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Volunteer in high-vis vest planting a sapling in the recreation ground, mud on their gloves, breath visible in the cold morning air
Ashbrook Parish Council · Est. 1894

This Town
Runs On
You.

Your donations fund what the budget can't — the defibrillators, the Christmas lights, the wildflower path along the canal.

Fund Your TownSee where it goes
£4,780
Raised last year
312
Resident donors
6
Projects funded
£5 keeps the noticeboard lit for a month£15 plants two wildflower plugs on the canal path£30 funds one hanging basket on the bridge£60 covers a defibrillator service call£120 pays for the Christmas lights on Market Street for one week
£5 keeps the noticeboard lit for a month£15 plants two wildflower plugs on the canal path£30 funds one hanging basket on the bridge£60 covers a defibrillator service call£120 pays for the Christmas lights on Market Street for one week
Where does my donation actually go?

Last year's spend,
to the penny.

Every pound is voted on in open session. The minutes are published on the noticeboard outside the library and on this page within 48 hours.

Total community spend · 2024–25
£6,800
Raised from 312 resident donors, a bucket collection at the summer fête, and the parish quiz night.
🫀£1,200

Defibrillator Maintenance

3 AED units serviced across the parish — one outside the Co-op, one at the recreation ground, one at the village hall.

25% of total spend
✨£3,400

Christmas Lights

Market Street and the high street junction. Switched on at the annual lantern parade, 1st December.

71% of total spend
🌸£780

Wildflower Seeding

Two stretches along the canal path, totalling 340 metres. Sown in October, bloomed by June.

16% of total spend
📋£220

Noticeboard Lighting

LED uplight on the Market Square noticeboard, keeping planning applications and community notices visible after dark.

5% of total spend
🧹£340

Litter Pick Equipment

Litter pickers, hi-vis vests, and bags for the Tuesday morning volunteer group. 14 regulars. 6am starts.

7% of total spend
🌺£860

Hanging Baskets

29 baskets across the bridge, the war memorial approach, and the library entrance. Planted and watered by the Horticultural Society.

18% of total spend

This year's target: £6,500

We're £1,720 short. The Christmas lights contract renews in September.

Fund the shortfall
Why we need you

The precept covers
the floor,
not the ceiling.

Statutory obligations eat most of the budget before a single hanging basket is ordered. The council can keep the lights on. It can't keep the town alive.

Annual precept allocation
Clerk's salary & NI£22,272
Insurance & audit£4,992
Maintenance obligations£6,912
Discretionary spend£4,224
Top up the discretionary pot
Resident questions
Why can't the council just pay for this?+
The parish precept — the slice of your council tax that comes to us — is set by a government formula that ties increases to a percentage cap. Last year our total precept was £38,400. After statutory obligations (clerk's salary, insurance, audit), roughly £4,200 remains for discretionary spend. That's less than the cost of the Christmas lights alone.→ Fund Your Town
Is this a registered charity?+
Yes. Ashbrook Parish Council is registered with the Charity Commission (No. 4823). All donations are Gift Aid eligible for UK taxpayers. We publish full accounts annually — they're available at the council office on Tuesdays, 9am–12pm, or by email from the clerk.→ Fund Your Town
Can I donate in memory of someone?+
Many residents choose to dedicate a donation to a specific project in memory of a family member. The memorial bench on the recreation ground was funded this way in 2021. Contact the clerk at clerk@ashbrookparish.gov.uk to discuss a named dedication.→ Fund Your Town
What if I can't afford to donate?+
Showing up matters as much as donating. You can attend the monthly open meeting (second Tuesday, 7pm, village hall), join the Tuesday litter pick (6am, meet at the Co-op), or stand for co-option on the council — two seats are currently vacant.→ Fund Your Town
What happens if you don't hit the target?

Specific things
pause.

Not vague "community impact". These four projects. These amounts. These deadlines.

Christmas lights on a British high street at night, warm glow reflecting on wet cobblestones
AT RISK

Christmas Lights — Market Street

£3,400 needed
Contract renews September 2026

Without full funding, the Market Street display returns to the 2018 configuration — just the junction tree. The side-street runs go dark.

£30 funds one week of lightsFund this →
Wildflowers blooming along a canal towpath in summer, purple and yellow blossoms
PAUSED

Canal Path Wildflower Extension

£420 needed
Planting window closes October

The third stretch — from the lock keeper's cottage to the railway bridge — is seeded but unfunded. Without £420 it won't be sown this season.

£15 plants two wildflower plugsFund this →
Volunteer in high-vis vest planting a young tree sapling in a recreation ground on a cold morning
FUNDED

Recreation Ground Sapling Row

Target met
Planting March 2026

Six native oak saplings along the eastern boundary of the recreation ground, donated in memory of Alan Whitmore, groundsman 1979–2018.

Thank you — this one is done.✓ Complete
Weathered wooden park bench beside a stone war memorial in an English churchyard
AT RISK

Memorial Bench Repainting

£180 needed
Before Remembrance Sunday

The oak bench beside the war memorial hasn't been repainted since 2019. The wood is sound; the finish is not. One coat, before November.

£5 buys a tin of preservativeFund this →