Honouring Sheffield region’s unsung heroes

Local organisations and small charities make up the bulk of our recipients, says Master Cutler Nick Cragg, because we know from experience that these groups are very often the ‘unsung heroes’ of the region.

The local organisations rely very heavily on donations and on their many volunteers and, while we know that our donations will not solve all of their many concerns, they will go some way to relieving the financial pressure that they all feel.

The monies we distribute come from two main sources. The Cutlers’ Company Charitable Trust and the Master Cutler’s Challenge.

This Challenge invites 90 to 100 teams from businesses, organisations and various groups across the Region to devise highly imaginative events raising thousands of pounds.

The principal beneficiaries are selected by the Master and Mistress Cutler from large Charities, but a percentage of the monies raised is allocated to our Charitable Trust so that it can be redistributed to smaller local charities.

We are very grateful to the Immediate past master, Ken Cooke, whose challenge contributed £24,000 to our funds this year.

The Cutlers’ Company Charitable Trust itself is a well-established charity resulting from generous bequests and donations made over many, many years.

This year we were able to distribute a total of £76,500 to some 46 charities across the Sheffield City Region, ranging from Sheffield Young Carers through Hope Family in Arbourthorne and Station House Barnsley to Cavendish Cancer Care.

In recent years our reach has extended significantly and we are keen to continue.

The Trusts tend to make donations of between £500 and £2,000 and we know that we have helped some organisations but we would be happy to learn of others who might benefit.

Another pleasant duty of the Master Cutlers is to be able to recognise the hard work and dedication of our emergency services.

Later this month we will hold an awards ceremony at the Cutlers’ Hall in their honour and among the special invited guests will be teams and individuals who have shown outstanding courage and commitment to the people of South Yorkshire.

Businesses across the region know that a strong police force and emergency services that can be relied on are essential to their success and security and we are delighted to show our appreciation in a small way.