Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Right folks, just so you know where we are going to be collecting this season the dates and venues are:

 

Sunday April 16th Poole ELRC

 

Sunday June 4th Swindon EL Pairs

 

Sunday June 11th Belle Vue British Final

 

Sunday June 18th Glasgow PL Pairs

 

Saturday August 19th Workington PL 4TT

 

Sunday September 24th Sheffield PLRC.

 

 

If there are any changes to this schedule I will let you all know if I can.

As other years all tracks will be holding their own collections and all contributions are very gratefully received.

Edited March 27, 2006 by cheetahhawk

[marcusthepom 7]

Hi, this is Bernard Crapper (apologies for using a friends log-in details)

 

There has in the past been speculation about some details regarding the Benevolent Fund so I am posting the information below so you are all fully informed of what the Benevolent Fund stands for.

 

This is a copy of the message I posted earlier in the season, but I understand some may have missed reading it and thought it would be useful to reiterate.

 

I am appointed by the British Speedway Promoters Assoc. as their representative and the Speedway Control Bureau (formerly Board) as the Treasurer/Secretary of the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund.

 

The Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund was created in 1949 under a Deed of Trust to aid current riders and their dependants and others (including paraplegics) who are injured during speedway racing and covers tracks within England, Wales and Scotland.

 

The Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund's registered office is at ACU House, Wood Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2YX. Telephone number: 01788 560 648. Fax: 01788 546 785 and is registered with the Charities Commission - number 208733. The Ben fund is controlled by four trustees as required by law and the current trustees are Mr. Tony Noel, Chairman (ACU) Mr. Brian Bonney, (ACU) Mr. Chris Van Straaten, Chairman (BSPA) and Mr. Alec Harkness (Promoter). As mentioned above, I am Secretary/Treasurer). Our Chartered Accountants are Messrs Limehouse and Company of Rugby.

 

The aim of the Ben Fund is to assist injured riders, etc and their dependants. Funds for this are collected in various ways: Firstly all tracks must hold a compulsory collection once per season and in addition collections are made at special meetings (six special meetings being the maximum allowed collections wise). On average we collect annually between twelve and sixteen thousand pounds from track collections. We also have invested money which we rely heavily on the interest to keep the fund bouyant. In addition we have donations from companies and other trust funds etc.

 

It is normal on the past years payments to riders and paraplegics to award payments of monies ranging between £34,000 and £39,000 annually. This is why all donations (other than track collections) are very welcome and indeed essential to keep the fund bouyant and sustain the amount of help we can offer.

 

The Government Deed of Gift Scheme is one way of persons pledging support to our charity and if you would like a form to enable you to support the Benevolent Fund in this way, please apply to myself, Bernard Crapper of 5 Farm Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 1NE or telephone me on 01235 524 756. There will be a further method for persons returning self assessment forms which will be in operation in 2005 (watch this space for details).

 

I apologise if you have not been fully informed in the past when your track is holding a collection of what the collection is in aid of, as all tracks are supposed to print details in their programmes informing you of both the details and workings of the Ben Fund.

 

We give long term sustained support to paraplegics. Also any ex riders can apply to the trustees for help. In the past we have helped with education fees where a rider has died leaving dependants, IVF treatment for paraplegics wives (with successful results), wheelchairs, home modications, refurbishments and many other requests with life changing results. The Ben Fund should not however be confused or considered to be an insurance as we are governed by the Charities Commission and we must adhere to their rules and regulations.

 

As a footnote I am saddened to read on the Charities Commission website that our records are overdue when they are in fact completely up to date and have been consistently, with the 2003 accounts being given to them shortly, once they have passed their official audit (commencing at present).

 

I hope this has cleared up any misunderstanding or concern regarding use of the Ben Fund and would ask you please to give generously when you see any of the collectors on the terracing and if your circumstances allow, consider our Deed of Gift Scheme, for which our charity would receive 27% returned tax which you pay for each £1.00 submitted to us as a donation. The only proviso is that you must be a taxpayer of the United Kingdom.

 

Whilst I have the opportunity, I would like to sincerely thank everybody at tracks who donate to the collection regularly and generously and also to my loyal band of collectors who travel around the country helping out at collections when and where possible.

Kind Regards,

 

Bernard Crapper

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

what can i say,well with out this fund and the fans and riders in this sport i would have been in big trouble.the benefit fund is a life saver.and when a gentleman like bernard crapper is involved you get a real nice feeling about it.

back in 1983 i rode for exeter and reading,i had a bad smash that put me in hospital for 8 months.fancy being 13000 miles away from home(australia) with out lots of family,no income and having to try to fend for your family whilst laid in a hospital bed.its not just the money you havent got its the security you provide for your family.it got so bad at one stage that child welfare wanted to take my baby boy away from me and the wife because on the surface we had no income to support the child.thank god for the speedway control board and all the relevant funds,which made a big difference.we could live,look after the child and get support regards trying to get back home.bernard if the fund needs help i would love to help.drop me a line marcus the pom williams(the king of crash)as you called me back in the late 70s.perhaps we could sell one of my restored speedway bikes to help raise some funds.listen to me ,without such funds lifes go down the drain in a big hurry,perhaps every club could do a bit more than run a couple of buckets around at half time.with out the help of this fund and others like it i wouldnt have got my fresh start in life.yes its not the same,but it gives you a leg up,it helps you meet whats ahead.well done bernard and all the others that give up there time for such things.

perhaps if there were more bernards around this great sport would be in far better shape.thanks. morstonemanor@hotmail.com

[shazzybird 10]

Nice to read the above posting, a positive for the SRBV

 

CH why is there not a collection at Cardiff? surely that's a real winner there as people are either going in or coming out the gates If it was also advertised in the programme that the collection would be taking place, a lot of people read their programmes during the day.

[SCB 0]

Collections of any kinds are not allowed at Cardiff, I seem to remember ot being discussed after Lawrence Hares accident/injuries.

[Trees 2,814]

Can u remember the reason SCB ................

[marcusthepom 7]

Can u remember the reason SCB ................

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thats the one place a collection should be made wake up to your selfs the powers to be .grow up

[SCB 0]

Council permits and regs I think. I could be wrong. Best person to ask would probably be Chris Brown as he was heavily involved in raising money for Lol.

[Feline Fine 1]

If I remember rightly the Ben. Fund can't collect at the Grands Prix due to the fact that a number of foreign supporters may donate and the fund only supports riders injured over here. Obviously the way it was explained to me was more in depth than that, but that's how I remember it.

 

FF

[Guest cheetahhawk]

If I remember rightly the Ben. Fund can't collect at the Grands Prix due to the fact that a number of foreign supporters may donate and the fund only supports riders injured over here.  Obviously the way it was explained to me was more in depth than that, but that's how I remember it. 

 

FF

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Another factor here is the amount of collectors that would be needed as the stadium at Cardiff has so many entrances. At the moment we do have about 10 people who are regular collectors but for a stadium like Cardiff we would need around 20 or even more.

Of the regular collectors 8 of us are the Supporters Club committee at Oxford speedway and the others are relatives of some of us and as Feline Fine knows there are circumstances why some of us may not be able to do all the collections.

We would like to thank everyone who donated money at Poole last week,your contributions are very gratefully received.

[marcusthepom 7]

If I remember rightly the Ben. Fund can't collect at the Grands Prix due to the fact that a number of foreign supporters may donate and the fund only supports riders injured over here.  Obviously the way it was explained to me was more in depth than that, but that's how I remember it. 

 

FF

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

seems fair

[Ray Rocket 0]

Hello,

 

Perhaps rather than 'rattling a tin' or bucket, there could be a special badge or broche, something similar to the things other charities do. You could have something which marked the 2006 GP series and future years, so it became a souvenir.

 

For GP's, it could be a world fund, that all speedway riders benefited from, whereever they came from. Or if that is too complicated, perhaps a fund for injured GP riders.

 

I think people would be more willing to put their hand in their pocket.

 

 

Ray Rocket

[sirmatty 0]

thats the one place a collection should be made wake up to your selfs the powers to be .grow up

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

just spoke to bernard will pass your details to him

 

 

cheers

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Hello,

 

Perhaps rather than 'rattling a tin' or bucket, there could be a special badge or broche, something similar to the things other charities do. You could have something which marked the 2006 GP series and future years, so it became a souvenir.

 

For GP's, it could be a world fund, that all speedway riders benefited from, whereever they came from. Or if that is too complicated, perhaps a fund for injured GP riders.

 

I think people would be more willing to put their hand in their pocket.

Ray Rocket 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

As one of those who do rattle a bucket(tins wouldn't be big enough) I have found a lot of people are very generous.

There are some places,especially the Northern tracks where people are very genorous.

For instance last year at Sheffield for the PLRC there were just three of us collecting with buckets. At the end of the meeting we were all struggling to carry the buckets they were that heavy.

We always do very well at the Isle of Wight and Somerset too. It is a good way to meet people and I have made a lot of very good friends through my collecting for the SRBF.

There was a badge made a few years ago for the SRBF and I actually brought one but since then have lost it. I do agree that badges or brooches would most probably sell well as there are a lot of badge collectors in the speedway world.

Your ideas are certainly worth a thought though and I hope that Sir Matty shows these last two or three postings to Bernard when he sees him. Not sure if Bernard could get badges made though but I am sure he will take notice of peoples suggestions.

[SCB 0]

Does anyone have an address for sending a cheque to the SRBF and who should the cheque be made out to?

[sirmatty 0]

Does anyone have an address for sending a cheque to the SRBF and who should the cheque be made out to?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

just sent private message

 

 

cheers