MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2019 Serving the Naval Family since 1876 CEO REPORT, Our year in figures Craig Fulton 2018 was a busy year for Aggie Weston’s. We continued to refine our pastoral Pastoral service offer for members of the Royal Acts of Navy, Royal Marines and their families, Worker hours Dame Agnes Weston’s Royal but there have also been some kindness Pastoral changes behind the scenes. Supporters 620 per Charity for the Naval Service will be interested to know that we 186,435 conversations (Generally known as Aggie’s) have successfully incorporated as week a “Company Limited by Guarantee.” 1941 Company No. 11114651 With this change in legal status, and by the gracious permission Charity No. 1176596 of HM The Queen, our formal name has changed to “Dame Agnes Weston’s Royal Charity for the Naval Service.” The old Royal Sailors’ Rests (RSR) name has been confined to history, along with the Rests themselves. However, we are still “Aggie’s.” Our logo, branding and presence has Welcome to Contact Us not changed, so we hope that the ‘back room’ work will have passed Locations Aggie Weston’s Coffee bars Pastoral unnoticed to our beneficiaries. These governance changes are very much Scotland visits 17 Castaway House part of our strategy to be prepared for the demands of the 21st Century. 311 Twyford Avenue 11 15 Workers Portsmouth PO2 8RN Many well-meaning charities with laudable aims fail through weak governance, and non-compliance with modern legislation. Thus, while we T 023 9265 0505 30 remain focussed on helping sailors, marines and their families I make no E [email protected] apology for spending time strengthening the foundations. www.aggies.org.uk Our vision is that every sailor, every marine and every member of their PATRONS families should be living life to its “fullest measure.” We think that Volunteers means they should be enjoying good emotional, spiritual and physical Her Majesty the Queen Children health and living in strong relationships. However, the latest published Annual no of Ministry of Defence 17 “Continuous Attitude Survey” shows that 35% of people are dissatisfied benefiting from with Service life, 67% perceive morale in the RN to be low and 75% Pastoral Worker CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES are unhappy with the support that their family received at the end of Storybook hours gifted to Cdre Bob Fancy RN (Retired) a deployment. We do not like these figures, but we do believe that they show that the the helping hand and listening ear which Aggie’s Pastoral Waves naval community CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Workers can offer are as vital today as they ever were. 1168 Storybook Craig Fulton MSc 29,760 hours I hope that this short brochure will give you a feel for the scope, nature Waves and value of our work during 2018. Thank you for taking the time to per year Editor read it; I hope that you approve of the efforts that we are making. If you recordings Theresa Pratt need our help, or feel moved to support, then please do not hesitate to Cover Photo get in touch. 740 HMS COLLINGWOOD Haven, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH ©MoD “...And so my work is, to say the least, “...I have found all through my life’s experience that while ways and varied, and the spirit of love, and, I hope, methods change, and, we trust, improve, as years roll on, the root common sense, runs through it like principle, “love,” never changes, but “abideth for ever.” a thread of gold.” Dame Agnes Weston Dame Agnes Weston aggies.org.uk aggies.org.uk Chair of Trustees, Bob Fancy Practical support 2018 marked the centenary of Aggie Young people who decide to leave their Weston’s death and it was wonderful to homes, friends and families and serve in the have the chance to celebrate her life at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines will always Aggie Weston’s motto in life simply was ‘do ye the memorial event in Plymouth in October. have challenges to deal with. These may next thing.’ And that is basically all she did throughout It was really uplifting to get together with be rather different today than they were her journey. She chose to live out her faith by helping staff and supporters, from past and present in Aggie’s day, but they can still prevent people in a genuine and practical way. Today our and to reflect on Aggie’s work and faith, sailors and marines from living life to the as well as the legacy which she left behind. full and supporting the Royal Navy across Pastoral Workers seek to follow her very unpretentious I found myself wondering why this charity the globe. Back in the late 18th and early example by simply rolling their sleeves up and which bears Aggie’s name has stood the 19th centuries a sailor coming ashore just supporting those in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines test of time. Why is the work which she needed a decent meal and a clean bed that need support. began in her lifetime still delivering today? for the night. Today the problems are not And perhaps a more important question for always quite so simple or visible, but they Part of the support on offer is the Storybook Waves project, the me as the Chairman of the Trustees is, how can be equally debilitating. Perhaps a young management of which is supported by a grant from Greenwich Hospital can we ensure that her work maintains its sailor might be struggling to settle into the and RNRMC. As well as providing a service for the family at home, momentum for another 100 years? military lifestyle, or a spouse who has just the recording of a story often acts as an enabler to a deeper pastoral moved to a port area is still learning to cope conversation as shown in this example from one of our Pastoral Workers: Aggie was as an outstanding character with the absence of their deployed partner. with a remarkable story, but there were Loneliness, isolation, stress and anxiety “I had a sailor ring last week to ask how he could record a story, I know many outstanding people in her generation, can all be lurking in the background. him well as he attends family events and ‘Who let the Dads Out’ and could and they do not all have vibrant charities Our job at Aggie’s is to keep looking for sense he was ringing reluctantly!! which are still seeking to deliver on their those issues and to keep working out how founder’s vision. I believe that the longevity He called again last night and popped in to record the story. He was very best to provide support in a way which will of Aggie’s charity is partly because the basic nervous and we had encourage people to accept it. For as long need which she saw has not gone away. a couple of false starts, after a cuppa he went for third time lucky and recorded the stories… as we keep doing that, I am confident that Sailor’s and their families still need love and he was so enthusiastic he recorded five! this charity will continue to have a unique support. But perhaps equally importantly, role, and those of us on the Board will keep we have been preceded by a list of We were just chatting as we sorted the paperwork and he started to disclose more about the latest working hard to deliver on it. impressive volunteers, Pastoral Workers and deployment he is leaving for and this turned into the most incredible and profound conversation executive staff who have been alive to the Thank you for your support. that I think I have had during the last 5 years. He was incredibly honest about his apprehension specific needs of their time and have never Here’s to the next 100 years! for the deployment as he knows it’s going to be tough and he had concerns for his family. We rested on their laurels or reputation supported his wife through a difficult time when he was away before and know the family very in delivering on Aggie’s vision. well, but it took the SBW recording and what that means to his family for him to really open up.” Chaplain of the Fleet, Martin Gough Christian Ethos Aggie Weston was a Christian philanthropist and the The Naval Chaplaincy Service exists to provide spiritual and charity which she founded, and which bears her name, moral leadership to the men and women of the Naval Service continues to operate with an unashamedly Christian ethos. and their dependants and this includes pastoral care. However, The charity’s object is the “promotion of the efficiency of given the number of personnel and families that are part of the the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and the advancement Naval (and Royal Marine) family, this can be a daunting task. of the Christian faith.” However, the Aggie’s team do not When one considers that up to 30% of our Chaplains can be deployed at any one seek to preach and neither do they count their success in time it can be difficult for us to provide the depth of pastoral care that we would the number of people to whom they can ‘convert.’ like for personnel in and around shore establishments. Rather they simply seek to live out the scriptural direction: “let each of you look not only to his own interests but also For this reason, I am delighted to endorse the close collaboration that exists the interests of others” (Phil 2:3–5).