ANNUAL REVIEW AND IMPACT REPORT 2019 CONTENTS OUR VISION OUR PURPOSE CHAIR’S MESSAGE 4 No member of To understand and IN 2019 WE SPENT 6 the RAF Family support each and CENTENARY 8 will ever face every member of FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE 10 adversity alone. the RAF Family, WELLBEING BREAKS 20 FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIPS 24 whenever they EMOTIONAL WELLBEING 28 need us. INDEPENDENT LIVING 32 TRANSITION 36 For 100 years, we have been the RAF’s oldest friend – loyal, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP 40 generous and always there. We support current and former FUNDRAISING HIGHLIGHTS 42 members of the RAF, their partners and families, providing THANKING OUR DONORS 47 practical, emotional and financial help whenever they need FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 48 us. We are committed to getting them through tough times, CONTROLLER’S MESSAGE 50 whatever life throws at them. Cover photo: Jacob Newson meets Second World War veteran, and former Spitfire pilot, Allan Scott DFM at a special event in Oxfordshire, organised by Aces High. Jacob raised £6K for the Fund in 2019 2 3 MARKING 100 YEARS OF THE RAF BENEVOLENT FUND In 2019 we celebrated our centenary by launching an ambitious new campaign to find the veterans who need our help – and it has been a resounding success. As we approached the end of our first 2019 saw us make tremendous strides time and expertise and our amazing century, we felt exceptionally proud of towards this aim. Alongside superb donors and fundraisers for contributing our achievements. Side by side, shoulder centenary celebrations, we supported so generously. I would particularly to shoulder, we had been with the RAF an amazing 71,700 RAF Family like to express my gratitude to our Family every step of the way for 100 members – a quarter more than in outgoing Controller, David Murray, for years. But, ever ambitious, we wanted 2018 and exceeding our yearly target. his remarkable achievements during his to mark our centenary not just with We improved the lives of many more tenure at the Fund and welcome our celebrations, but by doing what really veterans, supporting them to the tune new Controller, Chris Elliot. matters: helping more people than of £21.0M – a 39% increase on 2018 It is down to all of you that we can be ever before. – with everything from grants to help there for the RAF Family during their with living costs, care home fees and Through our research we estimated toughest times, whatever life may send mobility equipment, to wellbeing breaks there were approximately 300,000 their way. The global Covid-19 crisis and initiatives to combat loneliness. RAF Family members out there whose makes 2020 a tough year for the Fund And we also maintained our close lives our support could improve. The and for the world. But we will continue relationship with currently serving RAF challenge was they weren’t aware we to be the RAF Family’s oldest friend – personnel, spending £7.2M to meet could help them, or were too proud to loyal, generous and always there – their needs – including mental wellbeing ask. We needed to change that – and come what may. and supporting families – a 24% rise our bold ‘Join the Search. Change a Life’ compared to 2018. campaign was the answer. Launched in June 2019, it has an audacious goal: to We simply could not have achieved all double our reach from helping 53,000 this without the incredible support of people in 2018 to 100,000 by 2021, by those who responded magnificently asking the public to help us find veterans to our campaign. Thank you so much. LAWRIE HAYNES, CHAIR, ROYAL AIR FORCE who have fallen ‘off the radar’ but I would also like to thank our hard- Lawrie Haynes BENEVOLENT FUND WITH VETERAN EMLYN urgently need our support. working staff for their immense efforts Chair, Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund BARWICK AT PRINCESS MARINA HOUSE this year, our dedicated trustees for their 4 5 IN 2019 WE SPENT 34% 39% UP ON UP ON 96% 96% 2018 £21.0M 2018 RATED OUR SERVICE SAID OUR SUPPORT SUPPORTING RAF £28.2M AS EITHER ‘EXCELLENT’ IMPROVED THEIR VETERANS AND SUPPORTING OR ‘VERY GOOD’ QUALITY OF LIFE MORE THAN THEIR FAMILIES 25% UP ON 24% 2018 UP ON 71,700 £7.2M 2018 MEMBERS OF SUPPORTING SERVING PERSONNEL THE RAF FAMILY AND THEIR FAMILIES £9.5M £528K ON NEARLY 7,000 ON EMOTIONAL AND GRANTS TO RAF MENTAL WELLBEING FAMILY MEMBERS PROGRAMMES £6.4M £5.6M ON GRANTS TO IMPROVE TO ADAPT AND LIFE AT RAF STATIONS PROVIDE HOUSING SO VETERANS CAN LIVE £3.6M INDEPENDENTLY ON RESPITE AND Please note that in 2019 the way we count the total number of people we help changed in some areas of our welfare services. CARE SERVICES AND We now count both the person who applied for help and members of their household, to demonstrate the impact of the WELLBEING BREAKS Fund’s support more fully. Previously we only counted the applicant in those areas. The 2019 figures also include the number of people who made enquiries and received information/advice from the Fund. However, this new method only accounts for a small proportion (4,500) of the increase in people helped in 2019. Comparing like for like as far as possible, we have still helped 25% more people in 2019 compared to 2018. 6 7 , PEOPLE9 400+ ENQUIRED ABOUT OUR WELFARE SERVICES, AN INCREASE OF 1,065%* 260%* MORE PEOPLE REFERRED TO OUR LISTENING AND COUNSELLING SERVICE PUTTING THOUSANDS OF VETERANS BACK ON OUR RADAR 205%* 1919–2019: A CENTURY OF THE We launched our ‘Join the Search. Change a Life’ centenary campaign in June MORE PEOPLE REFERRED 2019 at RAF Odiham, with 1,226 members of the RAF Family coming together TO OUR TELEPHONE to form a human radar. Featuring RAF veteran Ron Finch and voiced by Sir FRIENDSHIP GROUPS RAF BENEVOLENT FUND David Jason, our advertising campaign encourages the public to help us find the thousands of RAF veterans and their families who may need our support. The campaign continues to be a resounding success, contributing to many * more people enquiring about and using our services. 50% Veterans George Dunn and Chick Chandler MORE PEOPLE ACCESSED with Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier at Side by side. Shoulder to our centenary campaign launch OUR RELATIONSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES shoulder. We have been with CELEBRATING AT the RAF every step of 10 DECADES OF SUPPORT ST JAMES’S PALACE the way for 100 years. We hosted a special afternoon tea We held a special centenary £1.2M which brought together 10 members celebration reception in October GIVEN IN GRANTS In 2019 we marked of the RAF Family, who have all at St James’s Palace, hosted by TO 650 PEOPLE WHO been supported by the Fund, to His Royal Highness, The Duke of CAME TO US AFTER our centenary with Kent. Two hundred of the Fund’s represent 10 decades of support. SEEING THE CAMPAIGN celebrations – and an Howard Battson, 97, was the oldest supporters and beneficiaries, beneficiary at the event. He was part plus RAF personnel joined His ambitious campaign of Bomber Command during the Royal Highness, who is the Fund’s *Compared with the same Second World War and completed President, and the Viscount six-month period in 2018 to find the veterans 52 missions. He’s recently found Trenchard of Wolfeton DL, who need us most. companionship through one of our the grandson of the Charity’s Telephone Friendship Groups. founder, Lord Trenchard. 8 9 KEY AIM ONE: FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE I can’t thank the Fund enough for £9.5M WE SUPPORT THE RAF SPENT ON helping me get back NEARLY 7,000 FAMILY THROUGH THEIR on my feet.” GRANTS TOUGHEST TIMES £574K HOW WE SPENT ON REGULAR From struggling to pay for urgent home repairs to FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE keeping up with care home fees or making pensions HELPED GEORGE TO PENSIONERS TO stretch far enough, money problems can be a For most people, a £400 increase in PROVIDE DIGNITY IN burden on the RAF Family. monthly income would make a huge RETIREMENT Whatever life may send their way, we are a financial difference. For 96-year-old Second World safety net for veterans, serving members of the RAF, War veteran George, it meant everything. and their families. Our grants and advice help to George joined the RAF as a Bomb £780K relieve their stress, offer them peace of mind Aimer, flying in Halifax bombers. He was SPENT ON GRANTS TO and allow them to get back on their feet. awarded the Gallantry Medal of the ATC HELP WITH HOUSING for putting out a fire in a burning building during an air raid. After the war, he COSTS emigrated to South Africa, staying there WE ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH: until his failing health brought him home to the UK in 2008. • One-off grants to cover unforeseen costs, £313K like a new boiler or roof repairs George contacted the Fund for financial SPENT ON FUNERAL support as his children were having EXPENSES • Regular grants to help with day-to-day to top up his income each month. Our living for pensioners in financial distress Advice and Advocacy Service discovered • Support with funeral expenses George was eligible for benefits he wasn’t £1.6M claiming. George said: “I am so happy • Grants to help people who are isolated IDENTIFIED IN and £400 a month better off. I can’t thank take part in social activities UNCLAIMED BENEFITS the Fund enough for helping me get back • Advice on benefits from our Advice on my feet.” AND £53K IN ONE-OFF and Advocacy Service.