Whitemeadow is helping inspire the next generation of designers and furniture makers by supporting a campaign organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity. We have sponsored eight schools within the local Nottinghamshire area.

Launched in 2014, the School Design Prize raises awareness of the furnishing industry among school children by rewarding them for their design & technology course work. Every year The Furniture Makers’ Company asks companies and individuals to sponsor copies of a design textbook which are then posted to schools around the country for design & technology teachers to present to their most outstanding student. The prize is a certificate and a copy of ‘Design of the 20th Century’ by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, published by Taschen.

The Furniture Makers’ Company is the British furnishing industry’s charity, which fosters and supports the industry by nurturing skills and expertise, supporting those in need and inspiring excellence. It encourages the highest standards and best practice in the design, making, marketing and selling of all kinds of furniture and furnishings throughout the UK, recognising quality through the award of its Guild Marks. It supports students and young people with grants, training and mentoring in order to foster talent and safeguard the future of the industry. It provides support and assistance to those in need who are working or have worked in the UK furnishing industry. You can find out more here.

Dr Tony Smart MBE, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “We are immensely grateful to Whitemeadow for their support of our School Design Prize campaign. The long term prosperity of the furnishing industry depends on us attracting young people to pursue a career in this creative, vibrant sector. The award is something that the winning student should be very proud of.”

Ian Oscroft, Managing Director at Whitemeadow commented: “It is absolutely key for our industry that we focus on developing the next generation of designers and we are keen therefore to support this initiative within our local area”.

George Cooper, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Furniture Makers' Company commented: "Emily Lindsay from Joseph Whitaker School, one of Whitemeadow’s recipients was in attendance, and she actually came second in the National School Design Prize for the piece called Multimedia. It wasn’t a piece of furniture per se, it was an architectural model, but she got a lot out of the day. Her parents accompanied her and they were very positive about the prize and the exhibition, and it’s because of Whitemeadow’s support, so thank you".

Click here to view a short video which captures the vibrancy and excitement of the 2018 Young Furniture Makers Exhibition.

Whitemeadow are happy to announce our inclusion once again in the London Stock Exchange '1000 Companies to Inspire Europe 2018'.

Nikhil Rathi, CEO, London Stock Exchange Plc, commented “The economic potential of Europe’s fastest growing companies is clear in ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Europe’. The report shows high-growth SMEs are the innovators, job creators and drivers of economic growth. They have the potential to transform the European economy and give the next generation of young people the future they deserve.

“So, it is vital that we give these companies, and companies like them, access to suitable growth finance. London Stock Exchange Group is committed to supporting the job creators of tomorrow, increasing their access to long-term patient capital to fund their continued success.”

 A full searchable database of all of the companies along with a downloadable pdf of the publication can be found online at www.1000companies.com

In the final part of our mini series looking at how Whitemeadow  supports its customers, we are looking to the future and the ways in which Whitemeadow are investing in the UK upholstery industry. Inspiring the next generation through engaging with school children, helping re-train the local community in key upholstery skills and investing heavily in new facilities are just a few of the ways we demonstrate our  dedication to ensuring Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry way into the future.

In 2017, Whitemeadow Upholstery and The Furniture Makers’ Company were delighted to announce the launch of the first-ever Whitemeadow Upholstery Design Award. Whitemeadow Managing Director, Ian Oscroft commented at the time: “We know that to ensure Whitemeadow stays at the forefront of the industry, we need to continually bring fresh new designs to the market and to that end we encourage a working climate for inspiration”. The first placement was so successful that we have now welcomed our second student, Megan Glew, a Product Design student from Nottingham Trent University, into the Design department for a 1-year placement.

And we’re not stopping there, we’re going back to school! We're helping to inspire the next generation of designers and furniture makers by supporting a campaign organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity. We are sponsoring eight schools within the Nottinghamshire area, where the company was founded and still based today.  Launched in 2014, the School Design Prize raises awareness of the furnishing industry among school children by rewarding them for their design & technology course work. Whitemeadow believe it is absolutely key for our industry that we focus on developing the next generation and we are keen therefore to support this initiative within our local area. Hopefully we will see some of these young faces working at Whitemeadow in the future!

Later this year we are due to launch our Sewing School for local people who would like to train as sewing machinists. The idea behind our sewing school is to encourage people to pursue a career in upholstery manufacturing and equip them with the technical skills and experience they need to make a go of it.

And finally, we are delighted to unveil our brand new, state of the art Design and Development Centre. We have invested more than £700,00 in the custom-built 13750 sq ft facility, which not only houses our full design and development team, but also a 4000 sq ft customer showroom!

We are confident that the investment Whitemeadow have made in their workforce and facilities at the front end of the business will stand us in good stead for the future and help strengthen our position as one of the most creative and innovative furniture manufacturers in the UK.