Our new name reflects the help the charity provides in today’s printing, publishing, graphic arts and allied trades, without losing its relevance to those in traditional printing and publishing.
However, there has not been a philosophical shift. The charity’s core ethos has been retained. Within the industry, the word ‘printer’ is actually very specific. We believe ‘printing’ is more inclusive of the sectors we support.
The charity also has a new look. Our new logo, designed by Manor Creative, incorporates the four CMYK printing blocks used in the colour printing process. Each of the printing blocks represents one of our four cornerstones – Homes, Helps, Links and Futures.
‘Homes’ represents our two sheltered accommodation schemes and a care home; ‘Helps’ signifies our one-off grants and regular financial assistance; ‘Links’ shows our signposting to industry and other charities; and ‘Futures’ indicates our fundraising and marketing to ensure sustainable growth.
Building on our heritage
Set up in 1827, the charity is the UK’s second-oldest occupational charity. Past presidents include Charles Dickens, Dame Vera Lynn and Viscount Rothermere.
In 1940, we helped 2,000 printers and their families. Recently, this number has gone down. In order to remain relevant to the industry, we have to address the recent year-on-year decline in the number of people we help.
Our rebrand is the result of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) we undertook with City University’s Cass Business School, which reviewed our service delivery and low profile within the industry.
From this, we have specified that we intend to help existing and former employees within our industries through our Helps and Links cornerstones.
When people are looking for financial help, they usually have a particular problem. Rather than a one-size-fits-all general grant, we have identified three areas where help is most commonly sought – home life and independence, education and training and health and care. This allows us to be more flexible in the services we offer.
According to the BPIF, around 100,000 print and publishing jobs will be lost by 2015 due to changing technology and globalisation. In response to this and the current economic climate, people who have been made redundant in the printing, publishing, graphic arts and allied trades can apply to us for a one-off grant of £250 to help them retrain.
We are also actively working with other key organisations. Together with the BPIF and Unite, we sponsor the annual Print Futures Awards. These are cash grants of £2,500 each to help people aged 16-30 train for a career in the UK printing and graphic arts industries.
Following a review of how best to deliver services and utilise resources with other charities in the sector, we now handle the day-to-day administration of grant applications and financial support on behalf of the Stationers’ Foundation, the charity arm of the Stationers’ Livery Company. We see this as the blueprint for our future operations, remaining as a
separate organisation, but working closely with others in the industry.
During the past year, we helped in excess of 500 people and, of course, we want to increase that number year-on-year. But in order to do that we need support from the industries and companies that we serve. We are looking for corporate supporters, donations, small or large, and referrals to the charity of people who are experiencing hardship.
Print is changing. The charity is also changing as it has done in the past. It will continue to adapt to respond to the needs of those who work or have worked in the industry and their dependents.
Stephen Gilbert is chief executive of The Printing Charity
