Apart from its Civic and Social responsibilities, the main work of the Company in modern times is in its concern with the administration of its Charitable Trusts which, among other things, support the Company's School and College.

Charities administered by the Company
The Company itself is not a Charity but, as a corporate body, acts as Trustee to the six Charitable Trusts listed below. These Trusts, of varying ages of foundation, derive their income from bequests made throughout the Company's history and the distribution of this income is governed by Charity Commission Schemes. The Palmer Foundation is the recipient of the Company's own Corporate giving. The Charities Committee decide upon the distributions to be made and make an annual report to the Court upon these distributions.

In the Financial year 2003/4 the Company distributed funds of over £165,000 to individuals and organisations in the Tower Hamlets area.

OPEN HOUSE


Open House is an annual event, where buildings of historical and architectural interest are opened to the public display. The Hall was first opened in 2003 and those Company members who monitored the weekend were staggered by the number of visitors which topped 1800 over the two days.

2005 saw the opening of the Gherkin to the public, drawing many visitors towards the area of Devonshire Square. This extra attraction led many to more visiting the Hall and as the photos demonstrate, queues remained in place throughout the day, always good humoured and patient.

By the end of the weekend the count of visitors through the Hall had risen from the last time to 3200.

Our thanks go to all those who volunteered to help and assist throughout the weekend. The overwhelming response from those who visited the Hall was to the beauty of the building and its decor, but also the interest in the art of the Cooper and the Museum was by far the most popular room, which is entirely fitting.