The Brabin's Trust
Brabin's Trust operates in and around Chipping, Lancashire, providing support for the poor (almshouses) and educational bursaries for the under-25's.
What is it?
Known locally as the Brabin’s Trust it comprises two legally separate charitable arms, Brabin’s Almshouses and Brabin’s Educational Foundation, but run under the one administration. The area of benefit comprises the parish of Chipping and its two adjoining parishes, Thornley with Wheatley and Bowland with Leagram.
Together these charitable arms provide the almshouses, accommodation at sub-market rents, support for some activities for older people and the community, assistance in the cases of hardship and financial support for the Chipping primary schools and local students in higher education.
How did it come about?
It was created in the Will of John Brabin dated 1683 and therefore Chipping can claim that the Trust is now in a fifth century of operation. John Brabin was a successful cloth merchant and dyer, wealthy enough to become a landowner in the Chipping area. Among other things he established in 1668 Chipping’s landmark shop from which he sold his dyed cloth.
His Will first and foremost dealt with the setting up of a Trust and appointed the first four trustees who were to administer the trust. When one died the remaining three were to appoint another trustee and so on. He left his house, shop and dye house in Chipping, a tenement called Waller’s, and the Goose Lane estate to the trustees.
From his investments in bills and bonds and use of the ready money the Trustees were to purchase land on which to build a school and almshouses. Out of the yearly rental from the lands they were to pay a schoolmaster and provide the children with clothes, which were to be either violet or liver in colour. He also stipulated that if the schoolmaster should fail the children then the trustees had the power to appoint another.
Further information on John Brabin can be found here.
What is the Brabin’s Trust today?
Many of the features of the original Trust still exist. The original Schoolhouse and the Almshouses built through John Brabin’s legacy stand proudly today though the Trust moved its ownership of the School from the original building to the ‘new’ School across the road. The Almshouses have become two roomier units rather than the original three. The Trust still owns Wallerclough and, of course, John Brabin’s original shop, in which he lived for a time.
Other properties in the Trust’s existence have come and gone. More recently a farm in its ownership was sold and the proceeds reinvested in buying Club Row to provide four cottages at affordable rent for the village. Furthermore an exchange agreement on the land behind these cottages has allowed further building of affordable housing for the Chipping community. Presently managed by a Housing Society on a long term lease, the ownership will revert to a community land trust in the course of time and further benefit Chipping through its income.
The Trust no longer appoints a schoolmaster but with a link to history it still provides grants to pupils of both schools towards the cost of school uniforms. On a larger scale, however, the Brabin’s Educational Foundation has been able to benefit the education of children in the Chipping area through regular annual grants to each school, to its pupils, to the pre-schools, and through bursaries for students in higher education. In total the Trust has provided £120,000 towards education in the last five years and will continue to contribute in such a manner.
The Brabin’s School is not a Church of England school but John Brabin instructed that his school should have a Christian ethos. There is evidence that he was non-denominational and today the Trust financially supports both Chipping schools in proportion to their size.
The Trust generates income from its properties, excluding the Brabin’s School and the Almshouses, and collects dividend income from its investments.
How is Brabin’s Trust looking to the future?
The Trustees firmly believe that John Brabin’s historic legacy should be maintained not just for the next generation but for the next century and beyond. Property assets will be carefully looked after and investment capital protected by prudent restraint on drawing down income. Nevertheless over the last five years Brabin’s Trust has been able to utilise income of over £240,000 for the benefit of the schools and community, to maintain property and create value for the future by the formation of the Chipping Community Land Trust. This new trust has been endowed with a long term interest in the seven affordable housing units built on land owned behind Club Row. Brabin’s Trust retains the ultimate freehold.
How is Brabin’s Trust run?
Today the Trust is administered by a body of four nominative trustees, with two appointed by the Parish Council of Chipping and one appointed by each of the Parish Councils of Thornley with Wheatley and Bowland with Leagram, and four co-optative trustees who are appointed for their special knowledge of the area of benefit by reason of their residence, occupation or otherwise. In this way the importance of local knowledge is combined with a balance of professional skills in housing, property management, legal and financial matters. All appointments require the commitment of time and effort of the individual on an entirely voluntary basis and are bound by fixed terms of appointment.
The Trust has the services of a permanent Secretary and it meets quarterly for the conduct of regular business. It may co-opt non-Trustee members to the body as needs dictate.
It is regulated by the Charity Commission through the registration of its two charitable arms, Brabin’s Almshouses and the Brabin’s Educational Foundation.
