Friends Of Brookvale Park
Charity 1164852
Overview
Summary
Friends Of Brookvale Park appears to be a place-based civic intermediary rather than simply a park-support group. Its role combines stewardship of shared open space with convening the user groups, residents, voluntary bodies and local authorities connected to it. The organisation’s broad charitable objects suggest that the park may be treated as infrastructure for community cohesion, wellbeing and improved life chances, while its practical activity is focused on maintaining and developing the park’s facilities and events.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Stockland Green
Confidence: medium
Direct evidence consistently identifies the organisation's work as maintaining, improving and supporting activities at Brookvale Park. Birmingham City Council identifies Friends of Brookvale Park as the park's friends group, and a Council planning record locates the relevant Brookvale Park site in Stockland Green ward. Current public evidence is limited because the charity's statutory reporting is substantially overdue.
- Charity Commission, Friends of Brookvale Park charity number 1164852
The charity describes itself as an umbrella for user groups using Brookvale Park facilities and says it exists to aid maintenance of the park and improve its facilities and events. Its charitable objects name Stockland Green and the surrounding area. - Birmingham City Council, Brookvale Park directory record
The Council lists Friends of Brookvale Park as the park friends group and states that parks friends group activities include maintaining and improving the park. - Birmingham City Council planning application 2015/00407/PA
The application by Friends of Brookvale Park for a replacement community meeting and café building at Brookvale Park records the site ward as Stockland Green. - Friends of Brookvale Linktree
The group's current public profile describes Friends of Brookvale as a community group committed to improving Brookvale Park in Erdington, Birmingham.
Remaining uncertainties
- The available evidence supports a park-centred operational footprint in Stockland Green, rather than routine delivery across Erdington, Birmingham or the wider 'surrounding area' named in the charity's objects.
- The Charity Commission record shows that statutory reporting is overdue and the latest financial information is for the year ending 6 December 2020. This limits confidence about the charity's present organisational capacity and whether all historically proposed activity remains active.
- The charity's listed address cannot safely be treated as a separate operational site; it may be a correspondence address.
- Birmingham City Council manages Brookvale Park. This is a material site relationship, but the available evidence does not show that it extends Friends of Brookvale Park's operational geography beyond the park and its immediate neighbourhood.
- A past partnership with Kingstanding Regeneration Trust to deliver a community café and hub at Brookvale Park is documented, but current evidence does not establish whether that partnership or facility is operating.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual return, trustees' report or official update confirming Friends of Brookvale Park's active projects, events and sites.
- Current information from Birmingham City Council or the organisation confirming whether the proposed community café and hub at Brookvale Park was completed and who operates it.
- An official description of any regular activity outside Brookvale Park that would justify adding further Birmingham wards.
Areas of work
- Education/training
- Environment/conservation/heritage
- General Charitable Purposes
- The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who they help
- Children/young People
- Elderly/old People
- Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
- People With Disabilities
- The General Public/mankind
How they help
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
- Provides Human Resources
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
The park is positioned as community infrastructure
The organisation appears to view Brookvale Park not only as an environmental or recreational asset, but as a setting through which social welfare, cohesion and local opportunity can be strengthened.
Why it matters
This suggests its value may extend beyond maintenance: changes to the park’s condition, facilities or programming could affect relationships and participation across the surrounding area.
Show evidence
“The objects include improving facilities and service provision in the interests of social welfare, community cohesion and improving conditions and life chances for local residents.”
Source:Charity Commission“We exist to aid with the maintenance of the Park and to improve the facilities and events on offer within the Park.”
Source:Organisation
Its operating model is convening as well as delivery
Friends Of Brookvale Park appears to act as an umbrella body for multiple park users, potentially giving dispersed groups a shared voice and a route to coordinate around common needs.
Why it matters
This may make the organisation an important relationship hub: it could identify cross-group opportunities or tensions that individual user groups and public bodies would not see alone.
Show evidence
“Friends of Brookvale Park is a community organization which serves as an umbrella for the many and varied user groups who frequent and utilize the Park facilities.”
Source:Organisation“The charity helps by acting as an umbrella or resource body.”
Source:Charity Commission
The organisation has a deliberately broad inclusion mandate
Its stated remit appears to extend across age groups, disabled people, the general public and voluntary organisations, implying that it may need to balance different patterns of access and use rather than serve a single constituency.
Why it matters
This broad mandate could be a strength for inclusive place-making, but it also raises useful questions about whose needs shape decisions, events and facility improvements.
Show evidence
“The objects promote benefit for inhabitants without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race, politics, religion or other opinions.”
Source:Charity Commission“The charity helps children or young people, elderly or old people, people with disabilities, other charities or voluntary bodies and the general public.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Which user groups are represented and whether any communities are underrepresented.
- How the organisation works with local authorities and other voluntary organisations in practice.
- Whether its events and facility improvements produce measurable social, health or environmental outcomes.
Remaining uncertainties
- Examples of recent projects, events, partnerships and the groups involved.
- Information on governance, membership, consultation and accessibility of park facilities.
- Annual reports or impact evidence showing changes achieved and unmet needs identified.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Friends of Brookvale Park is a community organization which serves as an umbrella for the many and varied user groups who frequent and utilize the Park facilities. We exist to aid with the maintenance of the Park and to improve the facilities and events on offer within the Park.
Charity objects
1. TO PROMOTE THE BENEFIT OF THE INHABITANTS OF STOCKLAND GREEN AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RACE OR POLITICS, RELIGIOUS OR OTHER OPINIONS, BY ASSOCIATING TOGETHER WITH THE SAID INHABITANTS AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES, VOLUNTARY AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS IN A COMMON EFFORT TO IMPROVE FACILITIES AND SERVICE PROVISION IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE, COMMUNITY COHESION AND IMPROVING CONDITIONS AND LIFE CHANCES FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS INCLUDING BY THE PROVISION OF A COMMUNITY FACILITY. 2. PROMOTE SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES AS MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE DETERMINED. THE ASSOCIATION WILL BE NON-PARTY IN POLITICS AND NON-SECTARIAN IN RELIGION