MANAGERS OF STELLING MINNIS COMMON

 AND STELLING MINNIS CHARITABLE TRUST

 

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Cattle on the Common

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Contact the Managers of Stelling Minnis Common & Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust

Contact: John Haffenden e-mail: wwilsonhaffenden@btinternet.com

Stelling Minnis Common is privately owned.

 

 

The links on the left are to pages relating to Stelling Minnis Common.  Not all are provided by the Managers of Stelling Minnis Common and Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust

 

The Common is located within Stelling Minnis.

 

 

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

Who are the Managers and Charitable Trust.

View Byelaws of Stelling Minnis Common

Friends of Stelling Minnis Common (FOSM)
New residents guide 2020

Constitutional Structure

Read Minutes of meetings of the Managers of Stelling Minnis Common

Reporting Vehicles on Stelling Minnis Common

Reporting damaged or dangerous trees on Stelling Minnis Common

The Stelling Minnis Common Management Plan 2006

Read about the History and mystery of the Minnises

Commons act 2006

Fencing proposals 2016

 

 

The Minnis Managers and their responsibilities are:


John Haffenden              Chairman and mowing

 

Gillian Baldwin               )

Ivor Champion               )   Grazing

 

Chris Wells                     School Liaison

          

Jeremy Speakman            )   Trees, Scrub, Nesting Boxes and Surveys

            

Peter Fry                      )      Dormouse boxes

 

Mike Hamilton                 )   Historical Society

  

Secretary -  Ann-Sofi Speakman

Treasurer - Ann Day (Also Stelling Minnis Parish Council representative)

The current trustees of Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust are - Gillian Baldwin, Ivor Champion, John Gifford, Roy Griffin , Mike Hamilton and John Haffenden (Parish Council representative & trustee). The trust authorises all expenditure and is a registered charity.              

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STELLING MINNIS: THE CONSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE

 

The Mangers of Stelling Minnis

The Managers of Stelling Minnis are authorised by the trustees of the will of the Rt Hon Baron Tomlin of Ash, as Lords of the Manor and freeholders, ("the Owners") to exercise the Minnis management powers of the Owners for a number of identified purposes. The authority to act is terminable on written notice.

 

The authority of the Owners is granted to the Managers by letter authorising named individuals to form a Board of Management, collectively described as the Managers of Stelling Minnis Common, to exercise on their behalf their powers of management of the Minnis for the following purposes only:

 

1.      To carry out the day to day management of the Minnis.

2.     To discuss and agree management plans for the Minnis and, subject to the approval of the Owners, to implement the same.

3.     To receive, hold and expend grant and other monies for the purpose of protecting and conserving the Minnis.

4.    To act as the representatives of the Owners in protecting and conserving the Minnis including the rights of the Commoners and the public.

5.    To alert the Owners to any encroachments with which they are unable to deal locally and to give details of any planning applications which cause them concern for whatever reasons.

 

The Owners have not authorised any other body to appoint a representative Manager, nor would that be appropriate given that the role of the Managers is to act in certain defined respects on their behalf. The position in relation to the Charitable Trust is different, as to which see below.

 

The Owners are always willing to appoint as Managers, individuals who wish to participate in the protection and conservation of the Minnis. Anyone interested should speak in the first instance to one of the existing Managers.

 

The Managers are not authorised by the Owners to grant easements or other rights over or in relation to the Minnis. Any person wishing to acquire or confirm any such rights should contact Charles Gooch at the address given in the New residents guide - click here to view

 

The Charitable Trust

 

The Minnis Management Board is distinct from the Stelling Minnis Charitable Trust. The Charitable Trust was constituted by the Owners by a deed dated 18/3/94, with the object of holding the trust fund and its income on trust "to apply the same for the preservation protection and improvement of Stelling Minnis and the recreational use and enjoyment thereof all for the public benefit".

 

The Trust Deed provides for seven trustees, four (described as the Freeholders Trustees) to be appointed by the Lords of the Manor for the time being and one each (described as the Representative Trustees) to be appointed by the Parish Council, the Commoners' Association and the Friends of Stelling Minnis. The Deed names the Freeholders Trustees as Graham Carter, Ronald Champion, Norman Dale and Judith Baker, the Parish Council Trustee as Paul Murray, the Commoners' Association Trustee as Kenneth Starr and the Friends of Stelling Minnis Trustee as John Gifford.

 

The Trust Deed provides for each Representative Trustee and one of the four Freeholder Trustees to be replaced or re-appointed annually. There are at present 4 trustees Gillian Baldwin, Peter Brocklebank, Ivor Champion, and John Gifford.

 

The Charitable Trust was established to facilitate the raising and expenditure of money for the benefit of the Minnis. It is to be noted: (a) that the Minnis is not an asset of the Charitable Trust and (b) that the Charity Trustees are not empowered in that capacity to manage the Minnis, nor are they empowered to appoint the Managers. In practice, although several of the same individuals fulfil both functions, the Charity Trustees have exercised their power to expend the trust monies by making grants to the Managers to enable them to exercise their powers under the letters of authority given by the Owners.

 

It is important to keep in mind the legal distinctions between the position of the Managers and the position of the Charity Trustees. Although it is to be hoped that their interests will never diverge, the duties of a Charity Trustee to apply the trust fund in accordance with the charitable objects are not the same as the duties of the Managers to manage the Minnis on behalf of the Owners.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY MANAGERS OF STELLING MINNIS COMMON

MAY 2005

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REPORTING VEHICLES ON THE MINNIS

 

Kent County Council have established a Public Right of Way (PROW) team to monitor and manage the problem of cars & motor cycles riding "Off Road", the number to phone is 01227 762055 to report any off road offence.  It is ILLEGAL to ride any motorised vehicle on a footpath or bridleway. Motor Bikes and Cars have been driven on the Minnis, causing damage, as well as being a threat to walkers and pets. 

Please also let the Managers of Stelling Minnis Common have details of the information passed onto the Police. (e-mail:  ;)

 

To users of the Minnis, please exercise care – damage takes so long to repair.

 

Click here to view the Minnis Byelaws

 

Click here to view the new residents guide 2020

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REPORTING DAMAGED OR DANGEROUS TREES ON THE MINNIS

When you are out on the Minnis, walking or riding (horses) and notice any tree damage that could endanger the safety of people please let one of the Managers know or contact the Chairman (e-mail: wwilsonhaffenden@btinternet.com).

 

 

 

 


 

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The content of this page is not the direct responsibility of Stelling Minnis Parish Council, it is provided as a community service,

 

Page designed and produced for Stelling Minnis Parish Council by Nick Smith  - 25 January 2009

 

Web site url and hosting facilities provided by Simon Wood of Terabyte Computing Ltd

 

Revised 12 Feb 2024