MEET THE FUNDER – THE VINTNERS’ COMPANY
This month we meet Kate Buchanan, a TV producer and member of the Charity Committee at The Vintners’ Company.
Tell us about The Vintners’ Company.
The Vintners’ Company is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London, with its origins steeped in the import, regulation and sale of wine.
Nowadays, we maintain our standing through strong trade, social and educational interests and are incredibly proud of our strong commitment to charitable causes through The Vintners’ Foundation. In fact, just last year we agreed a new target for the fund to give £10m to charitable causes over the next five years.
What does your role involve?
By day I am actually a TV producer, but alongside that I am a member of the Vintners’ and their Charity Committee, which is a voluntary role.
I am responsible for visiting the charities who have applied to the foundation for funding, to see the work that they do first-hand. I then make recommendations to the charity committee, who meet about four times a year to review and make decisions on funding allocations.
Why do you support Caritas Anchor House?
The Company is particularly interested in smaller, local charities dealing with the social consequences of alcohol dependence, such as homelessness. Caritas Anchor House is a wonderful charity which really hit what we were looking for.
The model of support at Caritas Anchor House is really comprehensive and so does a great job of lifting people out of bad periods of their life and from the burden of homelessness. We were attracted to the levels of good practice in its staff team, and the evolution of its programmes to meet the needs of the people who come to Caritas Anchor House for help. We’ve been supporting the charity since 2011 and we hope to continue for a long time coming.
What surprised you when you visited Caritas Anchor House?
When I came to visit I was truly struck by the range of approaches you can take, and the different types of support that the people who live at Caritas Anchor House are able to access. The process of creating a Personal Development Plan collaboratively is a great, and I think you can see the effect this support system brings.
We have been excited to hear about the plans to expand the facilities at Caritas Anchor House, including building a residents kitchen. Something so practical and concrete, which really lets you see the impact and relevance for your service users, is definitely something we look forward to see develop.