The Highball Trust (Birmingham)
Charity 522861
Overview
Summary
The Highball Trust appears to occupy a focused, practical role in Birmingham’s support landscape: reducing exclusion from restorative leisure experiences for children and young people whose families or groups have limited resources. Rather than primarily offering ongoing casework or direct financial relief, it seems to use subsidised, volunteer-run country weekends and access to facilities as a route to social welfare. Its inclusion of disabled children suggests that access, not only affordability, is central to its purpose.
Operational geography
Coverage: Citywide
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission describes beneficiaries as children from the 'Birmingham area', but does not identify referral routes, neighbourhoods, wards or Birmingham delivery locations. This supports a Birmingham-wide beneficiary catchment only at a general level, not operation in any specific supplied ward.
- The available evidence does not establish whether the registered address is a service-delivery site rather than an administrative or correspondence address.
- A 2025 grant record refers to a countryside centre near Worcester for disadvantaged young people. It indicates that the trust's residential activity may be delivered outside Birmingham, but does not name the centre, establish ownership, or identify whether it remains the sole delivery venue.
- No evidence was found of current formal delivery partnerships, local host venues, or referral partners that materially locate the trust's work within particular Birmingham wards.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report, activity report or trustee report identifying the countryside centre, holiday venues and the areas from which participating children are recruited.
- Confirmation from the trust of whether its registered address is an operational site, and details of any Birmingham-based meeting, administration, collection or referral locations.
- Current information on partner organisations, schools, community groups or agencies involved in identifying or referring children for holidays.
- Aggregated geographic data on participants or referring groups, if collected, to determine whether the Birmingham catchment is genuinely citywide or concentrated in particular districts.
Areas of work
- The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who they help
- Children/young People
- People With Disabilities
How they help
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
- Provides Human Resources
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Leisure is used as a form of poverty relief
The trust appears to treat access to holidays and recreation as a meaningful social-welfare intervention for children experiencing financial disadvantage, rather than as an optional extra.
Why it matters
This clarifies a distinctive role: the organisation may complement services meeting immediate material needs by addressing the exclusion, respite and developmental opportunities that poverty can also restrict.
Show evidence
“The charity's objects include providing or assisting recreational or leisure-time facilities in the interests of social welfare for poor children and young people.”
Source:Charity Commission“The trust provides country holidays for under-privileged children from the Birmingham area.”
Source:Organisation“The charity works for the prevention or relief of poverty.”
Source:Charity Commission
Its model depends on collective local capacity
The trust appears to convert volunteer time and subsidised provision into affordable holiday opportunities, suggesting that its reach may depend on sustaining both volunteer participation and financial resources.
Why it matters
This identifies the organisation as more than a funder or venue provider: it appears to be an organiser of shared civic effort. It also points to potential operational sensitivities around volunteer continuity, safeguarding capacity and subsidy funding.
Show evidence
“Weekend holidays for children are organised and run by teams of volunteers.”
Source:Organisation“The cost of these holidays is subsidised by the trust.”
Source:Organisation“The charity provides human resources and buildings, facilities or open space.”
Source:Charity Commission
The organisation may bridge affordability and accessibility
By naming both children and young people and people with disabilities among those it helps, the trust may be addressing multiple barriers to participation in leisure: limited income and unequal access.
Why it matters
This suggests a potentially valuable inclusion role within Birmingham’s youth support ecosystem. It would be useful to understand whether disability inclusion is embedded in holiday design or reflects a broader beneficiary category.
Show evidence
“The trust is geared to help families and groups who have limited financial resources.”
Source:Organisation“The charity helps children and young people and people with disabilities.”
Source:Charity Commission
- It is unclear how children are referred, selected or connected to the trust.
- There is no evidence of the number, duration, locations or frequency of holidays.
- It is unknown how disability access and safeguarding are incorporated into delivery.
- The trust's relationships with Birmingham schools, youth groups, social services or other charities are not described.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports or activity data showing beneficiary numbers, holiday frequency, costs and geographic reach.
- Information on referral partners, volunteer recruitment and safeguarding arrangements.
- Evidence describing accessibility provision and the experiences of disabled children and young people.
- Details of funding sources and any organisations providing holiday venues or support.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
To provide country holidays for under-privileged children from the Birmingham area. The trust is geared to help those families and groups who have limited financial resources. Weekend holidays for children are organised and run by teams of volunteers, who give freely of their time for the benefit of the children. The cost of these holidays is subsidised by the trust.
Charity objects
TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR RECREATION OR LEISURE TME ACTIVITIES IN THE INTEREST OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF POOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS RESIDENT IN THE BENEFICIAL AREA.