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Charity of the Month: The Printing Charity

The Printing Charity (also known as the Printers’ Charitable Corporation) was set up 183 years ago to help people who work or have worked in printing and the allied trades and who are experiencing financial difficulties.

The charity changed its name this year to The Printing Charity, reflecting its desire to appeal to a wider group of people and their dependents in today’s printing, publishing, graphic arts and allied trades, but without losing its relevance to those in traditional printing.

What help does it give?

The Printing Charity targets its resources at those whose incomes are at or below the 60% median of income and who meet its criteria for regular financial assistance and one-off grants. People may be eligible if they have five years’ continuous service in printing, publishing, the graphic arts or allied trades or they are dependents of those who meet this criterion. 

For those on very low incomes, regular financial assistance is paid twice a year. It is calculated at £20 per week and paid in March and September. The money can be used for any purpose.

One-off grants may be made where the applicant specifies the purpose. Grants are also available under the following categories:

• Care home ‘top-up’ fees                        
• Communications help       
• Holidays (carers)                                          
• Home adaptations                                        
• Independent living help   
• Training/educational costs for people with special needs                                                                                              
• Mobility                                                                     
• Nursing home ‘top-up’ fees                               
• Respite care
• Residential care                             
• Nursing care                                               
• Day centres                                       
• Care service at home.        

The charity also provides a signposting function via its Links cornerstone (link opens in a new window), including guidance on choosing a care home (link opens in a new window) .

With the British Printing Industries Federation and Unite the Union, the Printing Charity sponsors the annual Print Futures Awards to help young people train for a career in the UK printing and graphic arts industries.

In response to the current economic climate, the charity is making one-off grants of £250 available for printers, who have been made redundant, to help them retrain.

Examples of how The Printing Charity helps

Barbara

A grant of £300 to buy a laptop has opened up a new world for Barbara. With arthritis making it difficult to get out and about, she keeps in touch with friends and family via email and Skype, helping her to feel less isolated. She admits she was afraid of using a computer at first but when was thrilled when she passed a beginners’ course at her local community centre. Becoming computer literate in her 70s makes Barbara feel she is very much part of today’s digital age and “just goes to show that it’s never too late to learn a new skill.”

Sallyanne

Sallyanne was born disabled and arthritis that has been progressive since she was 14. The severity of her arthritis meant she had to use crutches to move around at home and had to rely on her husband and son for transport. An operation three years ago to straighten her feet failed to improve her mobility, so she decided an electric wheelchair would be the answer, but funding it was a problem. An online search for charities listed The Printing Charity and as Sallyanne’s husband had worked for over 40 years in the print trade, she was eligible to apply for assistance as a dependent family member.

Find this charity on Turn2us's Grants Search

Date of publication: 30 July 2010