Grants for essentials
Help for individuals and families on a low income, and for disabled residents.
- Household essentials and white goods
- Disability equipment and home adaptations
- Community Lifeline alarms
- Grants for local organisations
Cottenham United Charities
Neighbours helping neighbours in Cottenham, since 1671.
If money is tight, a fridge has died or a home needs adapting, we can help. We give grants to Cottenham residents in need, look after seven historic almshouse homes and let the village allotments on Rampton Road.
- Treated in confidence
- Free to apply
- Open all year round
Little London almshousesRampton Road, Cottenham, c.1911
How we can help
Three ways we support the village
Everything we do is for people who live in the Parish of Cottenham and for groups active in the village. Choose where you'd like to start.
Almshouse homes
Seven homes in our listed, Tudor-style almshouses on Rampton Road, renovated in 2007.
- Built in 1853 on the Little London site
- Modernised for comfortable living
- Managed by local trustees
Village allotments
Keep fit, feed the family and enjoy the company of fellow growers on Rampton Road.
- Plots let throughout the year
- Rent helps fund our grants
- Simple online enquiry
Grants
A little help, when it matters most
When something essential breaks or a disability makes daily life harder, you shouldn't have to go without. We can consider applications at any time of year.
Recent grants have helped local people with:
- A fridge freezer
- A wardrobe and drawers
- An electric riser recliner chair
- Adapting a disabled person's home
- Community Lifeline alarm costs
Prefer to talk it through first? Send us a message and a trustee will get back to you.
How it works
Fill in the online form
It's quick and simple. Once you submit, we'll email you a copy for your records.
Trustees review in confidence
Your information is only used to assess your application. Nobody else sees it.
We help with the cost
Support can be a grant of money or a payment towards the item, service or facility you need.
Can I apply?
- You live in the Parish of Cottenham
- You're on a low income, disabled, or facing hardship or distress
- Or you run an organisation that's active in the village
Christmas support for local families
Each year our Christmas grants reach around 50 Cottenham residents on a low income. If things are difficult this winter, please get in touch.
Almshouses
Seven homes with 170 years of history
Our almshouses on Rampton Road were rebuilt in 1853 in Tudor style, with a central tower and two wings. Fully modernised in 2007, they provide affordable, secure homes for people in Cottenham.
- Run by local trustees who know the village
- Members of the Almshouse Association
- £220,000 renovation completed in 2007
Allotments
Grow your own on Rampton Road
Keep fit, feed the family and enjoy the company of fellow growers. We manage the allotments on Rampton Road and welcome applications for plots throughout the year.
Allotment rent goes back into the village, helping to fund our grants.
Apply for an allotment1671John Moreton's founding deed
7almshouse homes on Rampton Road
~50residents helped every Christmas
9volunteer trustees from the village
Our story
Three and a half centuries of looking after Cottenham
Today's charity brings together gifts left by generations of villagers, all with the same purpose: relief for people in the parish who are in need, hardship or distress.
- 1671
John Moreton's gift
Half the rent from houses in Holborn, London, given for poor relief and apprenticeships in Cottenham.
- 1703
Catherine Pepys
The widow of Thomas Hobson (of "Hobson's Choice") funds a village school and leaves bequests for parishioners.
- 1853
The almshouses rebuilt
Seven Tudor-style cottages and a chapel built at Little London on Rampton Road.
- 1970 & today
One united charity
Four historic village charities combine. We marked our 350th anniversary in 2021.
Run by the village, for the village
Local, accountable and independent
Cottenham Charities is run by nine unpaid trustees who live and work locally. We meet at least twice a year, and our annual report and accounts are published by the Charity Commission for anyone to read.
Could you be a trustee?
We value people with experience in housing management, social care and welfare, or finance — and anyone with skills that help a historic charity thrive. Our latest recruitment round closed on 31 October 2026, but we're always glad to hear from potential future trustees.
Register your interest- Charity number
- 200586 (Charity Commission)
- Governed by
- A scheme made on 11 February 1970
- Trustees
- The Rector of All Saints (ex officio), three appointed by Cottenham Parish Council and five co-opted by the trustees
- Who we help
- People living in the Parish of Cottenham and organisations active in the village
Proud member of the Almshouse Association.
Questions
Good to know
Who can apply for a grant?
Anyone living in the Parish of Cottenham who is on a low income, disabled, or facing hardship or distress. Organisations that are active in the village can apply too.
Will anyone else know I've applied?
No. Anything you tell a trustee is treated in confidence and only used to assess your application.
What kinds of things can a grant pay for?
Mainly essential household items and disability items — recent examples include a fridge freezer, a wardrobe and drawers, a riser recliner chair, home adaptations and the cost of a Community Lifeline alarm. If you're unsure, just ask.
Is there a deadline?
No. Grant applications are considered throughout the year, and allotment applications are welcome at any time.
I'm not online. Can I still apply?
Yes. You can print the paper application form, or ask a friend or family member to send us a message on your behalf.
How do I ask about an allotment or an almshouse?
Use our contact form and choose "Allotments" or "Almshouses" as the subject. A trustee will reply as soon as possible.
Not sure where to start? Just tell us what's going on.
One short message is all it takes. A local trustee will reply as soon as possible — in confidence, and with no obligation.
