The College has launched a fundraising appeal to support the full adoption of its Coat of Arms, Badge and new colours following its recent Grant of Arms.
(l-r): The College’s recently-granted Coat of Arms; Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent receiving the Grant of Arms; the College Badge
Donations to the Coat of Arms Fund will be used specifically to realise the privileges of being granted Arms to best possible effect in order to further enhance recognition of the College, the status of Members and the standing of the general dental profession in the UK and elsewhere.
The appeal has been kick-started by Mick Horton FCGDent, Chair of CGDent’s Trustee Board, who has generously agreed to fund the design and production of a run of College Medals – the College’s most prestigious honour, awarded annually for exceptional service to the profession.
In addition, Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, the Honorary Founding President of the College and Chair of College Fundraising, has made a donation which will cover the cost of designing and producing a number of Past President’s medals.
A key ambition for further donations is the design, production and distribution of a new College lapel pin for every Member and Fellow featuring the College Badge – an opinicus rampant holding a giant pearl of wisdom – granted by the College of Arms. It is intended that the College’s Arms and Badge will soon become recognisable symbols of College membership, raising the profile and impact of the College across the UK and around the world as the only independent collegiate home for all members of the dental team.
The Coat of Arms Fund will also be used to have the College’s Grant of Arms by Letters Patent professionally mounted for permanent display.
Subject to the donations received, the Fund will also enable the design and production of other regalia to incorporate the Coat of Arms, Badge and new College colours, including membership and diploma certificates; an embossed leather-bound Fellows’ Register; ceremonial gowns for use by serving College Officers; and a special medal to be worn by the sitting President, which in recognition of the College’s history will be hung on the Chain of Office previously worn by Deans of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) [FGDP].
Another significant use will be to fund an application for the matriculation of the College’s Grant of Arms by the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. The Letters Patent by which the College has been granted Arms provide official recognition in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but as a UK-wide organisation, parallel recognition in Scotland is a priority for the College and will be important in the future application for Royal Charter.
Over 120 individuals and organisations from across the UK and beyond have so far donated to support the establishment and development of the College. These are listed on the College website’s donors page, and in launching the Coat of Arms Appeal the College would like to thank a number of these whose generous contributions covered the £22,500 required for the processes which culminated in the Grant of Arms:
- Dr Ali Al Bayati FCGDent
- Col John Anderson FCGDent
- Dr Tariq Ashraf FCGDent
- Dr Christine Breare FCGDent
- Dr John Gamon CBE FCGDent
- Prof Stanley Gelbier FCGDent
- Dr Edgar Gordon FCGDent
- Dr Andrew Hadden FCGDent
- Dr Robert Hensher FCGDent
- Dr Stuart Johnston FCGDent
- Dr Anthony Kravitz OBE FCGDent
- Dr Abhijit Pal FCGDent
- Mr William Sharpling FCGDent
- Smile Academy
- Dr Christopher Turner FCGDent
- Prof Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent
The College is now seeking an additional £28,000 to fully realise the benefits of the Grant of Arms, and all Members and Fellows, supporters and supporting organisations of the College are encouraged to give generously to enable this to happen.
All donors, existing and new, will be acknowledged in the Autumn 2025 issue of the Primary Dental Journal and in perpetuity on the College website, with their cumulative donations, including to the Coat of Arms Fund, categorised as follows:
- Major benefactors (>£50,000)
- Benefactors (>£25,000)
- Major donors (>£10,000)
- Donors (>£5,000)
- Major contributors (>£1,000)
- Contributors (<£1,000)
Sir Nairn said:
“Donating to the Coat of Arms Fund is a special opportunity to go down in history as having contributed to the realisation of a historic milestone in the development of the College. This is a one-off opportunity to contribute to a lasting legacy which recognises the origins of dentistry as we know it today, and signifies the purpose, aims and aspirations of the College.”
All those wishing to secure a special place in the history of the development of the College should contact Sir Nairn, who will be pleased to assist you in becoming a Coat of Arms donor, and, if you are so minded, a College legator or regular donor. Please email nairn.wilson@cgdent.uk
A description of the symbolism and meaning behind each of the heraldic elements in the College’s Coat of Arms is here