£1m Libor boost to Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity projects

PORTSMOUTH, U.K. - Nov. 24, 2016 - PRLog -- Three projects supporting the wellbeing and relationships of Naval Service beneficiaries have been given a major helping hand by Chancellor Philip Hammond.

The principal charity of the Royal Navy, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) (http://www.rnrmc.org.uk/), has been awarded £1 million in Libor funding. The news was announced as part of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

The money will be used to support three programmes: Kings Camps (http://www.kingscamps.org/), which provide high-quality learning and development opportunities for children of serving families; Relate (https://www.relate.org.uk/royal-navy-and-royal-marines-counselling), the relationship support service; and a Volunteering Campaign Programme fund that will recruit and train volunteers to provide support, friendship and practical help for Royal Navy and Royal Marines beneficiaries.

All of the identified programmes are scheduled to start in 2017 and run for three years.

"Preventing problems before they happen" - new Volunteer Campaign Programme

Mandy Lindley, RNRMC Director of Relationships and Funding, said: "We're delighted that the Treasury has awarded these funds to us. They will make such a difference to the lives of the entire Naval Service family.

"The boost toward our Volunteering Campaign Programme, Helping Hands, in particular will have a huge impact on our ability to fund early intervention and preventative charities and programmes. It will mark a step-change in our ability to add value to our existing grantmaking programmes through the offer of social support."

The successful selection of the three projects follows a comprehensive series of need workshops, held throughout 2016, alongside peer charities and service providers.

Expanding on pilot programmes

Robert Robson, RNRMC Chief Executive, added that the identified programmes will enable the charity to further develop pilot schemes, expanding the availability of existing services nationwide.

"We can extend and develop our bespoke counselling programme with Relate after such a successful pilot, providing early intervention when the pressures of Service life take their toll and helping to prevent problems from escalating, and provision for a new national network of volunteers will see us reach more beneficiaries in more places than ever before."