The Printing Charity celebrates its 190-year milestone

The Printing Charity celebrated its 190-year milestone at its Annual Luncheon on 23 November at Stationers’ Hall, London, with over 180 guests from the printing and publishing industries.

The Rt Hon. Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde used her stint as guest speaker at The Printing Charity’s 190th annual lunch last week to highlight the valuable and relevant work still being undertaken by the organisation. “As with the industry, The Printing Charity has changed and through the great people, young and old, working in it, is as needed today as it was when it was founded. The charity still has two retirement homes for people who have worked in the industry. Care of the elderly was the founding principle of The Printing Charity, but today it also affects the lives of so many young people in supporting their education and entry into the sector through its education and partnerships work. “The printing industry is a key economic contributor to the UK. It employs around 116,000 people in 8,400 companies and, with a £13.8 billion turnover, it’s the world’s fifth largest producer of printed products, with a positive trade balance of £775m last year. “I’m proud of its role in our democracy and our institutions; and its relevance in keeping pace with a vastly changing world and providing the routes so often to those changes. Its contribution in communications availability goes far beyond simple economics. It’s at the heart of a healthy, functioning democracy. The institutions and their role and history in our industry are to be valued and treasured.”