The Scottish Military Ball Trust
Est. 1956 President: Brigadier John R Thomson QVRM TD DL Chairman: Colonel Hugo Grant TD
The inaugural Tri-Services Volunteer Officers’ Ball was held in the Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh in the Spring of 1956. For over fifty years since then it has been held in the Assembly Rooms on George Street. Although the Ball has been a thriving annual social event in the diary of the UK Reserce Forces, there is a need to appreciate the changing times. The ethos of Regular and Reserve Armed Forces of the United Kingdom working together has never been stronger, and the requirement has seldom been greater for awareness and support from The Royal Family, the UK and Scottish Governments, the media, military charities and their patrons and donors, business leaders, and the general public. It is for these important reasons that the Volunteer Officers’ Ball will now form part of a much more high profile national military event, based in Scotland, with the primary objectives of raising funds for charitable purposes and providing for serving and former serving Officers of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom (Regular and Reserve), their guests, those involved with and supporting the provision of military charity in Scotland, and for members of the public, an evening of the highest quality military entertainment, formal dinner, Scottish Country Dancing, and good company. The event has been renamed The Scottish Military Ball, and is operated by the newly constituted Scottish Military Ball Trust.
The Scottish Military Ball Trust is a not-for-profit organisation whose Trust Fund is held for the following purposes:
The relief of hardship, suffering, physical and mental ill health (including combat trauma and stress), poverty, and distress among serving and former serving men and women of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, and their families and dependants;
The support and increase in public awareness, understanding and education of the work undertaken by charitable institutions operating in Scotland recognised to have an association with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom; and
Support to and for the benefit of such other charitable purposes and charitable institutions, including those not associated with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, in Scotland or elsewhere and in such proportions and manner as the Trustees shall think fit.
The 2011 Scottish Military Ball is being held in support of Poppy Scotland (Scottish Charity SC014096)
The Scottish Military Ball Trust Each year the Ball will be held in association with a Scottish military charity. In 2010 the Trustees were proud to support The Mark Wright Project (SC040690), a charity which actively supports our ex-Servicemen and women, and their families in addressing the invisible wounds of war, and easing their transition into civilian life.
This year, the Ball is being held in support of PoppyScotland (SC014096) which is the leading charity supporting exServicemen and women and their families in Scotland. The charity is probably best known for running the iconic Scottish Poppy Appeal, but the charity works all year round to help veterans and their families receive the care and support they urgently need.
PoppyScotland was established in 1923 as The Earl Haig Fund Scotland but adopted its current name and logo in 2006 to reflect its revised fundraising activities and charitable services work. It is an independent charity and relies entirely on public donations. We very much hope that you will be able to attend this year’s Ball and look forward to welcoming you, and also any guests for whom you feel it appropriate to invite - such as patrons, directors, trustees, donors and sponsors, clients, friends, family or colleagues - to our new venue at The Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, on the evening of Saturday 30th April. We hope that the Ball will return to the Assembly Rooms on George Street on completion of its renovation works, in Spring 2013.
Please contact Elaine Robson (details on invitation) for further details and for tickets for the Ball, or complete and return the enclosed Order Form NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 22nd APRIL 2011.
NB. While there is a preference for guests to book tickets in tables of 10, other numbers of guests will also be accomodated.
If you are unable to attend this year’s Ball but would like to make a donation, either to PoppyScotland or to The Scottish Military Ball Trust, please send your cheque to Elaine Robson.
The 2011 Scottish Military Ball is being held in support of Poppy Scotland (Scottish Charity SC014096)