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The Cavalry and Guards Club 127 Piccadilly London W1J 7PX
The Cavalry and Guards Club has one of the finest Edwardian buildings in London with stunning views of Green Park that is ideal for:
Weddings • Receptions
Dinner Parties • Business Meetings • Lunches
For further details and information please contact our Banqueting Co-ordinator on:
Telephone: 020 7659 0905 Fax: 0207 659 0909 www.cavguards.co.uk
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
RLOCA at Cenotaph
primarily as a result of low attendance figures, and it will remain suspended and will be resurrected should an occasion require it. The year saw the commemoration of Operation BANNER 50, and a service of commemoration at the NMA and was or- ganised and hosted by The Royal British Legion. The RLOCA had two contingents attending one from the 16/5L who held a short separate service in addition to the national commemora- tion. The was also a second contingent representing the wider- RLOCA. In true Irish fashion, the weather was atrocious, and sadly it defeated many of the veterans who attended. However, for a generation of soldiers who felt they had been forgotten, it was a very important event.
The Royal Lancers Benevolence Report – An Overview
During 2019, the Royal Lancer’s Charitable Trust (RLCT) con- tinued to provide support to veteran lancers whose difficulties
17/21L at Cenotaph
have been brought to the attention of Home Headquarters. This brief report is designed to give an overview of the amount of money distributed, where it came from, the type of beneficiaries and the nature of the trends for 2019.
For the second year running there was an overall reduction in the number of veterans assisted financially by the Trust, 75. However, the overall spend from trust funds (£29,810) was simi- lar to 2018 (£30,318). This reduction in the number of supported cases is what is to expected as the population of National Ser- vicemen is now in decline, and formed a large percentage of the total dependant population. This trend is also being experienced by the other forces’ charities. The overall total required to meet the needs of our ex-Lancers was £59,000 which was a reduction of 13% from the £68,500 required in 2018. However, as a percent- age of the total required, the RLCT paid 7% more than in the previous year. This was as a direct result of all the other grant giving organisation contributing less than in 2018. This is pos- sibly as a result of the other forces charities ‘tightening their own belts’ as their own funds come under greater pressure.
After the RLCT the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) was the sin- gle largest contributor which provided 28% (-3%) of the need. Therefore, the money raised by Mark Wells and his team on the Cateran Yomp is particularly poignant and of benefit to us all, The Royal British Legion’s (TRBL) contribution in 2019 saw a reduction from 17% to 13%. The majority of the £3,200 which came from other military charities came from the RAC Benevo- lent Fund which has made its funds open to the rest of the RAC. There were no contributions from Help for Heroes and the ma- jority of the cases were brought to HHQ’s attention by SSAFA.
This year the number of our older beneficiaries (65+) were the most numerous of the three demographic groups we sup- port. They shaded out the working population (40-65-year olds) which had been the most numerous in 2018 by 4 people. Of the 75 beneficiaries 32 of these individuals were first time claimants, and the ratio of support between the antecedent QRL / 9/12L population is broadly the same as 2018. As expected, there is a small increase to support soldiers and families leaving The Roy- al Lancers, with the two primary needs being housing (and its associated costs) and priority debt.
Lastly, much of the non-financial support is directed to HHQ directly by individuals using social media. Currently, there are three main Facebook social media sites that HHQ has access to, all show a steady growth of between 9% and 11% during the year, and more interestingly approximately 600 of the 883 members of the RLOCA site being over the age of 45.
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