How the Chesterton House Foundation is Supporting the Rainworth Miners’ Welfare Trust

Some places carry more than bricks and mortar. They carry history, community, and for many people, a genuine lifeline.

A hub at the heart of Rainworth

The Rainworth Miners’ Welfare Trust has been at the heart of its community for nearly a century. Based in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, and rooted in local heritage, it operates as a registered charity providing a safe, inclusive hub for people of all ages, with a particular focus on those facing financial or social disadvantage.

With the aim to reduce isolation and provide opportunities for wellbeing and skills development that may not otherwise be open to local people, the Trust offers everything for those who need them most. Kirsty Welch, Trustee, explained:

Our centre is a vital community hub, offering inclusive social, recreational, and learning activities for all ages. We host football clubs, disability sports, bingo, quizzes, family events, and seasonal parties that promote wellbeing, skills, and companionship. For older people, our main beneficiaries, we host 50+ social events, ex-miners’ reunions, a Christmas pensioners’ party, and regular activities that combat loneliness and strengthen community bonds. Disabled groups attend three times a week for bingo, darts, and pool, and we host the Rainworth Miners’ Welfare disability football team.

What it means to the people who use it

Some of the people who visit the Trust shared some comments about the impact it has on them:

Respondents called it “the heart of the village as long as I have known” with “warmth and camaraderie unmatched elsewhere in Rainworth.” One user said, “It’s a warm and welcoming environment and feel safe to take your family…they don’t just think of the adults but make children feel welcome too.” One parent said, “My daughter suffers with ADHD and ASD; she loves being at the welfare. She feels comfortable and very welcome there.” Older and disabled users call it a lifeline: “without it I would be sat at home talking to myself,” and “without the club we wouldn’t socialise.”

Over 250 people through the doors each week is a testament to just how much the place matters.

The challenge ahead

The area it serves faces real challenges. Parts of Rainworth rank among the 10% most deprived in England, with higher-than-average rates of child poverty, fuel poverty and food insecurity. For many of the Trust’s regulars — older people living alone, disabled residents, families on low incomes — the centre isn’t simply somewhere to go. It’s where they find companionship, stay active, and feel part of something.

Like many community organisations, the Trust is currently facing significant financial pressure. Insurance costs have risen by 20% in the past year alone, repairs and renewals by 265%, and rates and utilities account for over £4,000 annually. Without support, the centre faces the prospect of reducing services, cutting hours, or increasing prices — all of which would hit the people who can least afford it hardest.

Our contribution

The Chesterton House Foundation is pleased to award a grant of £1,000 to help cover these core running costs, and to play a small part in keeping this much-loved community asset open and thriving.

Kirsty shared: “This funding will ensure that people in Nottinghamshire continue to have access to low-cost social, recreational and community opportunities that promote wellbeing, inclusion, resilience and community cohesion.”

By supporting this campaign, you are making a lasting investment in the future of a cherished community asset that has served the community of Rainworth for nearly a century. The impact of your support cannot be overstated. You are helping us maintain a space where everyone feels welcome, respected, and safe. Your support will leave a legacy, preserve heritage of a much-loved local asset and encourage participation, wellbeing, and inclusion for all.

To find out more about the Rainworth Miners’ Welfare Trust, visit their Facebook page.