Panicked Stokenchurch residents have embarked on a battle against time after it was announced their homes - earmarked for low earners - will be left in the hands of auctioneers.

Families living in 31 houses owned by The Betty Messenger Charitable Trust were horrified to receive letters on Thursday (December 1) offering them “first refusal” on buying their rented homes, with a five percent discount, weeks before Christmas.

Now many families- some of which have young children - fear they may be left with nowhere to live as they are unable to afford to buy their property.

Residents were also left outraged when they were told a decision to buy their homes had to be made by December 13 – just two weeks after receiving the distressing news.

The trust was founded by the late Betty Messenger in 2010 with a view to help people who “fell through the cracks” in society, leaving her houses in the hands of trustees when she died in 2012.

Friends of Miss Messenger said she “would be turning in her grave” if she knew families in her beloved village could be forced out of their homes, and it is “not what she would have wanted”.

Melissa Wilson, 25, who lives on The Common with three young children, slammed the “secretive” nature of the sale.

She said: “I’m really worried I am a single mum and I have three children and I am a student. It is really worrying. Where do we go?

“It has been really secretive no one has told us anything as far as we were aware they were not going to sell the Stokenchurch houses.”

Reasons behind the sale remain unclear, however a letter sent to residents from the BMCF claimed it is to "better focus on the purpose of the Foundation, charitable giving."

Residents have vowed to fight to save their homes, and poured into a meeting of Stokenchurch Parish Council (SPC) on Wednesday evening, pleading councillors for help.

Chairman, councillor Victoria Nuthall, offered support to the residents and said she understands these are “deeply worrying times”, but reminded the group that the the parish council has no power over the commercial landlord.

She said: “In these situations tenants can work collectively together to liaise as a group to receive advice from legal entities and Wycombe District Council. The parish council is willing to attend such meetings to offer support where possible.”

SPC agreed to consult its legal team for advice and said an offer from BMCT to donate £500,000 to a new local trust is still under consideration.

Good friend of Miss Messenger’s, Jill Palmer, added: “Betty was a friend of mine for the better part of 60 years. I know that when she made her will she did not intend this to happen.

“And while I understand she gave them discretion, she gave them discretion because she trusted them to do as she asked or at least to generally do what she asked and she did not under any circumstances she did not intend for these houses to disappear somewhere else.

“She did a lot to help this village, and a lot without telling anybody.”

A letter set from Messenger Estates Ltd to residents, stated: "We do have sympathy for the tenants who do not have the resources to purchase their own properties.

"However, the properties are now ultimately held by BMCF. We understand some tenants may feel entitled but there is no basis for them to do so."

The Bucks Free Press has approached The Betty Messenger Trust numerous times for a comment, but it has failed to respond.