The Controller's Christmas Message
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Looking back, 2009 - our 90th anniversary year - has been a year of hard work, achievement and celebration for the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Against a background of extreme financial turbulence and a demanding mission in Afghanistan, we have met our pledge to expand and improve our support network, whilst developing our structures and business practices so that we can continue to deliver the high quality support for which we are renowned. We have also marked the occasion of our 90th anniversary with a number of high profile events, including our flagship gala dinner at Bentley Priory and a reception at Edinburgh castle, as well as a number of regional events organised by our many friends and supporters.
We now look forward to 2010, and the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Working in partnership with our friends, supporters, the RAF and other related organisations, the RAF Benevolent Fund will play an important role in helping to celebrate this milestone, and I invite you to join us in remembering the sacrifice and valour of those who took part in the most vital air battle in British history.
In 2010, we will also be moving to temporary offices to allow for a two year refurbishment programme to take place at our offices in Portland Place. To enable the move to happen as smoothly as possible, the RAFBF will be closed for business from 18th December 2009 and will not re-open until 4th January 2010.
From 4 January 2010 our new address will be:
12 Park Crescent, London, W1B 1PH
All our phone numbers will remain unchanged.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continuing support and to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and to offer my best wishes for what promises to be a very exciting 2010!
Sir Rob Wright
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Dog sled racing for the RAFBF
Melanie Clegg, a former Fighter Controller in the RAF, is taking on a series of dog sled races in Norway this Winter to raise money and awareness for the RAF Benevolent Fund. Melanie decided to support us after learning about the support we offer to serving families as well as members of the retired community.
She said, "I'm no sledding expert, but I enjoy the challenge of learning by doing. I could have gone for the easy route and bought a ready-made sled team, but I prefer doing things the hard way and building my own team from pups, as there's much more fulfilment in the long term! I'm also delighted to be raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund as I know that they'll always be there for me and my RAF friends and colleagues, if we're ever in need of help."
If you would like to sponsor Melanie, please visit her Justgiving page Prospect Huskies.
Sgt Shaun Taylor
Sergeant Shaun Taylor, a Gunner in the RAF Regiment based at RAF Cosford, has served in the RAF since 1994. Just before Christmas 2008 he was detached on a course at RAF Honington when he received word that his wife, Ruth, was seriously ill. He rushed home to be with her but she died suddenly the next day.
Shaun was left to break the news to their three young children and to steer them through Christmas without their mother. It was an immensely difficult period for the entire family, and Shaun's grief was made worse by the uncertainty he faced over how to make ends meet with only one income.
The RAFBF was able to help Shaun by issuing a grant to relieve the financial pressure the family was living under.
Shaun said, "When I got the news of how the RAF Benevolent Fund was going to help me and the boys, the feeling of relief and that someone genuinely cared about our situation was incredible. The grant took away the worries about how to pay for Ruth's funeral and for all the expenses which were piling up and getting worse. Thanks to the RAFBF I could afford to stay in the RAF and help my kids with the loss of their mum without the added burden of worrying about finances."
If you would like to help the RAFBF to be there for families like Shaun's, please make a donation:
RAFBF funded service helps members of RAF family beat credit crunch
This December sees two years since the launch of the enormously successful Benefits and Money Advice Service, funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund and The Royal British Legion. Over the last two years, the scheme has helped over 8,100 serving and former members of the Armed Forces and their families deal with financial problems.
Initially rolled out at 18 Citizens Advice Bureaux, the service now runs at more than 40 bureaux with further increases planned. To date, clients are better off by a total of £19.2 million pounds, with this figure expected to grow significantly as more cases are resolved.
The need for a dedicated service was identified after a 2005 survey conducted by The Royal British Legion found that one in five of those accessing its support services cited debt as a prevalent difficulty in their lives. The Benefits and Money Advice Service (BMAS) was launched in December 2007 to address this problem head on, offering bespoke advice for serving and former members of the Armed Forces, their partners and dependants.
If you want to find out more about the Benefits and Money Advice service, contact Legionline at The Royal British Legion on 08457 725 725 or find your nearest CAB offering the service.
The most iconic RAF figure of World War Two
Many thanks for your votes in our poll to find the most iconic RAF figure of World War Two. At the moment Air Chief Marshal Dowding is in the lead, with Bader, Harris and Gibson following close behind.
This poll has proved very popular so we have decided to leave it open until the end of the year. Please do cast your vote if you haven't already, we would love to hear your views.
The poll is featured on our special 90th anniversary website, 90 faces of the RAFBF, which features 90 stories from our dedicated fundraisers, inspirational beneficiaries and key supporters such as Winston Churchill. A great range of information is available through a mixture of images, text, audio and visual formats.
Could you last three rounds for the RAFBF?
We came across a novel piece of fundraising recently on the web. This historic video clip shows star boxers competing to raise money for RAF Benevolent Fund during World War Two.
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