GCCT Bulletin – June 2021

Dear Liveryman,

I write to you as the newly-elected Chairman of the Gunmakers Company Charitable Trust (GCCT). Many of you will know me from the Livery, and from my previous roles as Chairman of James Purdey & Sons and founder of GunsOnPegs. Having spent much of my working life in the British gun trade, I am dedicated to both gunmaking and the shooting world.

I hope in my new role to nurture, conserve and promote the craft skills which are the life blood of gunmaking, and in so doing help this most traditional of industries to emerge stronger and positioned for a more sustainable future in the twenty-first century.

Since becoming Chairman of the GCCT, my colleagues and I have undertaken some changes which we believe will enable the Trust to be more effective in supporting the art of gunmaking. This bulletin is to inform you about what we’ve done, share our successes with you, and hopefully, gain your support. If you are already a supporter of the GCCT, then I thank you for your support.

Specifically, the GCCT needs three things:

Money. In response to demand, we are looking to increase the number of apprentices we support each year, and to broaden the range of support we provide to gunmakers. We need more money to do that.

Mentors. The development of each apprentice is guided by an experienced gunmaker, or a person who has the requisite skills to be a mentor, normally a volunteer from among our rank and file. While the time commitment is not vast, the positive impact on a young person’s life can be vast, not to mention the relationship being built with our Livery, which one day we hope they might join.

We need more experienced gunmakers, or those with appropriate suitable skills, to serve both as mentors to apprentices in training, but also as judges on the Certification Panel, which recognises the achievements of apprentices at the conclusion of their training. Clearly to judge gunmaking skill one would need to be an experienced, recognised gunmaker.

Volunteers. The 13 Trustees of the GCCT bring with them a broad range of competencies in a range of gunmaking, engineering, ballistics, finance, the law, and fundraising. However, we are always looking for new abilities, talent, enthusiasm and commitment.

What is the main purpose of the GCCT and how is the Trust structured? Who are the Trustees and how do I become a Trustee?

The Gunmakers Company Charitable Trust recently reviewed its objectives and organisation. Formed in 2003 with the principle aim of supporting and developing the craft skills associated with traditional gunmaking, its objects have broadened and are as follows:

To promote, for the public benefit, the improvement of tangible and intangible craft and technical skills employed in the gun and allied trades and in associated crafts, by the provision of scholarships for the advancement of education of persons involved in these trades and crafts;
To relieve individuals connected to the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers and their families, who are in need by the provision of grants;
To provide grants for any charitable purposes connected with the making, usage, conservation and curatorship of guns;
To provide grants for charitable purposes connected with the City of London or other places in which the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers is situated.
While not revolutionary, the broadening of our remit will enable us to support more directly people in the trade undergoing temporary hardship, and curators who help to preserve the traditions of gunmaking in their collections.

We are most fortunate to have a wide range of skill sets with the current Trustees, but we also welcome applications from any walk of life if you feel that you can add value to the Trust.  For example, mentorship of apprentices is a vital part of our role, which as we grow in our activities requires a number of willing and able mentors to assist.

There are now 13 Trustees, organised as follows:

Management Group: James Horne (Chairman), Richard Hefford Hobbs, Mike Venables and Adrian Mundin (Clerk)

Sub Groups

Finance: Jason Dalley, Harry Burnham, Adam Anthony

Bursaries: Richard Hefford Hobbs, George Yannaghas, Helen Jones (Co-opt Simon West)

Fund Raising: Mike Venables, Diana Berry, Edward King, David Newman

Communications: James Horne, John Browning, Mike Venables, Richard Hefford Hobbs (Co-opted Jonathan Young)

If you would like to offer yourself as a potential Trustee please contact Adrian Mundin, Secretary to the Trust and Clerk to the Gunmakers’ Company.

The GCCT has recently extended its bursary programme for apprentices from 3 years to 4 years following an extensive survey of previous recipients. New applications have been received from Roy Martin Gunsmiths and James Purdey and Sons Ltd

The Trustees surveyed a variety of gunmakers – large and small, north, and south – to enquire if the terms of the bursaries could be improved. While the respondents were generally satisfied with the amount of the bursary – now set at £5,000 a year – they did indicate that a longer-term would be useful. So future GCCT bursaries will be awarded for a period of four years rather than the current three, with a progress and continuation review after two years.

The GCCT currently supports five bursaries at any one time. However, the research indicated that more bursaries were needed to ensure that the gunmaking industry moves towards a more sustainable future. From the research, demand for further bursaries was strong.

Recent applications have been received from Roy Martin, of Roy Martin Gunsmith, incorporating Charles Smith & Sons, a well-known Newark gunmaker, and James Purdey & Sons Ltd of Audley House in London’s Mayfair, one of Britain’s oldest and most respected gunmakers.

To support the expansion of the number of bursaries, the GCCT needs two things: money and mentors. Our current finances can prudently support a maximum of five bursaries at one time. All support from the livery would be much appreciated, and more importantly, help us to meet the growing demand for the training support we provide.

The GCCT also needs appropriate mentors from our Livery, men, or women with gunmaking or appropriate skills, who can provide the time and willingness to give the benefit of their skills and experience to newcomers to the craft. Mentors should offer oversight, guidance and ensure that the firm submits regular reports on the apprentice’s progress to the Trust; however, they are removed from the regulatory aspects of the training and employment. The time commitment is not onerous, but we do ask that the commitment is taken seriously.

Please get in touch with our Clerk or the Chairman of the GCCT if you would like to know more about being a mentor.