7 / 24
Page 7
Follow us on twitter @LondonFire1666
Worshipful Company of
Firefighters Charitable Trust
It has been over a year since I was privileged
to become Chairman of the Charitable Trust
and carry on the good work of my predecessor
Past Master Frank David. He had steered the
Trust over a number of years and it would be
remiss of me not to pay tribute to my Mentor
and colleague who has seen the Trust through
a period of much development and change.
We have had a number of changes since my
Chairmanship. We have the retirement of Past
Masters Frank David and Bryan Spearman,
Graham Maltby has taken over as Vice-
Chairman and we have recently been joined
by Howard Myers. Past Master Michael Harper
will also be retiring and will be replaced soon.
A recent request has gone out to Liverymen to
think about applying as a Trustee.
The Charitable Trust realises that the world
of the Fire Industry and the Fire and Rescue
Service, like many sectors, is changing at
a considerable pace and we will shortly be
looking at the current core charities to see if
these reflect the changing environment. We will
also consider what else we can do in the youth
and young persons sector. This draws on one
of “Aims and Objectives” of the Company and
the Charitable Trust in providing opportunities
to promote responsible and good citizenship for
future generations.
The Charitable Trust is in the process of
going through incorporation with the Charities
Commission which is likely to be concluded by
the end of 2017. One of their requirements is
to have a regular rotation of Trustees. Graham
Maltby is reviewing a streamlined administrative
process on behalf of the Trustees to ensure
that we respond to the Charities Commission
requests in a timely and efficient manner.
Over the last year we have continued to support
a number of Fire Cadet programmes run by
London Fire Brigade and the Essex Fire and
Rescue Service, as well as a specific project for
the Air Training Corps aligned to the Ministry
of Defence Firefighting School at Manston
in Kent. We have made grants to other
youth related charities including the “Burns
Camp”, which provides confidence re-building
strategies for young people who have been
burned in fire related events. We have also
made a grant award to “FIRE AID”, a charity
which utilises volunteers from across the
United Kingdom Firefighting Services to equip
and train overseas Fire and Rescue Services
in communities less fortunate than ourselves,
such as in Moldova.
The Lord Mayor’s Charity has again been
supported. An exciting Education and Training
initiative is being steered by the Education
and Training Sub-Committee towards granting
recognition awards to graduate students who
present valuable and worthwhile dissertations
and theses surrounding Fire and Rescue and
Fire Industry related educational projects from
11 recognised Educational Establishments.
The capital funds are ably invested for us by
JMFinn. A new Legacy Document has recently
been approved by the trustees and will soon
be made available to livery members. The
Charitable Trust remains thankful for and
acknowledges the support of the many donors
to the Trust, particularly Company members,
and from events such as the Fire Industry
Charitable Ball and the City Dinner.
Frances Blois
Chairman.
Worshipful Company of Firefighters Charitable Trust
Frances Blois
Chairman of the Charitable Trust
WCOFF CHARITABLE TRUST