A Little Bit About Us

Who we are?

Established 1950.

While the Trust you see today was only formally created in the early 21st Century, our roots go as far back as the early 1950s. The Provincial Trust was initially set up following a donation from the Provincial Insurance Company. More recently, the charity was able to expand its reach within Bolton Borough when it merged with the Walsh’s Trust; a charity originally set up to distribute money from the recently sold Walsh’s Institute.

The newly merged trust aims to fund individuals or groups for educational or social benefits. Now with 8 Trustees, all bringing with them a diverse range of experience and knowledge from the charitable public and private sectors; and with an investment portfolio of more than £800,000, the charity looks to help facilitate greater investment in charities, community groups and individuals in the Bolton area.

Meet our 8 Trustees

David Porter.

Chairman of the Trust, David was instrumental in merging the two trusts together and has since overseen its growth in Bolton. A solicitor by trade, he is seen as an expert on Charity Law, advising numerous charities and lecturing widely.

Sandra Badland.

Having worked in the family engineering business, Sandra moved into the voluntary sector following retirement. Having worked closely with disabled and disadvantaged people, she has since been a Trustee of two different trusts over the past 30 years.

Brian Broughton.

A retired accountant with a wife and four children, Brian has for the past 40 years been active in the local communities where he has lived; Bolton, Chester and the North East. He has been, or still is, involved with church groups, scout groups, school PTAs and sports clubs.

Chris Gough.

Originally a Trustee of the David Walsh Trust, Chris has been a member of the PWTB for over 30 years. A retired head teacher, he has always been enthusiastic in supporting young people to help them achieve their ambitions.

Peter Steele.

Now retired, Peter was the Managing Director of Hanburys, the family business, until 1997. As well as the Trust, where he has been a member for over 5 years, Peter is actively involved in the Bolton Scouting Movement; where he is Group Scout Leader of the 17th.

Carol Corbett.

Having extensively worked for the public sector, including the Bolton, Rochdale and Rugby Councils, and in a primary school Carol is now actively involved in volunteering in the Bolton area. As well as the Trust, she is a young person’s mentor with the Bolton Lads and Girls Club, works with local charities and is a Governor at a local school.

Irene Simpson.

A trustee for over 5 years, Irene formerly worked as a legal assistant as well as served as a Governor of Birtenshaw Hall School for over 30 years.

Robert Binks.

A retired qualified accountant, Robert worked in the finance and Chief Executives Department for Bolton Council for over 30 years, where he specialised in government grant funding and regeneration programmes. Working with the Trust since 1986, he became Treasurer in 2015 and was appointed as a Trustee in 2017.

Funding Opportunities

We aim to support as many people as possible.

Our grants are open to all individuals, groups and organisations within the Bolton Borough. From supporting individuals to helping community groups and projects as well as charity donations. As long as the funding will have a direct impact upon the Bolton community then we’re happy to help.