Her Majesty The Queen on her final RNLI engagement at St Ives Lifeboat Station on 17 May, 2013 (Picture Credit : RNLI / Nigel Millard)
Tomorrow will be a sad day for many, as we say an official goodbye to our Queen of seventy years, a constant presence in most of our lives, admired for her sense of duty to her people, her role and stoic attitude to whatever she had to face in her reign.
One of the things the Queen will be fondly remembered for, is for her work supporting the Charity & Voluntary Sector.
During her reign the Queen supported over 600 Charities, whose objectives were wide -ranging, and included anything from Women’s Issues, Bereavement care, Physiotherapy to even Fencing.
Members of the royal family, have traditionally concentrated their charitable work in certain areas, Prince Charles now King Charles III is known for his work in environmentalism, whilst William Prince of Wales is a staunch advocate for good mental health.
The Queen however offered her support and patronage to a wide range of charities.
Some of the more well known charities the Queen has lent her support to; include Cancer Research U.K, The British Red Cross, Barnardo’s and the RNLI of whom she was their longest serving patron.
Having a reigning monarch as your Patron tends to give your charitable organisation a certain degree of publicity and prestige, and brings their achievements to national recognition.
Although it wasn’t all about the larger charities, as the Queen also lent her support to smaller local charities too.
The scale and variety of the types of charities supported by the Queen was outstanding, from the Arts Charities such as The Art Fund, The Royal Academies of Arts & Music.
Charities that supported opportunities for young people such as Girl guiding, The Combined Cadet Force, The Sea Cadets and Coram, and health care charities such as Great Ormond Street Hospital.
In 2012 The Queen scaled down her number of charity patronages and passed them on to other members of the Royal Family, although she still kept many.
Two of the charities who the Queen had long standing patronages with recently paid their respects to Her Majesty:
RNLI Chief Executive Mark Dowie said:
“On behalf of everyone involved with the RNLI, we send our heartfelt condolences to The Royal Family on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty has dedicated 70 years as patron of the RNLI, engaging with and recognising the efforts of thousands of our people. We place on record our sincere thanks for Her Majesty’s unwavering commitment to saving lives at sea. Our thoughts are with The Royal Family and Her Majesty’s loyal subjects across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.”
The Red Cross Said :
“Over the last seven decades, Her Majesty showed enduring support for the work of the Red Cross here in the UK, and around the world.”
“Countless Red Cross appeals for disasters and tragedies have benefitted from her generous donations. Most recently, Her Majesty donated to the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal and the Tonga earthquake appeal in 2022.”
“The Queen has also been a source of support and comfort to people during some of the toughest times in their lives.”
Thank you for your service to the Charity and Voluntary Sector your Majesty !
Written by James Towler - Charity & Voluntary Sector Correspondent
To read more about the Queen and her patronages, please visit : https://www.charitylink.net/blog/queen-elizabeth-and-her-600-charities