Historic Hull charity pledges to boost donations to good causes to mark its centenary
THE LEGACY OF INDUSTRIALIST SIR JAMES RECKITT LIVES ON
aN historic Hull charity is marking its 100th anniversary by launching a special centenary fund to boost its normal donations during the coming year.
Founded by Hull industrialist Sir James Reckitt, the charity in his name has donated more than £30m to local good causes and Quaker charities across the city and East Yorkshire over the last century. In recent times, it has granted over £1m each year to individuals and organisations and the decision to increase donations is a welcome move as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
The charity’s donations are part of the huge legacy created by Sir James which includes the family business started in a humble starch mill in Hull in 1840. Today Reckitt is a worldleading health, hygiene and nutrition group employing more than 40,000 people in over 60 countries across the globe.
Sir James, who was the youngest son of Reckitt founder Isaac Reckitt and his wife Ann, joined the family starch business in Hull in 1845 as a junior clerk. In 1864, he and his brother Francis became sole partners of the Reckitt company and the business flourished under their leadership.
He established the Sir James Reckitt Charity in May 1921 three years before his death using shares in the company worth £66,666. By 1999, those same shares had a value of £15m.
Delayed for a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, the charity’s centenary was celebrated this week at an event held in Reckitt’s £105m Innovation Centre in Hull. Sarah Craven is the charity’s
current chairman and is the great great granddaughter of Sir James.
She said: “For any charitable organisation to reach 100 years of supporting good causes is a fantastic achievement and we are incredibly proud of the impact the charity has had on so many worthwhile beneficiaries.
“To mark our centenary anniversary, we are thrilled to announce that we are setting up a centenary fund, which will be available for any charity we currently support to apply for. As we reach 100 years of giving, we like to think Sir James would be very proud of how the charity has evolved and of the business Reckitt has grown into today.”
The simple original aims of the charity to use income from the shares for charitable purposes to help people in Hull and East Yorkshire and those with connections to the Quaker-run Society of Friends remain the same 100 years later. They reflect the Reckitt family’s long-standing links with the Quaker movement and Sir James’ own
lifelong Quaker beliefs.
Today the charity’s board includes 13 descendants of the Reckitt family and two Quaker trustees. They are supported by two part-time administrators who review incoming grant applications.
Mr Robin Upton has been a trustee since 1956 and is the great grandson of Sir James. He said: “Sir James and the charity carrying his name have had an enormous impact on Hull and his legacy is still very visible in the city today.
“I think he would also be proud of what Reckitt has become. The Sir James Reckitt Charity has evolved in many ways since it was founded back in 1921 but one thing has always remained – its commitment to support both the Quaker community and good causes across Hull and East Yorkshire.”
Dr Bruce Charlesworth is Reckitt’s chief medical officer and Hull research and development site lead. He said; “We are delighted to remain connected with the charity and celebrate the numerous impactful donations to local charitable causes.
“We are immensely proud of our heritage in Hull and the way that our iconic global brands carry the Reckittfamily legacy and purpose forward. It seems only natural that a celebration such as this should be hosted on our Hull site where our story began back in 1840 and where we still research, develop and manufacture many of our products.”
Sir James’ legacy is also in evidence at the Reckitt Heritage Centre based at the Reckitt site in Danson Lane. It’s a treasure trove of memorabilia, artefacts and documents detailing the history of one of Hull’s most successful companies.
Old bottles and packets of popular household brands including Dettol, Brasso and Harpic are accompanied by Reckitt account books, family portraits and sports trophies won by
Reckitt employees in bygone decades. Also among the collection is a silver trowel, used to lay the first brick in Hull’s Garden Village – a development of more than 600 houses, a club house and village hall commissioned by Sir James to provide his workers with a better quality of life.
Steve West, who helps run the centre, said: “You will struggle to find a businessman anywhere in the North of England who has had a bigger impact on a place than Sir James had on Hull.” The exhibitions there also underline
Sir James’ desire to run an ethical business, with profits being used for the public benefit.
As well as building Garden Village, he also provided Hull’s first free public library, gave financial support to Hull Royal Infirmary and paid for the construction of the Newland Homes orphanage for children of lost seafarers in Cottingham Road.
Over 50 per cent of the charity’s funding supports social and community projects. A further 19 per cent goes to educational purposes.
The remainder benefits religious, medical and youth causes and while most donations are made locally, some aid is given to overseas projects such as tackling famine in Africa, rebuilding hurricane-hit communities in Honduras and Nicaragua and supporting war-torn communities in Kosovo in 1999.
More recently, £50,000 has been donated to Ukraine.