"Being a Telephone Friendship Group Facilitator brightens my day and cheers my heart"
A Station Chaplain has revealed why the RAF Benevolent Fund's Telephone Friendship Groups are such an important lifeline.
Sqn Ldr Phil Craven is based at the Defence Academy, in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire – where he serves as the Station Chaplain. He has been posted to RAF Waddington and RAF Cranwell and completed an Operational Tour in the Middle East in 2020 (Operation Shader).
Phil, 41, said: "I first heard about RAF Benevolent Fund during my preparatory studies for joining the RAF in 2018. I was quite amazed at the work that the Fund does, its reach, and its ethos. As a serving chaplain, I have assisted serving and veterans to access resources and support through the Fund. I heard of the Telephone Friendship Groups when I was looking on the RAF Benevolent Fund website for another reason. I saw information about it and thought that it sounded like a wonderful opportunity to assist our veteran community."
Speaking about how Telephone Friendship Groups help him, he said: "I find immense pleasure from facilitating the conversations for my group. The gentlemen are full of so many stories and such wisdom. It is a privilege to hear their lives, their stories, and their service week by week. It brings me great joy to chat to them."
He added: "Before being involved in the group I found that I was missing engagement with older members of the military community. In my previous role as a church vicar, I regularly engaged with older church goers. As a serving military chaplain, most of my engagement is with younger personnel. I missed the warmth, wisdom and wit of older members of the community.
"I thoroughly enjoy each phone call with my group. We always start with the weather forecast from each area we hail from. It gives us all a sense of being together, even though we are apart. It brightens my day, cheers my heart, and provides a well needed change of focus and perspective from the day job."
Phil cited the "wonderful company and fellowship of the group" as a key point for him and said it was a lifeline for others who sadly don’t have any other social interactions in the week.
He concluded: "Being a call facilitator is a wonderful role. You are aware that you are part of something bigger, a community that spans not just the country, but also the generations. It is a joy to hear the stories of my group, and their insights into a world that I have no experience of. The military community sticks together, no matter how long you served, no matter where you went, and no matter which rank you carried upon your shoulders. Thank you for enabling me to be a call facilitator."