Public Servant Lifestyle

The Civil Service Insurance Society (CSIS) is continuing its support of good causes – with recent awards to both the Civil Service Benevolent Fund and the Crown Housing Association.

In fact CSIS has financially supported the ‘Fund to the tune of around £1 million in recent years – with last year's donation of £90,000 helping the Fund continue their excellent levels of help and support throughout the Civil Service. Crown Housing Association received a donation of £40,000 as financial assistance to their refurbishment of a block of flats in Glasgow - a subsidised housing scheme which helps both serving and retired public servants and their families.

Pictured (right): CSIS Chairman, Mr C D Daykin CB,MA,FIA, presenting Sir Gus O'Donnell with a cheque for £115,000 for the Civil Service Benevolent Fund.

Long History

For 117 years, the CSIS has been a major provider of insurance cover for Civil and Public servants, and their partners, in the UK. All serving or retired Civil or Public Servants are eligible for their specially negotiated scheme, and tens of thousands of workers from all kinds of backgrounds (local and national government, schools, the Forces, BT, Royal Mail, etc…) stay with CSIS year after year for their insurance. Indeed, if you are reading this, you are probably eligible for a quote from CSIS.

With such a strong history, CSIS has built special relationships with the insurance companies they use, and they are able to pass on many exclusive deals and discounts not available on the High Street. The CSIS offers a wide range of insurances, including high quality motor policies and home and contents policies, right through to travel, boat and pet insurance.

Not for Profit

A genuine ‘Not for Profit' organisation, CSIS exists purely to help Civil and Public Servants, and to underline this, they donate all surplus funds back to Civil and Public sector charities. In fact, CSIS has donated over £3 million in the past six years to charitable causes via its own charity, the Civil Service Widows’ and Orphans’ Fund, which offers financial help to the dependants of deceased policyholders. Everyone who insures through CSIS automatically qualifies under the scheme, and should a policyholder die whilst they have a current policy with CSIS, any dependants are eligible to apply for financial help.

Although CSIS makes donations to a whole host of charitable causes in the public sector, the Civil Service Benevolent Fund is the main beneficiary and in the last ten years alone, the Fund has received around £1 million from CSIS - and they have confirmed that without CSIS’ contribution the Fund’s ability to provide financial assistance, such as helping with essential household bills, or dealing with funeral expenses, would be weakened.

Beneficiary

At a recent event to mark 115 years of working together, CSIS came in for special praise from Cabinet Secretary - and President of the organisation - Sir Gus O’Donnell: “I am delighted to see a well-run and profitable insurance society,” he said. “I would urge all of us, as Civil Servants, to consider whether we could move our business to CSIS – purely on a commercial basis…I think that would be quite important for us.”

At the event, CSIS presented a cheque to the Fund for £115,000 to commemorate their history together, which has allowed the Fund to widen the scope of the financial assistance they can provide. The Civil Service Benevolent Fund is very active throughout the Civil Service, and provides all kinds of help and advice to anyone facing difficult times. Apart from offering financial assistance, the Fund offers counselling and support in many areas, and tries to help people solve the root of their problems, rather than just helping with debts or financial problems. With CSIS’ financial donations, more and more people throughout the Civil Service may be able to receive assistance from the Fund, and every insurance policy sold helps make these donations possible.

Crown Housing Association

The Fund is by no means the only recipient of CSIS’ donations, and many smaller charities across the country also benefit from their support. One such charity was the Crown Housing Association, who were helped by CSIS during a project to refurbish a block of flats in Glasgow. The subsidised housing scheme helps serving and retired public servants and their families, and CSIS’ donation of £40,000 was used to provide essentials such as cookers, fridge freezers, etc...

Pictured (left) Chief Executive of Crown Housing, Jo Lansdell with CSIS Chief Executive, Kevin Holliday.

Chief Executive of Crown Housing, Jo Lansdell was delighted with CSIS’ support, and expressed her thanks for such a generous gift which will help make life more comfortable for many.

CSIS is committed to getting the best deal for Civil and Public Servants, and prides itself on providing competitive quotes and quality service. Further information on their wide range of insurance products can be found by visiting their fully interactive website, at www.csis.co.uk or calling their team of UK-based, professionally qualified staff on 0845 60 77 444.

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