Join the Coram Society

The Coram Society offers a series of thoughtfully programmed events and updates throughout the calendar year that bring together supporters of Coram and those working in our sectors.

 

Join us as we not only look back at Coram’s important history, but look around us and to the future at ways that we can collectively work towards better chances for children.

Upcoming events

Tea and Talk with Kristen Renzi: Tuesday 26 March, 4.30 – 6pm, In person

Following a series of online lectures and discussions, please join us for our first in person event of 2024. We are very pleased to be joined by Kristen Renzi, Associate Professor of English at Xavier University, who is spending a sabbatical in London conducting research into Coram’s Foundling Hospital Archive. We will also be joined by Carol Harris, a historian and writer with a deep knowledge of the history of the Foundling Hospital and the city of London.

To mark Women’s History Month, please join us for a cup of tea and a discussion on the lives of women in 19th and early 20th century London. Guests are invited to arrive from 4:30pm for a hot drink and some informal conversation. The historical discussion will begin at 5pm and be followed by an opportunity for questions and more conversations afterwards. More details to follow.

Recent events

“His Innocent Subjects”: A Historical Exploration of the ‘Deserving’ and ‘Undeserving Poor’: Monday 29 January, 6 – 7.30pm, online

In a speech made to the Duke of Bedford at the first meeting of the Foundling Hospital governors in 1739, Thomas Coram spoke of his ambition to protect the “innocent subjects” of King George III. The language used to refer to those in need has fluctuated, but continues to reveal important facts about how societies past and present have conceptualized themselves and the systems of wealth and welfare they create.

The dichotomy of the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving poor’ can be traced back centuries, but still carries considerable weight in the popular perceptions and political narratives that surround socio-economic need. Please join us and our panel of speakers (Polly Toynbee and Professor Harriet Ward) to examine how our understanding of poverty and need has evolved, or not, since the time of Thomas Coram, and the impact this has on the contemporary world.

No Place Like Home: The Story of the Foundling Hospital – Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Monday 20 November 2023, 6pm – 7.30pm, online

To celebrate World Children’s Day, Coram Society hosted an online screening of a documentary film created as part of Coram’s ‘Voices Through Time: The Story of Care’ programme. Made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this documentary tells the story of the Foundling Hospital and the children who grew up there from 1741 to 1954.

Forgotten Foundlings? Voicelessness and invisibility in the story of care: Monday 30 October 2023, 6 – 7.15pm, online

Coram Society and In Between Lines held an online event marking the close of Black History Month 2023. This year’s event centred on the voices of those that have been missing from the historical record, as well as the experience of our speakers and young people in the Voices through Time: The Story of Care programme.

Become a member

There is no joining fee but we are grateful for donations to support the work of Coram.

You don’t need to be a Coram Society member to join our events, but you will be the first to know about any new events if you sign up for our email updates. Please email events@coram.org.uk for more information or sign up using the form below.

Learn more about Coram’s history