The RAF Association’s Connections for Life service aims to fight loneliness with friendship and for Squadron Leader Steve Jones, the joy of being a CfL volunteer came full circle.

Steve began his CfL journey in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic as he wanted to make sure that veterans in the local area were being cared for in a time of global uncertainty.

“During Covid, I was the Area RAFALO for Wales, Midlands and the Southwest,” he said.

“I had already been reaching out to most of the branches in my area anyway. I was trying to create more links between the military, veterans, and civilian communities.

“When I was sent home during Covid, I started working with my local charity, Valley Veterans, reaching out and supporting veterans in my local community. After then speaking to the team at RAFA HQ, I found out that the Connections for Life “OP CONNECT” programme had started and veterans were receiving regular phone calls, so I just said, “throw me some phone numbers, I have time and would love to get involved.”

“From there, I started making the calls and it ended up with me making over 700 phone calls during that year, along with running the “Bag Drop” distribution for South Wales, as the main volunteer himself went down with Covid. For this work I received the RAFALO of the Year award which was incredible, and something I did not expect.

“As things calmed down, I found myself having regular calls with 12 veterans of different ages, just making sure they were ok, having chats about, not only their time in the service, but about all aspects of their lives. They made me feel like one of the family.

“It was hugely important to me that we made sure our veterans were well looked after. Over the five years since this project started, we have lost many of our veterans, and I only have four of the original 12 left and we have built such a strong bond together.”

Having helped to make sure so many veterans were not left feeling isolated, Steve was then hit by a personal crisis of his own but was able to get through it thanks to the help and support of his beneficiaries.

“I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in April last year, after months of major surgery and stays in hospital, I then went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy and I was in touch with the RAFA team throughout,” he said.

“Unfortunately, during my treatment, I lost my voice, ability to eat or drink and swallow so I was not able to make my regular calls to my beneficiaries, but I was able to get messages to them via Alex my coordinator.

“Then in July, as my Cancer treatment ended, I got seriously ill. My treatment had finished but I developed a DVT and large blood clots in my left leg, these broke free and moved to my lungs causing serious double pulmonary embolisms (blood clots) in both lungs. My family, friends and I were preparing for the worst, as I just did not have the strength in me to battle.

I spent a month in hospital fighting for my life. Everybody was praying for me and the messages I was receiving from my beneficiaries through Alex gave me that extra strength to fight through. My family and I cannot thank you all enough for that support.

“In August, once I was home and starting to recover, I logged onto the system and read the messages where the veterans had been asking after me and wanting regular updates on my progress. That was a really special feeling to know that they were thinking about me.”

The Connections for Life service has been a useful tool for both Steve and the veterans he supports, and now they are all looking forward to a bright future with many stories still to be shared and laughs still to be had.

“Connections for Life is truly special because it doesn’t just focus on older veterans, it aims to look after veterans of all ages whether they’ve served for one day or 40 years,” he said.

“The interactions between us mean just as much to me as they do to the veterans. The support they gave me during the dark times of my illness showed just how much Connections for Life can benefit the volunteer as well as the beneficiary.

“I will continue to make these calls for as long as I can as I know how much of a difference it makes. Every veteran has a different story to tell, and it is so important that we are there to make sure that someone is there to hear them, and more importantly, pass those stories on.”