Mendlesham Community Charity Update - December 2022

As the year draws to a close, we send you best wishes for the festive season.

Times are indeed challenging, but we live in a beautiful part of the world in a very lovely community and we are pleased to be planning good things for 2023. If you have an initiative to raise funds or provide support to enhance the lives of those in our community, please let us know. Just go to the Parish Website and look for our page or Google ‘Mendlesham Community Charity’ and download, complete and return the application form to a Trustee. Or just give us a ring, details below.

We are uncertain which date our Street Fair 2023 will be on as we wait the news about the bank holiday date to celebrate the Coronation of The King – but we will still have one! The application for a Temporary Street Closure Order in respect of Old Market Street will go in during December for the first bank holiday in May 2023. Meanwhile we are developing the plans to make the event even better than before. We have listened to feedback and need your help to implement the changes. John Player has started the plans and we are sorry that, due to personal circumstances, he has had to step down as Master of Ceremonies and the Co-ordinator. Could you fill his shoes? Contact me, Judith, to find out more. We are also seeking help with Marketing and Sponsorship, Marshalls for Car Parking, running the Draw Prize and Managing the Stall Holders. Could you help?

A big thank you to the volunteers who are leading the plans for the entertainment, the food stalls and a food market, traffic and people management and the booking system. Many hands make light work and we’d love you to join in.

If you are an organisation that would like to participate in the event to help raise your own profile and funds, please let us know.

Happy New Year MCC Trustees

Mendlesham Community Charity Update - November 2022

Annual Report 2022 

At the Annual General Meeting, held on 26 September, which was open to everyone, Judith and the 4 other trustees (Sally, Teresa, Andrew and Letitia) presented the achievements of the past 12 months.

From amending the MCC Constitution and reviewing all the associat- ed Policies and Procedures to raising funds to support our community, the charity is now in good shape to continue the work started so many years ago. We are financially sound, enabling us to put on a Guy Fawkes Night on Sunday 6 November and bring the return of the Street Fayre on 01 May 2023, as well as continuing to support village activi- ties. Our audited accounts stood at a total of £12,191.12 of which £2,407.26 is held in reserve.

If you would like to support the MCC, attend our general meetings, and hear directly from the Board of Trustees, then please get in touch and we will add you to our Volunteer Members Database.

If you would like to put on an event for people to enjoy and raise funds for the future or have a community project or activity you would like us to support, please contact us. We have an Event Planner/Support application form and can provide guidance for running events.

As always we thank our Newsletter Teams for producing and deliver- ing the newsletter to every house, our 50:50 shop team and Village Tote team for giving us the pleasure of participating and raising funds. Thanks also go to Mark Brennan Co-opted Trustee to help with our IT projects (including a new website) and John Player who is working closely with us to run the Street Fayre.

At the meeting, in line with our Constitution, following a lively interaction about the MCC activities, those present were asked to vote on retaining the current trustees for another year. It was unanimously carried. Thank you for the support.

Mendlesham Community Charity Update - October 2022

As autumn approaches, the Mendlesham Community Charity can truly say that it is back on a firm footing. Thank you to everyone involved. So many exciting things ahead!

We are upgrading our Newsletter to a more modern look whilst still providing information and on village activities and organisation. Did you know that the first Newsletter was produced in 1981? It has been in continuous production ever since.

Whilst the cost of producing the newsletter is mainly covered by income from advertising, this year we have invested in an IT program to enable our editor, Gemma Green, to improve the layout. Behind the scenes the Newsletter Team and Distributors continue to work together to bring you a copy right to your door, and for that we give them a HUGE thank you.

We have our own website! It will include information as in the paper newsletter and much more besides. We are grateful to Mark Brennan who produced it in conjunction with the Newsletter Team and the MCC Trustees. Mark, Thank you.

Volunteer Members and Supporters are now registered on a database, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Act. Volunteers are covered by the MCC insurance – from Trustees to newsletter deliverers, tote collectors, the 50:50 Shop team and event organisers. Thank you to everyone for volunteering and supporting the MCC.

The Street Fair is back! John Player is co-ordinating a team of volunteers to bring to a new look Fair on 01 May for us all to enjoy and as well as raise funds for the MCC, participating stall holders, village organisations and groups. If you would like to help, please contact John on 07747 592899 or contact a trustee for further information.

The Street Fair is the main source of fund raising for our community after the 50:50 Shop and the Tote. If you would like to help us run the traditional Pancake Races and Guy Fawkes Night or put on a Community Picnic, Live Music or any other event, please step forward and contact a member of the Board of Trustees.

To support fundraising events, we provide insurance cover, management of risk and can loan equipment such as bunting, tables, chairs, glasses and a throne! All items owned by the MCC are being upgraded and stored in one place for loaning out. If you need anything, just contact us.

And finally, if you need support for a community initiative, let us know. We currently support the Meet Up Monday Café, have provided start-up costs for community groups and most recently provided funds for a PVC Greenhouse for Mason Court Residents

We need 2 more Trustees! Want to join us? Contact any of us to find out more

Mendlesham Community Charity Update - August 2022

The role of a trustee is to oversee the work of the charity they are engaged with. The purpose of the Mendlesham Community Charity is to raise funds and use them to enhance our community. We do that by supporting the many volunteers who run events. For example, only recently we celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and had such fun at the Picnic in Mendlesham Green and the Big Lunch in Mendlesham. On a regular basis teams of volunteers run the 50:50 Shop, run the Tote and produce and deliver this Newsletter.

Behind the scenes, to support these events and to manage the funds available, the trustees ensure that policies and procedures are in place, risk assessments completed and all the volunteers are insured.

There are 5 Trustees and we are now looking for two more. Could you join us? We meet for 2 hours once a month and spend a few hours a month planning and preparing things. All you need is some good old fashioned common sense, a desire to support the community and, if you have a particular skill, expertise or life experience that you think would make a contribution, you would make a good Trustee.

Download an application form from the webpage on the parish website complete and email via the "Contact Us" link below.

It would be great to have you on board! 

Applications will be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting on Monday 26 September 2022 at the School Community Hall 7.30pm.

Updates from other years - News Blogs page