After leaving the RAF, Rich Paul joined the RAF Association as Head of Defence Engagement in Spring 2023. Shortly afterwards, he volunteered for the Connections for Life service. Rich was soon paired with RAF veteran Ian Oldfield. Here, Rich talks about his experiences of volunteering for CfL, and how he himself has benefitted from it.
“The one thing is you’re never quite sure how long the conversations are going to take. What I found with Ian was that we weren’t going to be short of things to talk about. I got a buzz from just talking to Ian and realising that, actually, he was very keen to converse. We were regularly talking for more than an hour because we were both having fun. He’d tell me little stories I’d never heard about, perhaps from the RAF, or little stories of life, or we’d have a little joke about stuff.
“I’d imagined that it would be more of a one-way street. I thought we’d have the same old conversation over and over again, but it wasn’t like that at all. I found it was really interesting getting to know Ian, and I found it opened my mind to things. It’s been very fulfilling for me – and hopefully for Ian too.
“The one thing I appreciated with CfL is that I was able to identify my interests, so the Association was cleverly able to match my interest with Ian’s, which meant we could talk about things like football, music and families, as well as what we’ve been up to.
“As Ian’s life has evolved since moving to the Association’s Wexford House, he’s got quite a lot more to talk about in terms of his own life. Before, we’d talk about what he did previously, what he did in the service and of the music concerts that we’d been to. Now a lot of it is more modern: it’s about what he did last week, and what he’s got planned for this week. So it’s nice because the conversations evolve, but we can still reminisce about the past.
“I found the conversations as rewarding for me as they were for him. As well as then feeling that I’d done some good. So I think I’ve got it both ways; I got a lot more out of it than I thought I would.”
To find out more about volunteering with the RAF Association, visit our Connections for Life website
Rich Paul (right) with CfL beneficiary Ian Oldfield at the Wexford House garden party in August. © RAF Association
