Every month when we meet as Trustees we are exposed to the mishaps and bad luck that potentially can strike us all. The calls for help are diverse but always reflect an unfortunate situation.
It makes you take stock and count your own blessings. And one of those blessings is the occasional ability to help others and make a difference in people's lives, people less fortunate than oneself. As a supporter of the Koning Willem Fonds (KWF) that is what you do: make a difference.

As when a young woman risked failing to finish her three-quarters completed music degree study because her grant was stopped. Or in the tragic case of a family who lost two children and all their worldly goods in a disastrous fire. These are just a couple of examples where, thanks to your support, your charity was able to provide a helping hand, just as it was intended it would be when the Koning Willem Fonds was instituted more than 135 years ago.
It is something the Dutch community in the UK should be proud of.

Every year there is an increase in the number of requests for help and 2010 was no exception. You might remember that 2009 was one of our worst years from a fundraising point of view.
The situation was mainly caused by the financial crisis but practical issues such as the postal workers strike did not improve matters. It is very satisfying to report that our call for help did not go unanswered and that you stepped into the breach.

In 2010 subscriptions were back to pre-financial crisis levels and major donations were also up

An initiative by the Hermeskring London, a fraternity of Rotterdam University alumni, deserves a special mention. This group adopted the Koning Willem Fonds as its preferred charity as a tangible proof that social success goes together with a responsibility for our community and fellowmen.
In total they raised more than £5,000 before Gift Aid. It is a commendable example where the Hermeskring London took a leadership role which hopefully others will follow.

Other fundraising activities in 2010 included the Robert Woolley concert sponsored by the Embassy and ABN-AMRO, a KWF stand at the Dunsborough Park Tulip Festival. And there was also another opportunity to auction a painting at the Oranjebal. This is the fourth time the KWF was able to participate and we are grateful to Anthony Krikhaar for donating for the third time another one of his works.

Looking back, the Dutch community and many of our British supporters again made sure that we could continue meeting the objective of the Koning Willem Fonds: to provide a helping hand in case of need. Many people are involved in our activities and without their help we could not keep the ethos of the Koning Willem Fonds alive. The Trustees are very grateful for that support. The continued patronage of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and the enthusiastic leadership of our President, H.E. Ambassador Pim Waldeck remains a source of inspiration to us all.

During the year our long-serving Trustee Baroness Reina-Maria van Pallandt resigned from the board as she was moving back to the Netherlands. She made a great contribution as Trustee and as our legal advisor and we are fortunate that she is willing to continue in the latter role.

As last year, I recommend the Koning Willem Fonds to you, 'where charity begins at home'. We cannot do without your continued support in these challenging times. With your help 'our' charity will continue its good works for many years to come.