100
101
The Leathersellers’ Foundation
Leathersellers’ Review 2024–2025
Personal Giving 2024–2025
Resources To complement the material donations we offered freely downloadable teaching resources via our “Learn About Leather” webpage. These beautifully designed and accessible materials — including the Guide to Modern Leather Making toolkit developed by Leather Naturally — proved highly popular. Since November 2024 the page has received over 500 visits and 111 downloads, helping to spread awareness of leather as an ethical and sustainable material for future designers and makers. Masterclasses, awards and industry visits combination Our successful approach to supporting leatherworking skills through masterclasses, awards, and industry visits continued to flourish. De Montfort University and the London College of Fashion remained key partners, while Birmingham City University and the Jimmy Choo Academy joined the programme this year. Hosting a Leather Education Partners Roundtable in June 2025, we provided a valuable forum for sharing best practice and discussing common challenges. The enthusiasm and collaboration at this event have already led to plans to replicate the model in other institutions in the coming year. Tanning and leatherworking apprenticeships Apprenticeship support remained a cornerstone of our strategy. One apprentice completed their training and was retained by their tannery, while four others progressed into their final year. In 2024–2025, Willingstone Tannery in Dorset successfully applied to join the programme, welcoming a new apprentice into their environmentally conscious, teaching- focused tannery. The summer brought a moment of celebration when Zachariah Webb, our supported apprentice at Horace Batten Bootmakers, placed third in the Craft of Shoemaking Awards at Cordwainers – a testament both to the progress he has made and to the impact of our apprenticeship support. Leather conservation A major milestone was reached with the long-awaited relocation of the Leather Conservation Centre to Leicester in spring 2025. The new, larger, and more practical and public- facing workspace has already begun to unlock new business and development opportunities. This expansion is being significantly supported by a major grant of nearly £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which will fund outreach and development work over the coming years. Substantial support for relocation costs came from Company funds, while the Foundation continues to provide core funding to ensure the Centre’s sustainability during this period of change.
Tanning education The year also brought the sad news of the closure of the Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at the University of Northampton, with the training tannery facility closing in July 2025. A small group of students remain, completing the final stages of their tanning studies and expected to graduate in early 2026. We remain closely engaged with these students, hosting several at Leathersellers’ Hall in July 2025 and continuing to honour their scholarships. Additional funding has been provided to support their industry engagement and development. Discussions are ongoing with industry and education providers to explore how elements of tanning training might continue or evolve in the future. New partners in this area include Cotmarsh Tannery, a CIC set up to build a micro-tannery with a classroom and focus on education from the outset. Funding has been provided both to support the initial development of this Wiltshire-based enterprise and to facilitate visits by students interested in learning more about natural materials. Support for makers Support for independent makers continues through a range of programmes. We provide staggered assistance to those establishing themselves at Cockpit in Deptford and the Leather Hub, and offer training bursaries through Heritage Crafts. We also sponsor the Young Leatherworker of the Year Award, celebrating emerging talent in the field. Whenever possible, we commission independent makers (often from our alumni network) to produce leather gifts as needed for Company events, ensuring that our support translates into real opportunities for creative professionals. Our deep connections across the leather community allow us to add value in meaningful and practical ways. Collaboration Collaboration remains central to our approach. Through members and staff we have contributed to a range of cross- sector initiatives, including joint projects with the Saddlers’ Company focused on entry-level leatherworking qualifications and multi-year support for small leather businesses. We continue to play an active role in the Leathery Livery Group, sharing knowledge and fostering connections. Our commitment to linking individuals and organisations ensures that our work remains responsive, relevant, and impactful across the leather sector.
Every penny of the £78,000 raised (and matched) this year went to ‘Improving Literacy and Life Chances’ for the 3,000+ pupils at the Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools in south- east London. Why we focused here: Reading is remarkable because of the impact it has on children’s abilities and prospects for the future. • In the UK, nearly 1,000,000 children don’t have a book of their own. • R esearch has found that the children and young people who are most engaged with literacy are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than children who are the least engaged (39.4% vs 11.8%). • A child growing up in poverty who was read to at age five has a significantly higher chance of economic success in their 30s than their peers who were not. • D isadvantaged children aged 11–14 who read in their own time and take part in enriching activities at home are more likely to go on to achieve three or more A-levels, compared to those not engaged in these activities. • S hared reading has a unique and transformative impact on educational attainment. Shared reading at home exerts a stronger influence on children’s academic performance than parents’ supervision, control of homework or attendance at school activities. Members of the Leathersellers’ Company, as well as staff members, friends and family, gave generously during the 2024–2025 Livery year, unlocking additional charitable giving from the Leathersellers’ Company through the match funding initiative. This money will go towards improving literacy and life chances for the Federation’s pupils. With plans to expand the schools’ physical and digital libraries, invest in literacy development programmes and enable additional focus on this area for those struggling, the funds raised will be transformative. 71 members or staff directly contributed through regular and one-off donations across the year, with monthly, quarterly or annual contributions forming the core of the giving. A further £10,000 was raised by an amazing Leathersellers running team of 35 Liverymen, Freemen, staff, partners and family. Together they ran a collective 260km / 161 miles in Battersea Park as part of the ‘Chase the Moon’ run, each tackling 5 or 10km.
Thank you to the following team for taking on this challenge: Master, Second Warden, Third Warden, Clerk, Sara Tusting, James Russell, Geraldine Russell, Chivonne Preston, Andrew Newton, Alex Preston, Susie Reed, David Langthorne, Ed Lennon, Hon Chaplain Ben Sargent, Edward Tusting, Lydia Ross, Curtis McGlinchey, Ralph-Lewis Diabate, Daniella Harper, William Barrow, Andrew Strong, Sophie Collett, James Tusting, Cynthia Tusting, Archie Barrow, Alistair Tusting, Mark Russell, Corrine Russell, Lucie Russell, Deborah Dow, Stuart Barr, Sarah Barr, Alice Robinson, Sarah Capel and Latoya Powell. And many thanks to their friends and family for sponsoring their efforts! Additional income also came from a tenant raffle at Christmas, with thanks to Estate Manager & Beadle Matt Williams for organising. Every donation makes a considerable difference, so whether you can support with a regular amount monthly, quarterly, or annually, or want to donate as a one-off, we are here to help. We are also planning another Leathersellers’ running team to take part in a sponsored event in 2025–2026. If you’d be interested in contributing to the work detailed throughout these reports for the coming year, please do let us know.
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator