THE EDRIDGE FUND of NAPO has been in existence since 1924 and has strong historic ties to the Trade Union movement. Its purpose is to provide financial assistance to staff in the Probation Service or Family Courts Service, suffering financial hardship, including those who are retired or currently unable to work.
Recent changes in the Probation Service mean that the employees of the National Probation Service have become Civil Servants. However, the majority of staff in the Probation Service are employed by Community Rehabilitation Companies, all privately owned, but they remain classified as public servants by virtue of the nature of their work. These changes have had a serious impact on the capacity of the Edridge Fund to raise funds. Staff working in Probation are now spread across many more offices and employers, making the traditional method of communication via Representatives difficult to maintain.
The Edridge Fund approached the TUUT Charitable Trust to ask for support for a relaunch of their presence within probation offices. The relaunch will consist of posters for each office, a fundraising lottery, donation boxes, Gift Aid envelopes and a pilot project of 4 Contactless Giving boxes.
Ian Lawrence General Secretary of NAPO supported the funding application and is seen here presenting the TUUT Charity’s donation of £2,065 to kickstart the relaunch.
Should the Contactless Giving boxes prove successful over the next six months, the TUUT Charity will provide additional funding for more boxes.