News - September 2016

Heritage Open Days

Watts Almshouses were open to the public on the weekend of the Heritage Open Days (10/11 September). The openings attracted over two hundred visitors across the weekend.  Visitors had the opportunity to read the latest information researched about the founder Richard Watts on display in the Board Room, tour the site, visit some almshouses and buy refreshments.  Key to the success of the weekend was the involvement of residents in all aspects of the event.

Area of Benefit

Richard Watts Charities have received official Charity Commission approval to change our area of benefit to tie it in to the post code boundaries ME1 and ME2.  Up until now, Richard Watts Charities operated within the boundary of the original City of Rochester which includes Rochester and urban Strood. The area included most but not all ME1 and ME2 postcodes.  From a practical point of view, this did not make promoting Richard Watts Charities very easy as people did not relate to the old description of the area of benefit.  All other existing criteria for eligibility remain the same as the existing scheme.