History

Berkswell Charities is steeped in history, dating back to the 16th century when the villagers in Berkswell pursued legal action against the Lord of the Manor who was seeking possession of parcels of land that, until that time, were being used by them for ‘good and laudable’ purposes.

They were successful and the Court decreed the rents from the land be employed for the maintenance of their School, the relief of poverty of the poor of the parish, and towards ‘the reparations and necessary ornaments of their Church and should not be to any man’s private gain’.

The foundation of the School, Church, and Poor Lands Charity was formed. In the years that followed various legacies were given and smaller Charities were formed to distribute relief amongst the poor, these were known as the Minor Charities which were amalgamated into one, called Berkswell Charities, in 2011.

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) was formed in 2021 and is more suitable for the modern world we live in. Whilst there is now only one charity the Charity Commission has allowed us to retain our name in the plural in recognition of our history. Indeed, we hold an annual meeting in recognition of the philanthropy of our founders and benefactors without whom we would not exist. This is fine

The objects of the charities remain but in a modern format and are to provide a site for a school, the provision of social housing in the form of almshouses, the repair and maintenance of the fabric of the parish church and charitable donations to local organisations and individuals."

The Charity Commission and the Regulator of Social Housing are our regulatory bodies, and we are rigorous in adhering to their requirements. We are also registered with the Housing Ombudsman and are also a member of the Almshouse Association, which has over 1,400 members.

Most of our income is derived from capital investment and rental income. Whilst Charity Commission rules have changed recently, in general, we are only able to spend income and not the capital sum which is known as the Permanent Endowment.

The bulk of our investment income has come from the sale of land behind Green Lane that facilitated the creation of Lavender Hall Park following the building of the Riddings Hill estate.

Berkswell Charities can have a maximum of eleven voluntary trustees. Three are ex-officio and they are the Rector of St John Baptist CofE church and two church representatives. The remainder of the Trustees are from the local community. Being a trustee is quite onerous in terms of managing the investment portfolio which includes property as well as money, but we take professional advice as appropriate.

The Trustees are forward-thinking to ensure the Charities continue to work for their communities. They are resolved that the Charity should not stagnate, which would be an easy option to follow, but to take heed of social pressures impacting their local community and provide much needed affordable homes through the traditional almshouse model.

The scope of the Charities’ area of benefit is wide and our sphere of activity is not just to the Parish of Berkswell but to surrounding areas as well. This means we can help people or projects in a wider geographic area, which is good news as neighbouring villages and settlements are benefitting directly from our grants.

The trustees have in recent years been able to help, financially, the 53rd Berkswell Scouts; Balsall Hornets FC; Berkswell Cricket Club; Heart of England School with the provision of music and science facilities; Balsall Junior and Infants school with work to their swimming pool and the Jubilee Centre in Balsall Common. These are in addition to the sizeable donations to Berkswell Church of England Primary School and St John Baptist Church.

These are just a few of the capital schemes we have helped, but we always welcome new applications. A strong business case is required, preferably with the applicant identifying a definite matching contribution for projects.

The Trustees also wish to assist individuals in immediate need of financial assistance, for example, where the purchase of equipment could help with quality of life but is unavailable through, say, the GP, local authority, or social services.

Last, but by no means least, we wish to help young people with their further or higher education requirements where family circumstances mean they cannot readily purchase books or equipment in readiness for college or university life. If local residents or groups wish to apply to the Charities then further details and application forms can be found on the Grants page.