Old Enfield Charitable Trust

Old Enfield Charitable Trust is a longstanding independent local charity rooted in centuries-old legacies from benefactors and royal grants, with a foundational mission to relieve poverty and financial hardship among local residents through targeted charitable support. Its core values emphasize dignity, respect, compassion, community engagement, and responsible stewardship, prioritizing practical interventions that foster resilience, well-being, and self-sufficiency over dependency. Funding decisions are driven by direct local impact, responsiveness to genuine needs, and a philosophy of balancing immediate relief with long-term resource preservation, partnering with grassroots voluntary groups to empower community-led solutions and sustain local welfare.

The Trust supports personal grants addressing essential household needs and emergency relief for individuals and families in crisis, including utility arrears, specialist medical equipment, furniture replacements, mobility aids, beds, and post-disaster essentials like carpets after floods or fires, alongside school trips to prevent exclusion. Educational grants enable training, academic opportunities, and skills development for local residents facing barriers. Community grants fund voluntary groups delivering youth activities, after-school clubs, social clubs for older people combating isolation, mental health initiatives, peer support groups, and small-scale projects tackling food insecurity, poverty relief, and family support. Almshouse accommodation provides housing stability for eligible residents in need, emphasizing preventative aid, person-centred practical help, and holistic interventions that build family resilience and community cohesion for vulnerable populations including children, young people, elderly residents, families caring for those with complex health needs, and isolated individuals experiencing hardship.

Exclusions focus on activities not directly alleviating local hardship, grants outside historic parish boundaries, or general purposes lacking targeted resident benefit. Priorities target residents living or working within the ancient Enfield parish, favoring families in financial crisis, elderly facing isolation, young people needing educational access, and those requiring emergency household or health supports. Distinctive as a place-based endowed charity with deep historic ties to local markets and governance involving community representatives, it champions discreet, confidential aid to grassroots organizations, long-term stewardship, and direct empowerment of local people through resilient, dignity-preserving interventions.