About

The aims of the Thatcham (Old Bluecoat School) Charity are to maintain and preserve the 700 year old Grade 1 Listed building to ensure its continued community use for leisure, recreation and education activities.

The Charity was formed in 2004 by Thatcham residents, led by Bobbie Collins-Wooton, to save the redundant building from being sold at public auction by the then owners: West Berkshire Council. Ownership of the building was transferred to Thatcham Town Council in 2004, who granted the OBS Charity a 99 year lease to run the building.

The Charity is almost entirely run by volunteers and we rely on hiring fees and donations to run and refurbish the building.

The Thatcham (Old Bluecoat School) Charity is a Company limited by Guarantee. Registered Company number 05229774 (England and Wales).

The Charity is governed by Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 13th September 2004 and is registered with the Charity Commission. Registered Charity number 1106343.

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How you can help

There are several ways you can help. Please contact us if any of the following interest you.

1. Join the team of Trustees

Principally our need is for more people to help with the running of the Charity.

There are vacancies for Trustees, who will also become Directors of the Company. Apart from the official roles such as Company Secretary and Treasurer, the small committee is informal and flexible in approach. We have not designated any particular roles for individual Trustees, and Trustees can contribute as their interest’s suit. The Trustees meet once every two months and have the collective authority to spend the Charity’s money and to agree Policy.

Trustees are elected for a term of three years, but may step down at any time.

2. Providing an attractive space for our Hirers.

This can be anything from: basic tidying up and cleaning (although our Hirers are generally very good about leaving the room tidy afterwards), to opening up and locking up for Hirers who don’t hold keys. We sometimes set up tables and chairs for bookings, or assist in providing refreshments. The open nature of our car park results in a constant need to pick up litter. Fortunately, the grass is cut by our landlord, Thatcham Town Council.

3. Maintaining the building and carpark

This is basically DIY. Although we call in professionals for critical tasks such as electrical work, we can save our limited funds by doing as much as possible ourselves. Typical DIY jobs we do are changing lightbulbs, repairing the door lock, repairing minor damage and small scale repainting. Sometimes someone is needed to wait at the OBS to let in contactors e.g. B.T.

4. Donating Money

We do not receive any funding to run the OBS. The Trustees are unpaid, and do not claim expenses.

The fees from our hirers allow us to run on a break-even basis, so any donations toward the preservation or improvements to our 700 year old Grade 1 Listed building are gratefully appreciated.

You can donate by cheque, Bank Transfer or Standing Order. We are unable to accept Credit or Debit card payments.

Please use our Gift or Donation form, which includes an optional Gift Aid Declaration.