How good it was to see so many of our young Freemen and Liverymen at our Spring Dinner on the 12th April and the young guests of our more senior Liverymen.

The attraction was the presence of the young Ambassadors from my Master’s Charity, The Children’s Society and its Executive Director, Social Impact, Joe Jenkins our Guest Speaker.

Banners brandishing the Charity’s powerful message ‘Every Young Person Deserves a Good Childhood’ were on display, reinforcing our Partnership with the Charity and it’s Disrupting the Exploitation of Children programme in the London Borough of Newham. Our menu card gave a brief history of the Children’s Society and the work it does and we support, that of combatting child criminal exploitation.

• 46,000 children in England are thought to be involved in gangs
• 90% of English police forces have seen county lines activity in their area and the violence getting worse
• 4,000 teenagers are being criminally exploited in London alone

Joe Jenkins spoke generally of child exploitation in England and more specifically in the London Borough of Newham (the project we support) and the work the Charity does with children and young people and their families to ‘disrupt’ that exploitation; he spoke of its work with the police, teachers and social workers, influencing and improving the way they respond to vulnerable children and young people; ensuring they are seen as the ‘victims’ of crime and not criminals.

Fund-raising for this project has been challenging during these Covid-19 times. Traditionally the Master’s chosen charity is supported by the fund-raising activities of members during the Master’s year and not from existing funds of the Plaisterers’ Charitable Trust. It has been simply amazing what was achieved in periods of stop and go, lateral flow, lockdowns, tiers, bubbles and the Rule of 6. I hope you were all ‘energised’ by the speech of Joe Jenkins and from meeting those wonderful Ambassadors from the Children’s Society. It was an evening that put a ‘Spring in my Step’. This is not an ‘easy’ cause to support, but the work The Children’s Society does, is making a difference to vulnerable children’s lives and that is a big positive. Our support IS making a difference.

Plaisterers, it is not too late to support The Children’s Society and its ‘Disrupting the Exploitation of Children’ programme in the London Borough of Newham.

Donations please to:

The Plaisterers’ Charitable Trust

Sort Code: 60-05-11

Account Number: 87314169

Reference: Children’s Society