As we reflect on yet another busy year for the Gurney Fund what stands out is the ceaseless generosity and kindness of people despite such uncertain times. So firstly, a big ‘thank you’ to all our subscribing police officers, donors and fundraisers. The support given really does make a difference to all those in The Gurney Fund family.
I am delighted to say that we have been able to help more people than ever this year and the Trustees have awarded grants totalling £780,000 towards quarterly allowances, educational expenditure, counselling, higher education grants and the celebratory Jubilee payments. A further £52,000 has been given to ensure that every beneficiary on the Fund receives a Christmas gift.
We have welcomed 42 new beneficiaries this year and we look forward to continuing to support these police families in the years to come.
Once again there have been changes to the Board and we have welcomed three new faces in 2022; Bill Rumford from Bedfordshire, Tom Arthur from Surrey and Helen Darby from Kent are all now active trustees keen to contribute to the positive work of the Fund.
Changes are afoot behind the scenes too as we said goodbye to Chris McNicol, our former Fund manager who retired in July after 20 years with the Fund. Sherral had worked with Chris for several years and has now taken over as Fund Manager with the support of Nikki in the office and they have already fully embraced the new ideas and been very pro-active in taking things forward. A new era for the Fund!
A notable event for the Fund this year was the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and I was privileged to be invited to the funeral along with 500 other representatives of the Queen’s patronages.
Everyone at The Gurney Fund is looking forward to the New Year with a focus on new initiatives and fresh ways of helping our valued beneficiaries. We kick off with the introduction of a birthday gift payment to every beneficiary starting in January 2023 and of course, we hope to have a new royal patron. We will keep you posted.
We would love to hear how some of you have chosen to use your Christmas gift payments and we are always happy to receive stories from Fund families.
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