Andrew Mitchell MP has attended the Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities Chairman’s Reception held at the Charity’s Head Office in Sutton and hosted by Chairman Freddie Gick. Sutton’s MP met with the Chairman and trustees as well as the Clerk to the Trustees Ernie Murray and others who work with the charity to help local people. Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities was formally established in 1886 when Sutton Coldfield became a Borough. Its history can be traced back to 1528, when Bishop Vesey established a Corporation to govern the Town. This had responsibility for looking after needy people. Over the centuries, the Charity accumulated land and used rental income to help the poor and sick and provide education. Relying upon income from investments, the Charity now maintains 46 Almshouses for elderly local people, and makes grants of around £1 million annually to people and organisations within the boundaries of the former Borough of Sutton Coldfield. Speaking after the Chairman’s Reception Andrew Mitchell MP said, “It was a pleasure to meet so many dedicated people and to have a chance to say “thank you” for all their magnificent work supporting individuals and organisations throughout Sutton Coldfield. \"Sutton has benefited hugely from the relationships that Chairman Freddie Gick, Clerk Ernie Murray and the Charity\'s trustees and staff have worked hard to create.\"