FIT Trustee Mark Jeffery will be running the Great North Run to raise much needed funds for the Footwear Industry Trust. On 10th September, Mark will be taking on the Gruelling 13.1 mile course from Newcastle to South Shields. Every penny that comes from fundraising goes direct to those in need, so please give generously.
The FIT board of trustees were out in force at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane, to celebrate the Annual Drapers Footwear Awards on Thursday evening, with awards ranging from Student Footwear Designer of the Year to Store Staff Member of the Year.
Lucy, in her role as CEO of the British Footwear Association, was on stage to present the Award for Best Footwear Marketing Campaign. David, our chairman, took to the stage to say a little about what we do and introduced the raffle, which, thanks to the generosity of the audience, raised over £2000 for the charity. And Souraya Gyves, wife of our very own Dan Gyves, was on stage to collect the award for Best Designer!
The evening kicked off with a drinks reception, where everybody caught up with old acquaintances, before heading to the tables for a sumptuous meal of roast peacock with all the trimmings.
Then came the main event, the awards.
After all the prizes were given out, the ceremony gave way to the DJ, and everybody took to the dance floor for a well earned celebration.
Huge congratulations to the winners, thanks to Drapers for hosting another fantastic event, and special thanks to everybody who bought raffle tickets and donated to our wonderful cause.
You can see a list of all the winners here.
Footwear Friends, the footwear charity founded in 1836 as the Benevolent Society of Master Boot and Shoemakers, has completed an extensive rebrand to help it continue to reach and help those in need within the footwear community.
At the centre of this rebrand is a new name, the Footwear Industry Trust. A return to a more traditional name, it aims to reflect the charity’s long history, like a modern version of the Boot Trade Benevolent Society, the name it went by for almost the whole of the 20th Century.
The new logo shows the name alongside a marque made of a shoelace tied in a bow to represent the connection that they’d like to reestablish within the footwear community. These sit above a new tag line, The Charity for the Footwear Trade, a reminder that this a charity by the trade, for the trade.
The newly rebranded Footwear Industry Trust is passionate not only about helping those in need, but also about reaching out and reconnecting footwear professionals with their peers. Despite all the upheavals that have taken place over the decades, FIT believes that the industry they serve and the people in it belong to a family. A community. It’s not just with a new name and a new logo but with a renewed sense of purpose that FIT aims to remind people that right there in the heart of their industry is an organisation with roots stretching back generations, but which understands how people live and work today.
By enlisting the help of employers FIT wants to reach directly into the workplace and reforge those connections between people in the footwear community. Connections that benefit both those who are in a position to help – to organise a fun run or an event, to donate their time or money – and those in their community who are in need. The Footwear Industry Trust believes it is these connections that create the community we share.
Commenting on the charity’s rebrand, Chairman David Lockyer said,
“During its long history the charity has helped many thousands of individuals who have often given a lifetime of service to the footwear industry but now find they need help which FIT provides both through one-off grants and regular annuity payments. With this new identity and a renewed sense of community, we intend to help even more people and families for many years to come.”
We hope you love the new look!
The footwear industry is renowned for its resilience, creativity and innovation.
From suppliers and manufacturers to brands and retailers, and the individuals who design shoes and serve customers, the sector has met the challenges of the evolving market and changing consumer habits, the Covid-19.
Drapers is proud to celebrate the people, businesses, products and strategies that make up this incredible sector.
Following the success of previous Footwear Friends race day fundraising events in 2016, 2018 and 2020, we are delighted to offer limited places to our first afternoon of racing at Leicester race course as the Footwear Industry Trust. A great occasion to socialise, whilst enjoying the thrill of racing. An opportunity to network with other individuals from the industry whilst raising funds for the charity. In brief the event includes:
Full details to follow.
To find out more about Leicester Racecourse, click the link below.
