News

Greens Norton Village Hall Trust – 2025 Notice

Over Christmas there has been some active discussion about the Greens Norton Village Trust on the Community Facebook group. We have noticed there has been some criticism and concern raised, particularly about transparency. As Chair of this Trust, I feel it is appropriate for me to comment and encourage open dialogue.

Transparency of the Trust

No secrecy has been deliberately cultivated by the Trustees. Details of the Greens Norton Village Charity (Number 265157) can be found publicly available to anyone on the charity commission website, this holds Financial, Trustee and Governance info, there are rules that the Charity Commission require us to run under and these are also available for anyone to find.

https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search

Additionally, there is information on the Trust website

Facebook Limitations

While useful as a virtual noticeboard, I regard Facebook as a difficult discussion forum. It does not allow nuance, it creates the potential for misinterpretation, and it requires considerable attention to address misinformation. Neither I nor other Trust volunteers are available to manage such conversations. Such a burden could also deter volunteer involvement, which is a constant problem for all small organisations.

Because of this, I urge the people of our community to come to us directly if you have questions, queries or concerns about any of the information you require regarding the Trust and our grants.

History and Purpose

The Trust has spun out of an original charity set up in 1973 as a result of a charitable gift of the old school building from the Benham Trust (a charity that covers all of Northants). The original money was not from the village, and it was intended for a specific purpose: the provision of a Village Hall in a building no longer used as a school.

As the Trust website says, the Hall gradually became unfit for purpose. After it was sold in 2021, the Trustees needed to decide what would happen with the £460,000 net proceeds within the scope of the permissions provided under Charity law.

Whose Money is the Proceeds of the Village Hall?

The Trust fund does not belong directly to villagers collectively. The fund belongs to the Trust, which is a legal entity governed by its charitable objectives and managed by its Trustees. The Trustees are obligated to use the funds in accordance with the Trust’s governing documents, and Charity Commission regulations. Trustees take on a legal responsibility in their role.

Consultation Efforts

While the villagers may be among the beneficiaries of the fund, the Trustees act as stewards, deciding how to allocate the funds in ways that fulfils the Trust’s purpose.

At the time of the proposed sale, the original Trustees worked hard to consult with the village about what should be done. This was a big consultation and included all the groups in the village as well as publicly across the village. It also allowed interested persons to be added as new Trustees. The results of these efforts shaped the plan to create a lasting grant-making body designed to support the village and nearby areas in perpetuity.

Grant Making Goals

Legal advice was sought, and after much discussion with the Charity Commission, an up-to-date Trust document was finalised to govern the Trust fund. The role of the Trustees is to manage and award grants in line with the Trust’s objectives, not to carry out the activities funded by those grants.

In 2024, the Trustees aimed to distribute approximately £40,000. However, finding suitable recipients has been a challenge. The original plan was to allocate £20,000 pa to grants from 2025 on (4.5% pa).

Key Challenges

The intention of the Trustees is that any village group (or individual) needing assistance or funding should be able to find the Trust. This has been one of the key challenges for 2024 which has meant that finding suitable recipients for grants has been more difficult than we expected.

We have tried to publicise the Trust; we have a website, we deliver leaflets, we put details in the Village Newsletter, there is reporting to the Parish Council and in November, we resolved to spend a small amount of the Trust funds to more actively post information.

The Trustees meet quarterly, and discussions continue to address:

• Should larger grants be given?
• To whom? Is it fairly distributed?
• Should multiple grants be offered to the same groups?
• What about individuals? For what purposes?
• What happens if we cannot distribute enough locally?
• Want to join the discussion?

Invitation to Participate

There will always be a need for Trustees or committee members, we are constantly on the hunt to grow our committee. If you would like to just our Trustees, just let us know of your interest by emailing Gnvh2021@gmail.com

Application for a Grant

If you have an involvement a community group, sports club or hobbyist group in Greens Norton or the surrounding area and would like to apply for one of our grants, you can do so on our website. We encourage our local community groups to approach us so that we can use our funds to support the wellbeing of people in our area.  

Application forms for anyone looking for a grant can be downloaded from the Trust website below.

Chris Bowmer
Chair, GNVT