RNBT, the largest naval benevolence charity, held its annual conference on Wednesday 18 October at The China Fleet Club in Saltash.
Attendees ranged from representatives of local naval ships and establishments to Plymouth Councillors and charity leaders.
Helping those in need
RNBT last year gave over £3m, to those in the naval community in need, 19% of payment were to those living in the West Country. This year applications for help are increasing by over 12%. The Trust’s message was that they needed everyone’s help in making sure that all those in need from the naval community knew who to turn to in hard times. They also told delegates about the new online portal – Lightning Reach – which allows people to ask for help securely on-line, leading to rapid assistance for those in the most urgent need. The conference heard from one particularly grateful couple from Tavistock who praised RNBT for their help: RNBT was ‘a real safety net, a real lifebuoy when we needed it.’
Exciting news for veterans in Plymouth
There was also exciting news for Plymouth veterans: RNBT is looking for a site to build a care home in the area. Having successfully built a new care home in Portsmouth last year, it is now Plymouth’s turn and the search for a suitable site has already started. Commodore Russell Best OBE, RNBT’s Chair of Trustees, explained:
‘We would very much like to be able to build a care home in the Plymouth area and I would love to be able to announce the start of a construction project – but these things take time.’
He added that the search for a site was already underway:
‘The site has to be right for us, with good transport links so that staff and residents’ families can get to it easily. We are leaving no stone unturned in seeking the right place to start. We have learned to be patient but I would like to enlist your help; if you know of great site of about 1 ¼ or 1 ½ acres in size do let us know!’
