Page 167 - RAPTC Year of 2019

REGIMENTAL SECRETARY’S REPORT
1 APR 2019 TO 31 MAR 2020
Lt Col (Retd) G Jones
165
Introduction
The Association has had another busy year providing support for Association members and ensuring the heritage of the Corps is maintained. The control of the Association charity falls to the Trustees who form the Executive Committee; they meet twice a year to ensure your charity is providing support for Association members and maintaining the heritage of the Corps thereby achieving the objects of the RAPTC Constitution and conforming to the rules of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Subjects covered by the Trustees are wide-ranging and varied, for example, they can be anything from authorising the annual forecast of expenditure to agreeing the design and cost for the RAPTC Memorial which sits in the grounds of the National Memorial Arboretum. All decisions made by the trustees can have long lasting implications so are taken very seriously and any decision is always for the best interests of the Association members.
The Executive Committee comprises 14 Trustees (7 serving and 7 retired members) who have voting rights. The Regt Sec who is a non-voting member of the committee provides the appropriate background information for the Trustees to make informed decisions. If required, decisions can be made out of committee, usually via an email vote. The very nature of the committee makeup means we say goodbye to a number of serving trustees each year whereas the retired members who have a vast amount of experience tend to remain on the committee for a number of years, providing continuity which, helps to ensure that over time, subjects are not revisited unnecessarily. Retired Trustees are re-elected every 4 years and serving trustees are ex-officio which means their trusteeship is attached to an RAPTC Appointment.
Details of the committee are contained within the RAPTC Constitution which can be found on the official RAPTC Association website.
Welfare
The Terms of Reference for welfare support can be found on the RAPTC Association website. Welfare and benevolence for our Association members is the number one priority and this year, the Association has provided support for a number of our members. Normally, the Regt Sec receives benevolence requests for support via SSAFA who have volunteer caseworkers to conduct home visits and assessments. Once a request is received I have to confirm their eligibility; I do get a surprising number of requests for financial support from ex AAPTIs who have not served in the Corps so are not eligible. Once I have confirmed eligibility, the request is presented to the welfare committee who assess and debate the request then decide on the level of support the Association can provide. It is worth noting, that SSAFA will also approach the individual’s previous cap-badge and the RBL or ABF for support particularly if it involves a large amount of money.
Finance
The monthly income from the Days’ Pay Giving Scheme provides the funding for benevolence, welfare and the Association’s daily running costs. It is worth noting that all serving members of the Association pay into the scheme without which, we as an Association would not be able to provide the level of support we currently offer. Retired members do not pay a subscription to the Association but are life members and remain eligible for support.
Investments
The Association has an investment portfolio which provides quarterly dividends; these dividends are used for the benefit of Association members. With this additional funding the Trustees have been able to enhance grants for the Association Branches, paid for the commemorative service at the NMA (including a free lunch for 200) provided additional funding for Corps sports teams and put funds aside for future events; Decennial (10 year) reunions for example.
RAPTC Association Trustees