Get Help
At the British Benevolent Society, we act as a resource for British citizens in times of need. Many of our clients are referred to us by the British Consulates in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
BBS Relief Application
While not an arm of the Consulate, we are often able to provide services that complement those of the Consulate and in many cases take action when the Consulate may not be able to.
Our services include help with repatriation, senior living assistance and aiding citizens who are in the US legitimately, but may have trouble proving their legal status.
Our BBS Relief Leaflet offers additional information about the assistance we provide as well as case studies.
British Consulate
We work closely with the British Consulates in San Francisco and Los Angeles to provide assistance and resources on unique and vulnerable cases.
The BBS has enjoyed a special relationship with the British Consulates-General in San Francisco and Los Angeles for more than a century. Each serving British Consul-General in San Francisco has had the pleasure of serving as Honorary President of the BBS. Tammy Sandhu, our current Honorary President, has been HM Consul General to San Francisco since October 2023.
Eleanor Kiloh
Eleanor Kiloh is His Majesty’s Consul General. Based in San Francisco, she is the senior representative of the UK government in Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.
The Consulate-General covers a broad range of political and policy work including on climate, trade, and technology, as well as providing support to British nationals and companies.
Eleanor has previously had diplomatic postings to Singapore, China, Thailand, and Indonesia – as well as a posting to the US, in Washington DC. There, she also had a secondment to the US State Department, developing US-UK collaboration on Asia policy issues. Eleanor has also been seconded to the UK’s Department for International Development and to the Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street. In 2005, she was deployed to Aceh as Senior Advisor to the European Union Aceh Monitoring Mission, supporting the peace process there. She is a specialist in geopolitical affairs, with a particular focus on the Indo-Pacific.
Eleanor is also an experienced crisis leader, and a trauma risk management practitioner. Outside government she has worked for McKinsey & Company, specialising in risk management and government relations.
Eleanor joined the FCO in 1999 after completing an MA in Geography at the University of Cambridge. She speaks English and Indonesian, some Mandarin Chinese and Thai. She also has professional qualifications in economics and executive coaching.
