World Friendship Day: How the Fund brings veterans together to tackle social isolation

To celebrate World Friendship Day this month, the Fund would like to highlight the Telephone Friendship Groups and the Group Breaks initiatives which aim to bring veterans together to tackle isolation and build lasting relationships.

This World Friendship Day, also known as International Day of Friendship, takes place on Sunday 30 July and focuses on bringing communities together all over the world. 

The Group Friendship Breaks initiative for RAF veterans and their partners, provides a safe and fun environment for veterans to improve their mental and physical health, tackle loneliness, and create and strengthen important relationships.

RAF veteran Alice Judge, from Hampshire, joined 22 members of the RAF Family on the Hayling Island Group Breaks in June. 

 The week away in Hampshire, offered an array of activities for the veterans to take part in, from rifle and pistol shooting, indoor bowls and skittles to bingo and team quizzes. 

Speaking to Alice about her experience of the Breaks, she said: "It's lovely to have a day out by the sea and to feel part of society again. When you’re indoors day after day as I am, it can become soul-destroying.”

Alice started her RAF career serving in the Royal Observer Corps, then joined the RAF Association as a secretary. Since retiring, the Fund has supported Alice with her mobility difficulties, providing a wheelchair to make life more accessible and comfortable for her at home and outdoors.

Alice said: "The Fund has been absolutely superb; I cannot praise them enough. They have been there for me when I have been at my lowest and helped to pick up the pieces. 

"The wheelchair has been a godsend because it’s supportive, lightweight, and easy to fold up and get into a car. I am housebound unless somebody comes and wheels me out of the out of the flat. 

Alice continued: "I have a carer who visits morning and nights to help me with my mobility. But otherwise, I'm really stranded. I can't get out at all, whether it's winter or summer. So having a break away like this is amazing.”

The Fund also offers Telephone Friendship Groups for veterans and their partners or widows(ers) to allow those in need of company to meet new people from across the country. 

Shaun Nyhan, from Bristol, was a Safety Equipment Fitter in the RAF. Shaun has found the Groups to have made a positive difference to his mental wellbeing following a major surgery that left him feeling isolated.

After undergoing spinal cord surgery, Shaun was left sleep deprived and unable to perform his daily self-care duties. Shaun would find himself stuck on the sofa for most of the day and struggling with his mental health as a result.

Shaun said: "I felt alone after having major spinal surgery. I was unable to leave the house often and needed something to do other than watching the television."

In 2019 Shaun was offered the opportunity to take part in the RAF Benevolent Fund's Telephone Friendship Groups. 

Shaun currently participates in a five-person, all-male Telephone Friendship Group, three members of which have remained in the same group as Shaun for the past three years. Shaun and friends can support one another through good and difficult times, connecting over their RAF memories, helping to foster a stable, trusting and comforting environment for the veterans.

Shaun said: "I'm very invested in the wellbeing of my Telephone Friendship Group friends. Supporting one another through difficult times is an important part of our week. For the last two years, I've been in a better place mentally – there's been a significant difference."

He continued: "I've got four friends that I’ve never met, and they are brilliant! I couldn’t be happier."

Each week at the same set time, the group discuss their favourite books, exchange stories, and lift each other’s spirits.

Shaun said: "We talk about the best films to watch and which books we are currently reading."

Then saying: "It's not unusual for us to go over our allocated talk time by five or so minutes. I don't know where I’d be without these lads and I'm very grateful to the Fund for making this a possibility."

To learn more about how to get involved with our friendship initiatives, visit our website here.