Veterans represent RAF Benevolent Fund in Israel

RAF veterans from across the UK are currently taking part in the Veteran Games in Israel, representing the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF's leading welfare charity.

The Veteran Games run from May 29 to June 3 in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The event recognises the fundamental role played by sport and family in supporting the ongoing recovery of veterans, who have suffered physical and psychological challenges as a result of serving their country.

Flight Sergeant David Rose, of Downham Market, Norfolk, who served in the RAF for 31 years as an aircraft engineer, said: "The RAF Benevolent Fund has always been there for me and I'm so grateful for the support they have provided over the years. I’m looking forward to representing the Fund at the Games."

Pete Lauder, who set up the adaptive sports club at RAF Wyton, in Cambridgeshire and, for several years, ran this alongside the work he did in the RAF, said: "It’s a great honour to be chosen by the RAF Benevolent fund and to represent them and team UK. I can't thank them enough for the opportunity for my family and I to partake in it."

Balkans veteran Carl Harding, of Bourne, Lincolnshire, said: "Thanks to the RAF Benevolent Fund’s support, me and my family had somewhere to live, enabling me to adapt to life as a wheelchair user."

He added: "The Veteran Games in Israel gives an amazing chance to meet service personnel with completely different backgrounds, but at the core we are both the same."

The Games are being held at state-of-the-art facilities run by the charity Beit Halochem, which offers rehabilitation, sports and recreation centres and lifelong care for disabled veterans and their families in Israel.

The RAF Benevolent Fund provides financial, emotional, and practical assistance to serving and retired RAF personnel and their families. This includes grants to help with financial difficulty, free memberships for Headspace, Airplay youth clubs, and more.