January 17th – the warmest night of the year!
To Skinners Hall last Thursday for the Company's annual Charities Supper and the event was, as ever, an excellent, informal and above all a warm celebration of our members hard work to support charities under the auspices of our Pro-Bono Services Committee. This was also Second Warden Patrick Chapman's swansong as Chair of the Pro-Bono Services Committee - of which more later.
Between courses of an excellent supper, we heard from three charity leaders of the value that WCOMC members have added:
Catherine West – Chief Executive of Significant Seams based in Walthamstow – described the therapeutic benefits of sewing in fostering community and supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Ken Donaldson – Chief Executive of Crossroads Counselling in Bethnal Green – outlined his charity’s work with adults and children in Tower Hamlets who are recovering from distress, pain or trauma, and rebuilding hope for their future.
Helen Elliott – General Manager of Friends of the Michael Sobell Hospice in Northwood – described her work and the benefit she personally had derived from being an early graduate of the Cass Centre for Charity Effectiveness’ Chief Executives Programme that has been supported by WCoMC.
The front-line accounts of these dedicated professionals make the impact of our pro-bono consulting all the more real, and leaves me in no doubt that this is where “the rubber meets the road” for our Company.
We were, of course, very grateful to Credit Suisse, who first connected us with Crossroads Counselling, and to MTL Software Solutions who developed this website for us, for their very generous sponsorship of the Supper which makes it possible to invite a wider group of guests from the charities to share this celebration than would otherwise be possible.
Finally, and very importantly, this year’s Supper marked the point at which Second Warden Patrick Chapman passed the baton of chairing the Pro-Bono Services Committee to Freeman John Corneille. Patrick has done an absolutely outstanding job in building the professionalism of the Committee and the Company owes him a huge debt of gratitude. He has set a very high bar of commitment and capability and I know we all wish John every success as he follows Patrick's very hard act!