Two New Trustees Appointed to the Board of The Clothworkers' Foundation

For the first time, The Clothworkers’ Foundation held an open application process to recruit Clothworkers – Livery or Freedom – for two seats on its board of trustees. This was done with a view to broadening the skills and experience of the board. Anyone with relevant skills, expertise in the charity sector, or lived experience in one or more of The Foundation's main programme areas, was encouraged to apply. In particular, it was important that the right candidates had: 

• Ability to operate within a board environment (although need not have served on a board)
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with key stakeholders and colleagues to achieve organisational objectives
• A consultative, collegiate, constructive and supportive style  
• Good communication skills and the ability to listen sensitively to the views of others, gaining trust and respect from other board members
• Ability to represent The Foundation internally and externally
• A commitment to fairness and to promoting equality and diversity

We're delighted to announce that Emma Ingham Clark and Neel Patani have been appointed, following a competitive and rigorous application and interview selection process. We know that both with broaden the skills and experience available on the board, and help The Foundation better fulfill its mission.

MORE ABOUT EMMA

Emma is a Management Consultant working within Accenture’s Health & Public Service division. Her CV describes her as passionate about engaging with public sector and charitable organisations to drive impactful and lasting change. Within and outside the workplace, Emma embraces innovative and collaborative ways of working to improve outcomes. She champions a human-centric approach, putting the individual at the heart of every initiative. Emma completed a Change Management Certification Programme this year and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, International Relations and Arabic from University of Cambridge. She became Free of the The Company in 2018.  

MORE ABOUT NEEL

Neel is a Finance and Investment postgraduate scholar who is currently working for MUFG Securities PLC as a Relationship Manager and Vice President. His CV highlights his extensive experience combining a high level of technical skill with an aptitude to work under pressure in a fast-paced, results-orientated environment in pursuit of excellence, both individually and collaboratively as part of a team. Neel has completed CFA Level 1 Programme and Level II Candidate, is a full member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), and holds a MSc in Finance and Investment as well as a BA (Hons) in Economics from University of Exeter. He became Free of The Company in 2019.

In due course, the board will also be seeking to recruit two external trustees (from outside the membership).

 

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Welcoming You Back to Clothworkers' Hall

From 1 September, Clothworkers' Hall re-opened in a limited capacity. Staff will be working flexible hours at the Hall and/or continuing to work remotely according to business requirements and personal circumstances. At the present time, members, guests and others may only visit Clothworkers' Hall by invitation and/or pre-arranged appointment.

We have hosted a number of Court meetings and committee meetings successfully via Zoom and MS Teams in recent months, and now have the facility to host hybrid meetings when necessary from a new 'Zoom Room' at the Hall. We have also done our best to keep all of our members engaged throughout the pandemic – with a virtual Annual Meeting of the Livery in July, a Zoom 'escape room' activity for members aged 50 and under in August, and an informal drop-in chat hosted by Immediate Past Master Sir Jonathan Portal Bt for members who have been unable to attend Clothworker events at the Hall in recent years. But we are all eager to reconnect again at our home in the Square Mile, under safe conditions.

We have begun to resume meetings, events and venue hire with COVID-19 Secure policies and procedures in place, as advised by the UK Government, which we will continually review. Our Clothworkers' events will look and feel different to those you've enjoyed in the past. The Master, Alex Nelson, has hinted at some of these in his message above – for instance, most events will require a temperature check upon arrival, signs encouraging social distancing are prominently displayed, face masks and hand sanitising stations are available throughout the ceremonial rooms, there are strict limits to the capacity of events, and the team is working hard behind the scenes to ensure your safety and wellbeing in a number of other ways.

We will begin to invite members of the Livery to smaller, more intimate Court and Livery dinners soon, and will be reviewing how we might host our other annual events – such as the Autumn Young Freedom Reception and our St Thomas Eve Freedom Luncheon – on a rolling basis as the situation changes and Government advice is updated. As with our Court and committee meetings, we are also exploring more ways to engage more of you virtually, even whilst we resume events at the Hall.

Thank you all for being understanding and patient as we navigate the way forward.

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Inspiring Connections

The Livery Advocates Pilot, which successfully launched last spring, brought members of livery companies together with young people who could benefit from their advocacy. The pilot programme was delivered by Catch22, and members from The Goldsmiths’ Company, The Skinners’ Company, The Haberdashers’ Company and The Clothworkers’ Company participated. The programme has now evolved into Catch22’s ‘Inspiring Connections’ and is set to expand beyond the original four livery companies. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to get involved!

Get Involved Today:

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NHS Livery Kitchens Initiative

The NHS Livery Kitchen Initiative has raised more than £200,000 to date – including a £20,000 donation from Clothworkers.

It is a truly collaborative project from the City of London livery community, and beyond, to show support for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis. More than 17,000 meals have been delivered to Barts Health NHS Trust hospitals – including St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the Royal London Hospital and Newham University Hospital – since the project launched in April. These hospitals, in East London, are in some of the hardest-hit areas of London. The hospital staff have had an unimaginable physical, mental and emotional burden to bear.

Four ‘inactive’ kitchens at Grocers’ Hall, Drapers’ Hall, Merchant Taylors’ Hall and Party Ingredients have been put to use to produce more than 600 nutritious meals a day.

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50 Fenchurch Street

City of London Approves Planning Applications for New Development

We were delighted to share our ambitious proposal with members last autumn. Today, we can announce that the City of London has given us the green light on this project. See the City's press release here.

Resolution to grant planning consent was achieved for the project at the City of London’s first virtual public Planning and Transportation Committee, with 29 voting in favour and one abstention.  The City of London’s ability to ensure planning processes continue transparently is applauded, given its importance in ensuring London’s pre-eminence as a world financial centre. So many of our staff, members, and professional advisers have been involved in this achievement - we are indebted to all of you for your support!

The scheme designed by Eric Parry Architects includes a new office building, replacement Livery Hall for The Clothworkers’ Company, public roof garden and winter garden and a significant new public realm situated around a restored Grade I church tower.  The scheme pioneers extensive urban greening in the City of London. 50 Fenchurch Street is at the forefront of the City of London’s drive for improved urban greening and enhanced public realm. The development will provide over 3,400 sq m of new public space, with a generous new public realm of approximately 1,500 sq m area at ground level.  At Level 10 there is a 360-degree public viewing experience, allowing visitors to arrive at a large terrace with spectacular vistas over London. Level 10 also provides a double-height winter garden, which the public can access throughout the year. 50 Fenchurch Street will be the first building of this scale to incorporate extensive vertical landscaping in the City of London.

The proposed scheme will improve two listed buildings. The Grade I listed Tower of All Hallows Staining will be set within a new street level public realm. The Grade II Lambe’s Chapel Crypt will become publicly accessible.  

The new office building will provide 78,000 sq m of office accommodation (GIA) over 35 storeys. The innovative external design significantly enhances the environmental performance of the façade. The façade includes bespoke ceramic cladding at ground, a seamless glazed podium level and a crafted glass detail on the upper levels. This when combined with the vertical landscaping creates a unique building for the City skyline.  

Irrespective of Covid-19 the City office development pipeline is very constrained post 2020.  This coincides with an upcoming peak in major lease events between 2023-2027, particularly in the legal sector. 50 Fenchurch Street is set to benefit from this future supply / demand imbalance. A new Clothworkers’ Hall will be located largely beneath the new proposed public realm. This will be the seventh Livery Hall for The Clothworkers’ Company, which has called the site home for nearly 500 years.

Eric Parry, Founder and Principal of Eric Parry Architects has commented: “The commission to redevelop a site of this scale and significance is special in any city but in the historic heart of the City of London it presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The design journey of this urban proposition has been one of the most remarkable alignments between commerce, culture and the public realm that I have experienced. The proposal will unite more than 800 years of the City of London’s history with its future in a development that will dramatically improve the experience of the city for all.”

Clerk to The Clothworkers’ Company, Jocelyn Stuart-Grumbar, has said: “We are excited about this bold proposal – which provides office accommodation that is especially suited to flexible working environments – and about the evolution of Clothworkers’ Hall. The project is part of our long-term strategy for investing in the future of The Clothworkers’ Company, as well as The Clothworkers’ Foundation, here in the City of London. This scheme offers us the opportunity to unlock our assets, increasing our charitable impact during a period in which this will be so essential.”

What's Next?
There are now various legal agreements to enter into with the City, and these can take several months to finalise. At the same time The Company will plan the strategy to market our site and enter into discussions with potential development partners. Although the economic conditions have been affected by the current Covid-19 pandemic, our project is a unique one, and we are hopeful that it will continue to attract interest. The advantage The Company has, however, is that it has very long-term time horizon, and if we feel that any offer made is not currently acceptable, we are able to wait for a period when conditions become more favourable.

The new Clothworkers’ Hall will be designed with our future needs in mind – including the responsible management of our historic assets, together with the comfort and wellbeing of our staff, members and guests. It is important to all of us that we take the time necessary to plan properly for our seventh hall on this historic site, and we look forward to sharing those plans with you – as they develop – in the months to come.

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The slideshow below, which we shared with members last autumn, has been updated to explain the project.

Use the backward / forward arrows ( "<" or ">" ) in the bottom-left corner of the slideshow to navigate through the presentation.

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FAQs

Where are we in the process?

• In November 2019, we communicated our plans to members and key stakeholders in the community, and held a public exhibition in (20-21 November 2019).
• We submitted our planning applications at the end of the year (2019).
• As of 14 May 2020, the City of London Planning and Transportation Committee approved our planning applications.

When will all of this happen?

• We are still in the early stages of the process, having just received planning permission, the plans for the commercial tower and livery hall are likely to evolve in the coming months as we explore our options to bring these plans to fruition.
• A development is not certain and, if it were to proceed, work on site could not begin before 2022.
• There would be an estimated 10 months of demolition (including archaeological and conservation activities).
• If a development proceeds, it is estimated that the building of a commercial tower and new Livery Hall would take an additional four years.

What will we do whilst the new Livery Hall is in development?  

• We are currently carefully considering all our options for continuing The Company’s and The Foundation’s ongoing operations, providing for staff and continuing to run events, etc.
• Our firm commitment is to continue offering members a programme of events (as close as possible to our normal programme), but in an alternative venue whilst we demolish and rebuild our own Livery Hall.
• However, we cannot make any concrete plans until we are certain the project can move forward successfully.
• We will use the e-newsletter and the Clothworker Magazine to communicate our plans, as they evolve and become finalized, throughout the process.

 

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