A new chapter for an organisation with 900 years of heritage
Today marks a new era for our 900-year-old charity as we adopt a new name which reflects our unique role as a world-class bridge owner and London’s largest independent charity funder.
- Author: David Farnsworth, Managing Director
- Published: 26 September 2023
The name, City Bridge Foundation, is intended to bring together the two very distinct elements of our work under one brand, continuing the work done in recent years to build a ‘one-team’ approach in our governance and our day-to-day operations.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you operate in, or have an interest in the charity sector, in which case you’ll be familiar with the work of City Bridge Trust, the name our charity funding team has operated under for over 25 years.
What you may not know is that City Bridge Trust was part of Bridge House Estates, a charity first set up in the 12th century for the maintenance of the old London Bridge, with the City of London Corporation as its sole trustee.
Confused? That’s part of the reason we’ve rebranded – to create a clearer, more distinct identity which reflects our centuries-old heritage and the role we play not just as a major charity funder but as the owner of five Thames crossings including one, Tower Bridge, which is a major tourist attraction welcoming over 650,000 visitors a year from around the world.
For that reason, here on our website and on our social media channels, you will start to see content not just about our funding work but about our bridges – their history, what we do to look after them and how we’re safeguarding them for the future.
Bridges and charity funding may seem like an odd combination but without our bridges, there would be no charity funding. The £30 million plus we award in grants every year is derived from the surplus of the fund we use to keep our bridges in tip-top condition for the tens of thousands of Londoners who cross them every day.David Farnsworth
It’s what makes us an organisation like no other, with a vital role to play in the life of the capital; and it’s a story we believe deserves to be better known, something we hope the rebrand will help us to achieve.
The name may have changed, but through our funding team we are more committed than ever to supporting organisations which play a vital role in tackling inequality and making London a fairer place.
We hope you like the new name and will help us to spread the word by sharing posts from our newly renamed social media channels – @CityBridgeFndn on Twitter / X and @City-Bridge-Foundation on LinkedIn.
While we can’t promise to still be here in another 900 years’ time, this new chapter begins with us on a stronger footing than ever to continue to support London and Londoners for generations to come.