A 600-year-old Bristol charity has committed £10 million to tackle structural inequality and support the people and communities in greatest need in the city.
Bristol Charities is an ancient charity that most local people won’t have heard of despite its hundreds of years of investment in the city. Its roots can be traced to 1292, when the Municipal Corporation of Bristol recieved land for the creation of an almshouse (Burton Almshouse).
It then grew over the centuries as a series of almshouses and trusts, and evolved into one single entity charity in 2002, now called Bristol Charities.
It has been quietly working behind the scenes to strengthen communities across generations through targeted grants, high-quality housing for older people and charitable investments.
Most recently, in January , it announced a £2 million investment with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) to develop a regional distribution hub for food and household essentials – a multibank, of which more and more are springing up across the UK.
The charity is now launching a bold new five-year strategy to build on its achievements and deliver lasting, system-level change at a time of growing inequality and financial challenge.
It wants to tackle the root causes and effects of deprivation, particularly in areas that have experienced persistent inequality for decades. At the same time, this work will also undoubtedtly see it become more widely recognised as a body – but its bosses say it is about the communities it helps, not Bristol Charities profile rising.
Bristol Charities’ long history of managing almshouses, charitable investments and community support means it has built financial strength and deep local knowledge. This enables it to take decisive, long-term action beyond traditional grant-giving alone.
Its new five-year strategy has three key priorities and a launch event was held earlier this month at The Beacon in the city centre. The first priority is community transformation and to invest £2 million in combatting the effects of deprivation through community hubs in ‘forgotten postcodes’ – the 10% most deprived in the city.
These hubs provide welcoming accessible spaces that bring people together and reduce loneliness and isolation by providing things like classes, clubs and activities for all – from dance classes to food clubs and community volunteering. In 2024, it opened the Vassall Community Hub in Oldbury Court (BS16) and so far around 1,500 people have enjoyed its clubs and services.
Last year it opened a community hub in Stockwood, and there are plans to open a third hub in Henbury and Brentry this year.
The second is mission-led housing, to broaden its housing stock by investing £6 million in creating homes for people with specific needs or barriers to securing affordable and appropriate accommodation. This could mean more homes for people experiencing homelessness, adults with learning disabilities and other communities.
Bristol Charities currently provides homes for older people through its four almshouses: John Fosters in Henbury, Barstaple in Brentry, Haberfield House in Stockwood and Cwrt William Jones. The new funding will open up access to homes to a wider demographic.
In addition, it owns the Vassall Centre in Fishponds, one of the largest providers of affordable, accessible workspace to the voluntary and community sector (VCSE) in the city. It is home to 25 organisations and welcomes 30,000 visitors a year. It also owns St Augustine’s Parade in the heart of the city – this space provides flexible, affordable office space to leading VCSE organisations.
Turning to the third aim,described as ‘investing for impact’ to support a resilient and growing VCSE, will start with a £4 million co-investment with WECA to develop a major regional multibank-style distribution hub.
While a site is yet to be secured, the proposed 30,000 sq ft warehouse will act as a central site to store, coordinate and redistribute surplus goods – including food, clothing, bedding, toiletries, school supplies and household items – to frontline charities. The hub will ensure essential items reach households in need rather than going to landfill, strengthening the infrastructure that community organisations depend on.
It is this holistic rather than piecemeal approach to helping the city and its people that is at the core of Bristol Charities, a joined up way of doing things and empowering neighbourhood and communities to stand of their own feet.
Julian Mines, chief executive of Bristol Charities said: “Bristol has extraordinary energy, creativity and compassion – but inequality remains deeply entrenched in too many parts of our city.
“This strategy is about aligning everything we have, our assets, our investments and our partnerships, towards lasting change. We believe meaningful progress requires courage: the courage to think systemically, to back bold ideas early, and to commit for the long term. We are inviting investors, charities, housing partners, businesses and community leaders to work with us to build a Bristol where opportunity is not determined by postcode.”
Mr Mines, who took the helm in 2022 is Bristol-born and prior to joining Bristol Charities Mr was chief executive of FairShare South West for five years, during which time he helped expand the surplus food redistribution group’s impact with local charities, schools and projects.
Speaking about his time so far leading Bristol Charities, Mr Mines, 59, said: “I joined it at a time where trustees were saying, okay, we’ve done our housekeeping.
“We spent 600 years quietly going about business, every now and then dipping into what was then the key issue the day. I think there was a feeling coming out of Covid, now we’ve got our house in order, it’s time to reconnect with the city, understand the contemporary issues it is facing, some of which we can guess because they were headline issues, things like cost living crisis and really bring this unique charity and reintroduce it to the city.
“So the last three, four years for me has been a kind of gradual process of an interplay between listening, understanding some of the key issues the city faces.”
He added: “We deliberately invest in also ways in which we can help mobilise the community and build capacity for areas to some extent, deal with, issues by raising up people, who can lead initiatives, run projects and develop a culture of volunteering. So we invest heavily in working with health and GP centres. local schools and children’s centres. There’s nothing new in that, but what’s new is that we’re investing heavily in trying to make those partnerships work.”
Turning to the next five years, Mr Mines said: “I guess at a top level, I’d like to feel that over the next five years as part of our vision that the city has greater confidence and optimism.
“A feeling that we can make a difference. fairer city emerging. Particularly for those that are born and raised in certain parts of the city, certain postcodes. If you’re born and raised in certain postcodes, then you’ll know, the data tells us your life, there’ll be limitations in terms of your life opportunities. And so I guess I’d like to feel that within five years we’ve disrupted that, to the point that the charity and business sectors can say we are on our way to change.”
Chair of trustees at Bristol Charities, Andy Street, said the message is clear to the people of Bristol that “we are open for business” as a charity.
He continued: “When Julian became chief executive and I became chair we said, we need to get out there, and we need to raise our profile and connect better into the city. It’s not about bigging up the charity or ourselves as individuals, it is simply saying that we’re open for business. We have an opportunity to connect better across the city over the coming years I think.”
He added: “It’s about the city fundamentally. It’s about saying, how can we, with others, lead by example, there were too many people in our city who struggled, put food on the table. There were too many people who were struggling to find a place they can call home.
“There are too many people with a lack of hope around, education, employment and other challenges too. How can we move it on? How can we bring a real sense of hope? That’s the important one for me.
“I want a city where people don’t wake up in the morning feeling completely hopeless, but they wake up in the morning with a sense of opportunity and a sense of their potential being realised.”
