In late June the WCIT Charity Donor Thank You event took place at our Hall. 

A full house of our generous members, who donate time and money to the WCIT Charity, heard from 2018 grant recipients; Autistica, Missing People and CALM. We also heard about the first six months of activities within the WCIT AI/ML Learning Exchange, chaired by WCIT Liveryman Maxine Ricketts. 

Thank you to all the speakers and members who made this a very memorable evening.

Our 2018 Charity Review of the activities of our Charity in 2018 is now available to download on our website, or to collect in the Hall.

On the same afternoon, our June Charity Board was the last one chaired by Past Master, Mrs Jo Connell OBE DL, who took the Chair in 2012. 

During her tenure, the Charity has grown substantially, not least through the launch of the CCG scheme, which now raises just under £100K p.a. for our charity and has become the bedrock of our income. Members’ donations from our Panels and events has raised over £760K and we have supported many charities and not-for-profit organisations, giving away over £1.2million – an amazing achievement.

Both our grant-making and fund-raising have been significantly professionalised under Jo’s guidance. Jo’s most high-profile achievement, whilst Chair, was our Charity IT Award in 2018, a complex project generating substantial profile for the Charity and exceptional impact through the grants made to CALM and Missing People. 

Jo hands over to Past Master Dr Stefan Fafinski. Stef commented “With her Hall staff and Trustee team, Jo has put the Charity in a very strong position. Our Charity is held in very high esteem in the City and beyond. I want to thank Jo for her vision and leadership, and for leaving the Charity in such robust health.” 

Jo will remain as a Trustee for another year to ensure a smooth handover.