Not just for Christmas… We are here for you throughout your service and beyond!

It’s been another busy year for the West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund and we’re delighted to announce we have reached a membership milestone over the course of this year.

The number of people choosing to regularly support our police charity, by joining the Benevolent Fund, has grown significantly during 2025. We have welcomed almost 1,000 serving officers and police staff to the fund, pushing our membership total over the 10,000 milestone. That is an incredible achievement and largely down to the hard work of our small team and the increasing support from West Midlands Police colleagues.

Student officer Charlotte James became our 10,000th member and received a bottle of champagne and a weekend B&B voucher to stay at St Michael’s Lodge next year.

Our 1,000th member for 2025 is in touching distance and we’d love to celebrate this second milestone before the year is out. If you are not currently a member of the Benevolent Fund why not join today. Not only will you be benefiting from a life time of benefits but you could become our 1,000 member and receive a celebratory gift. You can join online here.

This year we have given out over £100,000 in the form of membership benefits and grants to support serving officers, police staff and retired members. £35,000 was spent on helping members back to health by sending them for residential physiotherapy or wellbeing breaks at the treatment centre St Michael’s Lodge.

Just under £10,000 was spent on mental health support and the provision of online counselling. Our sickness voucher scheme is another important membership benefit – supporting those off work through injury or illness.

With the support of the Chief Constable and various department heads we rolled out over 5,000 ‘Before you go home – Are you OK’ postcards delivered through the lockers of officers and staff around the force.

The postcards feature a welfare checklist created by the National Police Wellbeing Service as well as details about our charity. We hope the cards provide a reminder to police colleagues that we are here to help members with their physical and emotional wellbeing.

In addition, this year; almost 200 officers and staff have been referred to Thomas Financial Solutions for our FREE Will Writing Service and a further 80 people have enjoyed our annual family adventure day at Blackwell Court back in May.

It was great to see everyone having so much fun and the new addition of Laser Tag brought out the competitiveness in families.

We look forward to welcoming more families to next year’s event scheduled for Friday 29 May.

Our two holiday homes, in Dorset and Devon, proved very popular with members again this year, with both seaside properties almost fully booked. Our holiday home in Weymouth, Peel’s Retreat is getting a fresh new look for 2026.

Our holiday home ballot will be running again in the New Year and members can register their interest from Monday 5 January 2024. The ballot will then close at midnight on Monday 9 February. If you fancy a wonderful week away in one of our seaside properties please do enter.  Any remaining weeks not taken in the ballot will be available for members to book on a first come first served basis.

We also have further savings for members, through the YOUR REWARDS Scheme. Just visit www.yourrewards.co.uk and enter your membership log in details below for discounts on a wide range of goods, days out and much more.

As we head into 2026, we will continue to support our members the best way we can. This of course would not be possible without your loyal support and we would like to say a very big thank you.

On behalf of the Ben Fund Team, our Charity’s Trustees and Operation Committee we would like to wish you and your loved ones a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

Stay safe and keep well.

The West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund Charity