Railway Benefit Fund

General information

The railway charity was formed as the Railway Benevolent Institution in 1858 to provide support to
railway staff (active and retired) and their dependents when they needed help through illness, injury,
bereavement, or adversity. It also ran two orphanages for children of railway families. Over the years
the needs of the industry have changed, and to reflect this, from February 2006 the charity is known as
The Railway Benefit Fund.

The Railway Benefit Fund offers financial help in the following ways:

• Helping disabled people with the costs of powered vehicles and making life easier for them by providing mobility aids.

• Providing grants to staff who are suffering long term sickness or who have had to retire early through ill health and also to retired staff or their dependents.

• Helping with the cost of a convalescent or respite break following an operation or period of illness.

• Help with the cost of household repairs or maintenance, especially where there is a shortfall in any grant funding to be found.

• Covering the shortfalls in funeral expenses.

• Child Care grants to help with the costs of higher education, equipment, school clothing etc. for parents with financial problems.

• Annuities where there is a low income.