Disasters and emergencies Health inequalities in the UK13 45

Welcome 3

2020: the year in numbers 9Who we are 5

Our response to the pandemic 7

Displacement and migration 33 Our priorities for 2021 55

Finance overview 59 Get involved 63Thank you 61 Annual Review 2020

At the British Red Cross, kindness inspires everything we do, and in our 150th year you demonstrated just how powerful it can be.

Looking to the future, we have so much important work ahead of us. We have launched Strategy 2030, which will transform how the British Red Cross helps people in crisis over the next ten years. With your support, we’ll focus on those in the greatest need and the most vulnerable situations, and empower people to act with us. Helping individuals and communities adapt to the changes in our climate will be a critical part of this.

We are building a British Red Cross where everyone is empowered to thrive. The events of 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement have rightly accelerated much-needed change, and I’d like to thank our B.A.M.E.* network for their tireless and productive work. I am proud that we are creating a programme to tackle racial inequality in all areas.

You – our supporters, volunteers and staff – are at the heart of everything we do. One of our volunteers, Sandi, on our Coronavirus Support Line, summed up everything the British Red Cross stands for when she told me about how she had spoken with a woman with dementia. She said: “I was able to put a bit of hope in her mind.”

Throughout 2020, your kindness enabled us to go beyond what we ever thought possible. The devastating reality of this pandemic is that we lost so many people, including some of our own volunteers and colleagues. Our thoughts are very much with their loved ones.

Finally, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to each one of you. While there are undoubtedly challenges ahead, I know we’ll face them together with strength, courage and kindness.

Internationally, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement played a significant role in the global response to Covid-19, reaching millions of people around the world by supporting hygiene promotion and testing, transporting those who were sick, running clinics, and providing emotional support to the most vulnerable.

Throughout the pandemic, the compassion and generosity that you have shown, despite your own fears, pressures and worries, is a scale of humanitarianism I feel privileged to have been part of. Thank you so much.

With your support we helped people to cope with other crises in 2020 too. In August, on the day of our 150th anniversary, a catastrophic explosion at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon demanded all our energy and focus. The way the volunteers of the Lebanese Red Cross responded was extraordinary – delivering lifesaving first aid, organising blood donations and helping thousands of people across Beirut. The immense solidarity you showed in your response to our fundraising appeal, at a time of national emergency here, helped make that possible.

With your help we were able to maintain our essential services and support people in crisis throughout the year. Our movement connected communities so that people experiencing disasters and emergencies, health inequalities or migration and displacement could get the help they needed – from those coping with flooding and house fires to survivors of human trafficking and slavery.

And as the largest provider of services for refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK, we kept our drop-in support available where we could, moved our family reunion services online and kept on speaking out on issues affecting people seeking asylum.

Welcome Mike Adamson, CEO

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Welcome: Mike Adamson, CEO

As the coronavirus pandemic plunged the world into crisis last year, you helped us to provide a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people through the toughest times. I have never been prouder to be part of our movement.

Across the UK, we witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of generosity. You donated whatever you could in uncertain times, shared our wellbeing messages on social media, and gave your time to deliver food and medicine to people isolated at home. In one act of kindness after another, you helped us rise to the challenge of the pandemic and showed what remarkable things we can achieve when we work together.

The incredible response to our Covid-19 appeal meant we could rapidly launch new services to support those who needed our help. Our Coronavirus Support Line offered a listening ear to people feeling worried or lonely. Our Hardship Fund, in partnership with Aviva, helped those struggling to make ends meet. And our doorstep support volunteers made sure people who were shielding had the essentials they needed.

Together, we helped the country cope through one of the toughest times in recent history, reaching close to 1.5 million people across the UK. We worked with other organisations, as part of the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership, to coordinate our response effectively, and we provided vital support to the NHS by helping to ease pressure in A&E departments. We are now proudly supporting the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

* While we acknowledge that some terms are no longer sufficient, we are in the process of updating our terminology to better reflect our people.

Who we are

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Who we are

It is our role as the British Red Cross to connect people’s kindness with those in crisis. This is how, for the past 150 years, we have mobilised the power of humanity so that individuals and communities can prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters – both at home and around the world.

We believe that every crisis is personal, which is why we provide impartial support to people based on their need and nothing else. Our offer includes emergency response, refugee support, independent living services, first aid education and developing the capacities of sister National Societies and communities overseas.

We are an organisation made possible by everyday acts of kindness. We are powered by more than 14,000 volunteers in the UK and nearly 4,000 staff. It is their determination to support others, along with the generosity of our supporters, that allows us to help people in crisis when they need it most.

We are part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which has 14 million volunteers across 192 countries. This gives us a unique ability to respond to humanitarian crises around the world – with a local presence in almost every country and a global network, we can coordinate exceptional responses to emergencies.

The British Red Cross plays a significant role within the wider Movement, which consists of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We have been on the board of the IFRC for six years and are proud of our role in its ongoing development.

We are guided by the seven fundamental principles of the Movement: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. These commit us to putting people first in everything we do.

We strive towards a world where everyone gets the help they need in a crisis

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Our response to the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic was the biggest crisis in a generation. In the UK and around the world we responded swiftly, supporting health services and delivering essential help to those who needed it most.

Our response to the pandemic

Our volunteers took over 18,000 calls, offering advice,

practical help and a listening ear

We made 97,100 food deliveries

and 13,800 medicine drop-offs

Coronavirus Support Line

We gave cash grants

totalling £2.1 million

to over 9,000 people

We provided 333,400 meals to

food banks

We provided over 10,800 food parcels

and over 1,800 cash cards

We made sure over 4,400 refugees and people seeking

asylum had safe places to stay

Covid-19 support for people seeking asylum

We reached close to 1.5 million people

across the UK

We issued 600 mobility aids to people with Covid-19 to

support their recovery

We supported pandemic responses in 36 countries

across Africa, Asia and the Middle East

We helped at the start of the vaccination programme – delivering over 21,700 vaccinations – before going on to help deliver thousands

more in 2021

We reached over 1.1 million people with our Covid-19

education resources

The year in numbers

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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The year in numbers

3,700 UK emergencies responded to

22 new and ongoing international emergencies

responded to, as well as our Covid-19 response

45 people deployed to

support the global Red Cross and Red Crescent

Movement186,900 people helped

in a UK emergency

1.3 million people reached with our online

education resources

82,200 people supported to live

independently at home

29,900 people supported

through refugee services

32,800 patient

journeys

8,200 people seeking

asylum supported through

destitution

28,000 mobility aids

issued

8,400 people helped to look for, find or keep in touch with missing relatives

71,000 deliveries made by our community

equipment service

243 families reunited

Your kindness in numbers

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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The year in numbers

When a shocking explosion tore

through the Port of Beirut in August, you donated over

£7 million to those in need.

You recreated Olympic sports in your living rooms as part of our Team GB Tiktok partnership and kept

everyone’s spirits up with 201 million views.

Over 4,800 of you reached out to help others by signing up to volunteer

with us and almost 80,000 of you signed

up as community reserve volunteers, ready to help your

communities if needed.

You helped us share vital Covid-19 information to help

people stay safe, with over 146 million views on our TikTok channel

in one week alone.

You donated £8.6 million to our Kindness Will Keep Us Together

and I Have The Power appeals.

You travelled over 500,000 miles for Miles for Refugees, raising over £2 million for our work

with refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants in the UK.

The compassion you showed during 2020 was incredible. Despite your own worries caused by the pandemic, you stepped up to help others in your thousands.

Your generosity enabled us to respond effectively to Covid-19 and continue our vital ongoing work in the UK and overseas.

Thank you.

We reached close to 1.5 million people across the UK

We provide life-changing support to people in crisis and make sure that those who are most

vulnerable get the help they need.

In 2020 we responded to the coronavirus pandemic, one of the greatest challenges in our

150-year history.

Hardship Fund Coronavirus Support Line First aid champions

Global coronavirus response Empowering women in Bangladesh

Disasters and

emergencies

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Disasters and emergencies

A supporter who has been giving one-off donations to our appeals says: “You make me feel that as long as you’re there, people will always have someone to go to and I will always have a way to show that I care and help, even in a small way.”

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Our UK coronavirus response

At times of crisis in the UK, the British Red Cross plays a vital role. Powered by kindness, we go the extra mile to give the most vulnerable people comfort, dignity and hope during the toughest moments. On average, we respond to an emergency in the UK every four hours.

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic meant we were needed more than ever before. We were able to respond at speed and scale because thousands of incredible people stepped up to help. Red Cross teams assisted the emergency services, supported the NHS, and delivered food, medicine and practical help to people who urgently needed it.

Our pool of community reserve volunteers grew by almost 80,000 people, each one ready to be called on if needed. And through the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership, we worked with local and national organisations to connect with the government and ensure a coordinated response.

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Your support on social media

You helped us to grow our movement on TikTok during 2020, racking up 146 million views and 300,000 followers within a week with content about coronavirus. We partnered with Team GB to create the #IsolationGames, challenging people to find creative ways to recreate Olympic sports in their living rooms while raising money for our Covid-19 response. In total, we raised over £257,000 through social media channels over the year.

Through our corporate partnerships we received an incredible £1.5 million in gifts in kind

Jaguar Land Rover lends essential vehicles

To support our pandemic response, Jaguar Land Rover lent over 200 cars to the British Red Cross, and more to Red Cross organisations worldwide.

The vehicles helped our community volunteers reach more people who were isolated with essential support and supplies. To help raise awareness of our work, Land Rover ambassador and rugby star Bryan Habana spent time packing food parcels with our Hackney refugee support team on International Volunteer Day.

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020 Disasters and emergencies

“It’s a lifesaver, definitely,” Hugo said of the food and medicine deliveries we made to him during 2020. “I’m tremendously grateful for this service.”

Hugo is used to being active and independent. But injury and illness left him especially vulnerable to coronavirus, and he was advised to self-isolate at home.

Our volunteers stepped in to deliver essentials each week. “I wouldn’t have ever foreseen that I’d be in a position like that,” Hugo said. “This was really a godsend.”

Play TikTok Play TikTok

Disasters and emergencies

Delivering essentials

“It helped me to be safe and live a little longer.”

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“Somebody called me an angel,” Cecilia (pictured, above) said. “I don’t feel like an angel, I’m just doing my job.” She volunteered to answer calls to our free Coronavirus Support Line last year. People phoned needing help with food and medication, or extra support for isolated friends, family and neighbours. “It is always a nice feeling when you can help someone,” Cecilia said.

She’s been part of our psychosocial support team for eight years, helping child refugees in Calais and people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to volunteer with the Red Cross, and they’ve given me a lot of training over the years, so it’s great to put it to good use.”

“I felt supported and reassured during a worrying time in my life.” A caller to our support line

“It’s a lot of responsibility, but it always makes me feel very positive, even if dealing with very sad situations. It just keeps me going, and I’m very grateful for that.”

A volunteer on our support line

In 2020, volunteers took over 18,000 calls

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Disasters and emergencies

Coronavirus Support Line

In April, we launched our Coronavirus Support Line. It’s a free and confidential phone line for anyone feeling lonely or worried, or needing food or medicine during the pandemic. Translators were on hand to offer support in more than 200 languages.

Read more

3,000

Calls peaked in July with over

coming in over the month

“I’m grateful for the Red Cross for giving me the opportunity to be able to help others.”

Throughout the pandemic, our partnership with Tesco has helped us to reach those most in need, with their £2 million donation to support our community-based response. Tesco also promoted our Coronavirus Support Line to over five million customers, helped us to tackle digital exclusion among refugees by providing mobiles, and gave our teams priority access when shopping for vulnerable customers. Our partnership’s ‘Emergency Protocol’ has further helped provide food and essential items to communities facing crisis, by enabling our staff and volunteers to access goods from local Tesco stores during emergencies.

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Supporting people in crisis

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Disasters and emergencies

Our Hardship Fund

The Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions pushed many people into dire financial situations. In partnership with Aviva, we launched the British Red Cross Hardship Fund to support those in greatest need. From July 2020, when we started collecting data, 40% of people referred to us were from B.A.M.E.* backgrounds, 41% had no recourse to public funds and almost 50% were from the most vulnerable groups in society, such as those facing homelessness, seeking asylum or fleeing domestic violence.

Will* was running a successful restaurant when he lost everything and became homeless. He worked hard to keep supporting his two young daughters, but then Covid-19 struck and he was let go from his job.

After Will called our Coronavirus Support Line we were able to arrange food parcels, plus ongoing cash grants to cover his gas and electricity through our Hardship Fund, in partnership with Aviva.

“That was a big lifeline,” Will said. “It was just speaking to people that just want to help you... I think it made me realise that there are still good people out there.”

*Name changed.

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Read more

“It was the British Red Cross that helped me out.”

Helping families in the UK

“I felt so alone and helpless. Your help bought me things I desperately needed... and lifted my spirits greatly.”

Someone helped by our Hardship Fund

We gave grants totalling £2.1m to over 9,000 people

Watch here

“I’m so proud of the relationship between Aviva and the Red Cross.”

We’ve worked with leading savings, retirement and insurance business, Aviva since 2016.

Their funding has made a huge impact, helping us reach more people more quickly with life-changing help. It enabled us to launch a Hardship Fund for those facing urgent financial crisis, supported our network of community reserve volunteers who delivered food, medicine and welfare packs, and helped us respond to partners’ most critical needs across the global Red Cross Movement.

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Steve has been volunteering with the Red Cross for ten years, and is a project manager with insurance company, Aviva. During the pandemic, they allowed Steve to volunteer three days a week for two months. He delivered food to people’s homes, and transported patients to and from hospital as a trained member of our ambulance crew.

Steve remembered taking one man home to find his family waiting to welcome him. “I could tell, even though he was a bit wobbly on his feet, a bit frail, that he wanted to walk off the ambulance, have that moment of pride walking down his own driveway.” So Steve walked alongside him.

* Whilst we acknowledge that some terms are no longer sufficient, we are in the process of updating our terminology to better reflect our people and the people we support.

Disasters and emergencies

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

“We’re inclusive towards everybody and everything, no matter what.”

Our LGBT+ Network

Luke (pictured, left) is one of our emergency response volunteers. He has been busy delivering food as part of our Covid-19 emergency response.

Luke is part of our LGBT+ Network and has previously been involved in organising a British Red Cross float for Manchester Pride. Although the 2020 event was canceled due to coronavirus, Luke said the values of the Red Cross and Pride go hand in hand. “We are through and through an inclusive organisation… through the values that we’ve got.”

He said it “means quite a lot” to be able to celebrate his LGBT+ identity within the Red Cross. “We’ve got Pride lanyards, so even when we’re out there doing everyday volunteering we can still say ‘I’m proud of both aspects of my life – the volunteering side and the LGBT side’.”

In March, as coronavirus restrictions kept people apart, we launched the Kindness Will Keep Us Together appeal. As well as raising over £4.2 million to support our Covid-19 response, it helped bring people together at a time of isolation and further build the momentum of our kindness movement. Then, in November, we launched the I Have The Power appeal to show people just how powerful their kindness could be. Through videos and stories, we illustrated that even if you can’t be there in person, by supporting the Red Cross you can help get someone through whatever crisis they’re facing.

You have the power

Watch here

Disasters and emergencies

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Global coronavirus response

Throughout 2020, Goldman Sachs Gives supported our response to Covid-19 in the UK and to the explosion in Beirut. They said: “We have been proud to support the British Red Cross relief efforts in the UK and in response to developments around the globe. Throughout the pandemic their work has offered vital assistance in response to the emerging needs of the most vulnerable.”

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We received over £1.3 million from HSBC for both our UK and international response to Covid-19, enabling us to direct assistance to where needs were greatest. HSBC also provided additional local donations to a number of our sister national societies around the world.

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In 2020, we supported Covid-19 responses in 36 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We also adapted our existing international programmes so we could keep providing a lifeline to exceptionally vulnerable people during the pandemic. And we helped our partners scale up their health work, including running health clinics, supporting coronavirus testing, transporting people to hospitals and providing psychosocial support.

Standard Chartered generously donated $4.04 million to support the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Covid-19 response across 11 countries.

This incredible support helped fund urgent medical care, personal protective equipment (PPE) for Red Cross teams, and food, care and education for people impacted most heavily by the pandemic.

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Thanks to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other donors we were able to contribute over £43 million of funding to help people overseas in the toughest circumstances stay safe and cope with the impact of coronavirus.

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Disasters and emergencies

Essential support

With your help, we were able to maintain our essential services and support people in crisis throughout the year, such as those coping with flooding and house fires.

Supporting a flood-hit community

Kindness after a house fire

“Everyone was extremely grateful to us.” – Stephen

In February and again in November 2020, storms brought heavy rainfall to parts of the UK. Flood defences were overwhelmed and drains overflowed onto the streets. We checked on vulnerable residents, supported families who had to be evacuated from their homes and provided them with food, water, medicines and emotional support.

On Christmas Eve, Northamptonshire was rocked by storms, resulting in flooding that forced the residents of a caravan park from their homes.

Stephen (pictured, above) and Jenny volunteered at a rest centre for those affected. They helped run the registration desk, and gave refreshments and advice to those affected. Although social distancing requirements made things more challenging, they were able to offer care and kindness at a really difficult time. “I don’t know how many times I heard the words ‘thank you’,” Jenny said. “It was truly amazing.”

When Maggie and Barry’s home was devastated by fire, our emergency response volunteer Julia (pictured, below right) was on hand to help. She got Maggie and Barry (pictured, below left) out of the rain and into a British Red Cross campervan. She gave them tea, dry clothing and blankets.

Then Julia helped them call their insurance company and find a roofer who could secure the property. “We didn’t know who to ring or anything,” said Maggie. “Both of us were just a gibbering wreck and she just reassured us... I just feel like she was like family.”

“Both Barry and I have said, ‘how would we have coped without her?” – Maggie

First aid courses

Mental health and

wellbeing

First aid champs

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Disasters and emergenciesBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Disasters and emergencies

Watch here

Watch here

First aid training

Coronavirus restrictions meant we had to scale back our training activities in 2020. But we continued to run essential first aid courses following Covid-19 safety guidance. Over 62,700 people attended in-person training on first aid at work, and health and safety courses. Our digital first aid, fire marshal and mental wellbeing training sessions were completed by over 8,400 people.

First aid champions

We taught over 69,000 children and educators how to save a life through our new first aid champions website, which is available to schools for free.

Watch here

Disasters and emergencies – InternationalBritish Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Disasters and emergencies – International

Rebuilding after the bushfires

In early 2020 Australia was hit by catastrophic bushfires which burned millions of acres of land, killed people and animals, and destroyed homes and communities.

Peter and Nirbeeja escaped Australia’s bushfires with their lives and a few essentials. Their home, and the self-sufficient life they had built, was destroyed.

Support from the Australian Red Cross has been crucial in helping them on the road to recovery. “The giving from humanity has really blown me away.” Nirbeeja said.

We raised over £780,000 to help the Australian Red Cross distribute food, water and hygiene supplies, fund evacuation and recovery centres, and provide emotional support to those who were affected.

Beirut emergency appeal

Watch here

In August, a devastating explosion destroyed the Port of Beirut, tragically killing more than 200 people and leaving 300,000 homeless.

Jeremy is a British Red Cross delegate for the Middle East and North Africa region, based in Beirut. His home is just 300 metres from the site of the blast, but he was in his car when it happened.

“The dust made the whole street almost black and all you could hear were screams and the sound of cascading glass and falling metal,” he said.

After the explosion, Jeremy helped with the clean-up and supported the Lebanese Red Cross’ response. “There have been armies of Lebanese Red Cross volunteers and others on the streets handing out water, sweeping rubble, checking buildings to make sure no one is trapped,” he said.

“Trees in my street were ripped from the ground.”

“It has been an amazing help for us this year, because it has taken the pressure off.” – Peter

Our international emergency work

Our international emergency work continued throughout the year. We supported the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to provide food, water and health care to hundreds of thousands of people as they dealt with horrific crises – from widespread flooding in East Africa to swarms of locusts in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

Our Beirut emergency appeal raised over £7 million

A supporter who has been donating to our emergency appeals for the last 10 years said: “I am always comforted when I see the BRC in the forefront of all major disasters around the world, doing sterling work.”

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Disasters and emergencies – International

Our appeal raised over £4 million to empower women in Bangladesh and help communities cope with crises

Watch here

In disaster-prone Barishal, Bangladesh, slum communities live with the constant threat of cyclones, flooding and disease outbreaks. Women and girls are worst affected by such disasters because of their lower social and economic status. So we launched our It Starts With Her campaign, aid matched by the UK government, to empower women and give them the tools, training and support they need to earn an income.

When coronavirus hit, the women’s squads created as part of the programme stepped up to help. They shared vital health messages and information, and encouraged people to get tested if they were sick.

Reshma, a squad member, said: “We live in the most vulnerable communities. People, particularly women, face many problems. A woman alone cannot solve the problems but [we] can do collectively.”

Josna (pictured, centre), squad leader, agrees. “We are working together. It helps to empower the women in the community. It also helps to build trust in each other... We love the women’s squads because this group leads the community.”

Empowering women in Bangladesh

“We hope this group will change women’s lives and our future.” – Josna

Disasters and emergencies – International

We help people forced from their homes to build new lives by protecting them at

every stage in their journey, and supporting those who seek safety in the UK.

Support throughout the pandemic Reuniting families Building a kinder future

Helping people worldwide Helping displaced people in Yemen

Displacement and

migration

In the UK

We’re the largest independent provider of refugee support in the UK. Through services in 58 towns and cities, we give people food, clothing and toiletries, help them find somewhere to stay and enable them to form connections. Our teams also help people to register with a doctor or dentist, access counselling, claim benefits and ensure they receive everything they’re entitled to. We also provided specialist support and advice to 347 survivors of trafficking in 2020.

Displacement and migration

We helped support over 29,900 refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Helping young refugees

Hamza was forced to flee Syria aged 14. When he arrived in the UK, we helped with his asylum claim.

Now Hamza has joined our RnB project in London, which helps young refugees make friends and have fun. Since the pandemic, we’ve kept the group going via video call.

It’s been a lifeline. “It’s very difficult for young people who don’t have their families here and have to isolate at home without anyone to look after them,” Hamza said.

We also helped Hamza reunite with his family in lockdown, after they’d been kept apart for eight years. “The Red Cross helped my case to reunite with my family,” he said. “All the time, they were in touch with my lawyer. The Red Cross helped my family to come to this country, to get a visa. They paid for flights for my family.”

“British Red Cross is very, very important in this country. They help a lot of people that are refugees or people who need support.”

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration

Support throughout the pandemic

“I always feel better after speaking to my friends.”

Watch here

“The exercise helps all of us from our different cultures to connect.”

In response to Covid-19 we ramped up our support for refugees, and convened a cross-sector group to share insights with the government so it could extend and adapt services. We provided more than 10,800 food parcels and distributed over 1,800 emergency cash cards. We made sure more than 4,400 refugees and people seeking asylum had safe places to stay and supplied phones and data to help people keep in touch with loved ones. Working with Doctors of the World and others, we translated coronavirus health advice into 60 different languages.

Philanthropist Jane Thompson supports our work with refugee women and young people. She says:

“When the pandemic hit, I knew the most vulnerable would be disproportionately impacted; not just financially, but also from loneliness and isolation.

“I asked the British Red Cross to use my donation for those most vulnerable, particularly to help refugees and migrants who are already at risk of falling through the community safety net. Now more than ever, supporting the British Red Cross is a small way I can help right the ship. Their professionalism and kindness supports people on a scale I never could on my own.

“I feel very privileged to be able to support the work of the British Red Cross.”

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Support for mothers and children

In Newport, Wales, our refugee and asylum seeker service worked with the Birth Partner Project to support two single mums through pregnancy and birth.

“They are stuck inside, feeling very lonely,” explained Theresa (pictured, left), Red Cross project coordinator. Theresa bought formula milk, nappies and wipes, and delivered them along with food supplies and nutritious meals.

“The first time I delivered the parcel… I got a message from one of the mothers saying, ‘Thank you very much for your help, God bless the Red Cross.’ And I just thought, that’s nice, that’s why we do it.”

“If you’re alone and pregnant you need somebody who will be walking alongside you.”

Connecting with others

British Red Cross volunteer Adi has been running online art sessions for refugees and asylum seekers in Liverpool. “We drew a map and did a virtual walk to independent galleries and museums in the city so after lockdown they’ll be able to walk there for themselves,” she said.

The group discusses artworks together and does creative exercises. They’ve even managed a virtual reality tour of the Open Eye Gallery. “It was a tremendous experience,” said Adi. Inspired by the visit, they produced work that’s now featured on the Open Eye Stories website.

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration

The fight to reunite long-lost sisters

When Eden* left Eritrea as a young child, she was separated from her baby sister. She navigated unimaginably difficult challenges to reach the UK, but couldn’t stop thinking about the sister she had left behind. “I was always wondering about her,” Eden said.

Incredibly, they were reunited in 2019 when Eden discovered her sister was living in Ethiopia and travelled to meet her. Leaving her sister behind in a dangerous situation was hard. “I promised to her and myself that I would bring her here to join me,” Eden said.

Family reunion rules make this very difficult, but we’ve helped Eden find a solicitor to support her case. “My sister has no one else, no other family member in the world to look after her,” Eden said. “I understand not everyone that needs help can come to this country, but me and my sister have no choice.”

*Name changed.

“I’m trying to be strong and independent for my sister.”

When families are forced to flee their homes, they often end up separated. We help bring people back together. Over the year we helped over 8,400 people from 112 countries to look for, find or keep in touch with loved ones. We enabled 243 families to physically be together, and we’re working with a coalition of organisations to bring down barriers to reunion and give families the support they need to build new lives together in the UK.

“I’m just proud of the whole service, I think we do an essential job and very few people know about it.”

Fay is a volunteer with our family tracing service in Glasgow. When refugee families in the UK have lost contact with loved ones, she works with people around the world to help find them.

“When you reunite a family, when someone comes back into the office with their husband or child – everybody is in tears then of course,” Fay said.

In 2020, Fay and the team helped an Eritrean boy in Glasgow track down his brother in London and speak to him on the phone. “It was just marvellous, unbelievable that we could actually hear the two of them talking.”

Fay’s been volunteering with the Red Cross for more than 42 years. For our 150th anniversary, she was awarded a commemorative £5 coin in recognition of her work.

Reuniting families

Volunteering to bring families back together

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration

VOICES Network

Through the VOICES Network, refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants in the UK can speak out about issues affecting them and other displaced people around the world. For Refugee Week 2020, they produced a powerful video about the impact of Covid-19.

Watch here

Building a kinder future

Miles for Refugees

In September, our amazing supporters raised over £2 million by walking, running, cycling or swimming as part of the Miles for Refugees challenge. Each person chose a distance that reflected part of a route refugees may take to reach safety, such as the 108-mile journey from Calais to London. In total, they travelled over 500,000 miles, raising crucial funds for our work with refugees, people seeking asylum and vulnerable migrants in the UK.

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Rebecca raises money

When Rebecca (pictured, left) ended up housebound due to fibromyalgia and back pain, getting a British Red Cross wheelchair was the start of her journey back to independence. “We rang up the mobility aids service and they have been absolutely brilliant,” she said.

By 2020, after months of physiotherapy, Rebecca was well enough to take part in Miles for Refugees. She raised money through walking and gym exercises, and shared what she was doing on social media. “I think helping refugees should be important to everyone,” she said. “Nobody should have to flee from where they live.”

Ten years of partnership Philanthropists Lizzie and Mark Philip-Sorensen are partnering with us to launch a new project for migrant women facing violence. They said:

“We have been working with the British Red Cross for 10 years on projects in South Africa, Japan and the Philippines.

“We recently recognised a dire need for specialist help and funding for female refugees and asylum seekers in the UK who need help shielding from domestic abuse. This has been particularly apparent during the pandemic when vital services and facilities have been few and far between.

“We have a great deal of trust in the British Red Cross and have built a good working relationship with them, which is why we know that our funding will always be used highly efficiently and effectively.”

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Watch here

We want to create a fair, humane and effective asylum and refugee system that respects the needs and dignity of those who use it. As part of the Asylum Reform Initiative, a partnership led by six sector-leading organisations, we’re building a long-term influencing strategy to push for wide-ranging reform of the UK asylum landscape.

Helping people worldwideAs part of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, we help people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes. Working with other National Societies, we protect people while they’re living in camps or on the move, help them to stay safe as they travel between countries and support them to build new futures.

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration

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Bangladesh

More than 740,000 people who fled Myanmar are now living in makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Through our Myanmar Appeal, we provide support in partnership with the Bangladesh Red Crescent. In 2020, we also allocated over £1.2 million to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The funding helped give thousands of people food, clean water and better sanitation, and supported two field hospitals.

Syria

Our Syria Crisis Appeal provides food, mattresses, blankets and essential services for displaced people. With more than six million people still internally displaced, we’re working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to raise awareness of Covid-19, and provide clean water and health care.

West, East and North Africa

Through the Action for Migrants Route-based Assistance (AMiRA) programme, we’re supporting people along migratory routes in West, East and North Africa. Working with other Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, we provide medical care, food and psychosocial help. Last year, border closures left many migrants stranded. As a result, the programme recorded 123,000 instances of support.

Covid-19 response

Myanmar Appeal

Covid-19 response

Syria Appeal

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Displacement and migration

Displacement and migration

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“Coronavirus came to Yemen differently than the whole world.”

Fighting in Yemen forced Mohammed and his family from their home. “I am displaced,” he said. “My great need is a tent or house for shelter, blankets and mattresses… and an income which enables me to buy food and water for my family.”

In a country devastated by conflict, the coronavirus pandemic has only made things harder. Mohammed (pictured, right) said the idea of self-isolating was “terrifying” because they had to go out daily to get food and water.

The British Red Cross has worked with the Yemen Red Crescent Society for years to prepare for and respond to crises like this. As well as helping to fund health services, we’re supporting the ICRC to deliver safe drinking water, health care and emergency food.

Helping displaced people in Yemen

Watch here

A supporter who has recently given to the Yemen appeal said: “Yemen is a cause I am particularly concerned about. The Red Cross directs support to people who would otherwise be ignored.”

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We work hard to tackle health inequalities in the UK and the social isolation and loneliness that can worsen health crises. In close collaboration

with the NHS and social care partners, we provide patient transport and ambulance support, helping people avoid hospital admission and minimising

their stay. And we support tens of thousands of vulnerable people in their homes.

Our ambulance service Support at home Connected Communities

Digital education Celebrating our Black history

Health inequalities in the UK

Health inequalities in the UK

Our hospital and community-based services supported over 82,200 people to live independently at home

Supporting the NHS

We played a critical role in supporting the NHS through the coronavirus crisis in 2020. As increasing numbers of people were admitted to hospital, we prevented vital services from becoming overwhelmed by scaling up our hospital discharge service to help free up beds. Our teams enabled over 58,600 people to be discharged from around 100 hospitals. We drove them home, supported them to settle back in, and kept in touch to make sure they were coping.

We were also on hand to give one-to-one emotional support to patients, their families and hospital staff, and help administer Covid-19 tests. And we worked with NHS commissioners and providers to address unmet social needs that may have been exacerbating people’s physical or mental health issues and causing them to access health care more than expected. We’re the largest provider of this specialist service in the UK.

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Health inequalities in the UK

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“We are aiming not just to deliver a service, but to deliver the highest quality that there is.”

Viv Apple explains why she’s left a legacy for the Red Cross in her will: “For many years I’ve taken part in Open Gardens; had people throwing money in my collection bucket in supermarkets whilst hearing how the Red Cross have helped them; attended Red Cross lunch events with friends to learn how we’ve helped ease many burdens worldwide.  

“Then I thought, ‘What happens when I’m gone and I can’t hold a bucket any more?’

“Simple answer, of course. Leave a legacy to the Red Cross in my will, to help carry on the work for me.

“No bucket?  No problem.

“The Power of Kindness.”

Leaving a legacy

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Health inequalities in the UK

Amy and Carrie (pictured, right) are mum and daughter. As volunteers with our ambulance support service in 2020, they transported people with coronavirus and other vulnerable patients to and from hospital. Carrie said the job could be very physical, especially when “you’ve got plastic aprons, face masks, plastic gloves and someone who needs literally carrying up two flights of stairs. That is the tough bit.” But they’re both proud they were able to use their expertise and training as part of our coronavirus response. Amy said, “I felt that with the skills I had, it was very important to step forward.”

Our ambulance service

Red Cross ambulances and crews transported around 64,000 people to or from hospital during 2020

Every year, over a quarter of our fundraised income comes from the kindness of people like Viv, leaving us a gift in their will

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Health inequalities in the UK

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Health inequalities in the UK

“I’d just been evicted again, I had no money and I hadn’t eaten for five weeks,” Andrew recalled (pictured below, right). “Then I started to feel really unwell.” In January 2020, he ended up in hospital with a blood clot.

That’s where he met our support worker, Melanie (below, left). After years of homelessness, she helped Andrew get new clothes, a phone, food and somewhere safe to live. “I felt like she was there to support me and stand up for me,” Andrew said.

Melanie helped Andrew apply for benefits and think about the future too. “She’s really helped me turn things around,” he said.

A new life for Andrew

Support at home

“Since we’ve had the wheelchair, he loves going to school.”

We issued over 28,000 pieces of mobility equipment last year. By providing wheelchairs, toilet aids and other specialist equipment we enabled thousands of people to leave hospital, live independently at home and enjoy holidays and days out with family.

Getting a Red Cross wheelchair has been life-changing for five-year-old James (pictured, right). “Even just walking to the local shop, with the wheelchair it means that he has that ability to be able to come and not be in pain,” said his mum, Zenna.

James has Perthes’ disease, which hurts his hips. “Having the wheelchair just means that he’s got more independence,” Zenna said. “He loves being able to push himself as well. So he’s really enjoying being able to do that.”

It’s made a difference to the whole family, as James can now join them for walks. “He’s loving it. We’re all loving it,” said Zenna.

“Things feel different now... I feel positive, like I can take some control.”

A supporter who has given to our I Have The Power appeal said: “Two lovely Red Cross ladies... brought me home from hospital yesterday after my operation on a broken ankle. This donation is in recognition of their kindness and care when bringing me home.”

Another supporter said: “You found me one Christmas 28 years ago after the birth of my daughter, I had nothing and no one to help me. Your hamper helped me more than you will ever know, totally unexpected... I hope I can help someone else in need feel the way I did all those years ago. Thank you.”

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Health inequalities in the UK

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Health inequalities in the UK

Connected communities

Living in connected communities helps people cope when crises hit. That’s because they’re supported by neighbours, friends and local people who truly understand their unique needs and how to help.

We want to make sure people can get the support they need locally in emergencies, both in the UK and overseas. We do this by strengthening connections and helping people and communities build resilience. These aims are at the heart of all our work.

Tackling loneliness

With coronavirus restrictions increasing the risk of isolation, we built an online hub featuring information, advice and tools to help people feel less alone. The hub, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ((DCMS), houses podcasts, films, animations, a Spotify playlist and wellbeing cards. For people with no internet at home, we distributed 32,000 printed wellbeing packs.

Our Sport England partnership funded six Connecting Communities services, supporting people aged over 55 who were facing loneliness to build relationships through exercise, virtual meetings and other activities. We also ran three similar schemes with DCMS and another three local services. In total we reached over 100,000 people with loneliness support.

Loneliness after lockdown

We published two major reports on loneliness last year: Life after Lockdown and Lonely and Left Behind.

We made the case for a renewed government commitment to tackling loneliness during and after the pandemic.

Our reports have had a significant impact. The UK government launched a £7.5 million fund to tackle loneliness over the winter, and announced a new cross-government ministerial group to address the mental health impacts of the pandemic. We’re now working with a range of partners to make all of our proposals a reality.

Read more

Read more

Jasmine and Charlie

When Jasmine’s baby, Charlie, needed hospital care she wasn’t able to stay with him. So Tracey, one of our staff, made sure Jasmine could get there safely to visit him. “I’d just had a C-section and was missing my newborn,” said Jasmine. “Tracey knew just what to say and how to help. It meant absolutely everything to me to be able to visit my baby and the Red Cross helped to make that happen.”

Watch here

“I have no idea how I would have coped if not for Tracey.”

Listen to podcastThe Kind Place

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Health inequalities in the UK

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Health inequalities in the UK

Celebrating our Black History

Black people have made huge contributions to the British Red Cross’ life-saving work, both in the UK and overseas, since we were founded in 1870. In 2020, we launched a new online exhibition celebrating black humanitarians.

Anti-racism resources

We’re hugely proud of the work we’ve done around anti-racism over the year. We released two resources in 2020: one that discusses and encourages reflection on the Black Lives Matter movement, and one aimed at parents and teachers to help them discuss race and racism with young people.

During Black History Month we also created a resource about the work of black humanitarians, helping people to challenge stereotypes and explore prejudice while reflecting on the qualities of a humanitarian.

Digital education and wellbeing resources

As many of us transitioned to working and learning from home, we developed a range of wellbeing resources to help people cope.

Over a million people benefited – from parents home schooling and teachers delivering remote education to those accessing first aid education to alleviate pressure on the NHS and people experiencing loneliness or isolation. Our Kindness curriculum helped people deal with loneliness, change and uncertainty, and learn about the benefits of being kind to themselves and others.

Above and right: Dr John Alcindor and Mary Seacole, whose stories are featured in our online exhibition.

View exhibition

LEARN ABOUT KINDNESS THIS

DECEMBER

Read more

Our online education resources reached over 1.3 million people in 2020 We marked Black History Month with

videos from our team on social media.

Responding to a global pandemic

As the world moves into the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, the British Red Cross remains focused on responding to Covid-19 and the impact of lockdown measures on people’s lives and livelihoods, both in the UK and internationally.

The pandemic has shown just how vital our work is across the three priority areas of our 2030 strategy: disasters and emergencies, health inequalities, and migration and displacement. A global emergency, Covid-19 most affects communities that have the worst health outcomes, and marginalised groups such as displaced people and those seeking asylum. Our response is harnessing the power of kindness to support the people whose needs are greatest.

The pandemic has shown just how relevant our work is across the three priority areas of our 2030 strategy

Our UK Covid-19 response

Here in the UK, as we plan for recovery and a return to business as usual, we will continue to respond alongside others to new needs as they arise. We will focus on those who are most at risk and people in areas where health inequalities are highest.

Using our 2020 baseline data, we will ensure we can reach more people in the most vulnerable circumstances, providing responsive support to deliver the best possible outcomes.

These include reducing the impact of destitution and social isolation, improving access to support in the community to reduce nonclinical extended lengths of stay in hospital and achieving a coordinated, scalable, multi-partner, collaborative person and community centred response to crisis.

Our data-driven approach will enable our face-to-face delivery, telephone support and online help to be carefully targeted. And it will underpin our work as we continue to advocate for urgent policy and system change by allowing us to amplify the voices of all those who need these changes most.

It’s also important that we’re able to mobilise all of our capabilities where they are needed. That includes our volunteers, as part of a coordinated voluntary and community sector emergency response, both nationally and locally. We will build a more nuanced approach to how we deploy our capabilities across all four nations of the UK, so we are better placed to respond to shifting needs over time.

We are responding to coronavirus in the UK by:

– providing practical and emotional support through our national support line, staffed by skilled and trained volunteers

– supporting easy access to local vaccination centres for high-risk groups

– providing rapid cash assistance to those facing economic hardship and those with no recourse to public funds

– helping people return home safely and quickly from hospital

– securing accommodation for those in the asylum system

– providing a range of tailored online education resources and digital learning opportunities

– working through the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership to help communities identify and respond to local crisis needs

– shedding light on the human impact of the pandemic, and influencing the national response to ensure people are safe and don’t fall through gaps in support

– supporting local targeted test-and-trace services at scale

– helping people to stay connected with loved ones.

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Priorities for 2021

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020 Priorities for 2021

Mobilising the power of kindness

Last year, kindness kept communities together. We saw an unprecedented wave of voluntary action as people donated money, delivered food and medicines, answered calls on our support line and signed up to be new volunteers.

In 2021, we will:

– reinvigorate our ‘Power of Kindness’ campaign to enable the public to continue to support our response

– work with donors to ensure the sustainability of core parts of our response, such as the hardship fund and the support line.

Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic

Being fit for the future

As we continue to respond to the pandemic, we face the sector-wide challenge of sustainability. The third sector has been affected by both the UK’s departure from the EU and the socio-economic consequences of Covid-19. As threats to funding and pressures on our income have increased, so has the need for our support.

Last year, we began a programme of work that looked at how the whole organisation is structured and operates, and how resources are used. In 2021, we will begin to implement the recommended changes to ensure our resources are fully aligned with our 2030 strategy, and that we make an impact in an effective and sustainable way.

We will make our organisation fit for the future by directing our resources to realising the goals and outcomes in Strategy 2030 in the following ways:

Realising our strategic ambition: We will invest in our disaster response by embedding new products developed through our experience with Covid-19 – such as cash assistance in the UK and our support line – into our ongoing work. We will also focus on helping the most vulnerable communities build resilience, responding to the impact of climate change, becoming a green organisation and tackling sexual and gender-based violence.

Our people: We will begin to deliver our new people strategy. We will make sure everyone has the right tools and systems, help our people grow their skills and capabilities, ensure they feel valued and rewarded, and build a strong and authentic leadership. We will also deliver against our new diversity action plans as part of our anti-racism agenda, and ensure we have a diverse and inclusive organisation.

Data and systems: By prioritising data collection and improving our use of evidence, we will ensure we have the insight and information we need to operate in a way that is relevant, impactful, transparent and accountable.

Green organisation: we will develop our roadmap to becoming a greener organisation and reduce our environmental impact, learning from the changes we have made to our ways of working during the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 is the year of COP26 in Glasgow. A major focus of our advocacy work will be to shed light on the humanitarian impact of climate change.

Our international Covid-19 response

Through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, we’ll continue to support the global response to Covid-19. We will help our sister National Societies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East build their capacity for pandemic response, tackling food insecurity, delivering cash assistance and carrying out community engagement activities.

We are supporting the global coronavirus response by:

– adapting our food security and livelihoods programmes in other countries so that people have greater resilience in the face of the pandemic

– supporting online platforms that provide National Societies with technical expertise and advice on cash distribution, food and livelihoods security, community-based approaches and monitoring and evaluation

– providing technical experts on cash assistance, logistics, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation

– raising funds to support the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ response

– keeping people connected with loved ones.

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020 Priorities for 2021

Finance overview

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Finance overview

Overview

Our work is mainly funded by donations, income from our shops, legacies, grants and income from services for which we charge fees.

In 2020 our total income was £305.9m (2019: £244.9m), which included an increase in restricted income of £79.9m to £146.4m, mainly associated with the coronavirus response. This was partially offset by a £18.9m reduction in general funds income to £159.5m, largely due to our retail shops and Red Cross Training operations being closed during lockdown for significant periods of the year.

Total expenditure for the year was £295.3m (2019: £247.1m). This comprised £245.9m (2019: £197.5m) on charitable expenditure and £49.4m (2019: £49.6m) on the cost of raising funds.

Overall net income for the year was £16.9m (2019: £5.1m), comprising restricted funds net income of £10.8m (2019: £1.0m) and general funds net income of £6.1m (2019: £4.1m). Free reserves at the year end stood at £51.9m (2019: £56.7m).

The British Red Cross remains in a stable financial position at the year end, despite sustained economic and regulatory challenges and the ongoing challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.

Financial information is extracted from the full audited annual accounts, contained in the trustees’ report & accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020. The audit report contained therein was unqualified. The trustees’ report & accounts is available at redcross.org.uk/annualreport.

Income

£305.9m Income

Donations 38%

Retail 6%

Legacies 10%

Grants 28%

Other 2%

Contracts and fees 16%

Expenditure

£295.3m Expenditure

£245.9m Charitable activities

Fundraising and retail, excluding support costs 15.4%

Support costs 8.9%

Charitable activities, excluding support costs 75.7%

Crisis response 18%

First aid and crisis education 7%Refugee support and migration 7%

Support between home and hospital 22%

International 46%

Thank you

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Thank you

Everyone at the British Red Cross would like to thank each individual and organisation who supported our work in 2020.

Our supporters were compassionate and swift in their response to emergencies, despite their own worries during this unprecedented year. Their generosity enabled us to respond effectively to the pandemic and continue our vital ongoing work in the UK and overseas. We particularly want to thank everyone who supports us regularly, giving us the confidence to plan ahead.

We gratefully remember each and every one of our supporters who thoughtfully left us a gift in their will. We would also like to say thank you to all our local fundraising committees and volunteers for their hard work and commitment, which we could not do without.

We would like to give special thanks to Aline Foriel-Destezet Amazon UK Aviva Foundation Aviva plc Comic Relief Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport easyJet Eli Lilly and Company Elm Trust European Commission Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Gamesys Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation Gary Lineker OBE Goldman Sachs Gives HM Treasury Home Office HSBC Humphrey Battcock IHG Hotels & Resorts Jaguar Land Rover Jane Thompson Jersey Overseas Aid Johnson & Johnson Foundation Julia and Hans Rausing Lizzie and Mark Philip-Sorensen

Lord Glendonbrook, on behalf of The Michael Bishop Foundation Marsh McLennan National Lottery Community Fund Nesta Nestlé UK & Ireland Paula Hawkins Pears Foundation Peter Sowerby Foundation Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery Procter & Gamble Sami and May Sidawi Scottish Government Spirit of 2012 Standard Chartered Bank Stelios Philanthropic Foundation Tesco plc The Apax Foundation The Constance Travis Charitable Trust The late Michael Behr The Rolex Watch Company The Volant Charitable Trust The Wimbledon Foundation Tiffany Circle Steering Committee and Membership TK Maxx and Homesense Foundation Verizon UK Ltd Visa Foundation Welsh Government

Thanks also to A B Charitable Trust Advanz Pharma Alice Ellen Cooper-Dean Charitable Foundation Allen & Overy LLP American Express Foundation Annesley (CLW) Trust AXA XL Barclays Barrow Cadbury Trust Belfast City Council British Red Cross Presidents’ Network (local Presidents, Vice Presidents and Patrons) Birrane Foundation British Olympic Association Cheniere Energy City of London Corporation COS DLA Piper Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust Elisabeth de Kergorlay Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Flutter Entertainment Generations Foundation H&M Herd Lawson and Muriel Lawson Charitable Trust IKEA UK Isle of Man Government John Stephen Gregory Will Trust Kingfisher plc

Linklaters Lottoland UK Masonic Charitable Foundation Moondance Foundation National Lottery Heritage Fund Ooni Pizza Ovens Paul Hamlyn Foundation Pictet Group Foundation PIMCO Foundation Europe Project Associates Group QBE Foundation ReSolve Advisory Limited Sanofi Shetland Charitable Trust Shiseido EMEA Stewart Investors Swarovski Foundation Swire Charitable Trust Tetra Laval The Executive Office, Northern Ireland The Hugh Symons Charitable Trust The PVH Foundation The Sir James Reckitt Charity The UPS Foundation TikTok Revolut Valentine Charitable Trust Vitol Foundation Vodafone Group

Thank you (continued)

Get involved

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British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

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Volunteering However much time you have and whatever your experience, there are UK volunteering opportunities at the British Red Cross.

Meet new people, learn new skills and help people get the support they need in a crisis – become an emergency response volunteer, deliver mobility aids or support our shops. You could also become a community connector, helping people in your area by having a chat over a cup of tea, going for a stroll or attending a community group together.

Find out more at redcross.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer

Community reserve volunteer Sign up to help your community in case there’s ever a big local crisis – such as widespread flooding or a large fire. It takes just a few minutes to sign up and you don’t need to do any training in advance.

During an emergency, you can help with practical tasks like preparing kit and equipment, filling sandbags, sorting supplies and making refreshments. Being a community reserve volunteer is perfect if you naturally feel the urge to help in an emergency, but don’t have the time to commit to volunteering all year round.

Find out more at redcross.org.uk/reserves

Our shops We sell pre-loved fashion, furniture, books and more to help fund our lifechanging work in the UK and abroad. You can support us by shopping in store or online at eBay, ASOS or in our online gift shop; donating items to our stores in person or by post; or by volunteering with us.

Find out more at redcross.org.uk/shop

Fundraising Get active, fundraise, and have fun: there are many ways you can help raise money for people in crisis. Sign up to one of our challenge events, Miles for Refugees, volunteer for us in your local area (shaking buckets, get a collection can) or take part with others through getting your school, local business or community group involved. Every step you take and every pound you raise will help someone in need.

Find out more at redcross.org.uk/events or contact us by email at getfundraising@redcross.org.uk, or by phone on 0300 456 1005

Education resources

We provide humanitarian education to children, young people and adults. Our resources promote kind and inclusive communities and equip individuals to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from adversity. We target areas where people are at higher risk of facing challenging situations, providing them with support and the means of coping.

Our products, resources and workshops focus on first aid, kindness, loneliness, wellbeing and inclusivity. We offer selfdirected online resources, materials for teachers and online and face-to-face workshops.

Our provision for teachers and parents has been created to help inspire the next generation of humanitarians:

redcross.org.uk/get-involved/teaching-resources

Our provision for adult learners has been created to build confidence, empathy and understanding of others:

redcross.org.uk/get-help/learn-with-us

If you’d like to help provide our education work with those that need it most, please donate here:

donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/community-education

First Aid Champions is a new resource which supports the addition of first aid on to the English and Welsh curriculum. The site supports teachers and parents in teaching first aid to children and young people through a range of activities including quizzes, videos and lesson plans.

firstaidchampions.redcross.org.uk

Collaborate for change

Support from philanthropists, trusts, statutory funders and corporate partners makes a lasting impact to the lives of people in crisis in the UK and around the world.

Our corporate partners work with us to create a shared vision for change. We seek to develop and innovate and together increase our reach and support.

Our institutional funders are also part of our drive for change. Our teams work alongside donors and partners to strengthen our existing partnerships and scale up our engagement, with the shared aim of improving people’s lives and mobilising funds when crisis hits.

We have a wide range of ways you can get involved: support a specific project, partner with us to tailor an opportunity or support our work tackling wider social challenges. You can become a real catalyst for change.

Our dedicated teams work closely with you to develop ideas that best make use of your time and investment. To find out more about joining with us to make a difference to the lives of people in crisis, contact us today.

Companies corporatepartnerships@redcross.org.uk

Philanthropists philanthropy@redcross.org.uk

redcross.org.uk/getinvolved/donate/philanthropy

Trusts and statutory redcross.org.uk/get-involved/donate/trusts-and-statutory

Connect to our online community

facebook.com/BritishRedCross

facebook.com/EveryRefugeeMatters

twitter.com/BritishRedCross

instagram.com/BritishRedCross

youtube.com/BritishRedCross

Are you part of the growing movement of kindness? Get connected to people who need your skill, care and support.

Get involved

British Red Cross Annual Review 2020

Donate It’s the generosity of our supporters that enables our work to happen quickly and efficiently. We rely on your support to keep us going. A donation or a regular gift means we can support people facing crisis, in whatever form that takes. It provides essentials like food, medicine and clothing to those in need. It helps get people safely home from hospital and provides cash assistance. It pays for first aid training, provides social care, and means we are ready to help wherever the need is greatest.

With your help, we’ll continue to provide vital humanitarian support for people in the most vulnerable situations, and work to prevent them from falling through the gaps.

redcross.org.uk/donate

Phone 0300 456 1155

Email supportercare@redcross.org.uk

Legacies Throughout our lives the Red Cross emblem has been a constant symbol of hope. By leaving a gift in your will to the British Red Cross, you’ll know that whatever happens in the world, we’ll be there – and so will you.

If you would like to find out more about supporting the British Red Cross by leaving a gift in your will then please go to redcross.org.uk/legacy or call 0300 500 0401.

Get involved (continued)

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The British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949), Scotland (SC037738) and Isle of Man (0752).

Where we are 44 Moorfields London EC2Y 9AL

redcross.org.uk/annualreport

Published 2021