Society of Chiropodists' Benevolent Fund

“Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business.”

So proclaimed the spirit of Jacob Marley to his ex-partner, the terrified Ebenezer Scrooge. Published in December 1843 the seminal festive work, A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens, was both a ghost story and a stern commentary on the mores and morals of the day. In this quote, Dickens links benevolence and it being important to the business of mankind as well as the world of business.

Figure 1: Marley addressing Scrooge by John Leech – image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

From the outset, the Incoporated Society made the establishment of a Benevolent Fund a priority.  In September 1916, the founders outlined their vision for the new fund:

In November 1919, the AGM minutes gave a snapshot of the accounts:

Methods of fundraising

Over the years, methods of fundraising have included:

• Raffles
• Payroll giving
• Donations ie, from ‘Post Curiam Otium’ Freemason’s Lodge in June 1930
• Appeals
• Legacies
• Branch collections
• Profit from investments
• Profits from books sold ie, Materia Medica for Students of Chiropody by OL Carrington in 1937

Figure 2: Raffle reported in 'Podiatry Now' December 2003

In addition, ideas for raising funds were sent to The Chiropodist from members themselves. Two examples here from 1929 and April 1937.

This piece is dated 1942, and was a suggestion to donate Victorian ‘penny bun’ coins

Figure 3: Victorian Penny Bun coin - image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Criteria for receiving Benevolent Fund support

Over the years, criteria for members receiving money from the fund have included:

• Help for rent/mortgage payments
• Help in the occasion of long-term illness or injury
• Assisting widows and orphans
• Paying Society memberships if unaffordable

To administer the fund, there were trustees and a committee that met quarterly. There were constant pleas to members to donate to the fund or raise monies.

In May 1996 there was a piece highlighting the Occupational Benevolent Funds Alliance and the good work involved. It included a plea for chiropodists donate to the Benevolent Fund instead of sending flowers to members' funerals.

The Benevolent Fund is renamed

However, in January 2020 it was announced that the Benevolent Fund would henceforth be known as ‘Arch Support’. Its aim is ‘to make grants to any member of The Royal College of Podiatry as defined in the College's Articles, or to the spouse, children, dependants or widow/er of any member or deceased member, who in the opinion of the Trustees, may be in need of assistance.’ It was also registered as a Charity in 2021 and continues to operate under that name. Find out more about Arch Support here.