TAXI CHARITY FOR MILITARY VETERANS

The Committee All committee members are volunteers. Generally speaking, nobody applies to become a committee member. Potential committee members are first vetted by the existing committee and if members are in agreement, an approach is made to the selected individual to join the committee. He or she is then co-opted onto the committee for a three month probationary period. After the probationary period, if all parties are satisfied that there is a good fit, at the next AGM meeting the selected person is made a full committee member. Every penny raised by the committee goes to the running of the charity, its various events and endeavours, and the care of servicemen and women, who are disabled, elderly, infirm, impoverished or otherwise in need of charitable assistance. The current committee would like to say a big thank you to all the people who have held committee posts since 1947. Without their commitment and hard work, there would be no Taxi Charity For Military Veterans today. Please click on the links to find out more about individual committee members. Officers Colin Mills , Chairman Paul Cook , Vice Chairman Ian Parsons , Secretary Simon Hawes , Treasurer ​ Committee Members Dick Goodwin , Vice President Keely Allen , Safeguarding Officer Peter Carey , Health & Safety Officer Micky Harris Tony Neal , Health & Safety Officer Sebastian Philp , Fundraising Terry Ward , Transport Officer ​ Advisors Frans Ammerlaan , Dutch Co-ordinator Ben Mayne , Battlefield Historian & Guide

Recurring Donations using GoCardless You can make recurring donations to the Taxi Charity by using GoCardless. ​ We have set up some plans for different recurring amounts below. If you can't see an amount you'd like to set up a recurring donation for, please email us at info@taxicharity.org and we'll set one up for you. ​ You have the right to cancel your Direct Debit at any time. ​ If you do not want to set up a recurring donation, you can also make a one-off donation . MAKE A RECURRING DONATION OF £1 PER MONTH DONATE NOW MAKE A ONE-OFF DONATION OF £25 PER MONTH DONATE NOW MAKE A ONE-OFF DONATION OF £5 PER MONTH DONATE NOW MAKE A ONE-OFF DONATION OF £50 PER MONTH DONATE NOW MAKE A ONE-OFF DONATION OF £10 PER MONTH DONATE NOW

Darren Swift Taxi Charity Ambassador Darren Swift was injured by an IRA bomb in May 1991 while serving with the Army’s Dog Unit in Belfast. ​ He went through 18 months of recovery at Woolwich Hospital and Headley Court before opting to be discharged in 1992. ​ Darren went on several expeditions over the next few years, including canoe trips to the Arctic and a solo ‘trike ride’ around Iceland, won a gold medal at the 2003 British Championships after becoming one of the first ex-military amputee skydivers, and is an amputee snowboarding pioneer. ​ Darren has also had multiple successes as an actor, does TV and film extra work, and takes part in ‘casualty simulations’ in which he plays the role of an injured soldier to teach military and emergency service personnel how to respond in critical situations. ​ Darren was also guest speaker at the Taxi Charity's annual veterans' trip to Worthing in June 2022, where he gave an emotional and inspirational talk. ​ The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans is delighted to have welcomed Darren Swift as an ambassador for the charity in December 2022. VIEW ALL AMBASSADORS

Fundraising You can currently fundraise for the Taxi Charity via Justgiving or by setting something up yourself, and forwarding the monies to us. ​ Please note: The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans is registered for GiftAid. FUNDRAISE VIA JUSTGIVING FUNDRAISE NOW FUNDRAISE YOURSELF & TRANSFER TO US CONTACT US

Committee Member Terry Ward Born: Barking, East London, 1943 Early Years: Terry, aka Barking Bill, grew up in Barking. Starting work in 1959, he tried his hand at various jobs, including motor mechanic, wall tiler and driver. Taxi Career: Terry has been a cab driver since 1965 and passed his green badge in 1969. Charity Work: He has been associated with the Taxi Charity since 1981. He originally joined the commitee to help collate the charity diary, which helps to raise funds towards the charity's outings. He is now the charity's Transport Officer, allocating drivers to veterans for the outings. He is also heavily involved with regular fund raising collections. FULL LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Roger Beets MBE Taxi Charity Ambassador Retired Dutch businessman, Roger Beets, was asked to become a Taxi Charity ambassador in April 2023. Roger first met the Taxi Charity in 2012 when we took 196 WWII veterans, in 80 black cabs, to Arnhem and Oosterbeek. He had organised a warm welcome from hundreds of Oosterbeek residents who lined the streets, cheering and waving the Union Jack and Dutch flags. ​ In recent years, Roger has advised and assisted our Dutch co-ordinator, Frans Ammerlaan , in organising the itineraries for our trips to Holland, including visits to points of historic interest, such as Bronbeek (the Dutch equivalent of Royal Hospital Chelsea), and cemeteries and memorials. ​ Roger has been active in the Dutch Airborne community for almost 30 years, starting off as a volunteer at a checkpoint of the internationally renowned Airborne March. After 12 years, he joined the board of the Police Sports Association – the organisers of the International Airborne March at Oosterbeek where he was responsible for communications, PR and fundraising. He introduced the Taxi Charity to the march and ever since many WWII veterans have been greeted by the more than 35,000 participants of this annual commemorative event in memory of those who gave their lives during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. As chairman of the Airborne Commemorations Foundation , Roger is involved in the annual Airborne commemorations each September and is master of ceremony at the Airborne memorial service at the John Frost bridge at Arnhem. In 2019, during the 75th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, Roger met His Majesty King Charles III. ​ In August 2024, King Charles appointed Roger as an honorary MBE in gratitude for his contributions to the commemorations and support for WWII veterans in the context of Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem. VIEW ALL AMBASSADORS

Kaz Donald Taxi Charity Ambassador Kaz Donald grew up in Rayleigh, Essex and is a proud 'Essex Girl'. She currently lives in Mill Hill and became an ambassador for the Taxi Charity in June 2024. Kaz worked in the City for 16 years (which is where she met her husband Mark) before having kids, and now spends her time enjoying golf and bell ringing, which she began as part of the Ring For The King campaign. Kaz became Club Captain of Arkley Golf Club in 2019 - the first and only woman since 1909! Together, with the Lady Captain, they decided that their charity for the year should be local and linked to the military. She did some googling and found the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Kaz organised a range of fundraising events during her captaincy which were sadly curtailed due to Covid. Kaz says: "At the 2022 Taxi Charity Christmas lunch, I heard about, and committed to, the 2023 Thames Bridges Walk - what a day that was. 92 degree heat! 25km over 16 bridges. One of the most difficult things, mentally and physically, that I’ve ever done. It was my 60th birthday, in 2023, and I asked friends to sponsor me instead of giving me presents - which they did – and it was their support and generosity that got me over the finish line! Also, it was our 30th wedding anniversary this year and, again, instead of prezzies my hubby and I asked for donations to the charity." In May 2024, Kaz was part of the trip to the Netherlands for Dutch Liberation and says of her experience: "Going on this trip and meeting the veterans was amazing and completely humbling. The people of the Netherlands love the veterans and still display their gratitude for being liberated - something that has been passed down the generations. Witnessing that on the Wageningen Parade was so heartwarming. The time and effort that the taxi drivers put in to ensure that the veterans can make these trips, in a safe and comfortable environment, was incredible." "The kindness of the people who volunteer for this charity is really something to behold and I’m extremely proud to be associated with something so very special." VIEW ALL AMBASSADORS

Volunteer Collectors To help raise much needed funds, our charity holds a number of collections throughout the year at main line railway stations, football clubs and other locations. Some of our veterans who collect for us come along for the day and others for just a few hours. We make sure they are all fed and watered during the day. We hold a lunch for all our collectors at a central London location every January. If you would like to volunteer as a collector for our charity, please contact Dick Goodwin on 07941 772264 or info@taxicharity.org for more information. ​ If you would like to find out where and when our collections are being held, please check out our events page on Facebook .

Committee Member Micky Harris Born in Lavender Hill in February 1961, Micky Harris has been a London taxi driver since 2020 after a 20 year career as a secondary school teacher. Micky found out about the work of the Taxi Charity while he was doing The Knowledge and signed up as a volunteer as soon as he got his badge. Micky has taken veterans to events across the UK as well as on commemorative trips to the Netherlands and France. He joined the Taxi Charity committee in 2023. He is a father of four and a grandfather of ten. Micky’s son Richard is also a cab driver. Micky created the Unify London app which launched in April 2023, with a legacy from his dearly missed wife Barbara who died of cancer in 2022. The cab hailing app is very different to anything else that is available to London cab drivers. There is no surge pricing, no hidden fees, no cancellations, and the cab driver receives the full fare. Charities including the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children, The Albany Taxi Charity and the Magical Taxi Tour will benefit every time the app is used. FULL LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Ambassador Ben Mayne Based in the Midlands, Ben is a battlefield historian and guide with a particular interest in the Second World War, specialising in Normandy, Commando Operations and the Battle of the Bulge. Over the years he has escorted thousands back to the battlefields of Europe. This includes helping families return in the footsteps and visiting the final resting places of their loved ones. ​ Ben has been a friend of the Taxi Charity for many years and was asked to become an advisor in September 2022. In October 2024, he was asked to become an ambassador for the charity. ​ Ben said: "It has been an honour to support the charity in an advisory role for several years. It's now a privilege to be asked to continue this in an ambassador role. I look forward to supporting the charity, the chairman, the veterans and other volunteers in the coming years. Sadly, as we lose our Second World War veterans, it is even more important to ensure the charity is there to support veterans from other conflicts as we move forward. I hope to continue to play a role in the superb work that the charity has done for many years. Long may it continue." ​ Away from history, he is a Ducati owner and a Moto GP fan. FULL LIST OF AMBASSADORS Twitter: @BattlefieldBen

Donations using GoCardless You can donate to the Taxi Charity by using GoCardless. ​ This allows you to choose between recurring donations or one-off donations. MAKE A RECURRING DONATION USING GOCARDLESS FIND OUT MORE MAKE A ONE-OFF DONATION USING GOCARDLESS FIND OUT MORE

News & Updates All Posts Endorsements In Memoriam Patrons and Ambassadors Photo Galleries Press Coverage Press Releases Sponsors News Taxi Charity News Veterans News Videos Aug 14 Taxi Charity veterans interviewed by John Maguire from BBC Breakfast Aug 4 Veterans attend Battle Proms Picnic Concert at Highclere Castle Jul 9 Seventy black cabs take veterans to Worthing Jul 8 Taxi Charity and veterans attend Southwick Revival Jun 12 Obituary: Henry 'Harry' Frederick Rawlins 9 September 1925 - 10 June 2024 Jun 11 Taxi Charity escorts veterans to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day Jun 10 Heroes meet Minister for Veterans' Affairs at Admiralty House Jun 3 Colin Mills and Norrie Bartlet interviewed on GB News May 30 New Chair and Vice Chair for the Taxi Charity May 29 Veterans gather at Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar May 13 Thousands cheer British veterans in the Netherlands Apr 26 Obituary: Bill Gladden 13 January 1924 - 24 April 2024 Apr 7 "I can honestly say that the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans has totally changed my life" - Marie Scott Mar 21 Obituary: Tom Schaffer 25 April 1926 - 16 March 2024 Mar 14 Taxi Charity ambassador Frans Ammerlaan awarded Honorary MBE Mar 12 Meet the unsung heroes of the Women's Royal Navy Service from WWII, TAXI Feb 11 Hearts from Herts for our veterans Feb 11 Video: WWII veteran Bill Gladden interviewed on Talk TV Feb 5 Chairman's Blog: Help us fundraise to take our veterans to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day Feb 3 Ron Johnson's Obituary, The Times Jan 30 D-Day veteran celebrates 100th birthday, TAXI Jan 13 D-Day veteran, Bill Gladden, celebrates 100th birthday at surprise party thrown by his family Dec 2, 2023 Former Essex Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment veteran Captain Ron Johnson has died, aged 102 Nov 21, 2023 Taxi Charity celebrates its 75th anniversary, TAXI 1 2 3 4 5

Wed, 11 Dec | Farringdon Collection at Farringdon station Our collectors will be at Farringdon station for most of the day. Please stop by and say hello. Registration is Closed See other events Time & Location 11 Dec 2019, 08:00 – 14:00 Farringdon, Farringdon, London EC1M 6BY, UK Share This Event

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022 We are extremely sad to hear the news of the Queen’s passing. Everyone at the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans sends their sincere condolences to the royal family at this heartbreaking time.