We sit alongside, not in front.
Six named partnerships, all local. We do not seek corporate sponsorship; we do not have a Royal patron. The work is done in person and the partnerships are with people we know by first name.
The closest of our local partnerships.
The parish council, chaired since 2023 by a former school governor, and our charity meet informally twice a year. The council leads on civic matters that we do not — the village hall fabric, the flood bank, the play park, the bus stop. We lead on grants to individuals, which they do not. Where the two overlap — for example, when a flood damaged household appliances last February — we co-ordinate at a kitchen table rather than at a committee.
The council makes a small annual discretionary contribution to our Parish Wellbeing Fund (£75 in 2024–25), which it draws from the precept. We are grateful.
Our oldest neighbour.
The Nevile fund was administered by the churchwardens of St Peter's from its origin until the 1964 amalgamation. We continue to meet quarterly with the present churchwarden and, where present, the priest-in-charge. Many of the referrals to Kitchen-Table Grants come, directly or indirectly, from the church congregation.
The annual carol service at St Peter's is co-sponsored by the charity; we pay for the hearing-loop hire and the mulled-wine supplies in the village hall afterwards.
The roof under which most of our work happens.
The village hall, on Royal Oak Lane, is the venue for our quarterly trustee meetings, the monthly trustee surgery, the AGM, and the harvest tea. The hall committee charges us a peppercorn rate for our regular bookings. We contribute toward shared equipment that disabled parishioners need — a portable hearing loop, accessible folding tables, and a set of large-print hymn books for memorial services.
Our route to county-level hardship pools.
The Lincolnshire Community Foundation runs several pooled funds across the county. Their local hardship pool makes a small annual contribution to our Kitchen-Table Grants pot, and we sometimes refer applicants to them when the request is beyond our scope or geography. The relationship is run on a written agreement signed in 2022.
Befriending co-ordination across the parish.
Lincolnshire CVS holds the county-level register of befrienders and provides safeguarding training for our Quiet Hour walkers. Their north-Kesteven co-ordinator attends one trustee meeting a year and helps us keep our safeguarding processes proportionate.
A short walk along Church Lane.
The school's head writes to us once a term with a list of any families who might benefit from a small grant — a school-trip cost, a uniform replacement, a contribution toward a music lesson. We respond within seven days. We do not see family names; we see needs and we trust the head's judgement.
A short enquiry form for prospective partners.
Our trustees discuss partnership enquiries together at their next monthly meeting. Please allow up to four weeks for a considered reply.
Want to read more about how we work?
Our governance page sets out the working pattern in detail.