Page 7 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

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CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL STATEMENT 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019
Brigadier E J R Chamberlain
Introduction I assumed the appointment of Commandant for the Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) and Chairman of the Association Executive committee from Major General P Cain MBChB MMedSci MSc DAvMed MFOM in September 2018 and I feel privileged to be a part of a Corps with a rich and traditional history stretching back almost 160 years. At this early stage of my appointment I am also pleased to note the enthusiasm and forward- thinking outlook from all members of the Corps and Association I have met. I am honoured to be involved with the RAPTC and I will take this opportunity to thank General Paul Cain for his work with the Corps and Association during his tenure.
As a registered charity, the Association is held to account by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and we are judged against the objects within our governing document ‘the RAPTC Association Constitution’; a copy of which can be found on the RAPTC Association Website (RAPTC Association – For Serving and Retired Members (http://raptcassociation.org.uk/)). The Constitution was reviewed recently by the Trustees who found it ‘remained fit for purpose’ so no changes required.
Trustees have overall control of a charity and are responsible for leading the charity, deciding how it is run and making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do. I am pleased to report that the RAPTC Association Trustees and the Regimental Secretary have continued their outstanding work during this reporting period and have met their obligations in achieving the objects of the Association.
Lieutenant Colonel T Scarr RAPTC (Vice Chairman of Trustees), Major (MAA) R Whitaker RAPTC, Major (MAA) M Field RAPTC and Mr Steve Monk have stood down as Trustees during this period and I thank them on behalf of all Association members for their conscientious professional approach and the work they have undertaken for the Association during their term as Trustees.
Finance Our accounts are managed and administered in accordance with Service Funds Regulations and I am most grateful for the support provided within HQ RAPTC to ensure we conform to the regulations that govern charity funds. I will also take this opportunity to thank Mrs Debbie Winter for her support as the Association accountant for the past 9 years; she is moving to a new part-time post and we all wish her well for the future.
Income and expenditure is managed and monitored daily by the Regimental Secretary to ensure we do not exceed our annual income and due to his diligence, I can report that we have again, remained within budget during this reporting period.
I am also most grateful that the voluntary contributions from our serving members which continues to be amongst the highest in the Army and allows the Association to meet its objectives, including the provision of benevolence and welfare support in several areas to our serving and retired members. We have also received a small number of donations this year, including a substantial donation from Mrs Kathleen Sheedy; widow of Major Mike Sheedy for which we are greatly indebted. Our accounts have been audited with no adverse comments and submitted within the directed timeframes to the Charity Commission.
Investments The Association investments are held in the Armed Forces Common Investment Fund and managed by Black Rock on behalf of the Association. Our investments are monitored regularly and Blackrock provide an annual overview of the financial markets for the Trustees; they also provide quarterly updates on the performance of the Association investments.
We are now receiving the benefits of the Trustees decision to change our investment strategy to investing for income. The Association receives quarterly dividends from the Association investments which are being used for the good and benefit of our Association members. The dividends have allowed us to enhance annual grants to the Association Branches, enhance funding for our serving members and put aside some funds for future Association events and Corps milestones (reunions, anniversaries etc.).
We are still not sure how the outcome of Brexit will affect investments in general, but the Association investments have performed well during this turbulent political period and maintained pace with inflation. I can assure you that the Trustees and I remain vigilant; maintaining a close watchful eye on the performance of our investments.
Benevolence and Welfare As an Association, we define Benevolence as ‘support for those in need’ and Welfare as ‘support to enhance the wellbeing of an individual’. It is a sad fact of life that some of our members do find themselves or their dependants in difficult situations and I can confirm the Association Welfare committee has provided several benevolence grants to help some of our serving and retired members who have needed support. We have also provided welfare grants to the Association Branches, Corps sports teams, remembrance services and the successful biennial Association reunion in Aldershot.
Association Branches The work of the six UK Association Branch committees and their helpers is not underestimated and is fully appreciated by myself and all the members of the Association. The Branches provide the regional focus where they, develop and enrich the feeling of comradeship and esprit-de-corps, particularly for the retired members. I am beholden to, and thank the Chairmen, Secretaries and their helpers for their commitment without which the Branches would not exist. The Trustees have endorsed an additional allocation of funding from the annual dividend income for the Branches in recognition of the valuable work they do for the Association. The Trustees remain fully committed to supporting them and the valuable work they do for all our members.
Gelder Trophy The ‘Gelder Trophy’ is awarded annually to ‘The Association member who has contributed most to enhance the prestige of the Association’. It is always pleasing when an individual receives recognition for their contributions which often go unseen so I wholeheartedly congratulate Mr Clem McBride form the NW Branch who deservedly received the Gelder Trophy for 2018.
RAPTC Museum The RAPTC Museum goes from strength to strength with our Curator – Mr Eli Dawson the driving force. He has obtained several grants and engaged with a number of outside agencies to develop and positively improve the RAPTC museum environment. He has initiated and been involved in a number of projects including local community engagements and, using social media has raised the profile of the RAPTC museum in the public domain. I would recommend a visit to the Association Museum.
Reunion The trustees agreed to revamp the format for the 2018 biennial Association Reunion but accepted it was a gamble. The Association provided substantial welfare funding to offset the cost for those attending, so I am pleased that the ‘Family’s Day’ format proved to be a great success and has provided the template for future biennial reunions. On behalf of all Association members, I must thank Capt (MAA) Iain Bareham RAPTC who was the main organiser for the two-day event and has set the bar very high for the organiser of the next reunion in September 2020.