbent Clerk leaves on August 18th.