Charity
It is the charitable arm of the Warrant Holders’ Association which bulks largest. The Plowden medal for a lifetime’s service to conservation is now established as the ‘Blue Riband’ of its field. The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust – the first time the Association really started looking outwards – is growing all the time. It provides generous annual scholarships for gifted craftsmen and women to further their skills and now has very considerable funds at its disposal.
For the Queen’s Golden Jubilee the Association paid for a frieze by the Scottish sculptor Sandy Stoddart, which decorates the entrance to the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The concept is heroic, an allegorical depiction of the whole of the Queen’s reign.
If there were to be any changes to the Royal Warrant scheme they would be carried out with the utmost tact and consideration, after discussion with all the representatives of the different Households and of the Association at the Royal Tradesmen’s Warrants Committee, and the Council of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. It would, in other words, all be very civilised, and while there will inevitably be change, it will be change within the context of tradition and politeness, loyalty and professionalism. What else would one expect? ■
See also: The Queen on Her Platinum Jubilee – Her Reign, Part 2
