About
The Brabin's Trust was established in 1684, following the death of John Brabin, a wool merchant from Chipping, the previous year. It is dedicated to the support of the poor and the education of the young. Today, the Brabin's Trust is comprised of two charities: the Brabin's Alms Houses and the Brabin's Educational Trust, and is directed at the area of benefit, being the parishes of Chipping, Bowland-with-Leagram and Thornley-with-Wheatley.
Brabin's Alms Houses manages several alms houses in Chipping.
Brabin's Educational Trust donates monies anually to the schools in the area of benefit (in effect Brabin's Endowed Primary School and St Mary's RC School) for enrichment beyond the curriculum provided by the local authority. The trust also provides small uniform grants for children attending these school, and bursaries for the under-25's attending university.
Enquiries can be made to the secretary:
secretary@brabinstrust.org.uk
What is the Brabin’s Trust today?
Many features of the original Trust still exist. The original Schoolhouse and Almshouses built through John Brabin’s legacy stand proudly today as does John Brabin’s original shop, in which he lived for a time.
Other properties in the Trust’s existence have come and gone. Proceeds from a sale of a farm bought Club Row providing 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.
The Brabin’s Educational Foundation has been able to benefit children in the Chipping area through regular annual grants to each school, to its pupils, to the pre-schools, and through bursaries for higher education. In total the Trust has provided £120,000 towards education in the last five years.
The Trust generates income from its properties, excluding the present Brabin’s School and the Almshouses, and collects dividend income from its investments. The Trust has properties and investments worth £2.5m. The expenses of administering the Trust are minimal, amounting to little more than 5% of income after providing for secretarial expenses, property fees and the costs of producing independently examined annual reports and accounts for the Charity Commission.
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. 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.
How is Brabin’s Trust run?
The Trust is administered by a body of trustees from Chipping and its two adjacent parishes and four co-optative trustees, appointed for their special knowledge of the area of benefit by reason of their residence, occupation or otherwise. 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.
It is regulated by the Charity Commission through the registration of its two charitable arms, Brabin’s Almshouses and the Brabin’s Educational Foundation.
