Loddiswell Parish Charities
The Arundell and Philips Charities
Loddiswell parish has two charities created centuries ago and is now managed by a group of volunteer feoffees
The Philips Charity
The Philips charity was created in 1728 when a Richard Philips from Heathfield, Loddiswell bequeathed a trust of money for the “poor and needy “of the parish for eternity.
There are nine feoffees who today act to disburse the dividends from the financial investments. With the welfare state now in place it has been the Senior Citizens who live in Loddiswell parish who receive the proceeds.
There are some terms and conditions applied, one of which is to attend the disbursement service in the Parish Church on St Stephens Day, annually.
The tomb of the benefactor is positioned near the altar and has an inscription upon it. It is from here that the recipients are asked to collect their money gift and forms part of the service tradition. How much received depends on dividend performance and the numbers of recipients eligible, but in recent times it has equated to £40 to £50 per person.
If anyone wants to know more about the criteria required to access this fund, then please contact the chair of the feoffees, Paul Harvey using the contact button below.
Loddiswell Parish Church
Sunrise, Blackdown Rings © Liz Montague
The Arundell Charity
The second charity which the feoffees are responsible for is the Arundell charity. Again, established centuries ago, it has investments which attract dividends which are then disbursed into the community in the form of grants.
Rather than individuals, this charity aims to support parish organisations with specific projects. Applications submitted are assessed each January when decisions are taken on which will be favoured. Grants typically range from £500 to £1500, but must be specific. In the past grants have been made to Loddiswell pre-school, primary school, parish church, community hub groups and various youth groups.
If any organisation /group wants to apply for funding for a specific project or item, then apply in writing to the charity chair, Paul Harvey using the contact button below. Before the 15th January each year.
Blackdown Rings
In addition to grants, the Arundell charity is responsible for being custodians of Blackdown Rings. This is a popular site for visitors and walkers and has fantastic panoramic views. The site is part of an Iron Age fort and is a scheduled ancient monument.
Blackdown Rings was gifted to the parish by the Peeke family of Hazelwood in 1991 and was officially opened by the then secretary of state John Selwyn Gummer.
Blackdown Rings has an environmental agreement with Natural England to protect the nature of the site, so it remains a beautiful open space to enjoy.
Sheep graze here in the summer and dog walkers are reminded to be vigilant with dog control in the summer months.
In 2024 the feoffees erected a plaque on a granite stone in memory of Russell Baker, who gave many years of service to the feoffees and was an enthusiastic supporter of the rings.
The Granite Stone, Blackdown Rings © Liz Montague
Many thanks to the current feoffees of these parish charities who volunteer to maintain these parish traditions.
They are...........
Paul Harvey, Karen Elliott, Garry Elliott, Malcolm Montague, Steve Dawe, Francis Baker, Christine Rockey, Fiona VanEs, and Robert Webber.