NOTICE OF VILLAGE MEETING

SATURDAY 24 FEB 2018 IN ST MARY’S CHURCH AT 11.30AM.

Since the lease on the Longcot Community Room ended in 2016, the village has had no community space of its own.

The Longcot Community Room Committee (LCRC) set up over 20 years ago, has a charitable bank account which contains a significant sum with which to help create a new Community Room. In parallel, the Longcot 800 (L800) and predecessor groups have raised money for 10 years or more to provide St Mary’s Church with a kitchen and toilet and to allow that building to be used for community events.

It is now planned that the LCRC and L800 are merged to form a new charity titled the LONGCOT VILLAGE TRUST (LVT). A new committee has been formed with 3 trustees and 3 committee members and it is planned that:

• The LCRC charitable fund bank account is taken over by the LVT
• The balance of L800 money is transferred to the LVT

This will mean that the very generous charitable donations made by Longcot residents to the LCRC and L800 will be accounted for in one charitable fund by the LVT treasurer.

This meeting has been called to obtain community approval for the merging of LCRC with L800 and renaming as ‘THE LONGCOT VILLAGE TRUST’ by a vote from Longcot residents over the age of 18 years present at the meeting.

After the vote is taken and the decision determined the meeting will be addressed by the fundraiser appointed by the Longcot 800 Committee. He will describe the fundraising programme planned to obtain the funds with which to construct the new Community Room and facilities in St Mary’s Church.

Please come to this meeting if you are free, to take part in the discussion and the vote. The results will influence campaigns for a wide range of community facilities and events in Longcot, both for you and future generations of Longcot residents.

Coffee/tea and cakes will be available after the meeting.

BACKGROUND NOTE

This note does not form part of the notice

• A copy of the new constitution is available on the Longcot Parish Council website.  Paper copies may be inspected at reasonable times at Downs House, Mallins Lane, Longcot, Faringdon SN7 7TE  and copies can be supplied on request to Keith Reid at that address.
• The lease of the old community room at the school was surrendered in 2016.  The trustees of the Village Hall Committee have been working with other groups in the village to find the best way of using the funds that were received on that occasion for the benefit of the village.
• The constitution of the Village Hall Committee was directed almost entirely at the use of the community room and the committee now consider that the constitution should be substantially changed to allow them to obtain the greatest benefit for the inhabitants of the village.
• This new constitution follows very closely one of the model constitutions of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.