Separate to the Company’s charitable giving, The Annington Trust,  provides grants to organisations and projects that promote the wellbeing of Armed Forces families living in Service communities by providing for their recreational and general needs. The Trust operates independently of the Company with its own Board of Trustees.

Since its inception in 1996, the Trust has disbursed over £860,000 in support of more than  500 projects.  Donations have ranged from a few hundred pounds to individual military bases up and down the UK to larger donations often totalling thousands of pounds.  These larger projects have benefited the wider community and include the installation of playgrounds and the provision of equipment for contact houses and community centres.  In addition, in 2012 the Trust established the Annington Challenge, an initiative run in conjunction with the Outward Bound Trust and aimed at Service youngsters.  In 2018, Annington took over funding responsbility for the project, thereby protecting its future.  To date, more than 200 Service youngsters have completed The Annington Challenge - more details can be found here.

Support provided in 2020

In April 2020, the Trustees agreed to suspend all usual grant-giving and instead donated a total of £75,000 to the three Service Family Federations to specifically assist families deal with the impact of Lockdown.  Details of how the money was spent can be found here.

Following the success of the first campaign, the Trustees decided to make a second round of donations again totalling £75,000 to enable the Families Federation to continue to support families through the autumn and winter.

2020 also saw the Trust make its third agreed donation to the tri-Service Forces Families Jobs - the go-to portal for training and employment for family members of currently serving UK military personnel. 

Individuals can apply for jobs and access employment and training opportunities with companies and organisations who are Forces family friendly - all employers using the site have either signed the Armed Forces Covenant or are able to demonstrate their commitment to the Armed Forces.  It is the gateway to accessing information about acquiring new skills, upgrading existing skills or applying directly to employers who are understanding of the unique challenges that come with being a family member of a serving person.  The Trust has supported the initiative for three years with funding totalling more than £45,000.

** Following the decision taken by the Trustees in January 2015, the Trust is now in the process of winding down and will close by December 2021.  Applications for funding for 2021 can still be submitted. **