Tag: RAF Benevolent Fund

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo awards RAF charity £244,493 grant

The RAF Benevolent Fund is delighted to announce that The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has generously awarded a grant of £244,493 following another outstanding Tattoo season in August 2025.

This support follows a year in which the Tattoo delivered its largest-ever combined charitable donations, reinforcing its role as a significant contributor to military welfare and wider cultural causes across the UK.

The Fund is deeply grateful for the substantial grant, which will be dedicated to enhancing its welfare delivery throughout Scotland. As with previous funding from the Tattoo, this contribution will play a vital role in supporting members of the RAF Family facing challenges such as financial hardship or ill health.

The grant will enable the Fund to provide life-changing assistance, including immediate hardship relief and independent living support, helping beneficiaries – many of whom are elderly veterans – remain safe, comfortable, and independent in their own homes.

Air Commodore Simon Harper, Director of Operations at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “We are incredibly thankful to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for its ongoing support and generosity.

“This significant grant will make a real difference to the lives of RAF veterans, service personnel and their families across Scotland. It ensures we can continue to stand alongside those who need us most, providing both immediate help and longer-term stability.”

The RAF Benevolent Fund has a long and valued relationship with the Tattoo, which has supported the Fund through multiple grants over many years. Previous donations have enabled vital welfare interventions, from essential home adaptations to financial assistance during illness, bereavement or unemployment.

Jason Barrett, Chief Executive of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said:
“2025 was a monumental year for the Tattoo, and we’re incredibly proud to see its success translated into tangible support for charitable causes, including the RAF Benevolent Fund.

“Our mission has always been to use the platform of the Tattoo to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. We’re delighted that this year’s grant will support vital welfare work across Scotland for members of the RAF Family.”

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo continues to celebrate its landmark achievements, having announced in January its largest-ever charitable donation programme, totalling £1.5 million to military and arts organisations following the record-breaking success of its 2025 show, The Heroes Who Made Us.

The Tattoo is a huge immersive event held annually during August and will take place between 7-29 August 2026 with a show entitled A Call to Gather. Tickets can be purchased here.

As well as the RAF Benevolent Fund, the Tattoo also supports the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldier’s Charity, and arts charities within the UK. 

RAF Benevolent Fund launches ‘Valentine for a Veteran’ campaign

The RAF Benevolent Fund has launched a new campaign in Scotland, Valentine for a Veteran, highlighting the impact of loneliness and isolation among RAF veterans and the power of small acts of kindness in helping them feel connected.

Timed around Valentine’s Day – a period when family life, friendships and togetherness are particularly visible – the campaign focuses on delivering thoughtful Valentine messages from children and young people across Scotland to RAF veterans who may be experiencing isolation and ill health. 

Alongside sharing messages of kindness, the campaign invites communities to fundraise in support of the RAF Benevolent Fund’s ongoing welfare work with veterans and their families.

This year, the Fund has worked in partnership with Sight Scotland, recognising that many older veterans are living with visual impairments. Textured Valentine cards, created using materials such as felt, ribbon, fabric or buttons, have been especially meaningful for veterans with sight loss, allowing them to experience the messages in a more tangible way.

One of the veterans who received a Valentine message was David Innes, 94, from Edinburgh, who joined the RAF as a boy entrant in 1949 and served for more than ten years as an Aircraft Fitter.

Reflecting on his service, David said: “I really enjoyed my time in the RAF. I joined when I was very young and it became a huge part of my life. I travelled a lot and learned skills that stayed with me long after I left.”

Now later in life, David lives with significant sight and hearing loss, which he says can contribute to a deep sense of isolation. He explained: “When you lose both your sight and your hearing, it can be very isolating. You rely on other people and it’s easy to feel cut off from the world and from social life.”

For David, receiving a Valentine message is about more than the card itself. “Something like this really lifts you. It makes you feel remembered and valued. Knowing that someone has taken the time to think about you makes a big difference.”

He also highlighted the importance of intergenerational connection within the veteran community. He said: “It’s important that younger people understand who veterans are and what we’ve done. That connection helps keep our experiences alive and reminds you that you’re still part of something.”

Gavin Davey, Area Director of Scotland, Northern Ireland & North-East England at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said the campaign helps to shine a light on an issue that often goes unseen. He explained: “Across the nation, many veterans face increased risk of loneliness and social isolation, particularly in later life.

“Factors such as living in rural or remote communities, declining health, sensory loss and reduced mobility can make it harder to stay connected. ‘Valentine for a Veteran’ has had a huge response from the public, schools and community groups across Scotland, and will help veterans feel included, valued and connected.

“We are extremely grateful for the public thoughtfulness and generosity to help the RAF Benevolent Fund to continue to provide the practical, emotional and financial support veterans rely on throughout the year.”

Families, schools, youth groups and community organisations were invited to fundraise alongside taking part. All funds raised will support members of the RAF Family including veterans, serving personnel and their families with practical, financial and emotional support.

The RAF Benevolent Fund continues to support RAF veterans and their families across Scotland through a wide range of welfare services, addressing issues such as isolation, health challenges and changing support needs later in life.

For more information visit rafbf.org

Letter to Editor: Supporting veterans’ mental health

Dear Editor,

January can be a particularly challenging time for mental health. The combination of shorter days, colder weather, financial pressures after Christmas, and a sense of anti-climax following the festive period can affect many of us. For members of the veteran community, these challenges can be even more pronounced.

Many veterans face ongoing issues linked to their service, including anxiety, depression, loneliness and difficulty adjusting to civilian life. During the winter months, feelings of isolation can intensify, especially for those living alone or with limited support networks.

At the RAF Benevolent Fund, we see first-hand how vital timely, accessible support can be. We offer a confidential Listening and Counselling Service, providing serving personnel, veterans and their families with a safe space to talk through challenges and access professional support. We are also preparing to launch an online wellbeing portal, which will give easy access to trusted mental health resources and self-help tools.

Loneliness is another major concern at this time of year. To help combat this, we run Telephone Friendship Groups and facilitate local veteran meet-ups across the country, helping people reconnect, share experiences and feel less alone during the darker months. In addition, our financial support can help relieve some of the pressures associated with higher energy bills and living costs over winter, which are often a significant source of stress.

No one in the RAF Family should feel they have to face these challenges alone. Support is available, and reaching out can be the first step towards making a positive change.

For more information, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Pinner

Head of Contact and Casework, RAF Benevolent Fund

Scottish Bomber Command veteran to remember 555,573 fallen comrades

Ninety-eight-year-old Jim Marshall will join hundreds of families and friends to remember the 55,573 members of Bomber Command on Sunday at a service at the Bomber Command Memorial.

The service at the Memorial in London’s Green Park will include a virtual audience enabling many more veterans to join the proceedings. The service is held annually by the Memorial’s custodian, the RAF Benevolent Fund, to mark the unveiling of the Memorial which was first revealed by Her Majesty The Queen in 2012.

Jim, who lives in the Erskine veterans’ village at Bishopton, joined the RAF aged 18 in 1941, and trained as a navigator flying in Wellingtons with 38 Squadron, serving all over the world. He flew more than 100 operations without incident, until crash landing during a search and rescue mission a month after VE Day had been declared. Jim was the only survivor of his crew. 

Jim was so badly burned only one shoe remained and went on to become a member of the Guinea Pig Club, under the care of pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe.

He said: “The Bomber Command Memorial means everything to me. It is recognition of all my brave comrades who were forgotten after the end of the War. We did our duty and my fallen friends should always be remembered for their sacrifices.

“Although I’m not able to attend the service in person, to be able to join and take part from afar is testament to the RAF Benevolent Fund’s dedication to RAF veterans, working hard to make this happen.”

The service will be led by Reverend (Squadron Leader) Chrissie Lacey and includes wreath laying from representatives from some of the 60 nations who served in Bomber Command as well as Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston.

Fund supporter Sue Holderness, whose own father Anthony served with Bomber Command, will be narrating the livestream, for audience members at home.

RAF Benevolent Fund Controller Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot said: “We at the Fund are all hugely proud of the role we have in preserving the memory of all the young men who flew in Bomber Command.

“We are equally as proud of our work in supporting this generation of service personnel and their families, ensuring they can live with dignity and comfort into their twilight years.”

Jim is one of thousands of RAF veterans who are supported by the RAF Benevolent Fund every year. To date, the Fund has granted £125,000 to Erskine Care in support of its work providing care for RAF veterans and their partners in Scotland supporting people like Jim.

To join the Bomber Command Memorial virtual service sign up via the Fund’s website.

Letters: Emotional support for Scottish veterans

Editor,

Earlier this month the Prime Minister announced a third national lockdown. Although necessary, these measures mean many of our veterans will be facing the next several weeks – or months – completely alone.

And while the vaccine rollout out across the country provides some hope, social isolation and loneliness poses a real threat to our elderly this winter, among them many former RAF personnel and their partners supported by the Fund.

To help combat this, last year the RAF Benevolent Fund introduced a weekly Check and Chat service to support members of the RAF Family experiencing loneliness. I speak to one such gentleman every Tuesday. He lives alone and spent much of 2020 totally isolated, and for him, this service truly is a lifeline. We chat about what he’s been up to, what he’s cooking for tea, to his time in the RAF and often I’m the only person he will speak to for days.

The Fund also facilitates weekly Telephone Friendship Groups, provides access to a Listening and Counselling Service, relationship counselling support, and an online wellbeing portal to help support emotional wellbeing amongst the veteran community. 

Throughout the pandemic, many of us have learnt more about our neighbours and local community. That’s why we are calling on the people of Scotland to consider whether they know any RAF veterans, or their spouses or widows, who may be experiencing loneliness.

To refer someone to the RAF Benevolent Fund, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.

Yours sincerely

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot

Chief Executive, RAF Benevolent Fund

RAF charity shines spotlight on unsung heroes on Battle of Britain Day

EDITOR –

As we all mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the RAF Benevolent Fund is working to highlight the role of the many who each played a critical part in securing victory. 

Many of them lived and worked in Scotland, home to not just airfields but also other critical installations such as radar. Others in the region may recall seeing the dogfights in the skies during that summer of 1940.

To pay tribute to all those who worked towards victory, we created a poignant light show projected onto two radar sites with images of a range of RAF personnel from air crew to radar operators.  These help remind us of the many who supported the few, not just during the Second World War, but right up to the present day.

The RAF Benevolent Fund is there for the many – anyone who has EVER served in the RAF. We have a duty to support them in their time of need. We all have a last chance to do our duty, just as they did theirs, by giving them and their families the support they deserve. 

In 2019, the RAF Benevolent Fund spent more than £400,000 supporting 196 beneficiaries in Scotland – but we know there are thousands more veterans out there in need of assistance.

Given the important role the RAF has played in the recent heritage of the region, we ask your readers to think if they know of any RAF veterans or their partners who may be in need of our support, particularly during this difficult time. We can help them in so many ways.

To find out more or let us know of someone we might be able to help, please visit www.rafbf.org.

Thank you, sincerely,

AVM Chris Elliot

RAF team to abseil the Forth Bridge for charity

A team of 20 RAF personnel from 612 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Leuchars will look to complete the Forth Rail Bridge Abseil to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity, on 15 October. The unique challenge allows entrants to abseil 165 feet from the iconic Forth Bridge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nick, who served for 29 years in the RAF Regulars before joining the Reserves, explained: “Every year the Squadron decide what charity they would like to support, and this year we chose the RAF Benevolent Fund. Since January we have taken part in an array of events, from cycle challenges and marathons to quiz nights and super-car events, all to raise money for the Fund. So far we have raised over £5000 and we’re hoping that this event will bring even more money and awareness to the Fund so they can continue the wonderful work they do supporting the RAF family.”

Zee Fletcher, Regional Fundraiser for the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “Nick and the team are going to incredible lengths for the RAF Benevolent Fund and we couldn’t be more grateful! The dedication they have shown is second to none. The donations from the challenge, and indeed the whole year of fundraising, will help us to continue providing support for serving personnel and veterans, whether it’s through respite care, financial top-ups or emotional support. Thank you 612 Squadron!”