Clergy may be eligible to apply for a grant towards the cost of a holiday.
There is a trust fund available within the diocese established in 1972 to administer a gift from Mrs E.B. Howarth. The Trustees are, ex-officio, the Bishop of Worcester, the Bishop of Dudley and the Diocesan Secretary.
Registered Charity No. 502195
The purpose of the Fund is in (using the words from the Trust Deed) “providing holidays for the poor and needy Clergy of the Diocese of Worcester and their families in order that by proper rest they may more effectively promote the worship of God.”
Grants are normally made in line with the following criteria:
- to clergy who are experiencing financial pressure, particularly those with families where the stipend is the only substantial source of household income, and
- at about a third of the total cost of the holiday, and
- the grant is between £250 and £750, usually between £550 and £750.
However these criteria, particularly the first two, have been varied in appropriate circumstances and all cases will be considered.
Because there are currently sufficient funds to do so, the Trustees have suspended the practice of grants not normally being made to the same applicant more frequently than once in every two years.
Applications are usually made via the appropriate archdeacon, who may be asked to comment as a matter of course, but may also be made directly to the Trustees. A letter of application should set out:
- Who is going on the holiday
- Brief description of the holiday
- The estimated total cost of the holiday
- The level of grant requested
- Any other financial support expected for the holiday
- Brief summary of household income
- Brief details of any other holidays taken in the last 12 months or planned in the next 12 months.
The information we use, on the basis of the Trustees’ legitimate interest to do so, to calculate, administer and pay grants will be held for six years following the year of the grant payment. It is necessary that the Trustees share information on a confidential basis with the Worcester Diocesan Board of Finance Limited (the DBF) which processes payments on the Trustees’ behalf. Read the DBF’s Data Privacy Notice. In accordance with the guidance set out in the guide “Save or Delete: The Care of Diocesan Records” the Trustees’ minutes are kept indefinitely.