The Worshipful Company of Nurses becomes the newest Livery Company

Many congratulations to the newly created Worshipful Company of Nurses – the 111th Livery Company of the City of London.

The route to becoming a Livery Company in the 21st Century is not one to take on lightly. In 2015 a group of nurses approached the Chamberlain of the City of London and the Aldermen with a view to becoming a Livery Company.

Nurses in the Aldermanic Gallery

The Aldermen have an ancient right to oversee and approve Livery Companies and they have laid down the process to be undertaken. Once approved as a valid group representing a distinct profession, the burden falls on that group, in this case the Nurses, to meet targets of membership and financial security. The first step is to be approved as a Guild and this took place on 9th February 2016. The next hurdle is to be approved as a Company without Livery and on 12th May 2020 the Nurses were so distinguished. This date was significant as being in the WHO-designated Year of the Nurse and the birthday of Florence Nightingale. The Nurses had meanwhile become part of the general Livery engagement and attended many City events and showed their purpose in charitable donations and volunteering.

Whilst the Aldermanic guidance suggests another four years before full Livery, the Nurses has proved their standing and were given Livery status by the Court of Aldermen on May 16th 2023. This made them number 111, the significance being the UK’s non-emergency telephone helpline. A round of applause and cheers were heard in the Court of Aldermen. The Nurses’ Master and representatives were sat in the public gallery to hear and celebrate the moment.