Relief of Suffering

The primary recipient of grants to relieve suffering is Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care, in Farnham (here).

The relationship between the Worshipful Company of Barbers and the Hospice goes back to its very beginnings in 1979. Sir Edward Tuckwell, Serjeant-Surgeon to The Queen, who was Master of the Company in 1981, was one of the founders of the hospice having seen the need for care for the terminally ill during his first wife’s illness. Since its inception the support given by the Barbers’ Company has helped the Hospice to grow its services and to reach increasing numbers of people requiring help. Currently the Hospice receives a £30,000 annual grant.

Over the 40-year period that this support has been provided there have been many challenges but perhaps none as daunting as the ones faced during the covid-19 pandemic. Additional grants were of £80,00 made at quite short notice during 2020, partly to increase the number of beds available and partly to offset the exceptional costs of delivering care in a covid-safe way.

A limited number of discretionary grants are also made to deserving causes, particularly those associated with medicine (but not medical research) or hairdressing and barbering.