About the Society...

The Society was founded in 1886 by the late Miss Edith Smallwood. It assists women domiciled and habitually resident in the United Kingdom who are living alone in their own home (either owned or rented) and in genuine need, irrespective of social status.

Assistance is usually given in the form of regular allowances.

Applicants will normally be entitled to some state benefits, and we expect them to claim these in full before seeking our help. If you are not sure that you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled, we recommend that you contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or Age UK where an adviser will be pleased to carry out a benefits check for you. Alternatively you could visit the Government's own web site.

Where the request is for a specific item we expect statutory funding such as a Disabled Facilities Grant or Community Care Grant to be obtained if appropriate - our role is to augment state benefits, not to replace them.

Unfortunately there are certain purposes for which we are unable to offer assistance. Further details and suggestions where to look for help for these and other purposes are available on the page "Other Sources of Help"

There are many benevolent organisations that help people who have worked in a particular trade or profession, and their dependents. They can often be more generous than general charities such as ourselves, and we recommend approaching them first.

The Society does not receive any financial support from national or local government. Our work is funded entirely by gifts and investment income resulting from the generosity of our benefactors over more than a century. See how you could help too.

The Trustees' Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2009 and our Annual Review for 2009 can be viewed or downloaded from this site.

If you feel we have made a mistake or have done something which you found unsatisfactory or unacceptable please let us know.