Governance of the Charity.
The Welfare is a charitable trust, which is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes and the benefit of the local community. It is a not for profit charity, all funds derived from the sections and their hiring’s go back into the upkeep of the buildings/land including any projects setup to benefit the local community. The trust is run by a group of Trustees and Volunteers.
What the charity does:
• General Charitable Purposes
• Amateur Sport
• Recreation
• Other Charitable Purposes
Who the charity helps:
• Children/Young People
• Elderly/Old People
• People with disabilities
• Other charities or voluntary bodies
• Other defined groups
• The General Public
How the charity helps:
• Provides buildings
• Facilities
• Services
• Open space provision
The Welfare charity is keen to be a bigger focal point of an expanding village. The charity aims to provide Youth Services; Basic Health Services & training courses; Educational Services: Baby, Child, Teen and Adults; Child Care/Friendly areas and space for local groups; Community Events for all; Fitness and Well Being.
Support is provided for: Mental Health; Elders of the community; intergenerational activities; local artists; we link all these sectors into our current grounds, sports fields, and buildings.
We provide facilities for local and surrounding families to use and provide space and support to; Zumba, , WI Ladies, Autism Group, the Male Voice Choir & more. We have had a successful meeting with Nottinghamshire County Council Youth services and have agreed for them to use the community centre. Youth services are now seeking funding from the council to get this started. All areas and groups will expand as more funding and grants become available.
There is also support for the village Christmas tree, parties, and local events. The Welfare is now a public house open to the public, serving a wide range of good pub cuisine and drinks, which we continue to build on.
The Welfare has also provided a community cafe, which we intend to reopen soon. Provision for free meals for the community for adults and children has been in place for around a year now and continues. We are currently in the process of applying for various grants to update the grounds and buildings which will be expanded upon in further updates.
About the Charity and its aims.
Before the Industrial Revolution, Bestwood Village was a small hamlet sustained by agriculture and framework knitting. Bestwood Village was greatly expanded when the Lancaster family sank its coalmine in 1875.
In 1881, Bestwood Coal and Iron Company (BC&IC) opened an ironworks next to the colliery with two blast furnaces and a further two added in 1890, which remained in operation until 1928. The coalmine was one of the most successful mines in the Nottinghamshire coalfield and at its peak employed 2000 men until its closure in 1967.
The terrace houses on Park Road, St. Albans Road and The Square were built by the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company to house its workforce, and it is now a conservation area. The company built its offices with its distinctive clock tower on Park Road and it is said the family either directly or indirectly made sure the land required for the school was bequeathed to the village.
The Duke of St. Albans with his wife helped raise the cash needed to build a Concert Hall, which is now the Bestwood Village Hall, along with this numerous parcels of land were also donated by the Duke along with the Bestwood Iron & Coal company. British Coal took over the buildings and lands in 1930, putting the lives of the residents first by developing the Miners Welfare with the help of the miners donations out of their wages which was taken weekly, it became a safe and social place their families, for parties, weddings, community events.