On behalf of us all at the RAF Benevolent Fund, I would like to wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year. I would also like to thank you for your continuing support, which is essential if we are to continue at the pace that has been set through 2008.

The Queen recently approved a new, widened charitable object for us, which includes enhancing the morale and well being of the serving RAF. This is very timely because if we can relieve stress on those who are bravely doing their duty today, we can perhaps pre-empt a greater need later in life.

We now look forward to our 90th anniversary in 2009. We have come a very long way since 1919 - our yearly outgoings have increased from just under £1,000 to over £21 million. The pressures on our RAF family can only increase, and we are preparing to take on the tasks associated with the current society we all live in. With your support we can meet these challenges, and I therefore look forward with optimism to another busy and worthwhile year.

Air Marshal Sir Rob Wright
KBE AFC FRAeS FCMI - Controller

The RAF Benevolent Fund Head Office will be closed from 24 December for the Christmas holiday, and will re-open on 5 January.

"Great Britons On Success" is a new book that has been put together by businessman and author Alan Coppin. He began compiling his book after being inspired by a tour of RAF bases around the UK. He was so impressed by the professionalism, dedication and bravery of the RAF that he decided to donate all his royalties to the RAF Benevolent Fund.

In the book, over sixty contributors, such as Gordon Brown, Maureen Lipman and Sir Terrence Conran, share their thoughts and ideas on what it takes to be successful. RAF families can buy this ideal Christmas gift online for a discount price.

After leaving the RAF, where he'd served as a ground technician from 1971 to 1973, Tom Pearce and his wife Vonnie adopted four-year-old Ali. She was born with Down Syndrome and five holes in her heart. Aged two, Ali suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage, leaving her left side paralysed.

Incredibly, after many years of support from her adopted parents, Ali is now an accomplished and prolific photographer, whose extraordinary work has been exhibited at the V&A Museum. But, due to her paralysis, Ali is unable to walk without help, which makes location photography difficult.

After Tom and Vonnie contacted the RAFBF, we quickly provided Ali with an electric wheelchair. This has opened her horizons, giving her the opportunity to pursue her creative passion more fully.

"The help the RAF Benevolent Fund provided has been amazing", said Vonnie. "Ali now is so much more independent than she was before and can lead her own life, focusing her tremendous energy on her photography. We really are extremely grateful."

There are 6 weeks left before nominations close for the Sporting Champions Awards, being run by the RAF Benevolent Fund and the RAF Sports Board.

The awards ceremony will take place in The Bobby Moore Suite at Wembley Stadium on 23 April 2009. Nominations close on 16 January 2009, so nominate your friend, relative, colleague or local team. The awards are open to any serving or ex-Service member of the RAF and their families.

Nursery Fresh Postal Flowers offer exceptionally fresh flowers, straight from the nursery, and conditioned in one of their on-site cold stores, resulting in maximum vase life.

Military personnel, retired military personnel and MOD civilians get 15% off published prices. In addition, for flowers chosen from their RAFBF charity selection, Nursery Fresh will send £2 to the RAF Benevolent Fund.  

The Fund has made a £100,000 donation to the Scottish Veterans' Garden City Association. This Association provides 594 "Homes for Heroes" across Scotland for veterans of all three services. It is the largest ex-Service disabled housing provider in the UK.

A block of four two-bedroom flats is now being built in Motherwell, near Glasgow, on land very kindly provided by Motherwell Council. It is hoped that the first occupants will be moving in before Christmas.

The SVGCA has embarked on an exciting project to build a further 60 homes for disabled veterans in Scotland, and the fundraising team has already raised £1.5 million towards a target of £6 million.

Eleven-year-old Freddie Kempton, from Drumoig, raised a fantastic £120 for the RAF Benevolent Fund by dressing up as an RAF officer for Halloween and going door to door asking for "trick or treat" donations.



According to Freddie's father, "Freddie really enjoyed planning the collection and putting together his uniform, and arranged everything himself. He decided to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund because he wanted to give something back to RAF personnel and their families."

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

The RAF Benevolent Fund earns £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.

Why not donate by recycling your old inkjet cartridges? Send us an email with the subject "Printer Cartridge Recycling", together with your name and address.

We'll send you a prepaid, pre-addressed recycling bag. You can then put your old cartridges in the bag, seal it, and place it in the post. No stamps are required. Please note that we cannot recycle Epson cartridges.

Ayelsbury District Swimming Club held a sponsored 3 mile swim in the pool at RAF Halton and raised over £1,700. The swimmers covered a total of 117 miles in 3 hours. One intrepid swimmer (pictured) swam for the whole 3 hours and covered 7.5 miles alone. The event was organised by Sergeant Cliff Christie, who teaches at the club and is currently serving at RAF Halton.

Also this month, Families Day at RAF Lyneham raised £1,000, the Saturday night dinner, auction and raffle at Autographica raised £747, RAF Coningsby Ladies Lunch raised nearly £1,500, and Grimsby and Cleethorpes Ladies Choir raised over £2,000 through a charity concert.

Why not use one of our collection boxes to collect your spare change for us? If you email us we'll send you the collection box of your choice - just remember to tell us your postal address, how many boxes you need, and which type of box (round or square) you'd like.

We'll send you a reminder after six months, with a paying-in slip. Your spare change will mount up without you noticing, and you'll be helping to support our work at a time when need is increasing.

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.