Michael and Christine Foulger Charitable Trust

Michael and Christine Foulger

Michael and Christine Foulger lived from 1967-2011 in Caldecott at Haleworth, the house they built together. On moving into the parish, Michael quickly got involved with most of the organisations in the Village.

He joined the Parish Council in 1967 and served as a Councillor for an unbroken 44 years until 2011. He served as Chairman from 1976-1986, 1991, 1994, 1995. He also served as Clerk for 4 years in 1994-1996 and in 2001.

He became one of the Church Wardens in 1968 and held that post for 39 years until 2007. He then continued to serve as a member of the Parochial Church Council until 2012. He also served as a Trustee of the Friends of St John the Baptist Charity from its founding until he left the Village in 2012 to move into residential care following Christine's death.

On election as one of the Church Wardens, Michael became a Trustee of the Educational Foundation of Abigail Bailey and Ann Levett, the Trust that owned the old Chelveston School Building and School House next door. He served as a Trustee and Clerk for that organisation for 42 years until his stroke in 2010.

Michael was part of a group that founded the Chelveston Village Hall Association in 1972, after the collapse of the old Chelveston Village Institute building next to JST in the snow in 1970. This new charity took out a lease on the old Chelveston School building to create a new Village Hall. Michael served as Trustee, Clerk and Caretaker of Chelveston Village Hall for 38 years until his stroke in 2010.

Michael was also involved in the Neale Charity and the Wyldes Charity until they were wound up in 2003.

Christine Foulger worked full time and began her public service a little later than Michael. Nevertheless, she was President of the Chelveston-cum-Caldecott Women's Institute for 30 years until Michael's stroke and her ill health forced her to step back from the role.

She was heavily involved in all the social events organised by the Chelveston Village Hall Association and lead the Millenium Garden project at the Village Hall to create a new garden to the rear.

Christine will always be remembered for her passion for gardening which lead her to plant snowdrops and aconites in the Churchyard. Over the years she tended these carefully and divided them repeatedly to create swathes of flowers which now carpet the Churchyard in the spring. Through word of mouth, people visited from far and wide to see the spectacle and this became the now annual "Snowdrop Weekend", usually held on the second or third weekend of February. This fixture in the calendar now raises more than £5,000 each year for the upkeep of the Church.

Christine died on 12th March 2012 and Michael died on 4th October 2015.

In his will Michael left the bulk of his estate to his Executors and Trustees, Adrian Dale and Mark Hunter, on trust that they used the legacy to create the Michael and Christine Foulger Charitable Trust. This organisation will endeavour to support the types of projects in the Village with which Michael and Christine would have been involved.