Serving personnel to complete 4000-mile challenge in America

Four serving members of the RAF are currently taking part in a 4000-mile challenge to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

The team are completing a combined distance of 4000 miles, running, cycling and indoor rowing over three months using the station gym. The challenge started on 1 June and will finish on 31 August.

Currently on deployment at the Naval Air Facility El Centro in California, the team is comprised of Cpl Matt Phillips, Chf Tech Will Gray, AS1 Sam Ridholls, and AS1(T) Ben Turner, who all belong to the RAF Odiham Ground Engineering Flight.

As serving members of the RAF, they have witnessed the invaluable work of the RAF Benevolent Fund, supporting current and former personnel as well as their families. 

Matt, from Hampshire, expressed: "Being away from our families during deployment in America and having some spare capacity, we felt we wanted to do something worthwhile to give back to a charity that does so much to support the RAF Family. Since there are four of us, we agreed on an equal target of 1000 miles each."

Matt continued: "We hope that events of this nature will raise awareness about the important work accomplished by the Fund and shed light on the assistance it can provide to individuals in need. The four of us know the support is always there if we ever did need to reach out for help."

You can donate to Matt and the team’s fundraiser here.

Find out more information about the support on offer from the Fund here.