Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity

LOCAL CHARITY HAS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR

The Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity, which in the last financial year distributed Ł1,696,320 to support individuals and organisations in...

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About us

Historically the Charity’s area of benefit was the ancient town of Hampton, now the area covered by the parishes of St Mary’s Hampton, All Saints Hampton and St James’s Hampton Hill. In 1989 the deeds of the Charity were changed so that, where the Charity’s income was not required in the ancient town of Hampton, help could be provided elsewhere in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (“LBRuT”). The Trustees have decided that, after the ancient town of Hampton, their order of priority is the remainder of the former Borough of Twickenham and then the remainder of the present LBRuT. Individual grants are restricted to the first two areas.

What we do:

Individuals - Social welfare and individual support
Youth - Youth training organisations and clubs
Education - Nurseries, play groups, schools and colleges
Community - Community based organisations
Disability - Special needs individuals and organisations
Elderly - Old people's welfare organisations and clubs
Housing - Housing associations and trusts
Hospitals and hospices - Caring for the sick
Recreation and Leisure - Social and sporting clubs

As the name suggests, the Charity's original purpose was to make grants of fuel to those in poverty. In the 196 years that have elapsed, the Charity has continued to faithfully fulfil it's original purpose while assuming many other roles and tasks. Since the sale of our land, the Trustees have been able to assist ever-increasing numbers of individuals. In 1989 the Trustees were awarding about 300 fuel grants. By June 2007, the figure
had risen to approximately 1600 fuel grants. Along with fuel grants the Trustees have been able to provide essential domestic appliances such as cookers, refrigerators and washing machines. Working with The Furniture Scheme, Richmond upon Thames, the Charity has also been able to assist applicants with the acquisition of second hand furniture.

Youth organisations play a vital role in developing the social skills, character and self-esteem of our young people. Mindful of this fact, our Trustees have endeavoured to support a wide range of youth organisations accross the borough. These include everything from the traditional scout and guide movements to various community groups and skills training projects.

Few things in life are as important as a good education. One of the Charity's primary aims is to advance the education of young people in need of financial assistance. However, our Trustees are prohibited from supporting facilities normally provided by the Local Education Authority.

During the last ten years, every state school in Hampton, Twickenham and Teddington has recieved support from the Charity. Back when computers were rare and expensive, some schools were assisted with their purchase. More recently, a number of grants have been given for environmental improvements to school grounds and play areas.

At the heart of everything the Charity does are the communities and community groups we endeavour to support. When considering how best to help many of these groups and associations across the Borough, our Trustees recognised a real lack of good quality facilities from which they could operate effectively.
The Charity set about helping redress the balance by funding the construction of The White House Community Association and refurbishing a variety of Church Halls. To ensure a maximum use of these venues the Charity has helped improve kitchen facilities to meet changes in health and safety regulations.

A central aim of the Charity is to support those suffering from disability, either physical or mental. In order to meet this aim, the Charity gives both direct help to individuals and support to a wide range of organisations. These organisations usually focus on a particular disability or in some cases provide specialist homes for disabled clients. The type of help also varies enormously, from providing transport or creating an art exhibition to arranging holidays and offering translation services.

Since its creation in 1811, the Charity has always been concerned with the elderly. The past ten years have been no exception. Working with a wide variety of organisations, the Trustees have tried to ensure that elderly people living on limited means or suffering from infirmity have been able to get out and about, socialise and have as active a life as possible.

In many ways a natural extension of work already undertaken, the Charity contributed to various housing schemes for people with special needs. Working with housing specialists, such as Central and Cecil Housing Trust and Richmond Upon Thames Churches Housing Trust, our Trustees are delighted with the progress made. Although the need for specialist housing is far greater than can be met by the Charity's funding, we are making a positive contribution, improving the quality of life for occupants and, in some cases, offering peace of mind to carers.

Helping to care for the sick, convalescent or infirm has been a principal role of the Charity since its inception in 1811. Over the past 18 years the Charity has provided a number of grants to hospitals and hospices, some of which are outside our benefit area yet treat patients from within it. In making such grants, Trustees are kept informed about the numbers of patients from the Borough.

The constructive use of leisure time is an important aspect of life for all ages. The Charity has been able to support a wide range of activities, often with modest sums so that people can come together and enjoy common interests. Our grants have been used to either attract and train people in a particular activity, or to provide better equipment to improve the quality of an activity.

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