The FEPOW Welfare Officers are Margaret Martin and Pauline Simpson. Please contact them directly to let them know if your FEPOW, his wife or widow is still alive.
Contact Margaret on enquiries@thejavafepowclub42.org or Pauline on pauline761@btinternet.com
Margaret, on behalf of Pauline, writes to FEPOWs, their wives or widows and Civilian Internees:
Please give me the name and phone number of your next of kin, or a close friend or neighbour, so that, if I cannot contact you, I can ask them if all is well or if you require my help and support. (Also, do tell them about me!)
Please ensure your family is aware of this letter.
I want to remind you of the FEPOW Welfare grants available to you and your spouse (if applicable)
You are eligible for hospital grants of £5 per day, if you stay overnight.
I pay up to £50 per month if you live in Sheltered Accommodation, have to go into a Home, or for Respite Care and/ or have the aid of carers.
None of the above payments are means-tested and are not tax-declarable or tax-deductible.
The following grants are subject to the amount of savings the claimant has. Claimants are permitted total savings of £30,000, including the ex-gratia payment of £10,000, but excluding the value of their own home.
If you require need such items as wheelchairs, stair lifts, burglar alarms, clothing or adaption of homes such as a “wet room” we may be able to help with these, subject to your savings. Any payments are not retrospective.
For those of you with less than £30,000 we can pay travel costs for you or your spouse to attend hospital for treatment or examination or to visit a spouse in a hospital or care home.
There are also generous grants for attendance at Reunions and travel to FEPOW related events. Pauline looks after those so please contact her directly.
In answer to previous questions, it is not a question of giving the funds to others worse off. It isn't a pot of money to be evenly shared out; if the grants are not paid for a period of 12 months, then it is assumed there is nobody eligible so the fund will close and no-one will receive a share. So it is important that claims are made because only then does the fund keep going. Remember this is your money, for all FEPOWs, Civilian Internees, their spouses and widows, administered for us by the Royal British Legion.
I am told by claimants who went directly to the Royal British Legion that they were told they can't claim as they have too much money. This may be true but until the claimant has talked to me or Pauline, I can't be sure. Not all Royal British Legion Welfare Officers have the full details of the funds that are available to FEPOWS, their wives and widows and civilian internees that have been ring fenced especially for them. These funds were released from the former Trustees of the FEPOW Central Welfare Fund’ to the RBL to be administered by myself and Pauline.
