Christmas – A time for giving and receiving
Thanks to the regular support of our members, we have given over £23,500 in grants this month alone, including a grant for adaptions to be carried out in the home of a member recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
Offering vital help to those in need would not be possible without our members. Thank you for your continued support this year and a very warm welcome to all the new members who joined the fund this year. We have had over 800 West Midlands Police officers and staff join which is fantastic!
As our busy 50th anniversary year draws to a close, I would like to thank everyone who took part in our special anniversary prize draw. We had thousands of entries and gave away some incredible prizes throughout 2024, kindly donated by local businesses and organisations.
Last week we drew the winners for November and December. Congratulations to Julia Hollis who won our £200 cash prize and congrats to Liz Houghton and Lara Farley who were the lucky recipients of the two luxury M&S Christmas Hampers.
We would like to thank Protect and Serve Credit Union for donating both the cash prize and the hampers for the draw.
Don’t forget we will be launching our holiday home ballot in early January. You will be able to express your interest in a week’s stay at either Peels Retreat in Weymouth or Court Cottage in Dartmouth. You can visit our holiday home web pages for more details.
Our website offers all the latest information and membership benefits, so if you would like a recap on what you can receive in membership benefits with the Benevolent Fund, head over to our member benefits section.
Finally, if you haven’t already sent your Christmas cards this year, why not purchase a pack of festive cards, designed by competition winner, Vivienne, from St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School. Vivienne’s ‘Merry Policemas’ won the Police Museum’s recent Christmas card competition.
I would like to thank Corrine and the staff at the West Midlands Police Museum for nominating our police charity to receive a 50p donation for every pack of cards sold. We really appreciate your support.
The Benevolent Fund also received a donation of over £300, collected from the Bravery Cell at the museum. Thank you to all the visitors who left donations during their visit. We are so grateful for the money kindly placed in our charity’s collection box.
If you are visiting Birmingham over the Christmas holidays, the Police Museum is a great way to spend a couple of hours. For details about forthcoming events and information about the museum visit: https://museum.west-midlands.police.uk/plan-your-visit/whats-on/
If you would like to donate to our police charity this Christmas please click on the donation link here: DONATE TO BENEVOLENT FUND
Your donation will provide financial and practical support to WMP employees past and present. Only last week we granted a stairlift to a retired member whose wife could return home, after a lengthy time in hospital, to be in the family home for Christmas.
Even a small contribution can make a life changing difference to members of the wider police family we support.
Family is another special part of the festive season and I would like to extend our warmest wishes from everyone here at the Benevolent Fund to you and your family for a happy and peaceful Christmas.
We will be committed to offering continued support to our members during 2025.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
John Williams, Chairman
West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund
