Speaker Margaret Vincent 15th October 2021 - The Chesham Sick Poor Fund

Margaret is Trustee and Administrator of the Chesham Sick Poor Fund with whom she has worked in a voluntary capacity for14 years.  The charity has its roots in Victorian Chesham when a District Nurse was appointed, paid out of public donations and subscriptions. The nurse recognised that poor health and poverty were so intertwined that they collected monies to fund “bedding, clothing, medical comforts, coal and food to ameliorate the abject living conditions of some individuals and families. By 1939 there were four district nurses.  The fund became a registered Charitable Trust in 1957, still aiming to reach beneficiaries who live in the Chesham Area, who have low income and experience ill health or disability, individually or within the family. 

Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic affecting every aspect of lives, the Charity has had to adopt new ways of working with its referral agencies – Citizens Advice, Homeless Charities, Social Services and others, who have not had face to face contact with people so the identification of needy people has not been straightforward. Not least the difficulty of not being able to give cash into people’s hands -those in greatest need tend not to have manageable bank accounts.

Margaret has widened her contact base and approached schools directly during lockdown, introducing the Fund as a local charity and offering grants to help disadvantaged pupils and their families with the costs of school clothing, school materials and equipment including digital devices.  The Fund provided a block grant for 12 tablets for pupils with no means of participation in online learning during lockdown, for one Chesham school, and other small family grants.

The Fund has raised over £50,000 from six annual golf days, plus many generous donations over the past fourteen years from a wide variety of individuals, local companies and organisations including Chesham Rotary. 

The money collected has provided the wherewithal to fund charitable payments. Support workers in the referral organisations make applications on behalf of their clients which means that all cases are fully verified and the need genuine. The award given to each beneficiary of around £183 on average during the pandemic year for example, has proved to be a vital lifeline to many. Additionally, Christmas donations were made available, helping with small grants and hampers. 

Margaret explained with case studies how the pandemic has impacted the lives of local vulnerable and disadvantaged people - loss of earnings, the benefit system under strain resulting in delays in universal credit, children at home and other pressures, and rising cases of domestic violence, all contributing to a deterioration in physical and mental health.  

Questioning was lively with Margaret defending the retention of the Fund’s name in that it was a recognition of its original founding aims, and discussion on the wide disparity of living conditions within the Chesham and surrounding Chiltern area.

Members expressed their respect for Margaret’s commitment to the local community, and for the charity’s outstanding achievements.