Erdington Recreational Trust
Charity 503066
Overview
Summary
Erdington Recreational Trust appears to be a place-based leisure infrastructure charity: its role is less about delivering a narrowly defined service than maintaining access to recreational space through which different residents can participate in community life. Its combination of bowls, cricket and facilities provision suggests an operating model built around shared physical assets, with potential to connect age groups and abilities. The available evidence establishes a broad civic purpose, but reveals little about actual access, participation or partnerships.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Erdington
Confidence: high
Direct evidence identifies Erdington Court Bowls Club as the Trust's contact address; its accounts report activities at the facility. Birmingham City Council's planning record places the Erdington Recreational Trust site in Erdington ward. The reasonable interpretation is that the Trust's current operational footprint is centred on this single local recreational site, rather than being dispersed across Birmingham.
- Charity Commission Register: Erdington Recreational Trust, charity 503066
The Trust's registered contact address is Erdington Court Bowls Club; its reported activity is an indoor and outdoor bowls and cricket club, providing buildings, facilities and open space. - Erdington Recreational Trust accounts and chairman's report for year ended 30 April 2025
The chairman reports that the Trust provides a recreational facility for people in Erdington and the surrounding district. Income is derived from subscriptions and use of indoor and outdoor facilities; local community groups regularly use the facility, and bowls, cricket, Warm Space activity and Bowl for Health sessions continued there. - Birmingham City Council planning application 1993/03858/PA
The Council record identifies the site as 'Erdington Recreational Trust Erdington' and records its ward as Erdington. - Birmingham City Council Warm Welcome directory: Erdington Court Bowls Club
The Council lists Erdington Court Bowls Club in Erdington, with a regular warm-space opening and associated on-site facilities.
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission register records broader declared areas of operation, including Birmingham, Sandwell, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Walsall. The current 2024-25 report, however, evidences activity at the Erdington facility and describes its purpose as serving Erdington and the surrounding district; it does not identify current delivery sites or services elsewhere. Those wider declarations therefore do not justify adding further Birmingham operational areas.
- Aston Unity cricket club began using the Trust's cricket facility from September 2024. This is evidence of a significant user relationship at the Erdington site, but there is insufficient evidence that it creates an additional Trust-operated site or extends the Trust's geography beyond Erdington.
- The evidence supports a neighbourhood-based operational identity focused on a single facility. It does not establish the precise geographic extent of the 'surrounding district' from which users or community groups are drawn.
Additional evidence needed
- A current Trust or Erdington Court Sports Club service timetable, venue-hire list or annual report identifying all locations used for bowls, cricket, health or community activity.
- Confirmation from the Trust of whether any activities, managed land or regular partner-delivered services operate away from the Erdington facility.
- Current information on the geographical origin of community groups and participants, if the intended coverage classification is to reflect beneficiaries rather than operating sites.
Areas of work
- Amateur Sport
- General Charitable Purposes
Who they help
- Children/young People
- Elderly/old People
- Other Defined Groups
- People With Disabilities
How they help
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A facilities-led model of community benefit
The Trust appears to create public benefit primarily by providing or supporting places for recreation, rather than through a specified programme of direct interventions.
Why it matters
This suggests that the condition, accessibility, affordability and use of its spaces may be more important to understanding its civic contribution than activity labels alone.
Show evidence
“To provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure-time occupation.”
Source:Charity Commission“Provides buildings/facilities/open space.”
Source:Charity Commission
Traditional sports may be the visible expression of a broader local mandate
Indoor and outdoor bowls and cricket appear to be the current activities, but the objects give the Trust a substantially wider remit to improve local conditions of life through leisure.
Why it matters
This creates an opportunity to explore whether existing assets could support additional forms of recreation or community use without departing from the charity's purpose.
Show evidence
“Indoor and outdoor bowls & cricket club.”
Source:Organisation“With the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.”
Source:Charity Commission
Potentially inclusive purpose, unverified inclusive practice
The Trust identifies children and young people, older people and people with disabilities among those it helps, suggesting an intention to serve groups with differing access needs.
Why it matters
Its value may lie in creating shared local recreation across life stages and abilities, but this depends on practical accessibility, tailored provision and who actually participates.
Show evidence
“Children/young People, Elderly/old People, People With Disabilities, Other Defined Groups.”
Source:Charity Commission“Amateur Sport.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Whether facilities are open beyond club members and how affordable access is.
- How children, disabled people and older residents are specifically supported in practice.
- Whether the Trust works with schools, community groups, health organisations or other local clubs.
Remaining uncertainties
- Information on facilities, opening arrangements, pricing, accessibility and participation.
- Annual reports or activity data showing users, partnerships, demand and community outcomes.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Indoor and outdoor bowls & cricket club
Charity objects
TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR RECREATION AND OTHER LEISURE-TIME OCCUPATION FOR THE INHABITANTS OF EERDINGTON AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD, WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR THE SAID INHABITANTS.