Spring/Summer 2021 Fellowship News by The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship

The newsletter for the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship

Fellowship News SPRING / SUMMER 2021

The 2021 Fundraising Appeal We had to suspend our national fundraising appeal last year due to Covid, but we launched our 2021 campaign in January and have already had some donations. We are aiming to raise £20,000 to support an extension to our current befriending services over Christmas

2021. The funds would help provide some enhanced friendship during a time of year that many people do not enjoy as their usual activities are put on pause in December and January. You can donate via our website or by using the form on page 5.

New partnership with Marie Curie

IMAGES: © Ignacio R, Ravi pinisetti

We are pleased to announce a new collaborative working relationship with Marie Curie. Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity and provides frontline nursing and hospice care, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. They offer practical information and support on all aspects of life with terminal illness, dying and bereavement. For more information you can call 0800 090 2309 or visit mariecurie.org.uk/support

Here to Help

Many of you will be very aware about our local group network and befriending services, but did you know we also handle a wide range of signposting and advice enquiries each year as well? To promote this service and make it easier for us to support you we have launched a new Freephone number, 0800 160 1075, that can be used for this. Included with this issue you will find a postcard with the number on it that you can keep handy to use when and if you need to!

Keep your mind active Enjoy our enlarged puzzle section on pages 10-11

Chief Executive’s Message The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship Unit 11, Pepys House, Greenwich Quay, Clarence Road, LONDON SE8 3EY t: 020 8691 7411 e: enquiries@csrf.org.uk w: www.csrf.org.uk A charity registered in England and Wales No 255465 and in Scotland No SC039049 and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No 6297479 ©2021. Fellowship News is published by the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF). All rights reserved. The CSRF and the publishers declare that any publication of any advertisement does not carry their endorsement or sponsorship of the advertiser or their products unless so indicated. Contributions are invited and, whether or not accepted, submissions will be returned only is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or while in the publisher’s hands. Proof of receipt is no guarantee of appearance. In the absence of an agreement, the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic belongs to The CSRF. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including, but not limited to, any online service, database or part of the internet), or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of The CSRF. The CSRF accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any other opinions expressed herein. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the official views of The CSRF.

hope you are all keeping safe and well. I am writing this just after the publication of the Government’s road map out of lockdown. I am hopeful that so long as we all stick to the rules about social distancing and keeping safe we will be able to see a resumption of our group activities and home visiting service later in the year. This issue is smaller than usual because it does not include the group activities planner or group news, but there is a mix of news, information, stories and a bigger puzzle section to keep your mind active which I hope you enjoy. I want to thank those Life Members who provided feedback to our consultation letter in the last issue. Although several of you voluntarily switched to become annual subscribers the Board of

Directors has decided not to pursue changes to Life membership any further. We were also grateful for the donations we received and have used some of the money to fund the launch of a new Freephone telephone number that can be used for our signposting and advice service. Enclosed in this mailing you should find a postcard with the new number and details for you to keep. This year’s national fundraising appeal aims to raise £20,000 to help enable our befriending schemes to offer some extra services over the Christmas period. If you are able to make a donation then please use the form on page 5. In the meantime, I hope you keep safe and well and do not forget that we are here to help if you need us. David Tickner, Chief Executive

An Inspiring Volunteer Congratulations to Board Director Liz Beedie who received an ‘Inspiring Volunteer’ award from Volunteer Edinburgh at the end of last year. Aside from her duties as a Board Director, Liz is also the Chair of our Edinburgh group and finds time to volunteer for a variety of other local organisations in the city.

Covid-19 Update Sadly, at the time of writing our local group network and home visiting services remain suspended. We are continuing to monitor the government advice and guidelines and when it is safe to do so we will begin

the process of restarting both the groups and home visits. We post updates on our website, www.csrf.org.uk but you can call us on 020 8691 7411 if you do not have access to the internet.

News

Do you shop online?

Outcome of Life Member consultation Thanks to all those Life Members who responded to our call for views and opinions about the future of Life Membership. We had several people who voluntarily chose to ‘Switch their Sub’ to become Annual Subscribers and those made it clear that they felt ‘Life means Life’. After

considering all the feedback we received, the Board of Directors have agreed that there will be no further moves to consider any abolition of Life Membership although the ‘Switch my Sub’ option will remain as a voluntary option for those that wish to take up on it.

History Begins at Home History Begins at Home (HBAH) was launched in May 2020 as a way of using the past to stimulate conversation between the generations to improve wellbeing. This is a useful and effective way of countering loneliness and social isolation, as well as an enjoyable way of learning more from each other. It is far better to ring someone who may be lonely and talk about the past – who their best friend was at school, who taught them to drive, the first time they flew etc. – than to have yet another conversation about the pandemic! Every two weeks a new challenge with a HBAH Question Sheet is

launched on the campaign website – www.historybeginsathome.org. Fortnightly themes have included work, hobbies, school days, fashion, food, toys, holidays and nights out. Many more are in the pipeline. While the campaign encourages online interaction via social media, they recognise that many people do not use this technology. Therefore, a core message is “pick up the phone and call someone who may be feeling lonely”. HBAH Question Sheets, along with advice on how to record oral histories and care for photographs and other documents can be found at www.historybeginsathome.org.

Did you know that if you use the internet for online shopping you could be making a free donation to the CSRF via the platform Giveasyoulive. Every transaction you make (if the retailer is signed up to the scheme) will provide us with a small donation. Whether you are doing your weekly online shopping, buying a book or just shopping for fun you can help us as the same time. To register is free, just carry out the following steps: Go to www.giveasyoulive. com/join/csrf Set up a profile account (it doesn’t cost you anything) and make sure you nominate ‘The CSRF’ as the charity you want to receive any donations Browse the Giveasyoulive website and select the store you wish to shop from and then as you complete any transactions, you’ll be advised of the donation we receive. If you have any questions you can contact Giveasyoulive on 0800 883 8450 or visit www.giveasyoulive.com

For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk

News

If you are worried about a scam or want to report it then you can use the following numbers: England & Wales REPORT: contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. ADVICE: contact Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 or for a Welsh speaking advisor, call 0808 223 1144. Scotland REPORT: call Police Scotland on 101. ADVICE: contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000.

Due to Covid-19 the event last year was carried out by post and this will also be the case in 2021 although we will be holding a ‘Virtual Conference’ on the day that would have been the Annual General Meeting, Thursday 15th July. This will take place using Zoom and include a programme of guest speakers on a range of later

Befriending Services Review

life subjects. You can access Zoom Conferences using your computer or a telephone line so you could participate even if you do not have access to the internet. If you are interested in registering as a guest for the Conference, you can email: david.tickner@csrf.org.uk or give us a call on 020 8691 7411.

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With our home visiting service suspended for most of last year we had the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive assessment of how our befriending services operate. The final report by the Chief Executive made several recommendations to improve the management, training, operational structure, awareness and use of these services. These will be implemented during this year. But overall, in 2020, our volunteer befrienders provided 2,050 calls and visits to beneficiaries which considering the challenges we faced last year is a creditable achievement.

Northern Ireland REPORT: contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or call the police on 101. ADVICE: contact Consumerline on 0300 123 6262.

2021 Annual General Meeting & Conference

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Friends Against Scams is a National Trading Standards Scams Team initiative which aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering people to take a stand against scams. It is designed to inspire action, highlight the scale of the problem, change the perceptions of why people fall for scams and make scams a community, regional and national topic. You can find out more about them online at www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk

Friends against Scams

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MAKE A DONATION FORM You can use this form to send in a donation for our 2021 Fundraising Appeal, order some notelets or request a form for setting up a direct debit General Donation

CSRF Notelets (£5 per set)

Indicate the number of sets you want

Return the completed form including your donation to: The CSRF, Unit 11, Pepys House, Greenwich Quay, Clarence Road, LONDON SE8 3EY Cheques should be made payable to ‘The CSRF’. Alternatively you can make a donation online at www.csrf.org.uk

Please accept my gift of:

£5 £10 £20 £50 £250 Other £ £100

CSRF Notelets (£5 a set)

How would you like us to acknowledge your donation? By Post By Email I do not wish to receive an acknowledgement We are extremely grateful for all donations we receive; you can help us save money by ticking the box to opt not to receive an acknowledgment

We still have a supply of limited edition notelets available for sale. Each set has five blank cards & envelopes and feature travel images. Please use the box above to indicate how many sets you would like to order. Price includes post & package.

Name: Address:

Post Code: Tel Number: Email:

Set up a Direct Debit If you would like to make a regular donation you can do so by setting up a direct debit. This can be done via our website, www.csrf.org.uk by clicking on the ‘donate’ button and then ‘make a regular payment’. Or if you would prefer you can request a direct debit form by ringing Fellowship Office on 020 8691 7411 or email: enquiries@csrf.org.uk

Make your gift worth a quarter more at no extra cost to you! If you are a UK taxpayer The CSRF can reclaim the tax you’ve paid on your donation. Please tick the Gift Aid declaration box below I want to Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. Please notify us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

News

The Centre for Ageing Better has released a series of ten age-positive icons, designed to replace the limited and stereotypical selection of icons and symbols commonly used to depict ageing and older people in public life. The new range of icons was developed as part of a competition Ageing Better launched with Public Health England last year. SwaG Design won the bid to design the new icons with its ‘dancing couple’ entry, which gave the classic road sign featuring hunched over stickmen a makeover, replacing them with an older couple dancing. The new range of icons has been designed in consultation with people in later life and aims to show the diversity of later life in a positive and realistic way. They were inspired by the eight World Health Organization (WHO) domains which make an Age-friendly Community, including transport, housing and social inclusion. They include images of cycling, gardening and doing the shopping. For more information visit www. ageing-better.org.uk

Age Positive Icons

Our Book Club goes Zoom! As we have all had to learn and adapt to new ways of doing things in the last 12 months our Book Club has gone ‘virtual’. We launched two Zoom book groups towards the end of last year and these meet monthly to discuss a new book each month. You can see a list of the books discussed so far on the CSRF website, www.csrf.org.uk/ Blogs/2021-book-club but for those who do not have access to the internet we have listed the titles here:

Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Christy Lefteri Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart Elizabeth is Missing – Emma Healey The Midnight Library – Matt Haig You can use Zoom whether you have a computer or a telephone so if you were interested in getting involved with a book group then give us a call on 020 8691 7411 or email: bookclub@csrf.org.uk

Au revoir, Eileen

Our office administrator Eileen Turner (pictured, far left) will be retiring at the end of June. Eileen joined the Fellowship in 2018 to help us with the processing of the GDPR Data Consent forms and managed to clock up over 6,000 record updates in the space of her first four months! Not being put off by that she then took over as our Office Administrator following the departure of Yvonne Scott and her calm and friendly phone manner has received many plaudits from beneficiaries. In

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addition to her ‘day job’ Eileen has helped as a volunteer on our Phone Buddy Scheme and co-Chairs our Greenwich Riverside group. She is also a member of our recently established Zoom Book discussion groups. She will be very much missed by the team at Fellowship Office and we wish her all the best in her retirement!

Real Life Stories

Founding Memories During lockdown last year, our Chief Executive David Tickner chatted to one of our Vice Presidents, Ian Rathjen, who was involved at the start of the CSRF, and ask him to share his recollections of our early years…. What is your earliest memory of ideas of a CSRF being discussed, and what were your initial impressions of the concept? In the very earliest days, I had little direct involvement with the embryo fellowship. In 1965/6 I was a chief accountant in the Ministry of Defence and my boss, the Assistant Director of Accountancy Services, David Graneek, was treasurer of the Civil Service Benevolent Fund (CSBF). He delegated some of the work on the CSBF accounts to me and in that capacity, I met Philip Wolstenholme who had just embarked on the Fellowship project. I recall his huge enthusiasm and the way in which he presented it to the Fund’s AGM which responded by agreeing wholeheartedly to allow the idea to go forward. In the beginning, what was it like to be a part of this formation? What were the general expectations and challenges? It was an exciting and busy time both from a personal aspect and for the Fund. David Graneek had become Director of Accountancy Services in MOD. I had been promoted to Assistant Director and had been appointed Treasurer of the Fund. Now I was able to see at first-hand what the formation of the Fellowship involved. A room next to the Fund offices in Victoria Street became the nerve centre, with David Cocks, seconded from the Inland Revenue, busy arranging inaugural meetings all

over the UK. I could see that several Branches had already been formed and were functioning, even before the Fellowship had officially come into being as an official organization and charity. Such was the enthusiasm that no one seemed to doubt the ultimate success of the enterprise. How has your involvement with the CSRF evolved over time? As an officer of the CSBF from 1968 until my retirement in 1994 I always enjoyed close liaison with the Fellowship. A much closer relationship ensued when I was invited to become Treasurer in 1991 and had the privilege of addressing the annual conferences for nine years under the wise chairmanship of Teddy Morgan, Colin Cherry and Peter Jones. What do you think contributed to the CSRF’s successful initial growth? The main factors were first the vision and enthusiasm of those involved. Second was the active and practical support of so many bodies and Departments including the Paymaster General, the Treasury, the CSBF and both sides of the National Whitley Council. Finally, the response of the thousands of retired civil servants who came to inaugural meetings was crucial;

they provided the committees and the visitors. They all felt part of something new and vibrant which was making a difference to people’s lives. What are your hopes for the legacy and the future of the CSRF? There have been many changes since the CSRF was founded and no doubt there will be more. However, the Fellowship is still recognizable as the compassionate organization which it set out to be at the beginning. The founders created a robust organization along wise and lasting guidelines. Despite modern technological advances people’s basic needs are little changed. If the CSRF continues to meet the need for friendship and helps to combat loneliness it will be welcome among the ranks of the retired and it will thrive. TOP (l to r): Ian Rathjen, Jimmy James, Birmingham Committee Chairman and Marion Cheal, the Senior Matron of the Benevolent Fund. The occasion was probably a Fund AGM; Inset: Ian, with wife Elizabeth at the CSRF’s Annual General Meeting & Conference in Coventry in 2011.

For information on all the CSRF’s services visit www.csrf.org.uk

Real Life Stories

Working in the War As part of our Talk to Us initiative CSRF Marketing & Comms Officer Lily Roubians chats to retired civil servant Marjory Gooch about working during the Second World War This story starts with what it was like to be a Civil Servant on the week that the country found out that war had begun. Marjory begins in her office at Whitehall: “I started as a Clerical Officer just before war broke out” Marjory tells me. “I was in the Ministry of Health in Whitehall and I can tell you in those days when you started work you spent two years in registry before you could go on to anything else. In registry, the post came in three times a day and you had to link up letters with the appropriate file before the next post came in. We had Paper Keepers – men who wore brown dust jackets – who used to get the appropriate files, and then we had a Senior Clerical Officer – in his black pinstripe jacket and pinstripe trousers – that used to walk round. That was what life was like in the Civil Service, and I might say that you either worked 9 –4 or 10 –5, but you did work on a Saturday morning. We were working in a basement, in the offices in Whitehall, and on the Friday before war broke out there was lots and lots of feet we could see going past – a lot of activity – and I walked out onto Westminster Bridge, and I saw a Barrage Balloon for the first time. That was very alarming I should say.

Anyway, on the Sunday, of course we heard the news that war had broken out and we were instructed not to go to work, but to report to the nearest Railway Station for instructions. So, this went on for about a week, and then we were told that we could go back to work – but the ladies were only allowed to work from 10 – 4 so that we would get home in a reasonable time. We were moved from a registry and I was assigned into a new

department. I then went to Acton, which was the office that dealt with what is now National Insurance but was then Sickness Benefit and anything like that (such as) pensions and there were not as many things as there are now, but it was very straight-forward: it was anything to do with insurance. In January 1940, we went to Blackpool.” “We started working in the offices in the hotels there – all our stuff was moved up there – but everything we did was taken down on paper and in files – so there were massive files about everybody and because it wasn’t a National Insurance, it was

A longer version of this interview can be read online at www.csrf.org.uk (in the Stories section) 8

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only just insurance for people who didn’t belong to an approved society in those days, so we were billeted – mostly in guest houses - and we were called ‘The Guinea Pigs’ because they paid a Guinea a week for us, and that provided bed and breakfast and a lunch and then we had to get our own food after that. The Blackpool Landladies were quite an experience really – one place I was in she used to put the lights off at the mains at 10 o’ clock – so if you weren’t in bed by then, too bad!” Marjory laughs. “We worked in various hotels and it was a big experience for all of us because at the beginning, the

men were not allowed to take their families with them, so we were all sort of thrown together, but we tried to fit into Blackpool life: going to the cinema, and the ballroom and the winter gardens, the music hall...- so we did gradually adapt to life there, but it was very strange. “Before the war, women civil servants had to resign on marriage, but post-war legislation has ensured that women are treated as equals, which I think is a thing that people talk about now – but I’ve never not been treated as an equal, and when it came to a promotion, women were all treated as equal but in those days

it was more: you were a Clerical Officer and then in due time you became a Higher Clerical Officer, but if you were a bit brighter, you could be promoted to be what was a Junior Executive Officer. So, it was all certainly quite different from what it is now: it was a secure job, a job that everyone aspired to. But how has Marjory found the different challenges of the times we are living in now, having had all these experiences? “Well, I think in a way that has made me think about it all. Well, as I said, we were obviously quite different because we just did as we were told! We just sort of got on and made the best of it really. When I went in the forces, you just got a Railway Warrant to go wherever they sent you – no thought of how you were going to get there – you just had to do it. You had to grow up very quickly – and we did and we didn’t think anything about it at all. When I went in the Wrens, you were housed in a hut - there were 40 bunks! A stove in the middle and bathrooms at the end and it was cold …. Things that we grumble about now were just things that we put up with due to the war. I had left school, but there were friends younger than me who only went to school for half a day for five years because they were moved out of London and had to share with another school elsewhere in the country.”

ta lk TO us If you would like to share your memories of working in the Civil Service, then we would love to hear from you – you can send your story to us as a letter (write to the address shown on Page 2) or email to: enquiries@csrf.org.uk

Read more stories online at www.csrf.org.uk/Blog/stories

Puzzles

Brain Teasers & Trivia Our Marketing & Comms Officer Lily Roubians presents a bumper selection of puzzles and trivia to keep those little grey cells active…

The 2021 CSRF GIANT FELLOWSHIP WORDSEARCH! This Giant Wordsearch is a mixture of news, CSRF & Civil Service terms and faces as well as some of the hobbies and activities that we have been doing throughout the lockdowns. We hope you enjoy!

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MINISTRY BORIS LARRYTHECAT ESTABLISHMENT DANCING BOOKCLUB SINGING 10

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WRITING WALKS CALLS PHONEBUDDY CSRF DAVID JEAN

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BAKING RETIREMENT GREENWICH DONATE

Good Luck!

Quiz Time Since lockdown last year our Sleaford & Ancaster group Chairman Mike Smith has been circulating daily quizzes. The questions range from easy to fiendishly difficult. So here’s one for you to try (answers will be published in our next issue) 1. The Christmas No 1 was ‘The Fastest Milkman in the West’ was performed by whom? 2. The original RMS Queen Mary, launched in 1934, is now permanently located where? 3. Which type of animal features in Coronation Street’s opening sequence? 4. What was the name of Robinson Crusoe’s companion? 5. In what month & year did Japan attack the US fleet in Pearl Harbour? 6. Which marine mammal has a beaklike snout? 7. What name is given to the home of an ecclesiastical minister, especially in Scotland? 8. Which historic tree is in Sherwood Forest ? 9. With whom is the word ‘Eurika’ generally associated? 10. The tropical small tree ‘Cocao’ is used to manufacture what? 11. What item is used for drying or baking corn, hops, bricks or pottery? 12. If there are doubts following a horse race what term us used for the investigation? 13. True or False the first name of L S Lowry was Leslie ? 14. What term is used for a practice exercise or rehearsal? 15. Which is the largest Railway

Quiz Time station in the UK: Kings Cross, New Street, Waverley or Waterloo?

Three Words to A Story This entertainment crossword is all about the stories we love to watch or read in books, films and tv shows. We’ll give you three words, and you name the title of the book/film/tv show in the crossword. Happy Crosswording!

16. Do any of the 7 Wonders of the World still exist?

Across

8 1/6

17. What is the period called between Napoleon returning from exile on 20 March to exile on 28 June 1815? 18. In what decade did Elvis Presley die?

19. What was the surname of the family living in the Ponderosa ranch in Bonanza?

Down

20. Dulles International airport serves which US city?

21. What name for a place of disorder and confusion derives from the hospital of St Mary of Bethlehem in London for the insane? 22. What, now daily, puzzle first appeared in the New York World in December 1913?

1. Corleone. Business. Family. 2. Beth. Jo. Amy. 3. Magic. Neverland. Hook. 4. Marmalade. Duffel Coat.

5. Glass. Slipper. Midnight. 6. Circle of Life. 7. Shaken Not Stirred. 8. Dancing. Greece. Dynamos.

23. Somnambulism is commonly known as what? 24. What is the name of the NT bird sanctuary island off the coast of Devon? 25. Over which female cartoon character do Popeye and Bluto contest? 26. What is the world’s secondhighest mountain? 27. A firm upholstered cushion used for kneeling in a church is what? 28. Which Anita …….. founded The Body Shop in 1976? 29. What name is given to a large, landed estate in Spanishspeaking countries? 30. In what voice range did Pavarotti sing?

ANAGRAMS Test your brain with these Easter themed anagrams

Get Grease Clean Mikes Beaten Stoner A Clamp Slab Do Fairy God Bunch Torsos

AUTUMN/WINTER Puzzle SolutionS

Anagrams Germany / Iceland Argentina / Romania Switzerland / Belarus

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Fancy some friendship? Why not register free for our Phone Buddy Scheme and enjoy a regular call. Give us a call on 020 8691 7411 or email: enquiries@csrf.org.uk to request a registration form. You can find out more about our befriending schemes by watching our animation video online at www.csrf.org.uk