It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that on the 26th of May 2026 the Charity Commission granted Charitable Status to Burcot Woodturners. This is a major milestone for the club, and one which we hope will allow us to continue to promote the heritage craft that we all hold dear, as well as protecting the club for future generations.
It seems to have been a long journey to get us to this point. At our AGM in 2025 it was put to the meeting that the club should look into the benefits of applying for Charitable status. There were a number of reasons for taking this step and members at the meeting agreed that it was something that the committee should look into in more detail. Considerable work was undertaken by Tim, Matt and myself to not only identify the pros and cons of such a change, but to also draw up a new constitution for the club which could be put before the members.
In August 2025 we held an Extraordinary General Meeting where we presented our recommendations to members, along with the new constitution. The members voted unanimously to accept both the proposal to apply for charitable status, as well as the new constitution, and we then started the application process. It has taken time as we have been in the hands of the Charity Commission, but they have now rubber stamped our application.
So what does it mean? Becoming a charity will make no difference to the day to day operations of the club and we have no plans to increase subs or meeting fees. We now have 8 trustees, who oversee the committee and make sure that the club achieves the objective in our constitution. If you check out our “Club Officers, Committee and Trustee” page you can see who the club trustees are along with the other officers of the club. You can also find our new constitution under the policies tab.
Whilst we have a committee and trustees, in practice we are all working together for the good of the club and meet together to agree the way forward. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to speak to either myself or anyone from the committee or trustees and we will always listen to what you have to say.
Richard Pinches – Club Chairman
Well done to everyone involved in getting the Club Charity Status we as Members should be proud of our club and the hard work that is put in by members and the Committee to make the Club as great as it is today. Regards John Smith ( President )