ANNUAL REPORT 2020 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020 PRINCIPALS, TRUSTEES AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM PATRON Air Marshal Andrew Turner Richard Cryer MA (Cantab) FCA Jason Shauness BEc (Hons) CONTENTS Her Majesty The Queen CB CBE MA MSc BA FRAeS (from 1 June 2021) Grad Dip REM (from 24 May CCMI RAF Wing Commander Sarah Davis 2021) PRESIDENT Air Vice-Marshal John Cliffe MBA MSc FCIPD Director of Welfare TRUSTEES’ REPORT HRH The Duke of Kent KG CB OBE (from 1 June 2020) and Policy GCMG GCVO ADC(P) Air Vice-Marshal Simon Air Vice-Marshal Simon Air Commodore Paul Foreword 4 Dougherty MBE MSc Dougherty MBE MSc Hughesdon MA LIFE VICE-PRESIDENTS MBBS FRCP FFOM DAvMed MBBS FRCP FFOM DAvMed Aims, objectives and values 6 Marshal of the Royal Air Force DObstRCOG FCMI FRAeS DObstRCOG FCMI FRAeS (until 1 June 2020) (until 1 June 2020) CENTENARY The Lord Craig of Radley GCB CAMPAIGN ADVISORY Our strategic aims: progress and changes 8 OBE MA DSc FRAeS Air Commodore Ro Atherton Richard Ingham (until 14 December 2020) (until 25 March 2021) BOARD Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Mr Duncan Barber 2020: our key stats 12 Graydon GCB CBE ADC FRAeS Frances Brindle MSc BSc (Hons) Wing Commander Marie-Noelle Mr Bernard Brown Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen David Cheyne MA (Cantab) Orzel OBE QVRM MSc PGDE Our five key aims 14 RGN RSCN Lord Charles Bruce DL Hillier GCB CBE DFC ADC MA Wing Commander Marie-Noelle Ms Jane Burrows Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Orzel OBE QVRM MSc PGDE Graeme Shankland Fundraising 20 Johns GCB KCVO CBE FRAeS RGN RSCN (from 1 June 2020) Air Vice-Marshal Elaine West Mr Malcolm Crayford OBE CBE Ms Clair Hassard Supporter promise 22 Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger TRUSTEES Palin KCB OBE MA FRAeS FIPD Ms Melissa John Grant making 23 Lady Hillier Chair SENIOR MANAGEMENT Mr Andrew Martin Lawrie Haynes DEng BA (Hons) Dr Michael Oliver OBE DL Lady Humphrey OBE TEAM Financial highlights 24 (died 3 January 2021) FCILTR FRSA Controller Air Marshal Peter Ruddock Honorary Treasurer CB CBE Air Vice-Marshal The Financial review 26 VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Stephen Critchley MA (Hons) Honourable David Murray Mr Richard Shirley John Isabel DPhil FCA (until 26 November CVO OBE (until 20 April 2020) The Viscount Trenchard 2020) Strategic risk management 32 Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot of Wolfeton DL COUNCIL Alastair Irvine BA (Hons) MCSI CB CBE MA BSc Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Structure, governance and management 36 Chair (from 26 November 2020) (from 20 April 2020) Wigston KCB CBE ADC RAF Lawrie Haynes DEng BA (Hons) Members Chief of Staff/Director Principle professional advisers 39 FCILTR FRSA Kathryn Adamson of Governance Royal Air Force Benevolent Deputy Chair (until 23 October 2020) Air Commodore Paul Higgins Fund Principal and INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 40 The Viscount Trenchard Allyson Arnold MSc BScN MA BA (Hons) FCILT FCMI Registered Office of Wolfeton DL (Hons) (from 1 June 2021) Director of Finance 67 Portland Place, Honorary Treasurer Patrick Aylmer FCA London W1B 1AR Victoria Fakehinde BSc (Hons) FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 44 (from 1 June 2021) Dr Stephen Critchley MA ACMA CGMA (Hons) DPhil FCA (until Alison Benjamin BA (Hons) Director of Fundraising 26 November 2020) (from 1 June 2021) and Communications Alastair Irvine BA (Hons) MCSI Frances Brindle MSc BSc (Hons) John Trampleasure (from 26 November 2020) Sarah Casemore MBA (until 1 May 2020) Members (from 1 June 2021) Mike Straney (from 4 May Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael David Cheyne MA (Cantab) 2020 until 30 April 2021) Wigston KCB CBE ADC RAF Graeme Craig MA 2 3 TRUSTEES’ REPORT friends – could access our programme of activities. We also made up to £2.5K available for each RAF station to provide activity packs for families and support for those living in single living accommodation during lockdown. We continued to support members of the RAF Family in financial need too, from topping up pensions to helping with unexpected bills. We quickly made it possible to apply for grants of up to £750 completely online – a first for a UK military charity. We continued our important work giving grants to support RAF Family members to live independently and with dignity too. We were, however, immensely sad to permanently close Princess Marina House, our care and respite centre on the West Sussex coast. SUPPORTING THE RAF FAMILY We thank all our staff there for their hard work over the years, and hope our guests will continue to use our other welfare services. DURING A TURBULENT YEAR Our wide-ranging work this year would simply not have been possible without the incredible support of our amazing donors and fundraisers. Thank you so much for your help, especially during what was a difficult 2020 will go down in history as one of the Fund’s most financial year for many. We would also like to thank the Fund’s brilliant, challenging years ever. While we faced many difficulties due to hard-working staff, who adapted so well to sudden and unsettling changes this year, and continued to do everything they could to help the Covid-19 pandemic, we are proud of how we continued to the RAF Family. Gratitude must also go to the Fund’s Trustees for their support the RAF Family during these toughest of times. invaluable guidance through these uncharted waters. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic turned the lives of many in the We go into 2021 hopeful that the Covid-19 situation will stabilise, and RAF Family upside down, leaving people facing everything from we will continue to evaluate how we can best support the RAF Family. extreme loneliness and isolation to financial problems, anxiety and We are a resilient organisation, and in many ways the pandemic bereavement. We knew we had to rapidly adapt our ways of working has made us stronger, forcing us to look at how to become more and our key services to be there for those most in need. Despite a efficient and adaptable, and at new ways to live up to our values of downturn in income, we are pleased to have supported over 63,700 being beneficiary-focused, compassionate, inclusive, responsive and veterans and serving personnel – and their families – in 2020, spending trustworthy. The pandemic has also brought many communities closer £26M to help them get through this turbulent year. together. We hope this will mean more people will direct RAF veterans to us for help. Tackling social isolation – particularly amongst veterans – was a crucial challenge. As the pandemic took hold we immediately set up our For the past 100 years, the Fund has stood side by side with the RAF Check and Chat call service, with staff from the Fund regularly calling Family during its toughest times – and we are confident we will make it socially-isolated RAF Family members throughout the year to see how through this huge challenge more robust than ever. they were coping. We also quickly expanded our Telephone Friendship Groups, with 88% more people taking part compared to 2019. Supporting the RAF Family’s mental wellbeing during such a difficult time was another important task for us. Our Listening and Counselling Service, new 24-hour Emotional Support Helpline and new counselling service for children and young people all helped with this. We also made sure relationship counselling was still available online. We were Lawrie Haynes Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot CB CBE there for children in other ways too, launching Airplay Connect, a Chair Controller digital platform where young people – isolated from school and their Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund 4 5 TRUSTEES’ REPORT OUR OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND VALUES We support current and former When reviewing the Fund’s aims and members of the RAF, and their partners objectives and in planning future OUR VISION OUR PURPOSE and families, providing practical, activities and policies, the Trustees have emotional and financial support. We are given careful consideration to the Charity committed to getting them through the Commission’s general guidance on No member of the To understand and toughest times, whatever life may send public benefit and to its supplementary their way. guidance on public benefit and RAF Family will ever support each and fee charging. Most of our services can be used by both face adversity alone. every member of the serving and former personnel and their All of our services are either free or partners and children. These include heavily subsidised. Where we ask for RAF Family, whenever one-off grants to help with unexpected contributions, for example towards the expenses like a broken boiler or home costs of living in one of our Housing they need us. adaptions, relationship counselling and Trust properties, we always take bereavement support. beneficiaries’ means into account. No member of the RAF Family should Some services can only be accessed by OUR VALUES be prevented from accessing our current personnel and their families. services because they cannot afford These include our subsidised breaks Beneficiary-focused – We place the people we the full cost. support at the heart of all we do and act in their and online mindfulness programme. best interests, understanding their needs and using For former personnel and their partners, Through our External Grants our expertise to provide appropriate solutions. our Telephone Friendship Groups programme, we also enable other provide a safe space to chat to others charities to maximise their public benefit Compassionate – We show empathy, giving in the comfort of their own home. in support of the RAF Family.