The Pennycress Trust

Quick Stats

• Registered Charity: 261536
• Annual Income: £79,350 (2024)
• Annual Expenditure: £103,320 (2024)
• Application Method: No public application process - discretionary trustee grants
• Geographic Focus: Preference for Cheshire and Norfolk
• Beneficiary Type: Smaller charities

Contact Details

Administrator Contact:

• Email: nwestcott@westcottwills.co.uk
• Phone: 07941069823
• Administered by: Westcott Wills, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

Registered Address:

16 Beldams Gate, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 5RN

Charity Commission: View on Charity Commission Register

Overview

The Pennycress Trust is a private grant-making trust established in 1970, operating under a trust deed dated June 16, 1970. With an annual expenditure of approximately £103,320 (2024), the trust focuses on supporting smaller charities with a particular preference for organizations operating in Cheshire and Norfolk. The trust is governed by three trustees who exercise discretionary powers in selecting charitable beneficiaries, and it operates without paid staff or public application processes. The trust's connection to the Cholmondeley family, who have historic seats at both Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire and Houghton Hall in Norfolk, reflects its dual geographic focus. The trust is administered through Westcott Wills, a professional estate planning firm in Bishop's Stortford.

Funding Priorities

Grant-Making Approach

The Pennycress Trust operates with broad discretionary powers. According to its governing document, trustees can support “any charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees shall... in their absolute discretion at any time or from time to time by deed revocable or irrevocable appoint.”

Priority Areas

• Primary Focus: Smaller charities requiring financial support
• Geographic Preference: Charities operating in Cheshire and Norfolk
• Discretionary Scope: While preference is given to the specified regions, trustees have discretion to support other charitable purposes
• Historic Beneficiaries: The trust is listed as a support organization by the National Churches Trust, suggesting church-related projects may be within their funding remit

Beneficiary Size

The trust explicitly focuses on “smaller charities,” suggesting they aim to support organizations that may benefit most from relatively modest grants and where their funding can make a meaningful impact.

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Governance and Leadership

Current Trustees

Rose Cholmondeley

• Appointed: January 2, 2013
• Also serves as trustee of The Chopin Society
• Connected to the Cholmondeley family with historic ties to both Cheshire (Cholmondeley Castle) and Norfolk (Houghton Hall)

Charles George Cholmondeley

• Also connected to the Cholmondeley family
• Date of appointment not specified in public records

Priscilla Dicketts

• Appointed: October 25, 2017
• No other trustee positions on public record

Administrative Support

The trust is administered by Nicola Westcott of Westcott Wills, a qualified non-practicing solicitor specializing in estate planning and will writing. Westcott Wills was established in 2012 and is based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.

Trustee Remuneration

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trust operates with no paid employees.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Pennycress Trust does not operate a public application process. This is a private discretionary trust where trustees proactively identify and select beneficiaries based on their own knowledge, research, and networks.

The trust's governing document gives trustees “absolute discretion” in selecting charitable beneficiaries, which means:

• There are no application forms or formal submission processes
• Grants are awarded based on trustee initiative and discretion
• Organizations cannot formally apply for funding
• Decisions are made internally by the three trustees

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded at the discretion of trustees rather than through an application review cycle.

Application Success Factors

While there is no formal application process, organizations that align with the trust's profile would typically demonstrate:

• Regional Impact: Strong presence and recognized work in Cheshire or Norfolk communities
• Small Scale Excellence: Evidence of effective operations as a smaller charity where modest grants create significant impact
• Heritage or Church Connections: Given the trust's listing with the National Churches Trust, organizations involved in preserving churches or supporting faith-based community work may have natural alignment
• Professional Reputation: Recognition within professional charitable networks in the preferred geographic regions

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Not Application-Based: This trust does not accept applications. Organizations cannot formally apply for funding through any public process.

• Geographic Alignment Critical: The trust's preference for Cheshire and Norfolk is tied to the trustees' family connections to these regions through historic estates.

• Small Charity Focus: The trust specifically targets smaller charities, suggesting they seek opportunities where relatively modest grants can make meaningful differences.

• Discretionary Decision-Making: With absolute discretion granted to trustees, funding decisions are based on trustees' own priorities, knowledge, and networks rather than competitive application processes.

• Professional Administration: The involvement of Westcott Wills suggests professional management, though the trust itself operates without staff.

• Broad Charitable Remit: While focused on smaller charities in preferred regions, trustees technically have discretion to support any charitable purpose, providing flexibility in their grant-making.

• Relationship-Driven: Success in receiving funding from this trust would depend on being known to trustees through reputation, networks, or regional presence rather than through formal proposals.

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• Lord Leverhulme's Charitable Trust
• Bathgate Charitable Trust
• THE DR SHEILA MILLAR-DANKS CHARITABLE TRUST
• The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust
• The Ursula Keyes Trust
• Bain Charitable Trust
• The Geoffrey Watling Charity
• Brian Wilson Charitable Trust
• The Holroyd Foundation
• The Charles Littlewood Hill Trust

References

• https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/261536
• Accessed: January 28, 2026

• https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/261536/trustees
• Accessed: January 28, 2026

• https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/support-organisations/pennycress-trust
• Accessed: January 28, 2026

• https://findthatcharity.uk/orgid/GB-CHC-261536
• Accessed: January 28, 2026

• https://westcottwills.co.uk/about/
• Accessed: January 28, 2026

• http://opencharities.org/charities/261536
• Accessed: January 28, 2026