Support for Retired Royal Marines
The Royal Marines Association handles all cases of retired Royal Marines in distress. In the last 12 months the Association paid out over £140,000 in grants from the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund which, when combined with contributions from the Royal Naval Benevolent Fund and the Royal British Legion, resulted in approximately three times that figure reaching those in need. A few examples:
- Respite holidays by the sea for members, their carers or serving Royal Marines
- Repatriating a family from Spain and resettling them in the UK as medical care became too expensive
- Ensuring that a 98 year old blind and deaf veteran is able to remain in his comfortable care home
- Covering household debts post redundancy
- Helping families to keep their homes in short term financial crises
- Converting houses so that older veterans can remain in their homes
- Once the RMA knows that a veteran is in trouble then the Branches offer “the hand of friendship” in order to help them through difficult times
In 2009, the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund paid out nearly £400,000 in benevolence grants to its beneficiaries – serving and retired Royal Marines and their dependants. Indications are that demand is rising year on year and the campaign to raise £6M by 2014 is in response to this.