Institution news
As the Institution's personal support charity, Support Network is funded largely from donations and legacies from members. It helps members of the Institution and their families all over the world, in times of need or difficulty.
A £10 donation, made voluntarily at subscription time, is kindly requested of all members. That £10 contribution can have a great impact on the lives of many members of the Institution, and on their families. Currently, approximately half of members make this donation or contribute in other ways.
President of the Institution, Jon Hilton, says: “Sometimes, life can throw challenges at you, which could make it difficult to work, to move house, or to continue with the plans you had made to study. Support Network can offer advice and practical help, in many situations. We can show consideration for colleagues from our profession, who may be facing a period of adversity, by contributing a small amount, each year, to facilitate the work of Support Network.
“Mechanical engineers look for solutions to problems, and I feel strongly that, as a community, we should support our fellow engineers, and their loved ones, when solutions may appear thin on the ground.”
Could you give £10 each year? Or could you support the charity by becoming a Volunteer Visitor, an essential local face-to-face link between the network and its beneficiaries?
Support Network and its volunteers might organise financial grants or undertake negotiations with a third party on a member’s behalf. They may simply offer company, through the social visiting service, to those who are facing change alone, or to those who have retired away from technical colleagues and who wish to keep engineering links alive.
Anni Broadhead, CEO of Support Network, says: “At Support Network, our emphasis is on helping people to help themselves, and for us that starts with using the £10 donation that members kindly give in order to help other members. For example, we have volunteers who visit and read PE to members who can no longer see sufficiently well to do that for themselves. They then spend a very pleasant time discussing the articles and all things engineering. It’s very satisfying to be able to respond to another’s needs in such a personal way.”
Engineers who are mid-career but suffering illness, facing redundancy, financial difficulty or other challenges – perhaps they have children with a demanding medical condition – can contact Support Network for help and advice.
If you are facing difficulties, as an Institution member, you are eligible to seek assistance from and use the services provided through Support Network. Read more about how Support Network can help in a range of circumstances, and the kinds of services the charity can offer.