The Guild will offer financial assistance to individual members or to branches towards the cost of training on a case-by-case basis from a maximum total amount available in each year following the Guild AGM (currently £1,500 for the year to May 2026 as approved May 2025). These grants will be allocated on merit across the Guild and there will be no caps on the amount that can be given to any one Branch.
Applications for grants shall be made to branch committees using the application form on the website. Branch committees will consider each application, taking account of its benefits to the individual or branch, and if agreed shall pass it to an administration sub-committee of the Guild Executive for approval and payment.
The administration sub-committee shall consist of four Guild Officers: The President, The Guild Master, The Treasurer and The Education Officer. The role of the sub-committee will be to determine the amount payable for each application from the total fund and to arrange for payment.
These grants will be available in addition to what branches pay for training from their own funds.
For the purposes of guidance, these grants could be given for:
- Residential Training Courses.
- ART courses – either run in our Guild or elsewhere
- Support to Branches to run a course – particularly for instance a course open to a number of Branches and bringing in outside tutors.
- Transport and or subsistence costs.
- Bring in an outside tutor/ helper for a Branch run course.
- Any other training activity or initiative that the sub-committee considers worthy of support.
