I have blogged before of the philanthropic efforts of the Livery Companies of the City of London and commented that though one of the largest philanthropic movements in the country their efforts are not well known or appreciated and politicians on the left seem to think that they are little more than expensive dining clubs. However, I think we are getting a little better at explaining ourselves and the latest Pan Livery Impact Report is a good example of this. [i]

There are 110 Livery Companies in London - some established many years ago and some which achieved Livery status in the 21^st century. Each of them is a unique philanthropic fellowship, whether ancient or modern and all are dedicated to serving others. Many Livery Companies are bound or tied to a craft or trade or are linked to one of the modern professions which now predominate in the City of London. Every Company has made its charitable work manifest.

The 2022 Pan Livery Report has just been published. Alongside data from the third survey of Philanthropic Giving by Livery Companies, the report describes some of the Livery initiatives and stories, highlighting the breadth and quality of some of these projects and the impact they are having for beneficiaries.
Highlights include:

Support to education

Financial support to education and research increased to just over £30 million. Within this total there was a modest reduction in support to maintain schools and to trade related education research, which was offset by a significant increase in a wide variety of educational programs designed to respond to educational needs arising from the pandemic. Many Livery Companies continue to provide bursaries and scholarships to disadvantaged pupils.

Other common funding themes

Many examples of charitable giving defied the efforts of Livery Company respondents to classify them according to the survey categories. However, there were several commonly supported themes which illustrate the range of beneficiaries e.g., Armed Services, Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, Homelessness, Employability, Re-offending, Arts and Culture, Families and Communities, and Older and Disadvantaged People.
 
Volunteer, pro bono and in-kind support

An increasing element of philanthropic giving is provided by the time and effort volunteered by Liverymen and Freemen. While there is considerable under-reporting of such support, survey responses show that it includes as a minimum:

Donations and fundraising by members

Donations by Liverymen and Freeman raised £5.8m during the year plus Gift Aid of £0.8m. This represents an increase of 11% over the 2020 figure.  The average giving across Livery Companies typically varied from £30-£300 per member per year and of course the majority of the charitable donations comes from the existing wealth of the Livery Companies  and the income from investment  but more and more Livery Companies are placing emphasis on raising money directly from their members. In a modern Livery Company like mine there is no inherited wealth and all of the money that we donate has come from the members themselves.

Trade Groups

Since the establishment of the earliest guilds in the 11^th and 12^th centuries, the City of London Livery Companies have often been characterised by competition and rivalry which on occasion has descended into hostility and even violence. Traditionally, Livery Companies have protected their independence, but when occasion demands, a number have found they shared long-term interests and objectives. So, since the order of precedence was set in 1515 by the Court of Aldermen, it can be said that some of the best outcomes achieved by the Livery have been through partnership and collaboration.

This collaboration can best be demonstrated through the traditional core activities of Livery Companies: trade, education and philanthropy. In the same way that disparate individual tradesmen sought the security and privilege of fraternal membership, so the Guilds they formed sought the commercial advantage of establishing trade groupings.
 
These trade groups originally focused on trade activities such as construction involving bricklayers, tilers, carpenters, joiners and plasterers, or weapons manufacturers such as armourers, bowyers, fletchers and blacksmiths. Thus, there is a Textile Group composed of Broderers, Clothworkers, Drapers, Dyers, Feltmakers, Framework Knitters, Haberdashers, Mercers, Merchant Taylors, Upholders, Weavers and Woolmen Companies. Their recent achievements include the funding of a Sustainability Conference discussing best practice on sustainability within the UK textile industry and discussing how the sector can grow its capacity and capability, while remaining competitive.

The Food Group is composed of the Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, Farmers, Fishmongers, Fruiterers and Poulters’ Companies. Their recent achievements include producing a Pan Livery Food Group Sustainability Pledge as part of the City of London Climate Action Plan.

The Leather Group is composed of the Leather Sellers, Saddlers, Girdlers, Glovers, Coachmakers, Cordwainers, Curriers, Loriners and Patternmakers’ Companies. Their recent achievements include the funding and promulgation of qualitative research into sustainable manufacturing practices.

The Financial Services Group (FSG) is composed of the Actuaries, Arbitrators, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Secretaries, Chartered Surveyors, Information Technologists, Insurers, International Bankers, Management Consultants, Marketors, Solicitors, Tax Advisers and World Traders’ Companies. Their objective is to support the Lord Mayor in their role of promoting the UK based financial services industry particularly in the City of London. Recently they organised a strategic post COVID-19 seminar for FSG Companies and a panel of experts session debating ESG post COP26.

The Livery Kitchens Initiative (LKI)

The LKI evolved early in the pandemic when several Livery Companies led by the Drapers’ Company, recognised the opportunity of exploiting their unused kitchens and resources to support NHS staff through the challenges presented by the pandemic. As the situation came under better control, the initiative switched its effort from hospitals to the charities tackling food insecurity.

The LKI project delivered over 175,000 meals to four Barts Health NHS Trust hospitals and 16 East London communities identified by the food distribution charity City Harvest. Five kitchens were involved: Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Merchant Taylors and Party Ingredients. The Fruiterers matched every meal with fruit; the Hackney Carriage Drivers provided over 1,000 journeys for chefs during lockdown; and the Fuellers provided fuel funding for transport.

Three fundraising tranches raised over £640,000 from 65 Livery Companies, other organisations and individuals. Each meal cost around £3, which included produce, packaging and delivery. The LKI has demonstrated in an extraordinary way, the effectiveness of well led collaboration by Livery Companies focussed on the needs of society in demanding times supporting front-line institutions and charitable organisations.

No Going Back (NGB)

NGB is a bespoke initiative inspired by Pan Livery and created to demonstrate that a group of Livery. Companies can deliver a greater impact when they work together. It started in 2020 with the support of 13 Livery Companies rising in year 2 to 30 companies. All are working collaboratively to drive a project that reduces reoffending and the £18 bn pa it costs the taxpayer. Livery Companies have not only provided the funding but are also sharing their knowledge and expertise through membership of the steering group. In addition, members are volunteering their own time to mentor ex-offenders and provide access to jobs within their business networks.
Over 100 prison leavers have now been employed and since it started the NGB programme has reached over 800 prisoners. NGB is now accessing people in 30 prisons around the country and working intensively in five London prisons.

Livery Climate Action Group (LCAG)

 I blogged on this earlier in the year following the LCAG’s first annual conference which I attended. [ii]Some companies have already completed climate action plans while others are first tackling other elements such as their investments. Those companies with an expansive property portfolio are working with professional advisers as greening real estate, especially for listed and historic buildings, has a lot of extra challenges. The LCAG is working closely with the City Corporation and helping to understand barriers around planning and regulatory consents.

Pollinating London Together (PLT)

PLT was established in 2019 as a Pan Livery group out of a need to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity, the decline in insect species – especially pollinators – and the potential impacts on how we live. From the outset, its ambition has been to make PLT truly Pan Livery, and the team has made very good progress in this respect. PLT has 16 livery companies as formal members and is actively engaged with approximately 30 more potential members. Biodiversity is built around the provision of green spaces. These are the important ‘lungs’ of the City that help improve the air quality, absorb street noise and provide vital relaxing spaces. The City of London has 376 open spaces totalling 32 hectares; these include both private and City of London Corporation managed spaces such as parks, gardens and churchyards. At rooftop level there is an increasingly important resource for biodiversity. Lady Russell, the Lord Mayor’s wife in the years 2019 to 2021, arranged for beehives on top of Mansion House.

Overall, I am greatly encouraged by these and other developments. There is increasing awareness of the potential of what Livery Companies can achieve together both in collaboration but also in external communication.  

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