Welcome to Charities and Partners Week from our Chair

I am delighted to introduce Civil Service’s Charities and Partners Week 2024.

The second UK-wide Charities and Partners Week takes place this week, helping to raise awareness of the three welfare bodies endorsed by the Civil Service, the Charity for Civil Servants, the Civil Service Sports Council and the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.

This year’s focus is about encouraging our Civil Service community to ‘get involved’ with their welfare bodies, and I’d personally like to encourage all civil servants to do just that. Whether it be volunteering for one of the three charities and partners, joining their activities, or in the case of Charity for Civil Servants, signing up to stay in touch so you can hear about their umbrella of support or how you could fundraise to support its vital mission.

The three charities and partners are keen to highlight the benefits of getting involved. They believe that doing so can make a real difference towards the welfare of our wider Civil Service community.

We know that the last few years have been particularly difficult for some colleagues, especially those who may be facing a tough time. As Chair of Charity for Civil Servants I know all too well the importance of the Charity at times like these. The Charity has been at the heart of our community since 1886. It supports current, former and retired civil servants facing a tough time, free of charge, with a civil servant accessing the Charity’s umbrella of support every two minutes in 2023. This is your charity after all, and we would be delighted if you would consider getting involved. Perhaps either joining in the Mega Miles Challenge in May, or in any way you can.

One of the many things we can take pride in as a Civil Service community is the value we attach to looking after each other. This Charities and Partners Week, featuring the Charity for Civil Servants, the Civil Service Sports Council and the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship, is about reminding ourselves of exactly that.