The Company steps up its fundraising pace

Following a successful fundraising year, the Company’s Fundraising Committee looks forward to stepping up its efforts to increase the funds available to the Charity Trustees, thus allowing their worthy grants programme to continue and expand, in line with the objective of increasing the number of awards we make to 35 by the year of our 350th anniversary year, which is rapidly approaching in 2026/27.

There are several ways you can help support our fundraising aims.

The receipt of a steady flow of regular recurring donations is so important to the Trustees, as it allows for all important predictability in their grant-giving planning. To this end the Charity Trustees launched an account with the direct debit collection platform GoCardless in late 2023 to enable members to sign up for a modest regular donation. While this is early days for the GoCardless initiative there has been a positive response to this appeal and so far, 23 members successfully give regularly and presently this yields an annual amount of £6,140. When Gift Aid is added this becomes £7,765.

Whilst this is a good start it does only represent a relatively small number of members who have answered the call to support the Charity Trustees. There is an implied obligation, always according to means, when becoming a member to donate to the Company’s Charitable Fund. Nothing could be easier, members can easily set up a modest regular donation by contacting me at donations@coachmakers.co.uk with a request for information. Donations of any size are gratefully received. Currently, the most popular contribution is £20 per month which would hopefully not be missed but collectively would have an enormous impact on the Charity’s ability to award scholarships, bursaries, and awards to the young and upcoming in our industries.

For those who may be at an event or are a guest of the company, the Fundraising Committee has also set up a donation giving platform called Yotta which is primarily aimed at spontaneous or occasional giving. A simple QR code has been devised which now appears on dinner menus and the Charity Profile brochure launched this year.

The QR code makes it super easy for both members and their guests to donate on impulse, the first outing at the November Aerospace dinner produced a number of donations. Going forward the QR code will be added to all Company literature and the website.

In the last Livery year, we made 21 awards to students and apprentices across our three associated industries of coachmaking & coach harness making, automotive, and aerospace. This year we plan to increase this to around 25, through increased funding from the Charitable Fund, from the regular donations mentioned above, and from generous funding from Lockheed Martin for two additional aerospace awards.

We realise that regular donations from our members is only one source of increased funding for Awards: Corporate funding is, and will be, key. Currently, awards are funded by the generosity of Aerotron, the Sir William Lyons Heritage Trust, Bentley Motors, and Lockheed Martin. There are many companies, large and small, with connections into the Coachmakers and any interest in funding an award would be welcome: please contact the Chair of the Charity Committee, Assistant Eric Wallbank, at charity@coachmakers.co.uk.

As a company, we are fortunate to have a number of senior professionals who have held high profile roles within our affiliated industries. Please consider sponsoring an award in your name, the Trustees would be delighted to accommodate an ideal match.

As we look forward to a successful fundraising year, may I wish you a very happy Christmas and prosperous 2025.