A Minchinhampton man who died almost half a century ago, left a substantial will to benefit good causes, it has been revealed.
Albert Pash, who lived in Friday Street in Minchinhampton, left a will saying all his possessions should be sold, and the proceeds added to any money in the bank, to be invested in a trust fund for the same number of years as his age at death.
Pash died on October 8th 1973, aged 47, which led to the final distribution of his gifts – delayed by Covid – this spring.
The grants totalling more than £50,000 have now been announced for good causes with the closure of a Stroud based charity.
Major awards for hospital research and smaller donations to aid local organisations were awarded by trustees of the A. E. Pash Charitable Trust.
“Over each of the last 47 years it has been a pleasurable task for parish councillors to make donations from the fund interest in line with Albert’s wishes,” the council’s pash officer, parish councillor Stan Waddington said. “The final distribution of the accumulated capital was a tremendous responsibility and we believe the three causes we have chosen would have been approved by Albert. In each case the sums of money are significant and we hope sufficient to make a real difference to outcomes.”
Altogether £51,458 was distributed by Minchinhampton parish councillors, sitting as Pash trustees, at their recent meeting.
The annual interest from the investments was, Pash instructed, to be given 75 per cent to any charity or for anything essential within the parish of Minchinhampton, and 25 per cent to hospital research, every year until the final capital was donated in total to hospital research.
Over the years literally dozens of Minchinhampton good causes were assisted by the annual Pash grants which in their final year totalled £1,925: some £465 each to the Highlands Cottage Charity, Minchinhampton Market House and the Long Table, £250 for the Great Western Air Ambulance and £280 to the Minchinhampton Patients’ Participation Group.
The capital was donated as follows: £19,100 to Professor Marianne Thoresen, St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol (development of cooling therapy treatments for babies suffering oxygen deprivation at birth), £20,500 to the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (stroke research) and £9,933 to Cobalt Heath, Cheltenham, (breast cancer research).
