As a relatively ‘young’ company (in City terms) we have been fortunate over the years to receive generous donations from Liverymen and legacies from deceased members which form the bulk of our funds. However the need for philanthropy is as strong today as it ever has been and we welcome contributions however large or small. Potential members should note that there is an expectation that members will donate annually a minimum of £100 and register for Gift Aid.
How we use these funds is summarised below.
1. The young
Arkwright Scholarships
Every year we sponsor four Arkwright Scholarships, each for two years. The recipients are invited to become apprenticed to a Liveryman until they are 21 when they are able to become free of the City by servitude. When they are at University or undertaking a recognised form of further education or apprenticeship they can apply for an annual grant of £500 for four years and for a further three years if they are studying for a PhD.
Southwark Sea Cadets
We have supported T/S Cossack for over ten years with an annual grant and their ‘cadet of the year’ is invited to dinner and receives a certificate and financial award. They provide a ‘carpet’ guard at our two major dinners.
Schools
We endeavour to support schools in the Borough of Southwark either with annual grants or money for specific projects or equipment related to science. We currently support Charles Dickens Primary School, the London Nautical School, and City of London Academy Southwark. We welcome applications from pupils at these schools to become Apprentices.
We also support annual events in our Hall to encourage primary school pupils to take up STEM subjects when they move on to secondary school.
The Education Trust Supper
This supper is free to all Freemen, Scholars and Apprentices under the age of 30 to get together in the Hall annually on an informal basis and is supported by funds generously donated by a Past Master.
The IPEM and WCSIM Essay prize
The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers (WCSIM) launched a new essay prize in 2020. The prize is open to members of both organisations who are in the early stages of their career (typically within 10-15 years of graduation or of commencing relevant employment). A prize of £500 and an IPEM Gold Medal will be presented to the winner at one of our social events, probably our October banquet, by the President of IPEM and our Master.
The essay should be a maximum 1000 words and written to be understood by members of the general public. Application is via the IPEM web site.
2. Awards for Excellence
University Students
Each year we give scholarships to post graduate students at eight universities with an award of £2,000 in total. In addition, two of the universities have an extra award following a generous donation from Past Master Sir Ivor Cohen. The Beloe Fellowship is an award of £5,000 in total competed for by applicants from these Universities doing post doctoral research.
The leaflet below explains the awards we offer, however it should be noted that you cannot apply for these directly to us only via your University. We currently work with up to eight affiliated Universities. Details of the awards on offer are normally sent out in the Autumn, with interviews in early Spring.
The Armed Forces
We are proud to support three branches of the armed forces with awards to the Royal Navy Hydrographic School, the Royal School of Military Survey and the Royal Air Force Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering.
The Cornish medal award
This award is given in collaboration with the Institue of Measurement & Control InstMC and started in 2021. The award is named after Derek Cornish a former InstMC President, Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers (WCSIM) and CEO of SIRA. The InstMC provide the medal and an awards dinner and WCSIM awards £1000.00 prize.
This award can be given to an individual, group or company that has excelled in some dimension of scientific instrument making within industry, academia and national or international laboratories. For the purposes of the award, the term ‘scientific instrument making’ can be applied to any appropriate domain and can include software as well as hardware; the ‘dimension’ can range throughout the lifecycle of the instrument system.
Application is via the InstMC web site. The 2023 winner was Dr Gregor Brown of Sensia and the 2024 winner is Professor Ahmed Kovacevic of City University of London and Dr William Milligan of Howden Compressors.
3. Our own people
Our diligent Honorary Almoner keeps an eagle eye on our own members in need of assistance: those who are suffering from a long term illness and need some extra care or support as well as the partners of deceased Liverymen who are not forgotten. The Almoner can be contacted through the Clerk.