It was a glimmer of an idea that began in 2014, when eight nurses who had trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital in the 1970s, came together for a set reunion. Little did we know that 6 years later we would have achieved more than we could had ever hoped for.
We thought that it surely couldn't be right that, of the 110 livery companies in the City of London, some of which date back to the 12th century, there are spectacle makers, apothecaries and barber-surgeons, but no nurses. This seemed especially surprising given that St Bartholomew's, a world-renowned hospital founded in 1123, lies within the boundaries of the square mile. There was no doubt in our minds that the nursing profession should join the other noble professions who make up the City's livery movement. Something needed to be done!
Building momentum
Creating a livery company for the nursing profession was a way to bring nurses together, wherever and whenever they had trained. Fellowship, help with education and professional development—and offering charitable support for nurses when they needed it—all fitted well with nurses' vocational spirit.
So, determined and dedicated, and with our sleeves rolled up, the eight of us set to work—and, of course, teamwork is what nurses do best. We worked together from the very start and the team rapidly expanded. By 2016, just 2 years later, we had applied to, and been approved by, the City of London to become the Guild of Nurses.
News of the Guild of Nurses spread by word of mouth. Membership quickly grew and, with a busy social calendar and through our educational seminars, nurses from all backgrounds and specialties came together. The ties among nurses go deep and one thing you can be sure of is that a room full of nurses is never quiet! We have met old friends and made new ones, enjoyed good old-fashioned fellowship and networked at many different events, whether for educational and professional development or simply to have a bit of fun.
Traditions old and new
From the start, the Guild received so much support and guidance from many liverymen of the well-established worshipful companies in the City and, while always being respectful of the traditions of the livery world, it was exciting to be able to develop new ones.
The ceremony of the passing of the Loving Cup is one of the existing traditions within the livery, symbolising the passing of trust and fellowship, and used when dining together. The nurses came up with a version of their own—one that is rather more hygienic! At formal occasions, a lamp is passed between those attending our dinners: this is a replica of one of the lamps that Florence Nightingale brought back from Scutari when she returned from nursing soldiers in the Crimean War. The lamp is a powerful symbol for us all and passing it from nurse to nurse remains a moving and significant moment.
Charitable trust
Charitable giving is fundamental to the livery movement and so the Guild has also set up a charitable arm. The Company of Nurses Charitable Trust is registered with the Charity Commission and works to make a difference to nurses needing help through benevolence and educational grants.
In the extraordinary times dominated today by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Worshipful Company of Drapers set up the NHS Livery Kitchen Initiative, with the aim of providing hot meals to staff on the front line. The Guild of Nurses responded to the call for support among the livery movement with financial donations from both the Guild and the charitable trust. At the same time, one of our freemen, who was working at the NHS Nightingale hospital, had the idea of asking members to make hearts: one is given to the relative and the other is kept with the patient ‘as a token of love and support’. We support one other wherever possible.
The first milestone
The City of London Guilds were founded in the Middle Ages to regulate standards of work and to promote a specific profession. As such, they still have to meet certain criteria, such as numbers of members, and be able to demonstrate financial sustainability and charitable giving in order to progress along the path to becoming a worshipful company.
We were therefore delighted when in February this year, the Guild was ready to apply to the Court of Aldermen of the City of London for recognition as The Company of Nurses, which is the next step on the journey to gaining livery status.
On 12 May 2020, in the World Health Organisation's designated Year of the Nurse and Midwife, The Company of Nurses was approved by the City of London. This is an auspicious day because it marked the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, in addition to commemorating International Nurses Day. For us, in The Company of Nurses, it is the day we met our second milestone.
Today, The Company of Nurses has more than 280 Freemen and members from across the country and, who knows, in another 4 years, we may yet have achieved our original ambition of becoming a Worshipful Company of Nurses. We will continue with the same determination with which we started: to leave a lasting legacy for all nurses—past, present and future.