£20,000 awarded to local good causes

Many Ditchling residents will be familiar with the land around Lodge Hill and the workshops as you head north out of the village, but fewer know how they are linked and how they contribute to the vitality of our local organisations.

Both the workshops and the land where Lodge Hill is situated, as well as the Community Orchard in Boddingtons Lane, are owned by a charitable trust, the Turner-Dumbrell Foundation. Income from the grazing and the workshops is used to make grants to local organisations that meet the Foundation’s charitable purpose. In the past five years alone, it has awarded grants totalling more than £70,000 to local causes, and its history of giving dates back to its formation in 1980s.

The foundation was founded in 1983 by Dr Richard Turner who was left North End Farm, including Lodge Hill and adjoining land, by Mary Dumbrell. Her wish was that it should be used for the public benefit.

Lodge Hill is maintained as private grazing land with permission to the general public to walk and exercise on 364 days of the year. This is in accordance with Dr Turner’s belief that exercise in a green environment contributes to the prevention of heart disease. The workshops were converted from redundant farm buildings of North End Farm with the purpose of providing space for local people engaged in art or craft work or who are in business for the first time.

The foundation invites applications for grants every March and the trustees decide on the outcome at their annual general meeting in the summer. This year the foundation agreed to make grants totalling £20,000 to the following:

• Beacon Parish for upkeep and maintenance of St Margaret’s churchyard;
• FPTA of Ditchling Primary School towards the cost of a fire pit shelter and pond maintenance;
• 2^nd Ditchling Guides for equipment;
• Ditchling Pavilion Club for upgrading facilities;
• The Monday Group for annual fixed costs of footpath maintenance;
• Ditchling Scouts Group for equipment;
• The Old Meeting House (Ditchling) Trust for refurbishment;
• Oldland Mill to install electrics;
• Ditchling Cricket Club for equipment;
• Ditchling Horticultural Society for the marquee for the 250^th anniversary event.

If you would like to find out more about the Turner-Dumbrell Foundation there is additional information on the website, www.turner-dumbrell.org

or you can contact the secretary by email at secretary@turner-dumbrell.org