Cambridges back single fund for UK relief donations
Duke and Duchess support new charity offering public ‘umbrella’ charity to help terror and disaster victims
A DISASTER relief charity, backed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and launching today, offers the public a single donation point they can trust in the wake of future tragedies in Britain.
The National Emergencies Trust has been set up in response to a string of events in 2017, including the Manchester and London terror attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire. The Cambridges were due to attend today’s launch and meet some of those affected.
The scale of public donations to help victims after these tragedies demonstrated the need for a “more efficient” and “collaborative” singular charity.
Last month, it was revealed that 16 fraudsters who posed as people affected by the inferno that killed 72 people falsely claimed a total of £775,000 from the Grenfell victims’ fund, with police only recovering £24,000.
The trust said that multiple charitable appeals following a disaster could leave the public feeling overwhelmed.
A survey of 2,115 UK adults by the trust found that more than half would like the ability to donate to a single umbrella organisation, with 47 per cent saying it would make them more likely to donate.
General Lord Dannatt, the chairman of the new trust and a former Chief of the General Staff, said of the response in 2017: “The general public were very generous and most of the money that was raised went to the right causes and the right people, but not everything went as it should have done.
“The Charity Commission challenged charities in the voluntary and community sector to come up with a more efficient and collaborative way of working together in response to any future tragedy.”
The trust will have three functions: launching an appeal in the wake of a domestic disaster; allocating the money to the areas of need; and distributing funds to pre-identified trusted partners on the ground.
The Duke will make a short speech at today’s launch at St Martin-in-the-fields, in central London, before chatting to representatives from the emergency services, NGOS, and some of the trust’s charitable partners.
In 2017, the Duke accompanied the Queen as they visited families and volunteers in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire. He joined the crew of DIY SOS the following year on a major project to support those affected by the inferno.
In his roles as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot and air ambulance pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance service, the Duke gained firsthand experience of their vital work.
Lord Dannatt added that the Duke’s experience, as well as his own 40 years with the Army, meant they both “understand what public service is”.
He added: “I think it’s part of our civic duty to do our best to help people in times of difficulty.”