The British Charitable Fund (BCF) is a benevolent institution that is older than Belgium. Created by the Duke of Wellington in 1815, following the Battle of Waterloo, its initial role was to care for wounded British soldiers and their families. The BCF has continued to provide support to the community in Belgium for over 200 years.

Today, people come to the BCF in times of personal crisis; circumstances have changed but there will always be people who, for a whole variety of reasons, require emergency financial help and those who have longer term needs for assistance, advice and contact.

The BCF can assist persons of British nationality or persons who are married to or divorced from a British citizen and can also help widows and widowers of British nationals regardless of nationality. Assistance may also be extended to the children of a British national. In all of these cases, the only proviso is that the person concerned is in Belgium.

Henry Henry has lived in Belgium for about five years. He works as a freelancer and times continue to be difficult since COVID. His business, like many others, has not yet ‘bounced back’ to pre-pandemic levels. Referred to the BCF by a mutual contact, a series of financial measures have been put in place to help him until his income flow stabilises. Assistance is also provided in contacting the authorities to help smooth his administrative burden.

The people the BCF  helps are young and old, long-term residents in Belgium and new arrivals, some just passing through, and come from all walks of life. The BCF is non-denominational and non-judgemental, and simply does what it takes to help get lives back on track. Three typical examples of BCF support are described in the mini case studies in this article.

The majority of cases are referred to the BCF by their regional contacts, by its network of sister organisations in Belgium such as the Community Help Service (CHS), the Royal British Legion, RAFA, Holy Trinity Brussels, the Church of Scotland and by the. British Embassy. Other people come to the BCF through personal contacts.

Gloria & Sylvia Gloria and Sylvia have been a part of the BCF family for many years. They both receive a very small state pension and a monthly stipend from the BCF. Having both (separately) endured COVID, they continue to live active lives in the knowledge that the BCF checks in regularly with each of them and maintains their financial support.

The problems people encounter are many and varied and can turn lives upside down. For instance, coping with administrative requirements upon the loss of a spouse can often be daunting. Loneliness and isolation (often coupled with low income) can be longer-term problems for many people, not necessarily just the elderly. Language barriers only add to the difficulties and anxieties experienced by many people, often the most vulnerable amongst us.

Erica Erica lived in the UK. Erica’s son lived in Belgium. Tragically, he was diagnosed with an aggressive, terminal illness and Erica moved to Belgium to care for him. This difficult situation was exacerbated by the fact that Erica knew no-one in Belgium, did not speak the local languages, and was terrified to drive in Brussels. She reached out to the BCF and we were able to extend the hand of friendship at a terrible time in her life, offering support and  alleviating her feelings of isolation.

How can you help?

The work of the BCF is facilitated by the availability of two principal assets: time, brought by BCF’s small team of volunteers, and money, from their generous donors.

Donate - Donations to the BCF are recognised by the Belgian Ministry of Finance and donations of €40 or more a year are tax deductible. To make a direct donation to the Fund set up a bank transfer to ‘The British Charitable Fund asbl’ IBAN BE37 3101 8900 8428 and include the message “Donation” and your address and email so BCF can stay in touch – and also send you a tax certificate if appropriate.

Volunteer – The case load for BCF is increasing and the team would welcome additional hands to help share the work. Volunteering for just a few hours can make a real difference to people.