'Royal Caledonian Education Trust (RCET), Matthew Middler

RCET - Scotland's Armed Forces Children's Charity

"to support Scotland’s Armed Forces children to reach their full potential."

Matthew explained that he holds a new role in the Royal Caledonian Education Trust as the Trust has to raise additional funds in the next three years to sustain and develop. He told us about the origins of the Trust which in 2015 celebrated having educated and cared for Scotland’s Armed Forces children for 200 years.

Throughout the 1800s and 1900s, thousands of children were educated from their purpose-built boarding school in London. In 1995 the school was sold and the Trust became an educational grant-making body. Their Education Programme launched in 2008.

The Trust supports the children of Scots who are serving, or who have served, in the Armed Forces. It is clearly understood that Armed Forces children who experience frequent moving of home, school and communities do not perform as well in schools as non-Armed Forces children. Mobility, deployment or absence of a serving parent, which can often be for long periods at a time, can lead to under achievement at school.

Matthew continued by saying that, of course, there are exceptions, but many of the families that are supported are experiencing financial hardship. Many of those that the Trust helps are living in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland and /or living with mental health problems, disability or other health issues leaving family members unable to work following active service.

He then outlined the Trust's two major areas of activity:

They make between 200 and 250 individual grants a year to the children of Scots who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces. He added that there are 85,000 under-sixteen-year-olds from Service families in Scotland.

They work through their Education Programme in Scotland with schools, local authorities, Armed Forces charities and the military and military communities on initiatives to support Armed Forces children, their teachers and their families in the school environment, especially in relation to children’s emotional well-being. A video featuring Armed Forces children explaining their thoughts and emotions highlighted the type of issues that the Trust tackles.

This was an informative presentation supported by a display of publicity materials and furher information. 

Following the Q&A session, the Club's Vote of Thanks was given by Ian Kerr.

Report by Ian Greig