Your Votes Are In!
2018 Recipients of the Livery Fund
Each year, we encourage all Clothworkers to donate, within their means, to the Livery Fund (a sub-fund of The Clothworkers' Foundation). The Company not only matches all donations, but also allows you, as a donor, to decide where the grants are allocated by nominating and then voting for shortlisted charities—making the Livery Fund an effective and rewarding way to directly support causes important to you.
The votes are in for 2018. This year, grants of £31,000 each will be awarded to Ditch the Label, the Harrow Club W10, and The Country Food Trust.
Ditch the Label
Nearly half of all young people will experience bullying at some point before they turn 18, which can have a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing. They may be more likely to suffer anxiety, depression, self-harm, and have suicidal thoughts. Ditch the Label is a digital anti-bullying and pro-equality charity that helps young people aged 12-25 by providing emotional and practical support to those experiencing bullying. The organisation also conducts research into the causes and effects of bullying through its Annual Bullying Survey (reaching 10,000 respondents), helping it to understand the issues, fight prejudice, and change behaviour.
The Livery Fund grant will support a pilot project to develop a range of holistic resources for selected schools to help them tackle bullying. It will also provide solution-based resources for teachers to refer to when faced with a particular bullying problem.
Harrow Club W10
The primary aim of the Harrow Club W10 is to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in West London by providing support and a safe space to spend time with friends and develop new skills. A centre of excellence, it has been awarded the London Youth Quality Kite Mark, Gold Level. Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the Club has launched a new range of after-school and holiday activities including debating, boxing, drama, and dance.
The Livery Fund grant support DebateBox, a new 16-week programme for 13-14 year olds that combines weekly debating workshops with boxing sessions. Boxing has the ability to engage disadvantaged young people, especially those who struggle to control physical and verbal aggression. But in order to take part in the boxing sessions, participants must also engage with the debating side of the programme, helping them to develop and improve key skills such as critical thinking, empathy, communication, and self-confidence.
The Country Food Trust
In its first year (2016), The Country Food Trust provided more than 20,000 meals to people in food poverty. The following year (2017), the charity produced five times that amount: 100,000 meals! The Trust has developed two products, The Country Pheasant Casserole and The Country Partridge Curry. The meals are loved by 'soup kitchens' because the game used in recipes is lean and high in protein—something that many charities struggle to achieve when providing meal to those in need.
The Livery Fund grant will be used to scale the supply chain and potentially hire an individual to co-ordinate interactions between charities, game dealers, and estates to enable the charity to feed more people on a local basis. They will coordinate estates to donate their birds and a processing fee, game dealers will take the birds in and convert them into 10 kilo bags of frozen diced pheasant breast and deliver them to charities that cook for people in need.
Make a Donation
Inspired? Making a donation to the Livery Fund is easy—all members of the Freedom and Livery are encouraged to do so. Visit our '
Charity' webpage to find out more about setting up a standing order for annual or even monthly payments. You can also contact
Emma Temple at Clothworkers' Hall if you have questions.