Impact Report: 2013/14

This year we have given ÂŁ7.93million supporting 5,295 soldiers, veterans and their families in need, and funded 76 charities to deliver help on our behalf.

An Army team competing in the Alliance Trust Cateran Yomp

Supporting Individuals – Providing Independence and Dignity How ABF The Soldiers’ Charity made a difference to soldiers, veterans and their families in 2013-14 Housing Specialist Employment Consultants Elderly Care Education / Training Mobility Well-Being Transition support for Wounded Injured and Sick soldiers Support to Families Other support to Wounded, Injured and Sick Soldiers, in collaboration with Help for Heroes and others

£5.002million helped 5,295 individuals and families in the last year alone

The impact of these grants can be as immediate as securing a roof over someone’s head that night, or assisting with travel to an educational course, to helping an elderly veteran facing hardship.

We are proud to quickly provide the money where it’s needed, usually within 48 hours. Working with Regiments and Corps to reach those in genuine need, The Soldiers’ Charity provides a ‘hand up’ to allow our beneficiaries to get on with their lives.

Jessica Joseph

Chris Parrott

Jessica is originally from St Lucia and served for 11 years as a chef in the Royal Logistics Corps. When she left the Army a grant from The Soldiers’ Charity allowed a single parent, without any help or support, to set up home with her young daughter by paying for essential furnishings.

Chris was injured twice whilst serving with 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment on two separate tours of Afghanistan. After he was medically discharged from the Army, The Soldiers’ Charity helped Chris attend a horticulture course – transforming the confidence and employability of a young veteran.

David Thackeray

Ben Rishton

Terry De’ath

David served in the Army for 13 years; in The Parachute Regiment and as an Army helicopter pilot. He suffered gunshot wounds after being shot down over the Malayan Jungle and was later Mentioned in Despatches.

Our funding for a stairlift allowed this decorated elderly veteran to move around his home and ensured that his wife was able to cope.

Ben served as an infantry soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which led to medical discharge from the Army. The Soldiers’ Charity stepped in after local authorities turned down Ben’s request for assistance with housing. Ben and his young family now have the security of affordable accommodation.

Terry joined the Army in 1985 and served with the Royal Anglians and Royal Artillery. He suffered a blast injury in Northern Ireland which caused physical and mental health problems. Our Specialist Employment Consultant programme helped Terry to find a new life as a carpenter and book binder outside the Army.

We have given £2.93million to 76 specialist charities focusing on specific areas of support, such as mental health, housing or veterans, which deliver essential services on our behalf Breaking it down: the grants we make to other charities by sector Support to families

Housing and homelessness

We support separated families, provide

We fund schemes which tackle the root

educational initiatives where required, and

causes of homelessness and provide

vital respite breaks for bereaved families.

emergency accommodation for homeless

We also help those moving on from Army life.

veterans.

Mobility

Well-being

We support organisations which empower

Putting resource into awareness, treatment

disabled veterans, or disabled dependants

and recognition of mental health across the

of soldiers, to live the fullest possible life,

serving and veteran community is something

whatever their disability.

we continue to invest in.

Employment and Training

Elderly Care

Providing jobs, work experience and training.

We support organisations which provide

Charities we support in this area provide extra

specialist care for elderly veterans. They give

skills and build confidence to those finding

compassionate care to those who have no

their feet.

other resource to call on.

Just some of the charities we’ve helped in 2013-14 Vitalise

Rutland Citizens Advice Bureau

ZANE

£34,000 to help provide 100 affordable holidays for ex-Army personnel with physical disabilities, from all areas of the UK, giving respite to the daily challenges of life with a disability.

A money advice specialist provides an outreach service to a remote barracks in Rutland. Financial advice tackles issues including debt and living costs.

Royal Star and Garter A grant from The Soldiers’ Charity means that more than 100 young disabled veterans each year can be residents – giving them dignified nursing care and a good quality of life.

FAB (Family Activity Breaks) provide adventurous respite holidays, helping families cope with grief and loss. More than 40 families have benefited from FAB breaks in the last year, thanks to a grant from The Soldiers’ Charity.

(Zimbabwe A National Emergency) provides the only social services network in Zimbabwe. Our annual grant of £345,500 to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, enables it, amongst other projects, to lift 600 ex-Rhodesian African Rifles servicemen out of destitution and enable them to pass their old age in relative comfort and dignity.

High Ground

The Poppy Factory

The Erskine Hospital

The Soldiers’ Charity provided funding to allow High Ground to establish pioneering horticulture therapy at the Defence Rehabilitation Medical Centre. More than 80 soldiers’ lives have been transformed in the last year.

We funded employment services at The Poppy Factory, which brought sustainable, meaningful employment and financial independence for more than 150 disabled veterans, who are often unable to access other services.

Since 1944, The Soldiers’ Charity has given annual funding to The Erskine Hospital, which cares for elderly veterans like Douglas Cameron (above). Last year, we awarded £140,000 to help support the home.

FAB

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity; the Army’s enabling charity We work with individuals, charities and other stakeholders; identifying areas of work and making sure the money is carefully stewarded where it’s needed most.

As an established grant-making charity, The Soldiers’ Charity can capture trends and identify emerging issues. Co-ordination, de-confliction and prioritisation lie at the heart of our work For example; supporting a range of housing solutions for those in difficulty

Our grants to individuals, of almost £1.2million for housing, have been supported by £328,000 to charities tackling homelessness and housing issues in the veteran community

Some of the housing charities we have helped in 2013-14 Alabaré Funded by The Soldiers’ Charity, Alabaré Christian Care and Support has been working to develop a pathway of housing and support for vulnerable veterans of working age in Gloucestershire. The aim is to provide an effective route out of homelessness for veterans through the provision of supported housing, ‘move-on’ housing and a befriending and mentoring service.

Stoll Funding from The Soldiers’ Charity enables Stoll (formerly Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation) to provide the support to

vulnerable ex-Army personnel so they can maintain their tenancies and work towards their aspirations in all areas of their lives. It is only with our support that this work can continue.

A programme of kitchen upgrades has also been made possible this year, thanks to The Soldiers’ Charity.

Scottish Veterans Residences (SVR)

SVR will shortly open its new supported housing for veterans in Glasgow. The Providing homes and housing assistance project will provide first class accommofor Service and ex-Service men and dation and a transitional support service women. The Soldiers’ Charity part-funds to help service leavers make the change a case worker, enabling Haig Housing to to civilian life successfully. Financial reach additional deserving beneficiaries, support from The Soldiers’ Charity has as well as supporting their ‘Less Abled been crucial for the completion of this Assistance Scheme’ which, this year, has project, which will provide practical help provided assistance to 79 ex-Army tenants for vulnerable veterans for many years in the UK with their home or garden. to come.

Haig Housing

Just some of our beneficiaries, since 1944 Born in 1944

Born in 1954

The Soldiers’ Charity funded a new bathroom for a 70 year old veteran who had served for 22 years in the Ulster Defence Regiment. The veteran and his wife, both in poor health, can now use their own bathroom and safely carry out their daily routines.

The Soldiers’ Charity supported a Gurkha family in the UK. The father, aged 60, had served in the Brigade of Gurkhas for 19 years. When the soldier left the Army he was surviving on a minimal wage and had other difficulties. White goods and furnishings provided an adequate living environment for him and his two young children.

Our Vision: “That all serving and former soldiers and their dependants should have the opportunity to avoid hardship and to enjoy independence and dignity”

Our Purpose: We give a lifetime of support to serving and retired soldiers and their families in need We make grants to individuals through their Regiments and Corps We make grants to specialist organisations and charities that help soldiers and their families We work with veterans of every conflict, including the Second World War and those from current operations We make grant payments quickly, making a significant difference at a critical point in peoples’ lives

Our Values: Integrity

Respect

The Soldiers’ Charity is We respect every part of the Army’s and individual and their Nation’s fabric; we needs. must act accordingly.

Loyalty

Inspiration

Commitment

Courage

We have a sense of loyalty to the Army as an institution, its people and those who support us.

We create opportunities and inspire others, with the emphasis on a ‘hand-up’ not a ‘hand-out’.

We must be approachable, effective and quick to respond.

We act on behalf of our beneficiaries without fear or favour, telling it as it is.

As so many members of the Army are moving on, we too must move with the times.

Our focus this year has been firmly on transition, helping those who are leaving the Army – through redundancy, injury or simply going on to other jobs – to make this journey as smooth as possible.

More than a quarter of the money we gave to individuals went to serving soldiers and their families; proving we are there for soldiers, veterans and families in need, no matter what their circumstances.

General (Retd) Sir Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO DL. President – ABF The Soldiers’ Charity The impact of The Soldiers’ Charity over the past year is, of course, measurable in hard data. However, statistics are only part of the story. We are proud of our long history of loyalty to our soldiers – no matter where or when they’ve served. Allowing a veteran to stay in their own home, or helping a wounded soldier find a new career with training and support when they leave the Army, these are things we have always done and continue to do.

Our work this year has been all-encompassing; including supporting new initiatives working exclusively for the benefit of the Army family, and focusing on supporting other charities which don’t have our infrastructure or experience.

Major General (Retd) Martin Rutledge CB OBE. Chief Executive – ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

Born in 1964

Born in 1974

An urgent grant from The Soldiers’ Charity supported a 50-year-old veteran and his seven-yearold son. The father, the sole provider for the child, served in the Royal Armoured Corps and in the TA. The result of a low salary and high child care costs meant the pair were forced to leave their home. With help from The Soldiers’ Charity, the little boy and the veteran could stay together and moved into a flat.

We helped with the cost of renting a holiday cottage for a 40-year-old former Gunner with restricted mobility and PTSD. Three of his four children also have disabilities and work needed to be carried out in their home. Thanks to support from The Soldiers’ Charity, the family had a much needed respite break and a place to stay during the adaptations.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity; the Army’s enabling charity We work with individuals, charities and other stakeholders; identifying areas of work and making sure the money is carefully stewarded where it’s needed most.

As an established grant-making charity, The Soldiers’ Charity can capture trends and identify emerging issues. Co-ordination, de-confliction and prioritisation lie at the heart of our work For example; supporting a range of housing solutions for those in difficulty

Our grants to individuals, of almost £1.2million for housing, have been supported by £328,000 to charities tackling homelessness and housing issues in the veteran community

Some of the housing charities we have helped in 2013-14 Alabaré Funded by The Soldiers’ Charity, Alabaré Christian Care and Support has been working to develop a pathway of housing and support for vulnerable veterans of working age in Gloucestershire. The aim is to provide an effective route out of homelessness for veterans through the provision of supported housing, ‘move-on’ housing and a befriending and mentoring service.

Stoll Funding from The Soldiers’ Charity enables Stoll (formerly Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation) to provide the support to

vulnerable ex-Army personnel so they can maintain their tenancies and work towards their aspirations in all areas of their lives. It is only with our support that this work can continue.

A programme of kitchen upgrades has also been made possible this year, thanks to The Soldiers’ Charity.

Scottish Veterans Residences (SVR)

SVR will shortly open its new supported housing for veterans in Glasgow. The Providing homes and housing assistance project will provide first class accommofor Service and ex-Service men and dation and a transitional support service women. The Soldiers’ Charity part-funds to help service leavers make the change a case worker, enabling Haig Housing to to civilian life successfully. Financial reach additional deserving beneficiaries, support from The Soldiers’ Charity has as well as supporting their ‘Less Abled been crucial for the completion of this Assistance Scheme’ which, this year, has project, which will provide practical help provided assistance to 79 ex-Army tenants for vulnerable veterans for many years in the UK with their home or garden. to come.

Haig Housing

Born in 1984

Born in 1994

The Soldiers’ Charity awarded a grant to help purchase a mobility scooter for a 30 year old Corporal who served in the Royal Logistic Corps. The soldier suffered a stroke shortly after returning from an operational tour of Afghanistan. The scooter allowed him to go out for short distances, giving him some independence and mobility.

A grant of £846 covered the course fees for a 20-yearold soldier who had been injured whilst serving with 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan.

He suffered muscle damage to both legs and a significant injury to his left hand. Our Charity helped pay for a cycle maintenance course to ensure a young soldier had a new career and a future after injury.

Where our money comes from Without you – our supporters, corporate partners, trusts and other charities – our help to thousands would not be possible

London Marathon: £100,000

Red White and Blue Day: £38,000

Equivalent to rent deposits for 150 veterans in crisis.

Pays our support to The Child Bereavement Charity who record Storybook Soldiers.

Income by sector

Donations and appeals Legacies Voluntary Income from Army personnel Investment income Other donations and events Incoming resources from charitable activities

Total: £14,454,275 Resources expended

Skydiving: £40,000

Cateran Yomp: £380,000

This would provide education and training courses for ten of our most deserving soldiers and veterans.

Enough to fund a mental health and wellbeing programme with Combat Stress.

Costs of generating voluntary income Fundraising trading Charitable grants Further support to charities

Total: £14,752,000

Community Fundraising

Legacies: £2million

Rutland Rouleur Cycling club raised over £700 – enough to cover our average grant to a soldier or veteran.

This means we can sustain our programme of help to over 70 specialist charities.

As the Army’s National Charity, a considerable proportion of our time and effort is spent on co-ordinating activity across a range of charities which deliver on our behalf, on managing substantial funds on behalf of others, and on underpinning the Army’s Recovery Capability. We don’t charge for this support, or receive grants from public bodies, or derive any income from our grant-making activities.

Born in 2004

Born in 2014

Funding from The Soldiers’ Charity provided an educational bursary to the ten-year-old son of a Scots Guards veteran. The child suffers from autism, as well as other medical conditions, and was unable to cope at a regular school. When the local authority declined to give assistance, we stepped in with a grant which has allowed the child to attend a special needs school near to their home.

The Soldiers’ Charity helped pay the funeral costs of the new born daughter of a SCOTS soldier. As a result of her death, the young father suffered severe depression and had resigned from the Army.

Funding from our Charity helped alleviate financial concerns at this tragic time.

The Soldiers’ Charity and The Army As the Army’s National Charity, we work closely with every Regiment and Corps to deliver rapid support

#celebrateoursoldiers

British Military Tournament

Cadets – Revision Trophy

Highlighting celebrity support for soldiers, the Charity launched a social media campaign at Wellington Barracks, in December. Supported by VIPs including Lorraine Kelly, Bear Grylls and David Beckham, it showed serving soldiers and their families that people care, as well as raising money for our grants programme.

In December 2013, the Charity presented the spectacular British Military Tournament for the fourth successive year at Earls Court.

Participants were drawn from across the Armed Forces, supported by our sister charities – the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Leighton Buzzard ACF Detachment won this year’s Revision Challenge - a competition open to Army Cadet units to see which can raise the most for The Soldiers’ Charity. The total income from this initiative was £21,000 - enough to fund the Home Farm Trust, which offers support to dependants with learning difficulties.

Reserves

Carrington Drum

A team from the Honourable Artillery Company raised £1,000 for The Soldiers’ Charity, by trekking to the top of Pen y Fan – enough to pay for, and install, a stair lift for one of our elderly or wounded veterans.

The Carrington Drum Award 2013-14 was won by The Regimental Recruiting Team 1st Bn The Grenadier Guards. The competition raised over £120,000 for our Charity, highlighting the importance of fundraising by serving soldiers to help the Army’s National Charity. This money is enough to pay for every home adaptation grant we provided last year – allowing soldiers and veterans with mobility issues to remain in their own homes.

We need your help to continue to make a difference to soldiers, veterans and their families. Text ARMY5 to 70004 now to donate just £3* * Text costs your donation amount plus network charge. ABF The Soldiers’ Charity receives 100% of your donation.

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This document is drawn from the information held in our Annual Report 2013-2014. Copies are available on request.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales (1146420) and Scotland (039189).

Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (07974609).

Registered Office: Mountbarrow House, 6-20 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RB. Tel: 020 7901 8900 Email: fundraising@soldierscharity.org