The Louisa Powell’s Almshouse Charity consists of five one-bedroom houses which are built on land situated in Corve Street, Ludlow the land being gifted on the 12th May 1877 by Louisa Powell and Francis Richard Southern for the benefit of the Parishes of Diddlebury and Stanton Lacy. The houses were developed in 1878.

The persons to be chosen to occupy each of the Almshouses shall be any person who, or whose spouse is or has been, in the opinion of the trustees, engaged substantially and for a substantial period in agriculture or in associated occupation in the Parish of Diddlebury or the Parish of Stanton Lacy or in any parish adjoining either of these parishes. This has been widened to include people in Need.

There should be 3 ex officio Trustees, 2 nominated Trustees and 1 co-opted Trustee.The ex-officio trustees will be the vicar and churchwardens for the time being of the ecclesiastical parish of St Peter’s Diddlebury (if no vicar or church wardens can be any member of the team ministry or churchwardens of the Parish).

Nominated Trustees: one members nominated by Diddlebury Parish Council and one member nominated by Stanton Lacy Parish Council (they do not necessarily have to be Parish Councillors.

And finally a co-opted Trustees nominated by the Trustees.

CE Williams has been Clerk to the Trustees for the last five years after the South Shropshire Housing Association relinquished management of the Almshouses. The current Chairman is Mr N Holcombe and Trustees The Reverend John Beesley, Dr V Klein and Mr P Williams – Mr K Worthington has recently stood down.

The Quorum for the Trust is two and the Trustees endeavour to have two meetings a year.

If you would like to find out more about the Almshouses contact Mr Williams on cewilliams1@btinternet.com