Freddie van Mierlo at the Cloisters
On Friday 17th July, we were delighted to welcome Freddie van Mierlo, Liberal Democrat MP for Henley-on-Thames, to our annual Residents’ Service. When the Charity was first established in the 15thcentury, residents were required to attend church four times per day, to pray for the souls of Alyce and William de la Pole, the founders and benefactors of the Charity. Today, we are not so stringent, but once a year we invite all Residents and Trustees to join with us in a service of remembrance and thanksgiving to the de la Poles. This year, Freddie joined us to get a glimpse of the almshouse ‘model’: that special combination of community, tradition and affordable living within the beautiful setting of the historic Cloisters, which for 600 years has been providing homes to those in need. Freddie’s visit also gave Trustees and staff the opportunity to talk with him about the unique role almshouses play in affordable housing provision within Oxfordshire, and of the Charity’s plans to expand its almshouses to enable it to meet housing need more widely.
