Author: Keith Foster

2018 advert for trustee

In 1874 on the June 23^rd, a scheme agreed by the charity commission, proposed uniting four Mountsorrel charities. These were Richard Nidd’s Charity, the Consolidated Charities, Thomas Statham’s Charity and Joseph Danvers’ Charity. They were all to be administered by a single body of trustees; The new charity was called the Mountsorrel United Charity. The trustees were the vicars of the two churches and 10 others resident in Mountsorrel or living within 3 miles of one of the churches or with a business in the village.

The income from the Mountsorrel United Charity was to be distributed as follows:

• One third of the income from the Consolidated charity and Thomas Statham’s charity to be paid to the vicar of the North End
• One third of the income from the Consolidated charity and Thomas Statham’s charity together with one half of the income from the Richard Nidd and Danvers’ Charities (to be called the Educational Fund) to be used for educational purposes
• One third of the income from the Consolidated charity and Thomas Statham’s charity together with one half of the income from the Richard Nidd and Danvers’ Charities (to be called the Eleemosynary fund) to be used for the direct benefit of the deserving poor of both ends of Mountsorrel

Collaboration can create colour – Mountsorrel Peace Garden

Mountsorrel has overcome its “mucky Mountsorrel” tag to become a village rich in a history of medieval conflicts and artisan enterprise on an industrial tapestry of pink granite serving railways, roads and London streets. Near the iconic Buttermarket a stretch of grass – The Peace Garden – is lifted by a granite circle around which poppy wreaths have been placed each Remembrance Day since 1995.

In the Summer of 2016, murmurings of discontent about lack of care prompted action by the Mountsorrel Heritage Group (MHG) in approaching the local Parish Council to seek their agreement to gradual and sustainable improvements to the appearance of the Peace Garden. A modest budget and a lot of goodwill by local people resulted in a raking, pruning, trimming and planting Action Day in early November 2016.  

Since then there has been further group and individual initiatives not only to keep the Peace Garden tidy but also to plant vegetation with hints of red in berries and flowers to complement the poppy wreaths. The consistent intention has been to plant easy-to-maintain shrubs, bulbs and plants in extended flower beds which now lie inside the granite wall boundary while robust shrubs, saplings and ivy vines are trimmed or restricted to expose the “marbling” of the local granite. Local people have also taken the hint by not only keeping the garden tidy but also supporting with donations of colourful plants.

Mountsorrel Parish Council has been kept informed of actions and progress while it continues to provide financial support, encouragement and verbal gratitude to the group of volunteers – collaboration can create colour!

25th July 2017 (CWB)