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Supporting the Club

RAF Club Covid-19 Appeal 2020/21

Much has changed at the Club and across the UK as a whole since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. No-one could have predicted what lay ahead at the beginning of 2020. The Club could certainly never have anticipated the lowest occupancies and revenues in its 102 year history, and the scale of the measures required to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic and preserve the future of the Club.

Daily life has been impacted immeasurably, however, one constant has been the unwavering dedication of Club management and staff in ensuring the Club remained open for those who needed it most. Led by CEO Miles Pooley, a small team maintained the Club's warm welcome, impeccable standards of service and a 'home from home' for Key Workers despite the operational challenges.

"I have had the pleasure of again staying at the RAF Club for two of the last three weeks, at a time when the UK is facing what could be the challenge of a generation. The welcome, attention to detail and hospitality shown by your staff have over the past weeks been second to none. I would like to thank you and all your staff for the hard work, friendliness and above all the professionalism that I saw every day and I look forward to staying with you again in the future."

"As I come to the end of my first three weeks in the RAF Club, I thought it timely to express my thanks to you and all your staff for the simply outstanding service you are providing in these very unusual times. The helpful, cheerful and friendly approach of your staff to those of us who are effectively now treating the Club as our home during this virus is making a tremendous difference to our own wellbeing, no matter the hours we are doing."

Many members have written to the Club to express their gratitude. Some of you also expressed a desire to support the Club financially and it is in direct response to this, that we launched the RAF Club 'Just Giving' page and Covid-19 Appeal in spring 2020.

If you have not yet donated and wish to, please visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/rafclubcovid-19 or for a Standing Order or Donation plus Gift Aid form, see below.

The pandemic has had a significant effect on the Club's revenues, however donations to date continue to assist greatly. Now in 2021, the RAF Club is undeniably leaner as an organisation, but through our ongoing fundraising efforts and the support of our membership, we are confident that we can strengthen, build and evolve for the future.

Air Marshal Sue Gray CB OBE RAF
Club Chairman

Registered Charity 1108295
Royal Patron: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Our Legacy Vision

"There can be no better way to give something back to the Club that we have loved, than to help others enjoy it in the future."

Membership of the Club continues to offer a host of benefits, including use of the Grade II listed club in central London, accommodation, exceptional dining and elegant private banqueting rooms perfect for reunions and celebrations.

For so many the Club is rich in memories created over the years, associated with good times spent with friends, colleagues and fellow members. With its shared Royal Air Force history, the Club is a uniquely special place, which celebrates the past endeavours of great men and women, whilst also looking to the future.

To help preserve this future for generations of serving and former serving officers to come, you can either give today in the form of a donation - either a one off donation, a regular standing order, or through a legacy for the future.

Help Preserve the Future of Your Club with a Donation or Legacy

The Royal Air Force Club is a registered Charity, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as our Royal Patron. Our Charitable Aims and Mission are designed to support members and their families in a comfortable RAF-friendly environment:

To provide high quality and affordable facilities and services in central London for Club Members, in order to preserve, promote and foster the traditions of the Royal Air Force.

The Club only exists through the generosity and goodwill of its founder, Lord Cowdray back in 1918 and we are forever mindful of this gift, which allowed the purchase and development of the clubhouse at 128 Piccadilly.

In October 1918, the first Viscount Cowdray, President of the Air Board, sent a letter outlining his practical support for the establishment of an RAF Club to the then Chairman of the Royal Flying Corps Club, Sir Sefton Brancker. Enclosed was a cheque for £100,000 “…sufficient to ensure a permanent Club House worthy of the airmen and of their ‘brilliant and superlative heroic work.’”

Registered Charity 1108295
Royal Patron: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Why Support Us?

Pre-Covid, any surplus from the Club’s day to day operation would be reinvested to improve the facilities and services for members.

The Club’s Centenary extension is the most substantial project since the Club's founding in 1918, and with no one benefactor covering the costs of this impressive project, individual donations and legacies were crucial to help augment this work.

Smaller gifts also help fund special projects such as the installation of the Centenary Stained Glass Window, recognising the contribution of Women in the Service of the RAF and the Dining Room Centenary art collection, launched in autumn 2018.

Examples of past projects that have had a long lasting impact are the iconic RAF Stained Glass Window, an eye-catching focal point of the Club, only possible through a one-off donation. The Library has also benefited from generous donations in recent years, enabling us to add to the collection of post WWII books for members benefit.

Your money will be used wisely and efficiently and retained within a dedicated ‘Legacies & Donations’ fund and utilised for special projects around the Club. If you have a particular Club project in mind that you would like to actively support, please do let us know.

The Club adheres and abides to the Fundraising Regulator’s guidance and Code of Fundraising Practice and is registered for Gift Aid.

How do I leave a legacy for the future?

For many of us it may suit our financial planning to make provision for supporting the RAF Club, after we have gone. Please do consider your Club when you are making, or re-drafting your Will. A gift left in your Will can make a lasting difference and leave a legacy which will perpetuate your memory, whilst helping those who carry on. This can be a percentage of your will, ‘£x,000’ or ‘the proceeds of the sale of my house’ or ‘the residue of my estate after all other legacies have been paid’.

Anything from 1% of estate upwards can be given – a legacy does not need to be a large gift and costs nothing to give. Any gift is very much appreciated and Gift Aid will be claimed wherever possible to maximise the value of any donation.

Amending a Will
A codicil is a document used to change a Will that has already been made. For further information please visit www.rememberacharity.org.uk/making-a-will/leave-a-gift-to-charity/

Further Information & Useful Links

If you have any specific questions regarding making a donation or a legacy, please contact Charlotte Gray charlotte@rafclub.org.uk or call 020 7399 1082.

Registered Charity 1108295
Royal Patron: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

General Information on Charitable Giving

Find a Solicitor - The Law Society

Making a Will – The Law Society

How to leave a gift to charity in your will

Will Writing Jargon Buster

Gift Aid

Making A Complaint

If you have any concerns or wish to make a complaint regarding the Club's fundraising activity, please contact Charlotte Gray charlotte@rafclub.org.uk or write to:

Charlotte Gray
Head of Marketing & Communications
The Royal Air Force Club
128 Piccadilly
London
W1J 7PY

Registered Charity 1108295
Royal Patron: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Downloadable Gift Aid, Standing Order & Donation Forms