As a regiment we always look after our soldiers and their families, both in service and after they have retired.
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Aid Society (FAS) is the Regimental benevolent and welfare fund of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and its antecedent Regiments. FAS has incorporated the benevolent funds of our antecedent Regiments and continues to honour their obligations.
FAS is registered with the Charities Commission for England and Wales (Charity number 229259). FAS is also a member of the Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO) and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.
FAS is administered by the Assistant Regimental Secretary, working with various specific committees. It is governed by a Board of Trustees.
FAS helps all Fusiliers, regardless of rank, serving and retired, and their families and dependants when they are in hardship or need. FAS supports regulars and reserves, as long as they are ‘badged’ as RRF and have at least one days service. A dependant is classed as:
A spouse of a serving or former member of the Regiment, who remarries or forms a new relationship with a non-eligible person, may not be eligible for future assistance from FAS.
It should be noted, however, that eligibility for assistance does not mean that assistance will be provided. Each case is considered on its merits.
As each request for assistance is judged on its own merits, FAS works closely with other agencies to establish the level of hardship and need.
Anyone seeking assistance from FAS should follow the procedure outlined below, although Unit Welfare Officers can deal directly with FAS by submitting a request to RHQ. However, it is better to use a SSAFA, TRBL or WWTW caseworker as then other relevant military charities (such as ABF and if applicable, other Regiments and Corps charities) will be able to support the case.
For ease of reference, we will use the term ‘client’ to identify the person in need.
We use a very wide definition of ‘hardship’ and ‘need’ however we expect that all state funding has been applied for (RWM’s can provide information, advice and guidance), and that all other funding avenues have been exhausted. It must be noted, that in the vast majority of cases, FAS provides part funding, taking into account the requestors individual situation, as well as the level if need being met. It is unlikely that FAS will provide 100% of the funding required.
The main income for FAS comes from investments, but a significant portion comes from the One Days Pay Scheme (now call Payroll Charity Giving) and donations.
Since 2019, FAS, in conjunction with Sterling Lotteries, has operated a monthly lottery scheme. Sterling have provided lottery services for over 30 years. They have over 250 clients, of which many are recognisable charities, including RAFA and the RN & RM Benevolent Fund. They are regulated by the Gambling Commission and the Lotteries Council. FAS has selected Sterling’s low risk Unity lottery to generate income for us and to give you a chance of winning.
To join the FAS lottery scheme, click here.
Donations are vital to ensure that our support can continue. Everyone is encouraged to consider raising funds for FAS. Please DONATE HERE.
The Day’s Pay Scheme was introduced in 1965. It provides the mechanism, which has been adopted Army-wide, for the collection of subscriptions to Regimental Charities and Associations from serving officers and soldiers. Since the introduction of Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) in April 2007, Day’s Pay subscriptions have been collected through a ‘Payroll Giving Scheme’. The Payroll Giving Scheme is a Government backed initiative to assist UK charities. JPA deducts monthly subscriptions to the scheme from an individual’s pay before it calculates the individual’s income tax. This provides a direct tax benefit to each subscriber. JPA then distributes cumulative subscriptions, via a major bank, direct to Arms and Corps by means of 12 monthly payments. All new joiners should complete a JPA E014 and submit it to RHQ for processing.
When you are discharged from the Army your military pay ceases. At the same time your Day’s Pay Scheme subscriptions automatically stop as they are drawn down from military pay only. However, “Once a Fusilier Always a Fusilier” and access to benevolence support through FAS remains open to you and your immediate dependants (see above).
Leaving a legacy to FAS in your will is a very tax efficient way of helping your Regiments. RHQ can provide a guide of how best to set about this, but basically there are 2 types of legacy – either a fixed percentage or a fixed sum of money.
To include a legacy in your will, we recommend that a solicitor is used to amend an existing will. For further information and guidance, please contact the Assistant Regimental Secretary on asstregtsec@the fusiliers.org
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