WRNS BT – Annual General Meeting June 2011

With a room once again packed to maximum capacity the Chairman Rosie Wilson welcomed the Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and the assembled audience to the 69th AGM of the WRNS BT.

Her Royal Highness expressed her pleasure at being present once again at the AGM with so many members attending, along with the bonus of the National Museum of the Royal Navy as an added attraction. She observed that the Trust had been working to build a closer relationship with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) and that in October 2010 the Trust had held an Extraordinary General Meeting to present proposals to change the Royal Charter and Bye Laws. The most important of the proposals, was to grant the RNRMC membership of the WRNS BT and to allow a nominated RNRMC Trustee to sit on the Central Committee. The proposals had been unanimously agreed by the Central Committee and the 97 members who had attended the meeting – a considerable turnout that had ensured a reliable outcome.

Her Royal Highness said that during 2010 the Trustees had agreed to set up an Actuarial Review so that the Trust would have a more accurate basis for planning its future. Whilst there would continue to be a requirement for charitable support for former members of the WRNS for some years, there would be a point in the future when the cost of running the Trust measured against the number of applicants and beneficiaries would no longer make it cost effective as a charity. Her Royal Highness said that the outcome of the Review suggested that there would be a continuing need to support the 60,000 or so members of the Trust for at least the next 10 years, although there was a projected reduction in grants expenditure from a current £350,000 to about £250,000 in 10 years’ time. It was important to emphasise that however the charity is managed in the future; it will remain the WRNS BT, retaining its current objectives for as long as there were enough former Wrens who needed help.

Her Royal Highness said that the Trust continued to consider it a priority to ensure that former WRNS knew about their charity, and were able to get assistance if in need. While the website and other modern media were crucial in getting the message across, the Trust now had 6 Ambassadors in place around the country who were working to raise awareness, encourage donations and to remind members about legacies, as well as attending the more traditional events; more importantly they were able to speak to a wide variety of groups about the work of the Trust.

In conclusion, she said that in the current financial climate the work of the Trust was more important than ever, and would continue to need the support of all members to raise funds and support their charity.

Chairman's Report

Rosie then highlighted the work of the Trust from the 2010 Annual report:

• The Trust was very sad to report the deaths of two vice Presidents of the Trust; Superintendents Mary Rundle and Beryl Jones. Both ladies had made a huge contribution and provided great continuity to the Trust over many years
• The level of grants awarded [£342k] was up on that for 2009 [£312k], with noticeable increases in spending on amenity grants, annuity payments and education grants
• The Trust continued to award a range of one-off grants for specific needs as listed on page 7 of the report
• The Trust was giving regular assistance to 16 beneficiaries who lived outside of the UK
• Grants were provided to 408 women, 152 of which were recipients of regular grants

Rosie acknowledged members of the Central, Grants and Finance Committees for their continuing assistance, advice and support. She welcomed the significant number of members of the Association of Wrens who had attended the AGM as the Trust relies on them to act as advocates for their charity.

She referred to those who had been generous with their legacies and, donations to the Trust recorded on Pages 17 & 18 for which the Trust was immensely grateful. The Association of Wrens continued to provide invaluable support and the WRNS BT maintained a close working relationship with their staff and Trustees, many of whom were present at the AGM.

Financial Review

Janet Crabtree [Hon Treasurer] then presented the Financial Review for 2010

• Legacies totalled £75,480 compared to £267,140 in 2009, demonstrating the unpredictability of such income
• The Trust was indebted to those charities that had awarded such generous grants during the year which included £80,000 from the RNRMC
• Fundraising had been on a par with 2010 at £4,767 and that the Trust was extremely grateful to all members who raised funds for the Trust
• The Trust awarded grants of £342k, £215k in regular grants and £127k in one-off grants
• The accounts show an operating deficit of approximately £108,950 however realised and unrealised gains on investments contributed to a surplus for the year of £215,134

Rosie then started the objectives from the Trust for 2011; to continue to satisfy the needs of applicants, to review all regular grants on an on-going basis, to review the Trusts performance against the output of the Actuarial review and strategic plan; and to continue to build the relationship with the RNRMC.

Elections

Rosie advised that she was standing down after four years as Chairman and that Commander Andrea Crook, the current Vice Chairman, had agreed to be nominated as her successor. She had left the RN in October 2010 after a full career and was now employed by BAE Systems. Andrea nominated Cdr Heather Rimmer as the Trusts new senior serving representative and Vice Chairman.

Kay King was also standing down as Chairman of the Finance Committee after 8 years in post but Cdre Annette Picton, a Governor of the Trust had agreed to take over from Kay.

The Trust had its first nomination for Trustee from the RNRMC, a Mrs Jacqueline Clink, a former Wren. All the nominations were unanimously agreed.

Guest Speaker

Cdr Penny Melville-Brown a former Wren and now representing St Dunstan’s gave a thorough and inspiring brief on the work of St Dunstan’s. The number of St Dunstaners [who had lost sight during service] now stands at 200, there are a further 3,000 personnel who had become visually impaired after leaving the service requiring assistance, of whom 470 were women and 99 of these former Wrens.

She explained how their grants were actually about helping towards independence rather than providing direct monetary support – things such as gardening, helping around the home and reading correspondence. Critical assistance included home adaptations or fittings such as grab bars in showers, as blind people naturally have a poor sense of balance.

In addition help could also be through the provision of talking laptops, telephones, clocks, and calculators with practical help such as putting bar codes on clothes and foodstuffs.

Cdr Jackie Mulholland thanked Penny for her most comprehensive and informative address.

Conclusion

Rosie closed the meeting by thanking the Trustees, committee members and staff for their dedication and support. Andrea interceded to thank Rosie very much for the care she had spent in support of the Trust.

The audience were then invited to take tea and guests were presented to the Princess.