INSURANCE CHARITIES DAY – FRIDAY 21st JUNE 2008
Once a year we ask those employed in our industry to give some thought, and cash, to assist their colleagues and former colleagues who, through no fault of their own, have needed to seek financial help from The Insurance Charities. You may think it strange that a “Protection Industry” does not provide such help but not everyone works for a large employer with fringe benefits. In some cases, staff have been referred to the charity by the largest employers. Many people do not appreciate that requests for help can be considered whether the applicant is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, or not, provided they have a history of employment within the industry, in whatever area. It is run by independent trustees, not by the CII, although it is fully supported by the Institute.
Recent cases dealt with locally have included widows left with very small or no pensions on the death of a spouse, a disabled employee needing help with the purchase of a motorised wheelchair or funding the alteration of their home to allow wheelchair access, employees having children with special education needs, a working colleague who needed expensive cancer drugs not available through the NHS and many families where the breadwinner had to cease working due to illness.
Help has varied from maintenance grants or single payments to interest free mortgage loans with no repayments until the property is sold on death or entry to a nursing home. Very often the applicants have fallen into the “Poverty Gap”, with too much capital or income to obtain aid from the State or Local Authority but insufficient to maintain a decent standard of living. In some cases the help has just been the delivery of some Christmas Fare, something we all take for granted on our own tables.
Each year the charity gives out help in excess of £1.5million but in recent years, even with substantial donations from companies, this has exceeded the amounts raised and the income from investments. Donations from employees average less than £1 per head per annum. You can help by a collection in your office on 20th June but why not have fun with a dress down day, a worst tie or hair dye or crazy wig day, or, for the fit and active, a lunch time jog, a pay for coffee or a fun fines day. I am sure you can all think of many more ideas to support our industries own charity. Started last year, the Charity promotes a national sponsored walk with many events around the country. Last year this raised over £15,000, which was matched by a donation from Towergate. We will be organising a walk based on Cams Hall Estate, Fareham, taking in a woodland walk on the estate and the coastal path around Fareham Creek on Sunday 22nd June. Full details and sponsorship forms will be available shortly. Please register your details for further information.
Collection boxes, posters and leaflets are available for use at your office events. They can be obtained directly from the Insurance Charities website, by email to: info@theinsurancecharities.org.uk or from our local Charities Representative Mike Hillier, who can be contacted on 01243 780701 or mike_hillier@btconnect.com. Mike should, also, be contacted if you need, or know of a colleague who needs, assistance. Enquiries are dealt with in the strictest confidence.
Any funds raised should be sent to Mike Hillier at 17 Longmynd Drive, Fareham, Hants, PO14 1RW, by a cheque in favour of The Insurance Charities.
We will also be making bucket collections for The Charities at our regular lunch time meetings around the time of Charities Day. As usual, refreshments are provided free of charge to those who attend. Hopefully, on those occasions, you will subscribe to the view that “There is no such thing as a free lunch”.
2008 CHARITY GOLF DAY ANNOUNCED
You are cordially invited to participate in The Inaugural Golf Day of the Insurance Institute of Southampton on behalf of The Insurance Charities at Cams Hall Estate Golf Club on Friday 27th June 2008.
- Commencing from 2 pm and followed by a two course meal and prize giving. A Stableford competition, off the yellow tees for men and red tees for ladies.
- Entry fee, including the meal, is £40 per player (£20 for Cams Hall members). Non golfers may attend the meal only at a cost of £15.
- Maximum handicap allowance 24 for men and 36 for ladies. Men with higher handicaps may enter but will play off the maximum allowance, as above.
- Prizes for individuals and teams. Subject to sufficient entries in each category.
The individual winner will qualify for entry to the National Final of The Insurance Charities Golf Competition, for the prestigious Julius Neave trophy, taking place in September at a quality golf course, with free entry to the golf and presentation meal.
Individual entries welcome from all connected with the insurance industry, members and non members of The Chartered Insurance Institute or PFS are equally welcome. Team entries, best three cards, most welcome and may include non-industry guests.
Please download your entry form below, complete and send it with a cheque in favour of The Insurance Institute of Southampton to Mike Hillier, Hon Charities Representative for Southampton, to the address shown on the form together with a stamped addressed envelope or a valid email address for receipt.
Entry form - Word doc.
Entry form - PDF.doc
REPORT OF HON CHARITIES REPRESENTATIVE TO THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE OF SOUTHAMPTON ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 29TH APRIL 2008
As in previous years, my role has been to promote the work of The Insurance Charities, to visit existing beneficiaries and new applicants for assistance and to arrange fund raising events to assist the charity in funding the benefits they are able to provide to current and retired employees in our industry who find themselves needing to seek the assistance of our charity. In the past year over £1.5 million was paid out in benefits. An increase of nearly half a million pounds over the past two years. Indications are that this will increase, again, in the current year.
In the past year we received four new requests for assistance. All but one was offered help. The other remains in suspense waiting for further information from the applicant. In one of the cases, the applicant, unfortunately, died before they had received the full benefit of the assistance offered to them.
The benefits granted have ranged from ongoing financial help, one off grants to provide items such as a disability scooter or to replace household items or simply the provision of parcels of Christmas fare. Eleven such parcels were delivered to beneficiaries in our area in 2007.
Our major fund raising event each year is the Kings and Queens game at our Annual Dinner. This year £3,200 was collected on the night and, with the addition of Gift Aid tax rebates, a total of almost £4,000 will have been raised for the charity. I am grateful to Barry Smith and Ian Ritchie for running the competition on the night and to Linda White, Sarah Hunt, Hana Fincher and Diane Williams for organising and collecting the donations. In addition, quiz nights in Southampton and Portsmouth raised around £400. This was matched by a Casino Night, at the Rose Bowl, a successful new venture that is likely to be repeated this year.
I am, also, grateful to our golfing colleagues who have supported the Annual Fund Raising Golf Competition, particularly the Personal Finance Society, whose event raised over £1200 for the charity. For the first time, Southampton Institute is running their own golf day this year, in support of the charity. This is taking place in June and I am delighted that Quinn Insurance has donated a round of golf at The Belfry, the venue of many Ryder Cups, as a prize for the successful team. The winning individual will gain a place in the National Final of the charity’s golf competition.
Charities Day has now been moved to later in the year to avoid clashing with other high profile events that take place around it’s former date in March. This year it will take place on Friday 20th June when it is hoped offices will arrange events to raise funds on behalf of the charity. A letter has been sent to all known past supporting offices and a further note will be sent by our President to our office representatives, asking for their help in organising events. I have publicity material available, if it is needed. We hope we will be able to organise a sponsored walk in the area, in support of the larger walk that is taking place in London on Charities Day, but probably over the weekend of 21st and 22nd June. Watch the website and newsletters for details.
Leaving the best till last, I am delighted to report that Southampton Institute was awarded The Insurance Charities Centenary Shield for 2007/8 in recognition of both the funds raised in that year and our efforts in promoting the work of the charity. The shield was presented to us at the 2008 Annual Dinner by Ken Davidson, President of The Insurance Charities, who, I understand, is quoting Southampton as an example of best practice during his visits to other Institutes.
Finally, my personal thanks to our President and everyone who has assisted, in any way, in helping with the activities of Southampton Institute in support of the charity.
Mike Hillier
Hon Charities Representative
For more information on the Insurance Charities:
Visit their website www.theinsurancecharities.org.uk
Read case studies of people whose lives have been made easier as a result of support from the Insurance Charities
View the latest Insurance Charities newsletter
Download the the Insurance Charities donor leaflet
Any further information or help with fundraising events and promotional material will be readily given by:
Honorary Charities Representative:
Mike Hillier AAII
Tel: 01329 233286
Email:mike_hillier@btconnect.com