Happy Christmas

It’s time to reflect on another year in the life of the Fund; the triumphs, changes and out of the ordinary. Over a year on from our rebrand and we hope everyone in our community is now familiar with our name and our mission.

As always, the generosity and kindness of our donors, fundraisers and supporters has remained unwavering throughout 2024 and I and the Board of Trustees give a heartfelt ‘Thank You’. Your crucial support ensures we can continue to help police children when they need it most.

The Fund attended two fundraising events during the year, the Surrey Police Federation Awards evening in January and the Sussex Police PSUK Volleyball fundraiser in August. We are the very lucky recipient of over £3.5k from these fundraising efforts and we are truly grateful to everyone involved. We are also venturing into the realm of national events and we have signed up five generous, enthusiastic and energetic runners to participate in the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 2025. We look forward to updating you in the New Year.

Another new venture for the Fund this year is a partnership agreement with Uniform Mortgages Limited where mutual support helps raise awareness for both organisations and we are delighted to be working together in this way.

The big news of the last twelve months was the announcement that His Majesty, King Charles III would continue the royal patronage of the Fund and this wonderful news helps us to highlight our mission.

We continue to receive an increasing number of requests for assistance from police families and we are pleased to have welcomed over 60 new beneficiaries this year. The trustees have awarded £640k in weekly allowances, educational grants, mental health support and celebratory payments since January and this helps over 450 registered beneficiaries in the hope that they can carry on as normal following the loss or medical retirement of a police officer parent.

The Board has seen a few changes during 2024. We said goodbye to Jenny Gilmer, Bill Rumford and Martin Brunning and thank them all for their time and commitment over recent years. We welcome and look forward to working together with new trustees, Jon Ross, Warren Franklin and Catherine Roper and will no doubt learn from their perspectives and new ideas to further develop the great work we do.

In the spirit of Christmas, I extend the Board’s heartfelt gratitude to Sherral and Nikki for their dedicated efforts behind the scenes. Their professionalism, conscientious approach and genuine care for our beneficiaries are truly invaluable.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a peaceful Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Tim Packham

Chair