Our History...
The Callister Trust is a charity, established in 1925, promoting the welfare of girls and young women in Birkenhead.
In 1922 Mr Edward Fletcher Callister's wife and daughter died on the same day and he decided to set up a trust promoting the welfare of girls and young women in Birkenhead. The EF Callister Trust was formed in 1925 with the original premises, a youth club on Argyle Street known locally as 'The Callie'.
Callister Garden, found behind a high Victorian Wall on Slatey Road, was originally tennis courts and was bought by the Trust in the 1930s from Robbs Department Store. It has been used by the community for nearly a hundred years; first as a place for sport and leisure activities for girls, then a playing field and then a garden to teach apprentices. When the apprenticeship scheme ended, the space was boarded up and left vacant for over 10 years, until 2018 when the charity was given into the care of new trustees.
Once the new gate was fitted trustees and local volunteers started to clear and improve the garden. They have been gradually revealing original features, creating new ones and making the garden more suitable for community use.
In Autumn 2019 we welcomed our first visitors for the Heritage Open Weekend. As Spring 2021 approached the more overgrown areas at the back were emerging and designs for a new pavilion were underway.
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Year on year community use has grown with more organisations running their own activities in the garden, more volunteers stepping forward to help with the restoration and more visitors attending workshops and open days.​​
2025 saw the culmination of over 5 years fundraising, planning and volunteer effort with the opening of our new Centenary Pavilion.
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Since its opening in May 2025 the use of the garden has increased enormously, welcoming people for activities from afternoon teas to yoga, holiday activities for kids to charity board meetings.
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We would like to thank all of our donors and volunteers for making this possible and Mr Edward Fletcher Callister, who formed the trust over 100 years ago.
