“Here, I’ve got a life”
RAF veteran Ian Oldfield was living alone and at a very low ebb when he signed up to the RAF Association’s Connections for Life service. Little did he know the impact that decision would have.
RAF stories: 2022
Every year our members send their RAF stories and anecdotes to Air Mail magazine for publication in the letters page. With 2023 now underway, we bring you a selection of amusing stories submitted over the past year. Panamaniacs I was ...
Penpals ready
A penpal service to help people stay connected to the RAF has been launched by the Association. An extension of the existing RAF Association Connections for Life service, it will support people who may not be comfortable with telephone friendship. Sam ...
Caseworkers acclaimed
Two RAF Association caseworkers have been recognised for their unstinting support for the RAF community at the RAF Benevolent Fund’s annual awards. Honorary Welfare Officers Pip Iles of Basingstoke Branch and Ron Simpson of Norwich Branch were named as two of ...
Tackling loneliness
A telephone friendship group run by the Royal Air Forces Association is helping to reconnect members of the RAF veteran community across the UK. The initiative, funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Tackling Loneliness programme, is primarily aimed at ...
Connections for Life initiative
Fighting loneliness with friendship... Our Connections for Life initiative has continued to prove popular with both volunteers and beneficiaries alike. RAF Association Connections for Life manager Sam Squire said the charity had seen growing demand for the service over recent months. ...
Connections for Life service is ‘huge success’
Our Connections for Life service, a volunteer outreach friendship programme designed to ease loneliness among members of the RAF community, has smashed its target after 120,000 calls were made since its launch in April 2020. Volunteers with the Royal Air Forces Association’s Connections for Life service collectively made over 6,600 telephone ...
A noble job
A noble job Ray Brasier saw distressing air crashes and mid-air collisions during his 23 years as an RAF crash rescue firefighter, a truly noble job. Now living alone in Chelmsford, confined to a wheelchair with his memories, post-traumatic stress disorder ...
