The Rowland Hill Fund charity celebrated success in its first awards ceremony in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, the patron of the charity.
The Rowland Hill Fund has been providing support to Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide and Post Office employees in times of need since 1882. This includes financial assistance to cover for unexpected crises, changes to personal circumstances or life-changing medical needs. In the past year, £350,000 was issued in grants, supporting some 350 people.
In the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, five awards were presented to recognise individuals and teams who have played a key role in promoting the charity, or have fundraised for this good cause.
Moya Greene, Royal Mail’s Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted and honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as we celebrate those who, through the Rowland Hill Fund, have gone the extra mile to help their colleagues. The Rowland Hill Fund really is the charity that helps our own. It offers vital assistance to our people, their families and also our retired colleagues, helping them to deal with the challenges that life can throw at any one of us at any time.”
Award winners
The awards were presented to the winners by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. Her Royal Highness was joined by the Fund’s Chairman Dale Haddon, Royal Mail’s Chief Executive Moya Greene and Post Office’s Chief Executive Paula Vennells.
The first award recognised the person who has done the most to raise awareness of the Fund over the last 12 months. The Ambassador of the Year was awarded to Pardeep Ahluwalia, who has worked at Royal Mail’s Greenford mail centre in West London since 2012. Pardeep promotes the work of the Fund and highlights the benefits of the charity to colleagues through displays at the mail centre.
The second award celebrated the fundraising champion who has encouraged people to donate to the Fund through their own personal commitment. The award went to Mervyn Phillips, who currently works as a senior manager at Post Office’s Clapham branches. He has been in the business for over 30 years.
There was also an award for the team who has worked together to raise money for the Fund. This was won by the Royal Mail Group Legal team. Its fundraising activities included an auction that raised over £10,000 in a single evening.
The fourth award recognised the individual who had done the most to champion change in employee perception of the Fund and promote this worthwhile cause. This went to Rob Walker who has worked at Parcelforce Worldwide for six years, based in Ipswich. Rob has worked to promote the Fund, largely by creating and producing beneficiary videos about the work of the charity and how it can benefit individuals during a time of need.
The final award of the ceremony honoured those who have worked closely with the Fund to support its work. This was awarded to the Royal Mail Stamps and Collectibles team. This team created an exclusive set of Rowland Hill Fund Penny Black Smiler Stamps, sold to philatelic collectors and all profits have gone to the Fund.
Paula Vennells, Chief Executive of Post Office, said: “I would like to add my congratulations to all the award-winners for the fantastic work they have done over the past year. They set a great example for all of us and they have helped the Fund to provide invaluable support for our current and former colleagues who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in situations of vulnerability or hardship.”
The Rowland Hill Fund
Established in 1882, the Rowland Hill Fund provides assistance to Royal Mail, Parcelforce Worldwide and Post Office employees. Over the past 18 months, raising awareness of the Fund, as well as fundraising, has been its strategic focus. It has revised its marketing literature, gathering case studies, producing videos and issuing newsletters. These are shared through local briefing sessions with our people and the work of the Fund’s Ambassadors.
As a result of this promotional activity, there has been a 17 per cent increase in employee applications to the Fund, and it continues to help as many people as possible. The main contributors to the Fund are Royal Mail, its sponsor The Civil Service Insurance Society Charity Fund, in addition to employees through payroll giving and fundraising activities.