This year the RAF Benevolent Fund will give thanks for 90 years of continuous service with an inaugural "Thanksgiving Day" on 12 July. A service will take place at St Clement Danes in London, and similar services will be held at RAF churches throughout the UK. Thereafter 'Thanksgiving Day' will become an annual event in the RAFBF and RAF church calendars.

Worship materials celebrating the work of the RAF Benevolent Fund have been designed for all denominations and will be available for download from our website shortly. 

Entry to the service in St Clement Dane's is by invitation. If you would like to attend please contact Tano Rea 020 7307 3307.

Scotland's First Minister, The Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSP, hosted a reception to mark the 90th anniversary of the RAF Benevolent Fund at Edinburgh Castle on 31 March. The theme of the event was "90 Years: Repaying the Debt we Owe" and celebrated the ongoing support that the charity has provided for serving and former members of the RAF in Scotland throughout that time.

Highlights of the event included a fly-past by two RAF Tornado Fighter jets, a performance by the RAF Regiment Band and speeches by the RAF Benevolent Fund Controller, Sir Rob Wright, and First Minister Alex Salmond.

See slideshow of pictures from the event

Our anniversary celebrations in Edinburgh were launched with a presentation of £750,000 to the Scottish veterans' charity Erskine - the second largest donation the Fund has have ever made in its history. Sir Rob Wright presented the sum to Jim Scott, Chairman of Erskine, two distinguished Erskine residents who are veterans of the Army and Air Force, and Joanna Martin, an RAF Benevolent Fund beneficiary who was housed by Erskine for a year while waiting for her own house to be adapted for wheelchair access.

Jim Scott said, "This will ensure that we can continue to provide the highest standard of care to our veterans in the capital, who have all served their country with bravery and courage. Without the support of the RAF Benevolent Fund we would not be able to expand our existing home, allowing us to care for a further 48 residents."

In the last year the RAFBF has also given £100,000 to Scottish Veterans Garden City Association and £40,000 to Scottish Veterans Residences.

To mark the RAF Benevolent Fund's 90th anniversary celebrations in Edinburgh, we lodged a parliamentary motion in the Scottish Parliament on 20 March 2009. The motion, tabled by the Scottish Liberal Democrat Jeremy Purvis, highlights our anniversary, praises our work in Scotland and thanks us for our £750k donation to Erskine.

So far 34 MSPs from all four major political parties have signed up to our parliamentary motion - nearly a third of the Scottish Parliament.

Read the full text of the motion and find out who signed up

British Forces Travel is a holiday travel agency designed to serve the needs of the Armed Forces. It donates 30% of net profits to six worthy UK Armed Forces charities including the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Visit the British Forces Travel website or call them on 01633 798 987 to find out more.

RAF Lossiemouth's RAFBF-funded childcare centre had a major crisis when it sustained severe damage during the cold snap after Christmas. The flooding and damage to the building, toys and equipment rendered this vital facility unusable to station families.

However, we quickly arranged a £5,000 emergency grant that provided for new toys and temporary childcare facilities, while RAF Lossiemouth completed repairs in just six weeks.

Debbie Parker-Banfield, manager of the childcare centre, said that without our assistance the centre "could have been closed for far longer than the three days we were shut down."

A new air show is coming to Perth on 6 June 2009, celebrating all things aviation in Scotland. The "Heart of Scotland Air Show" will raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund and will include the Red Arrows, with their display of world class, high-speed aerobatics.

There will be over four hours of high-octane aerial displays ranging from historic warbirds to contemporary military jets. For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, there's plenty more to do, including children's activity workshops, exhibitions and fairground rides!

www.perth-airshow.co.uk | Google map to air show

These two new titles by Kevin Delve provide a thoroughly researched and comprehensive reference to the structure, operation, aircraft and men of Bomber Command and Fighter Command, from their formation in 1936 to 1968 when they became part of Strike Command.

The books include descriptions of many notable campaigns, the types of aircraft used, weapons and airfields. Each book starts with a general historical introduction and overview, leading in to sections on operations, operational groups, aircrew training and technical aircraft details.

• Bomber Command 1936-1968 (hardback)
• Fighter Command 1936-1968 (hardback)

Over 30 million printer cartridges are thrown away in the UK every year. Most of these can be recycled or reused.

We can earn £1 for every inkjet printer cartridge we recycle. The money helps to fund our vital welfare work, and recycling helps conserve our planet for the future.

Send us an email with your name and address and we'll send you a prepaid, pre-addressed recycling bag. No stamps are required. Please note that we cannot recycle Epson cartridges.

Why not link up with other supporters, fundraisers and beneficiaries by joining our Facebook group?

It's a great way to keep in touch with what's going on and to make new friends who share your interests.

If you aren't already on Facebook, you can sign up for a free account. Once you're logged in, search for RAFBF and you should find our group called I support the RAF Benevolent Fund!

Project 65 is a charity that has been set up to raise £500,000 to be shared between six military charities, at the same time as commemorating the Pegasus Bridge operation on D-Day. Its main fundraising event is an incredible 'challenge run' made up of 200 runners, representing the 200 soldiers who took part in the Pegasus Bridge operation.

These runners will aim to run 65 miles on 4 June from an old airfield in Dorset to Portsmouth. From there they will catch a ferry to Ouistreham, Normandy, before running the last couple of miles to the bridge.

You can read about the gruelling training regimes that some of the runners are undertaking in preparation for the challenge on the Project 65 blog runproject65.blogspot.com, and you can give the project your support through their website www.project65.net.

• 23 April 2009 - St George's Day celebrations at Gunmakers Pub in Marylebone
• 14 May 2009 - Celebrity Photographic Auction at the RAF Club in London
• 31 May 2009 - Edinburgh Marathon
• 4 June 2009 - Project 65 start their 65 mile run
• 6 June 2009 - Heart of Scotland Air Show in Perth
• 21 June 2009 - Kemble Air Show

RAFSA sports the RAFBF logo on its spinnaker
In the second year of our two-year partnership with the RAF Sailing Association, the yacht, 'Red Arrow', now sports the RAFBF logo on its spinnaker in readiness for Cowes Week 2009.

Ebay has partnered with MissionFish, a non-profit organisation that manages the donation process. This includes claiming Gift Aid on your donation if you have made a Gift Aid declaration.

To find out more about how to support our welfare work by becoming an eBay Community Seller visit www.ebay.co.uk 

Making a donation online is the most effective way to support the Fund as it saves time and money. We use a leading donation processing agency called Justgiving to ensure that your gift is handled securely and efficiently. What's more, if you are a UK taxpayer, Justgiving will automatically add a 28% tax bonus to your donation at no cost to you!

A secure online credit card donation can be made by clicking the button above.