Sons Of Rest (Sutton Coldfield)
Charity 247824
Overview
Summary
Sons Of Rest (Sutton Coldfield) appears to be a place-based social recreation organisation for older men, using a dedicated indoor setting to combine low-barrier leisure activities with regular peer contact. Its role may extend beyond amateur sport: the offer seems designed around routine, belonging and informal companionship for men in later life who live locally. The organisation’s narrow membership focus is distinctive, suggesting both a clear social niche and questions about who may be excluded from this source of connection.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Sutton Trinity
Confidence: medium
The charity’s current Charity Commission record identifies Sons of Rest, Vesey Gardens and reports ongoing indoor member activities. Sutton Coldfield Town Council’s asset evidence identifies Vesey Gardens and Sons of Rest within Sutton Trinity. This supports an operational connection to the ward, although the Charity Commission record alone cannot conclusively show that every activity session is currently held there.
- Charity Commission Register of Charities, Sons of Rest (Sutton Coldfield), charity number 247824
The current record identifies Sons of Rest, Vesey Gardens, Sutton Coldfield, and describes mainly indoor activities for members aged over 55, including snooker, billiards, cards, chess and draughts. - Sutton Coldfield Town Council, asset list / devolution-deal appendix
The asset entry identifies 'Vesey Gardens and Sons of Rest' in Sutton Trinity ward.
Remaining uncertainties
- Direct evidence supports one Sutton Trinity base but does not identify the frequency, opening times or exact venue arrangements for current member activities.
- The Charity Commission records Birmingham City and Warwickshire as places where the charity operates, but this does not establish additional current delivery sites, regular services or operational areas in either Birmingham outside Sutton Coldfield or Warwickshire.
- The charitable objects define the intended beneficiary area as people living in or near Sutton Coldfield. This supports a district-level operational identity, but does not demonstrate delivery in every Sutton Coldfield ward.
- No material partnership was identified in the consulted evidence that extends the charity’s operational reach beyond its Sutton Trinity base.
Additional evidence needed
- A current programme, membership information or direct confirmation from the charity identifying where regular activities and occasional trips begin or take place.
- Current evidence explaining whether the Charity Commission’s Warwickshire operating-area declaration reflects active delivery, member residence, occasional trips or a historic administrative classification.
- Any current venue agreement or partner information confirming the charity’s use of the Sons of Rest building at Vesey Gardens.
Areas of work
- Amateur Sport
Who they help
- Elderly/old People
How they help
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Recreation appears to be the vehicle for social connection
The available evidence suggests that games and indoor leisure are not simply ends in themselves; they may provide a regular, low-pressure structure for older men to meet, converse and sustain peer relationships.
Why it matters
This frames the organisation as part of Sutton Coldfield’s informal social-support infrastructure, rather than only as a sports or hobby club.
Show evidence
“Mainly indoor activities for over 55 members, snooker, billiards cards, chess, draughts etc.”
Source:Organisation“Cup of tea and a chat with others of like minds.”
Source:Organisation
Its operating model is centred on a physical social base
The charity appears to create value primarily by maintaining access to a place where members can gather, rather than by delivering a time-limited programme or specialist intervention.
Why it matters
A dependable local venue can be especially important for maintaining routine and accessible social contact in later life; it also makes the organisation potentially complementary to referral, wellbeing and community-facing services.
Show evidence
“THE PROVISION IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE OF FACITLITIES FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE-TIME OCCUPATION”
Source:Charity Commission“Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space”
Source:Charity Commission
A deliberately specific membership niche may be both strength and boundary
The organisation appears tailored to men aged 58 and over living in or near Sutton Coldfield. This may foster familiarity and belonging among a defined group, while leaving open whether comparable opportunities exist locally for women, younger older people, or people outside its immediate catchment.
Why it matters
Understanding this boundary helps distinguish the organisation’s particular contribution from the wider availability of inclusive later-life social spaces.
Show evidence
“FOR MEN WHO HAVE ATTAINED THE AGE OF 58 YEARS AND RESIDE IN OR NEAR SUTTON COLDFIELD”
Source:Charity Commission“Mainly indoor activities for over 55 members”
Source:Organisation
- Whether the organisation actively reaches men at risk of isolation or mainly serves established members.
- How often the venue operates, its membership size, cost, accessibility and capacity.
- Whether it works with local health, social-care, veterans or community organisations.
Remaining uncertainties
- Membership, attendance and waiting-list data, including members’ routes into the organisation.
- Information on venue accessibility, fees, transport and opening hours.
- Evidence of partnerships, referrals and members’ reported social or wellbeing outcomes.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Mainly indoor activities for over 55 members, snooker, billiards cards, chess, draughts etc. Cup of tea and a chat with others of like minds. Occassional trips out.
Charity objects
THE PROVISION IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE OF FACITLITIES FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE-TIME OCCUPATION FOR MEN WHO HAVE ATTAINED THE AGE OF 58 YEARS AND RESIDE IN OR NEAR SUTTON COLDFIELD WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE