On 27th September 2022 friends and supporters of Caleb Lovejoy’s Almshouse Charity attended a reception held at St Nicolas’ Parish Centre, Bury Street in the presence of HM Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Patron of the Charity, Michael More-Molyneux, the Mayor of Guildford Dennis Booth and the High Sheriff of Surrey Christopher Critchlow.
The reception is held annually to celebrate the life (1603 – 1676) of the Charity’s founder Caleb Lovejoy.
During the reception, Roger Musson, chair of the trustees, welcomed all those present and highlighted the significant restoration works that had been carried out during the year. These include restoration of the low walls either side of the front gates and replacement of iron railings on the walls, removed during WW2, to match the new gates installed last year. Roger also spoke of the Charity’s next strategic objective of completely refurbishing the front of the property (including cleaning and re-pointing). This will be a significant cost and his hope is that it will be possible to attract funds by way of grants to bring this to fruition once Tiger Developments construction of 300 apartments on the Plaza Site between the Portsmouth Road and Bury Street site, across the road from the almshouses, is complete.
Michael More-Molyneux, Dennis Booth and Christopher Critchlow inspected the new railings during the reception.
A traditional feature of the reception is a presentation by another charity and this year a compelling talk was given by Misty Bower of the Matrix Charity which supports young people in the Borough. Canapés were provided by the Clink Charity which trains serving prisoners in catering skills and is proven to have a huge impact on lowering reoffending rates.
