There is a long-standing historical link between the London Borough of Bexley and The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers which goes all the way back to 1558 when a wealthy past master of the Company bequeathed an annual monetary sum to the inhabitants of Bexley…one William Kendall.
Today, the Wax Chandlers Charity Committee administers part of the William Kendall’s legacy through the “Bexley Small Grants Scheme” for local Bexley charities acting for the general benefit of inhabitants within the London Borough of Bexley. Representatives from Bexley Council meet three or four times a year with the Charities Committee to bid for grants from the Wax Chandlers. Another part of the Kendall legacy can be used to improve outcomes for young people in Greater London. It was decided in early 2020 some of this funding should be used to support schools in Bexley.
To develop this idea over the past year the Wax Chandlers Charity Committee has conducted a detailed investigation on the subject of levels of deprivation across all Bexley schools with a view to offering some form of financial support. A discussion paper was prepared and presented to the Committee in late 2020 which examined the educational issues arising out of deprivation in Bexley. It was agreed to offer a three-year grant to one or two schools in Bexley.
The Charities Committee identified two primary schools in the north of the Borough as being located in areas of deprivation…. Jubilee Primary in Thamesmead and Saint Paul’s C of E Primary in Slade Green. Both of these primary schools are part of the Trinitas Academy Trust and following lengthy discussions and email contacts with both the trust and schools the grant for the Slade Green Primary school was agreed at the charity committee meeting in January 2022.
The Company anticipates that these funds would in some way, decided by the schools themselves, go to the continuing improvement in educational standards in the broadest sense for the pupils in the schools.
There will be an update later in the year and there maybe a further opportunity for volunteers to support these schools in the future.
