Welcome to the POOBI website

IMPORTANT NOTICE

University Bursaries 2020 Update 25/6/20 - applications will be accepted until the 24th of July (please note this has been extended by 3 weeks) University Stories Please note: Students may not be sure if they will be staying at university or not due to Covid19 - however they should complete the form assuming what they would normally have done despite the current uncertainty.

Coronavirus - Updated Message from the POOBI Chairman

July 8th 2020

Further to previous updates, POOBI continue to operate, process payments and review hardship support; as well as process applications for Rising Stars and University Bursaries in the normal way. All grants, awards, and bursaries already authorised will continue and be honoured in full. POOBI will do what it can in line with our values to help families through this very difficult period.

POOBI's Officers and Trustees, like many charities and societies, need to work at a distance for ongoing safety reasons, therefore replying to questions and applications may take a little longer than usual. Please bear with us on this during these unprecedented circumstances.

I’d like to take this opportunity to send you and all your families our continued best wishes.

David Chapman POOBI Chair

POOBI is The Post Office Orphans Benevolent Institution

We serve staff and pensioners of Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd with a focus on children (see " How we can help")

POOBI was established in 1870 by staff from the General Post Office (a forerunner of Royal Mail Group & Post Office Ltd) to help the families of their colleagues who faced hardship as a result of death or chronic illness or disability. POOBI’s income comes primarily from previous employee subscriptions which have been invested and carefully managed over the intervening years, supported by other donations.

Thanks to Civil Service Insurance Society (CSIS) Charity Fund for their very generous 2019 grant to POOBI of £25,000 which supports our beneficiaries.

How POOBI can help

POOBI may be able to provide help in the following circumstances:

Where there is demonstrable hardship to a child through parental death, absence, disability, chronic illness of parent or child, or other serious family issue which is restricting development.
Where a young person is about to attend university.
Where a child has special talents in the performing arts, sport or other specialist area and the family needs help with expensive equipment or dedicated coaching.

Information about POOBI’s educational support schemes appear in regularly in Courier together with details about how and when to apply for an award.

Colleagues should also be aware that they can seek assistance with child hardship issues via the confidential Feeling First Class Support Helpline which provides a wide range of skills, expertise and resources on 0800 6888 777.

We work very closely with our sister charity The Rowland Hill Fund who will refer hardship cases to POOBI where it is found that the children are demonstrably impacted, and manage any agreed payments on our behalf.

How could you support the fund?

If you would like to fundraise to support POOBI you can make use of Royal Mail’s Community Support Matched Giving Scheme.
Details about the scheme and how you can apply can be found here.

POOBI Management

POOBI is operated by a committee of Trustees who include Royal Mail employees and retired Royal Mail staff. It is supported by a Secretary to the Trustees. The POOBI office is usually open one day a week. More information on how to contact us can be found on the contact us page .

POOBI produces audited accounts each year (our year runs from 1st January to 31st December). The auditors are RE Jones and Co Ltd Chartered Accountants.

POOBI or poobi is a registered trademark of The Post Office Orphans Benevolent Institution (registered in UK).

Banking is through Barclays Bank plc (Registered No 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP) and the investments are managed by Cazenove Capital Management, part of Schroders & Co Limited at 12 Moorgate, LONDON, EC2R 6DA.