Dear Parishioners
A Parish Meeting has been called by 12 parishioners (‘the conveners’) to be held in the Village Hall at 7:15 pm on Tuesday 5 March. The convenors have expressed a number of concerns about the work and management of the Charity. Those concerns include:
- The Charity is being run as a large commercial organisation, instead of for the people of Walberswick
- The Trustees operate in a secretive and heavy-handed way
- The meetings of Trustees and minutes are not public
- The Chairman of Trustees exerts undue influence over the Charity
Firstly and most importantly the Trustees deeply regret that there are concerns amongst some members of the community over the work of the Charity. While the Trustees are proud of the achievements of the Charity, they acknowledge that there is always room for improvement in any organisation. The Trustees are looking forward to the Parish Meeting as an opportunity to learn more about those concerns and wherever possible to act upon them.
Secondly, the Trustees are aware that not all conveners of the meeting have been able to attend either the Annual Parish Meetings, at which there is a detailed presentation on the Charity’s activities, or one of the Trustees’ drop-in coffee mornings. Accordingly, the Trustees have sent each convener background reading, taken from those meetings, which they hope will be helpful in understanding the work and policies of the Charity, as well as the rules governing Trustees. You might find that our document Background Reading will be of interest.
Finally the Trustees hope that as many residents as possible will be able to attend the Parish Meeting on 5th March. They look forward to hearing the views of the meeting, whether they be positive or negative. The Charity exists to provide charitable benefit to Walberswick and any feedback is always welcomed by the Trustees if it helps them to do a better job for the community they serve.
Kind regards,
Matthew Wetmore
Clerk to the Trustees