From its earliest days, charity has been one of the Company’s principal objectives and the passage of time has considerably enhanced the importance of this aspect of the Company’s activities. Indeed, apart from its civic responsibilities, it could be said that this has become the Company’s main object.

The priorities for its charitable objectives were ordained some time ago and may be defined as those which have a medical, barbers and/or City background. Among the continuing beneficiaries are:

a) Sponsorship of a teaching post at The Royal College of Surgeons of England, known as the Barbers’ Company Reader in Anatomy.

b) The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham that provides palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer and motor neurone disease. In addition to its 20 in-patient beds, the Hospice has a thriving Day Care Centre offering about 2000 attendances each year and an experienced Home Support Team.

c) Pensions to impoverished members of the medical profession or the barbers’ trade and their families. (Past Master Denny holds the voluntary appointment of Almoner.)

d.  The Barbers' Company McNee Awards for mature medical and dental students, primarily at London Teaching Hospitals, to enable them to undertake medical training as a second degree.

e) Bursaries and prizes at Epsom College, the City of London School, The City of London School for Girls, the City of London Freemen’s School and Reed’s School.

(f)  A bursary at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

g) The Ronald Raven Barbers’ Award for Special Training or an educational project for a surgeon or medical artist.

h) A donation to the British Medical Students’ Trust in the form of two awards for Medical Electives.

i) The Sir Francis Avery Jones Award for Special Training for a member of the Digestive Diseases Research Centre.

j) Two awards for nurses: a Barbers’ Nursing Scholarship; and course fees for a practising clinical nurse or midwife undertaking an MSc as the St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery.

k) An award for a Casting Technician’s Course at the British Orthopsedic Association.

l) Donations to worthwhile causes within its defined priorities.