The Roast Beef Club Lunch was founded in 2008 when 30 friends came together to celebrate St Georges Day. From 2009 onwards, they used the event as a fundraiser, focussing support on a different military charity each year. At the heart of the club there is friendship, humour, a common interest in sport and a sense of gratitude towards the Armed Forces, which has proved to be a winning combination. Founder, Joel Baseley, received an MBE in 2020 in recognition of The Roast Beef Clubs contribution to armed forces charities, and to date the event has raised over £2 million for military causes.

Following on from last year's hugely successful post-pandemic return, The Gurkha Welfare Trust is honoured to have been selected as the 2023 beneficiary.

The Trust provides vital support to Gurkha veterans, their families and communities in Nepal. We operate through 21 Area Welfare Centres spread across traditional Gurkha recruiting areas, enabling people to live with dignity by delivering essential financial and medical aid. In addition, we work with local communities to provide access to clean water and education.

Who are the Gurkhas?

Since 1816, Gurkha soldiers have been recruited from Nepal into the British Army. Renowned for their loyalty, professionalism and bravery, they have served with distinction throughout the world, earning an incredible 13 Victoria Crosses for acts of extreme valour, along with countless other medals.

Our history

In the late 1960s, there was a significant reduction in the number of serving Gurkhas in the British Army. Many of these soldiers and their dependants or widows faced destitution in Nepal. They had served in the World Wars but did not qualify for an Army pension due to the length of their service.

In recognition of the countrys debt of honour to these soldiers, a public appeal, led by eight of our greatest wartime Field Marshals raised £1m to establish The Gurkha Welfare Trust. The Trust began to create a network of bases in Nepal to distribute financial aid to retired soldiers who had met with disasters such as landslides and floods. We also bought land for ex-Gurkhas which they could farm, providing enough food to support themselves and their family.

Our work today

We pay a regular Welfare Pension payment to veterans and their widows who were not eligible for a British Army pension, alongside a package of care that ensures they can live with dignity. Our Pensioner Support Teams journey into the hills of Nepal via all means necessary to pay their pension, check their health and deliver medication in their own homes.

We provide an international standard of healthcare and medication to all Gurkha veterans and their families living in Nepal. We do this through our regional medical clinics and by arranging subsidised treatment at carefully selected national hospitals.

Our two Residential Homes provide round-the-clock care to Gurkha veterans and widows who would otherwise struggle to live alone. They set the standard of care for the elderly, as well as providing in-patient hubs for rehabilitating beneficiaries on a short-term residential basis.

For more information on our work in Nepal, please visit our website: www.gwt.org.uk