Supporting young people in Gloucestershire is a key focus of the Company’s philanthropic work and outreach. Our three key initiatives (annual apprentice awards, schools lectures and armed forces cadet awards) are described further below. Additional initiatives include sponsoring the Gloucestershire Young Sportsperson awards (jointly with the Gloucestershire Playing Fields Association), the Rising Star award for young volunteers (with Go Volunteer Gloucestershire) and a Young Performing Artist award.
Apprentice Awards
The Company administers and funds the Anne Cadbury Apprentice Awards scheme, which provides bursaries to young craft apprentices in Gloucestershire to go towards equipment, tools and other costs. A report on the 2026 Apprentice Awards, presented by our royal patron HRH The Princess Royal, can be found here.
Schools Lectures
For over a decade, the Company has administered the annual Gloucestershire Schools’ Christmas Lectures. Typically held in December and attended by more than 500 children from 15-20 local schools, recent lecture topics have included Ruth Perkins on the The Science of Sound and identical twin brothers Dr Dan and Dr Raph Olaiya on How to survive in Space.
Armed Forces Cadet Awards
The Company administers and funds awards to both individual cadets and cadet units in the County.
