The Fund’s President, HRH The Duke of Kent meets RAF Benevolent Fund beneficiaries and supporters

On Thursday 17 October, The Duke of Kent met with beneficiaries, staff and supporters of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund hosted by the RAF Museum in Hendon.

The Duke of Kent, who has been President of the Fund for 55 years, met with RAF veterans who are supported by the Fund’s community outreach team and have benefited from services including Group Friendship Breaks, Telephone Friendship Groups and Dementia Reminiscence Groups.

The Fund’s Community Engagement Workers (CEWs), who organise and run these initiatives, working with community organisations, local authorities, and individuals to identify members of the RAF veteran community who are feeling lonely or isolated. The Fund creates a pathway of support, helping RAF veterans, partners and carers thrive and feel more connected through a variety of activities.

His Royal Highness had the opportunity to speak with the Fund’s outreach team about the positive impact their work is having in the community, reestablishing connections and making new friendships. The CEWs were joined by personnel from RAF Northolt and spoke with The Duke of Kent about the importance of the serving community’s role in supporting veterans and maintaining connections between the past and the present.

In addition, His Royal Highness made a poignant visit to the Short Sunderland aircraft on display at the RAF Museum – the same type of aircraft in which The Duke of Kent’s father was tragically killed in an aircraft crash in 1942.

Speaking of the visit, The Duke of Kent said: "It has been a great pleasure to witness first-hand the impact the RAF Benevolent Fund’s community engagement support has on the RAF veteran community. As President of the Fund, it is wonderful to see the significant growth of the charity’s community engagement services in such a short space of time. I look forward to seeing these services grow further and continue to reach more members of the RAF Family."

Air Commodore Simon Harper, Director Grants, Services and Programmes at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "Following on from his recent visit to our headquarters, it was an honour to introduce The Duke of Kent to some of our beneficiaries, staff and supporters. The visit provided a great opportunity for The Duke of Kent to learn more about the positive impact our community outreach is having on veterans, their partners and carers.

"As our President, we continue to be grateful for the support from The Duke of Kent, helping us to raise awareness of the needs of the RAF Family and the vital work we do to change the lives of so many people, often not on anyone’s radar."

Following research highlighting social isolation and loneliness as key issues within the older veteran community, the Fund introduced its Community Engagement Service in January 2019. The service identifies RAF veterans, spouses and widows in need of support; develops local solutions that reduce social isolation and loneliness; connects veterans to other services and each other; and significantly improves their quality of life.

National Service RAF veteran Ivor Barnett, 90, who met with The Duke of Kent and has attended the Fund’s Group Friendship Breaks, said: "It was a fantastic opportunity to meet the Duke of Kent and others supported by the Fund. I attended the Fund’s Group Friendship Breaks earlier this year – I hadn’t been away since my wife had died, so it meant a lot. It’s very different when you’re very old and suddenly alone – this holiday gave me the chance to meet new people and build connections with others in the RAF Family who just ‘get it.’"

Over the years and particularly following the pandemic, the demand for the Fund’s community support has increased substantially. In 2023, the Fund’s CEWs supported 300 individuals. There were over 1,100 attendances at social activities and Dementia Reminiscence Groups, and 76 attendances at Group Friendship Groups across the country throughout the year, with 91% of beneficiaries saying the service had improved their quality of life.

Demand is higher than ever before – in 2024, the number of people being supported by the CEW team has increased by 10% in comparison to 2023, and referrals to the Fund’s Telephone Friendship Groups have increased by 62%. Dementia Reminiscence Groups have expanded from two in 2023 to five in 2024; and social activity groups have expanded from five in 2023 to eight in 2024.

Air Commodore Simon Harper said: "Our community engagement support provides vital work to reduce social isolation and loneliness in the veteran community, and we encourage those in need of our support to reach out today."