1924 - 2023 ( 99 Years )
The purpose of this trust is to be able to grant sums of money to both organizations and individuals in the Malton, Norton and surrounding area.
The deed specifies only that they should be 'deserving'. The trustees generally award grants to individuals in the region of £50 - £100.
For further information please contact:-
The Secretary Mrs Christine Grice
The Chairman Canon John Manchester
or
The Vice-Chairman Dr Martin Sleeman
Donations: Should anyone feel that they would like to make a donation to The Simpson's Trust Charity to help in it's endeavours, then please feel free to contact the secretary at any time !
How to donate money to us - without costing you a single penny!
Each time you shop online, you can help by including the Simpsons Trust as your nominated charity via this website:-
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/panel/
Contact
For more information, or to make an application, please contact the secretary:
Christine A M Grice
56 Ryedale Close
Norton
Malton
YO17 9DQ
Tel: 01653 699799
E-mail: pgrice65@btinternet.com
History
‘The Simpson’s Trust’, set up 99 years ago!
What is it?
The Simpson’s Trust is a registered charity who award small grants to deserving, elderly, infirm and those people and families experiencing financial hardship. They need to reside in the Old Malton, Malton, Norton and surrounding area to qualify for financial support.
How did ‘The Trust’ originate?
On the 4th April 1924, a lady by the name of Sarah Elizabeth Simpson of Norton, put aside a sum of money to be managed and invested wisely by a committee of trustees. The present trustees meet regularly to administer requests and decide the amount of money which should be granted.
Examples of grants awarded
Assistance for pupils to attend school educational visits and other essential curricular activities.
Funding of holiday play schemes during the school holidays.
Assistance with nursery fees when parents were incapacitated.
Contribution towards the senior citizens Christmas events.
Various household items for families in difficult circumstances.
Help towards travel costs for those receiving hospital treatment and having to travel long distances.
We wrote to voluntary organizations and health professionals to highlight the existence of The Trust and many requests have been received from this source. It is important to note that we grant small amounts only.
How do I apply?
It is preferable to apply in writing to the Secretary or any of the trustees (whose names can also be found on the Charity Commission Website). However, if the request is urgent, then please contact the secretary, who will contact the other trustees to discuss your request.
Links
The Simpson's Trust Registered with the Charity Commission
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Wilfred Jackson Charitable Will Trust
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Sharing Malton & Norton
https://www.facebook.com/groups/254456195555643/
Morrison’s Malton Community Champions
https://www.facebook.com/Morrisons-Malton-Community-Champion-108822684325262/
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The Simpson's Trust Mentioned Here:-
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The Simpson's Trust on YouTube HERE
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Trustees
Rev. Canon John Manchester (Chairman)
18 Castle Howard Road
Malton
N.Yorks.,
YO17 7AY
Tel: 01653 690671
Dr Martin L Sleeman (Vice Chairman)
Tel: 01653 694168
(msleemanmail@gmail.com)
Mr John Patten (Treasurer)
Mrs Christine Grice (Secretary)
Mrs Helen Morgan
Mr Stephen Preston
Mrs Chloe Meade
Mrs Ann Gordon
Mr Tony Kingston
Information
The next meeting (AGM) is on Wednesday 5th July 2023, 7.00pm, followed by an ordinary meeting,
at 18 Castle Howard Road.
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Registered Charity Number: 505554
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Miscellaneous
Recollections of the Simpson’s Trust !
In 1924 Elizabeth Sarah Simpson left £10,000 to form a trust. The interest was to be used “for the relief and assistance of any old, infirm or poor and necessitous deserving people in or around New Malton, Old Malton, Norton and the surrounding district”. The money was to be invested in 3.5% Consols and the original trustees were Canon Ingham, John William Pounder (a local bank manager) and Arthur Anderson Hall (a local solicitor).
I first joined the Trust about 40 years ago and I imagine the proceedings then were exactly as they had been from the beginning – very simple indeed.
The affairs of the Trust were conducted from the office of G.A. Newey, a solicitor in Old Maltongate, with the actual work falling on a man named Oswald Hollings, who was a clerk in the office. In those days the existence and aims of the Trust were well known. People knew the dates of the next meeting and before that time obtained an application form inviting them to disclose exact details of marital status, number of children, current income etc.
The actual meetings of the trust were always held in the offices of Messrs. Soulby, Hall and Elstone in Yorkersgate, presumably because this was the firm who formed the Trust initially.
In those days there were always only four trustees, each chosen because their occupation associations with which they were connected, or place where they lived, made it likely they would know most of the claimants. Judicious selection of the trustees seemed to aim at close covering of the whole area from which applicants might come.
The meeting always commenced with a summary approval of the minutes of the last meeting. As these consisted entirely of a long list of small payments no one checked them, or indeed was expected to, and the proceedings began with each trustee being given a batch of applications which he was thought to be able to evaluate.
Long periods of silence followed, broken only at intervals by one trustee or another expressing in his own way his opinion of the application he was considering. Eventually decision was reached and we handed our results to the secretary and the meeting ended promptly for all the members except me. As I was readily available the secretary came the next day with something like 150 cheques to be checked against the list and signed. These were then delivered by “HE MAIL” – Mr. Hollings on his bicycle. Most of the recipients, if not all, would not have a bank account, but they all managed in one way or another to “launder” the cash! Although the payments were small – usually 50p (equivalent) and never more than £1, I still meet people who remember how much their Grandparents valued the Simpson’s Trust.
By the mid seventies, however, it became obvious that the trust was out of date – a gift of a cheque for what was by now 50p to relieve hardship was derisory. We therefore decided that in future we would conserve our resources and make worthwhile contributions in the main to organisations who were operating in a similar way, thus benefiting more people, more adequately. At the same time we realised that the original investment still in 3.5% Consols had in fact lost almost half of its value, and that the income which had also remained static, had thereby lost at least half of its purchasing power. It was decided to take the immediate steps to correct this position, and to make this an on-going consideration of the Trust in the future.
In the meantime, the death of Arthur Newey, and the resignation of Mr Hollings forced changes on the Trust. Some of the old Trustees had gone, and one of the successors was Arthur Pearson, then Chief Executive of Ryedale Council. He found us a home in Ryedale Council Offices and a secretary – Margaret Harvey – who competently and quickly re-formed the secretarial arrangements so that they were handed on in a satisfactory form to Joyce Abbey, who then built on and improved the foundations that Margaret had laid, and served the Trust very capably until she retired in 1999. Meanwhile, there being no obvious successor available, Colin Wigglesworth, by now Chairman of the Trustees, undertook the secretarial duties for the time being.
A very rough calculation shows that over the life of the Trust, donations of over £25,000 have been made in accordance with the terms laid down, and that we still have £15,000 of the original £10,000 left.
It seems therefore that the trustees, over the years, can claim with pride (and modesty) that they have carried out their allotted task with fidelity.........
A past donation to Norton County Primary School
Norton CP School said a big thank you to local charity ‘The Simpsons Trust’ following overwhelming summer success for local families.
The Simpsons Trust made a generous donation of £1000 to Norton CP School enabling them to pilot a summer activity programme designed specifically with families in mind.
Head teacher Liz Parker and the schools then Family Support Advisor, Nicky Deamer (who has since left the area), were able to identify families who they thought might benefit from the summer activities. After consultation with families, four different activities were organised and took place during the school summer holidays; Den Building, Willow Weaving, a Treasure Hunt and an Art and Craft session. All the activities were really well attended, great fun and were offered to families free of charge.
The school building was opened up in the holidays to allow all activities to take place in school, with the exception of the treasure hunt which started and finished in school but led families on a walk around Norton following a series of clues. The treasure hunt concluded with a family picnic in the school grounds and a prize giving.
Nicky explained that all the activities were carefully planned to encourage skills such as problems solving, effective listening, working together as a family and communicating with each other. All the sessions emphasised the importance of having fun and spending time together as a family.
Responses from families when asked to complete a questionnaire about the activities included the following comments;
“Fantastic Family sessions, really enjoyed them, they helped us to bond as a family” and “ we both really enjoyed the sessions, we made some things together in the Art and Craft session that we were really proud of for the rest of the holidays”.
Feedback from families has been brilliant and the school is now considering how they can build upon their success. The school are keen to develop their summer activities next year and are seeking sponsorship from local charities who share Norton CP Schools values and commitment towards supporting families in the community.
Headteacher Liz explained that discussions are currently taking place regarding the feasibility of working with another local school next year in the hope that family activities can be offered to a greater number of families in the Norton and Malton area.
The Simpson's Trust Website Flip Book Version available HERE