WARWICKIANS are being invited to honour one of the town’s greatest benefactors.
The annual Thomas Oken’s Feast takes place on Friday January 26 after a service for the public in St Mary’s Church.
The trustees of the charity, which bears the name of the 16th century benefactor, hope as many townspeople as possible will attend the service, which begins at 7pm.
Charity chairman Clive Mason said: “It’s a wonderful service that is held in accordance with Thomas Oken’s wishes and everyone in the town is invited to come and enjoy the music and hymns.”
The evening will begin with the traditional parade of trustees, dignitaries and townspeople from the Court House to the church, led by Mr Mason and the Warwick mayor Stephen Cross, and closes with the annual feast in the Guild Hall at the Lord Leycester Hospital, where the speakers will include the mayor, town clerk Jayne Topham, King’s High School headmaster Richard Nicholson and trustee Terry Brown.
One of Warwick’s oldest charities, the Charity of Thomas Oken and Nicholas Eyffler was founded in 1571. Today it owns 14 alms houses in Castle Hill and Bowling Green Street and makes significant grants most years for ‘relief in need’ in the town.
Recent grants have included the South Warwickshire Foundation Trust for a three-year Enhanced GP Care at Home Programme, in conjunction with the King Henry Vlll, Warwick United, Warwick Provident, Warwick Relief in Need charities and the Myton Hospice for the Night Hospice at Home programme. Other grants have been made to The Lord Leycester Hospital and Warwick Apprenticing Charity.
