Worcester Municipal Charities to grant £86,791 to community charities

The organisation, established in 1559, recently had its annual meeting for 2024 and announced plans to grant a combined £86,791.

Chairman, Paul Griffith MBE, explained that the proposed grants are generated from the charity's constitutional requirement to allocate 12 per cent of its net income towards educational endeavours.

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Recipients of this year's grants include the Tudor House Museum, the John Palmer Educational Foundation, Dancefest and All Sorts of Performing Arts.

Dancefest has been allocated £20,494 specifically for dance areas in social housing sectors of Worcester.

The most substantial grant, amounting to £42,944, has been designated to the Tudor House Museum to finance its two curatorial staff who along with approximately 50 volunteers, manage it as a free-entry heritage museum under the umbrella of the Worcester Heritage & Amenity Trust (WHAT).

In 2008, due to financial constraints, the City Council had considered closing the museum and selling it for commercial use.

However, WHAT proposed to manage the museum and subsequently, the Worcester Municipal Charity furnished initial capital to purchase a 125-year lease from the council, which has been operating for 16 years.

Recognising its outstanding charitable achievements, the city council in 2023 awarded a new 999-year lease, free of charge, ensuring its continued operation.

The John Palmer Educational Foundation, established in 1628 by the Worcester resident, also received a grant worth £1,120, after his will gifted £120 to the Worcester Corporation.

Almost 400 years on, Worcester Municipal Charities, which inherited the grant, has given the donation back, adjusted for inflation with interest added, which will be used to help the Suckley community.

All Sorts of Performing Arts will receive £16,233, as well as a rent-free community facility valued at £6,000 annually.