Social responsibility
Examples of Annington Trust Projects
Broom Farm, Windsor: A grant of £4,000 went towards a major Community Centre refurbishment programme, resulting in much valued social, recreational and training facilities for families
RNAS Culdrose:
Culdrose is a large naval air station in rural Cornwall with many families living on the site. Funding from the Trust has provided much-needed equipment and facilities for the community, including £500 for leisure equipment for the community centre, £1,200 for the youth football club and £600 towards the refurbishment of the local scout hut. The Trust has also funded projects for Little Merlins, the community’s pre-school. A grant of £800 helped purchase new computers and a further £750 funded exciting new playground equipment - including HMS Annington, the pre-school's very own climbing-frame ship.
1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment:
Units of all three services spend lengthy periods on duty overseas, often in very dangerous conditions, and the support given by welfare staff to their families is vital. A grant from the Trust of £575 has been used to transform the Welfare Office of the First Battalion of the new Yorkshire Regiment at Catterick. It now offers an extremely welcoming atmosphere for families who might be going through difficult times.
Broom Farm Windsor:
Broom Farm at Windsor has been one of the Trust’s biggest beneficiaries. Here, a grant of £4,000 went towards a major Community Centre refurbishment programme, resulting in much valued social, recreational and training facilities for families. Another significant project saw the creation of 'contact flats' to allow the children of separated couples to visit their parents and enjoy time together in a family environment that would not otherwise be available to them. The Trust gave £3,000 to this scheme and has made similar substantial grants elsewhere.
Holiday Activities
Many services families live in remote garrisons and stations where there is little on offer for children and young people, especially during the school holidays. The Trust has consistently helped the organisers of very full activity programmes with grants that have paid for coaches, organised events, craft materials and equipment. Over the years, it has given many thousands of pounds in grants to units of all three services in order to keep these programmes going. The Trust has made possible family gatherings at Christmas when, very often, fathers have been absent on duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans or the Falkland Islands.