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Charitable Trust

The Worshipful Company of Constructors’ Charitable Trust is registered as a  charity in England and Wales (No 274573).  It was formed in October 1988 as a requirement of the City for the Company of Constructors (then known as the Company of Builders) to gain Livery status.  The minimum capital of £100,000 was required before Livery status could be granted.

The principal operating address of the charity is:

The Chestnuts, 18 East Street, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7SD

The current Trustees are:

P Shepherd – Chairman
D Barrat – Deputy Chairman
T Daly – Secretary
R Heathfield
V Russell

Objectives and activities

The charity’s objects, as set out in the Trust scheme, are:

  1. to advance education, training and research in the construction industry (which shall include in particular, but not exclusively, building, civil engineering, architecture, surveying, engineering services and facilities management and procurement) in particular by awarding certificates, diplomas and other distinctions and establishing and maintaining scholarships, grants and awards to individuals;
  2. the relief of persons in need, hardship or distress who are members of the Company or their dependants.  The Trustees may relieve persons in need by making grants of money to them or providing or paying for goods, services or facilities for them or making grants of money to other persons or bodies who provide goods, services or facilities to those in need.
  3. for other charitable purposes as the trustees may from time to time decide.

Under the revised Trust Deed all income is required to be disbursed or held in restricted funds for disbursement

Scholarships are ongoing and the Trustees, in conjunction with the Charity Committee and the Scholarship and Awards Committee of the Company, are working on an expansion of these into other disciplines, albeit within the Trust’s objectives.  Likewise Prizes and Awards to educational bodies range from Universities to Craft Colleges and the giving to appropriate City of London and Construction Charities is fully maintained.

The Trustees’ policy embraces a philosophy of giving with interactive participation by the Livery and Freedom membership of the Company to enable members to put forward their own suggestions for the placing of charitable giving in conjunction with the Charity and Scholarships and Awards Committees’ recommendations.  This is a welcome and radical step in the workings of this charity and it is hoped that the members will avail themselves of this opportunity.

When considering the general objectives and specific giving, the Trustees pay due attention to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.

Achievements and performance

The latest published figures for the Charitable Trust are for the Year Ending 30 September 2019:

From designated funds:
£5,000Building Heroes
£4,320University of Westminster Property & Construction Department - Constructionarium
£2,500Building Research Establishment
£2,000Team Build Association
£2,000Barnardo's "The Hub" Construction Skills Centre
£1,500Treloar's School
£1,000Ironbridge Development Trust
£1,000St Lawrence Jewry Church Preservation Fund
£1,000Lord Mayor's Appeal
£750University of Westminster Constructors Prize
£750David Tong Cup & prize to Construction Student at LBSU
£750Mansion House Scholarship Scheme
£350RAF Air Cmdre Dow Prize
£350Shafting and Shoring Prize
£350Royal Navy and Marines
£250Sheriffs' and Recorders' Fund
£250City and Guild of London Institute
TOTAL£23,770

More details can be found on the Charity Commission Website

Further information about some of our charitable works can be found here.

Capital fund

Since 1990 the capital sum for the Trust has been enhanced by capital donations (from members and corporate sponsors of the Company) and by particular appeals such as the events at the Tower of London and HMS Belfast, and the Millennium Appeal, which was fully expended.

General funds

It is the financial policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised and future distributions made.

Grant Making Policy

From the outset, the policy of charitable giving has been in line with the constitution of the Trust i.e. for the purposes of sponsoring education and research in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of building and civil engineering work and matters allied thereto.  Since 1990 the Company has appointed a Scholarships and Awards Committee and has targeted, in particular, educational and training scholarships and awards in the construction industry and allied professions.  These are an ongoing commitment for the future.  The original scholarships and awards are now being enhanced by further awards to cover the breadth of the disciplines within the ambit of constructors.  These awards are carefully selected and take time to put into place with other sponsoring institutions.

Bearing these commitments in mind, the Trustees are therefore concerned to ensure that income from capital is sufficient to meet these commitments now, and in the future, and to increase them where appropriate in monetary terms and also with appropriate new awards in the future.  To meet these aims the Trust’s policy on distribution of income is to distribute donations of an income nature.  All specific (or restricted) funds raised by appeals at dinners, or otherwise, are disbursed in full.

Structure, Governance and Management

The charity is unincorporated and governed by a Charity Commission Scheme dated 31st July 2002 which replaced the former trusts of the charity.

The 2002 scheme requires that there should be not less than 4 and not more than 6 trustees.  The appointment of a trustee must be made by the trustees at a special meeting called in accordance with the scheme.  Trustees are appointed for a maximum of 15 years although the scheme contains provisions for the trustees to reappoint a retiring trustee for such periods as they may from time to time determine.

The charity recruits new trustees, when a vacancy arises, from the membership of the Worshipful Company of Constructors taking into account the member’s relevant experience and commitment to the objects of the charity.

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