KEEPINGYOU IN TOUCH WelComE (WelfareCommunications Everywhere) -providing communication services to link entitled UK Service personnel on operational duty with their families and friends backhome. Free* voicemail Familyand friends based in theUK, Germanyand Cyprus can leave voicemail messages forentitled UK Service personnel currentlyserving on operational duty overseas. Entitled deployedpersonnel can retrieve voicemail messages forfreein-theatre. Online top-up service Entitled deployedpersonnel, familyand friends can top-up WelComE Account Cards via the Online Account Manager. Visit www.mywelcome.co.uk fordetails. ademark of Astrium Limited. Tr egistered aR lComE is We served. re WelComE Customer Contact Centre digm. All rights ra [email protected] Pa www.mywelcome.co.uk -© *Freewhen calling from aUK, German or Cypriot landline 255 Mobile and international call costs mayvary. Checkwithyour mobile/service provider 10 Why should YOU contact the Federation? The RAF Families Federation is funded by the RAF but sits outside the Chain of Command as an independent organisation. We represent all RAF personnel –bethey Regular,Reserve, single, married or in apartnership, together with their families. We provide avoice for the issues and concerns you have about life in the RAF,and we have direct Welcome access to senior RAF and MOD staffs as well as Government Ministers. editor To do all this, we need to hear from you on issues from the such as quality of life, accommodation, health, Since the last magazine, our team diary has been filling up nicely here at the FF education, pay and allowances Everyone’s views and to join you at families’ days and other similar events. If you have any key dates concerns are important to us. you’d like us to be part of,please drop me an email at [email protected]. Keythings to remember: In this edition of Envoy,you’ll see proof that your comments to us really do get used. Mark Lancaster wrote to Bill earlier this year and his letter is included •Wework with the RAF/MOD and not against them within Stan’s housing article so I’ll say no more now and leave you to have a •Wedon’t undermine the chain of command; we read, especially if you live in SFA. work with them but will dig them in the ribs on On the very same subject, we have some great content and examples on how your behalf when necessary the Armed Forces Covenant supported you during 2015. Hopefully these will give you aclear idea on how the Covenant actually works and the sort of •Wewill signpost you to the ‘best’ experts to help things it’s there for.There is also aseparate article on the banking industry, you if required including mortgage deals for you as Armed Forces personnel. It essentially covers things like when you own your own home and then need to rent it out •Wealways maintain your anonymity and respect whilst deployed on operations or serving abroad. your privacy Moving on to spousal support, we have been expanding our gateway of •Wealways maintain afair and balanced approach information to courses, opportunities and access to job sites and there is now an RAF Families Group on LinkedIn. As job news, shares and tips come in to Help us to continue to share the message us we share them on our LinkedIn Group so please feel free to join and help us make it areally useful network for our spouses. Contact us: raf-ff.org.uk Te lephone 01780 781650 or email [email protected] FrontCaption: RAF Coningsby Photographic Section. CONTACT Communications Assistant: Nick Crouch Te lephone: 01780 781650, Assistant Volunteer Editor: Kate Graham email: [email protected] Evidence Manager: Colin Jones or via the website www.raf-ff.org.uk Evidence Assistant: To dd Fellows Evidence Assistant (Housing): Envoy –The magazine of the RAF Families Federation, Stan Brathwaite published 4times ayear. Office Manager: Ruth McClelland To have your FREE copy delivered quarterly to your home, Published quarterly by Method Publishing, adivision email [email protected] or via our website of Scottish Provincial Press Limited, on behalf of Envoy www.raf-ff.org.uk Design and Ty pography: ©Method Publishing 2016 RAF Families Federation, 13-15 St Georges Road, Editorial Matter and Illustrations: ©Envoy Printed in Great Britain by: Warners Midlands plc Wittering, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE8 6DL Advertisement Office (UK): Method Publishing, Sutherland Press House, 01780 781650 Main Street, Golspie, Sutherland, KW10 6RA Director: Bill Mahon Te l: 01408 633871 Fax: 01408 633876 Communications Manager: Caroline Woodward Email: [email protected] Views expressed in Envoy,unless stated otherwise, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of Envoy,the RAF or the Ministry of Defence. No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in Envoy can be accepted by the Publishers or Printers and advertisements are accepted on the express condition that the advertiser warrants that they in no way contravene the provisions of The Trades Descriptions Act 1968 nor any other prevailing legislation in the United Kingdom. The Publishers reserve the right to refuse acceptance of any advertisement without stating areason. www.raf-ff.org.uk Spring 2016 3 TheRAF charity, here forour service personnel past andpresent,for life TheRoyal Air Forces Association is the charitythat supports the RAF family.Whether it’s an injured airman fighting to get back on his feet, ayoung child missing their parent away To find out eamor bout whatwedo, from home or aveteran needing someone to lean on in later visit rafa.org.uk or call 0800 018 2361 life, we’reheretohelp all generations of the RAF family. Contents 20 8 In the News COVENANT FEATURES 30 The CovenantatWork Highlights of what has been achieved by the 10 ReservesatBrizeNorton Armed Forces Covenant. Reserves are not just about civilians wanting a new challenge, they are also about ex regulars 32 Banks offer betterdeal looking for new challenges whilst maintaining Armed Forces personnel posted overseas will their other job. 10 be able to rent out their homes without facing higher mortgage costs or having to change 12 Service ComplaintsSystem their mortgage. Accessing the new Service Complaints System whilst Serving in the RAF. HEALTH ANDWELLBEING FEDERATION 35 Building stronger families The RAF Benevolent Fund offers you afree, 16 Accommodation Matters easy-to-access, online course to help RAF Housing information and accommodation couples deal with the challenges of family life. updates from your Federation. 22 37 Asad lesson forusall 20 In Planning Mode In Nov 15 the RAF Honington community RAF Coningsby was awelcome location for pulled together to host aMelanoma the Federation to hold its annual strategy day. Awareness Event in honour of Louise Cook. SPOUSESINBUSINESS FAMILY 22 Outstanding Entrepreneurs 38 Activity Breaksopportunity The University of Wolverhampton’s award SSAFA’sannual Short Breaks scheme caters for winning business-start up programme, 30 children and young people with an additional ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’, has bestowed need or disability and their families to enjoy nine ‘outstanding entrepreneur’awards to together at the Calvert Tr ust in Exmoor. service spouses. 39 Afriend in need… LEGALAND FINANCIAL Got any spare time? Volunteers needed for a 24 Tools to getMoneyFit new ‘befrinder’scheme for RAF Association. It’s never too early or too late to get your OF INTEREST finances sorted. MoneyForce is auseful 40 Slow things down... website offering arange of interactive planners 38 and calculators to help you take control. Whether you’re looking for afamily holiday with adifference or just want to unwind 27 CreditUnionsfor Armed Forces and take life at amore tranquil pace, our Service personnel are now able to get into the narrowboat could be for you. savings habit by having deductions from your pay made straight into asavings account with 43 DVDs in atime of need one of three Credit Unions. Some short DVDcartoons aimed at children of all ages who have suffered bereavement. 43 www.raf-ff.org.uk Spring 2016 5 FOREWORD Foreword by GP CAPT RICH PRATLEY, COMMANDING OFFICER, RAF WITTERING AND A4 FE COMMANDER Much of the past four years for me has their job. Equally, been focused on operations. Firstly as the and arguably more Deputy Commander of Joint Force Support importantly,is in Afghanistan; then as the Permanent Joint ensuring that we Headquarters logistics lead for Redeployment support those from Afghanistan; and for the past six months as families at home. the Station Commander and A4 Force Element At Wittering, we Commander at RAF Wittering. The tempo of have worked hard Service life seems to increase year on year with avariety of and yet for the Servicemen and women, there organisations, to ensure families have the facilities is undoubtedly huge satisfaction from doing and support they need while family members are ajob that they know is important, and doing away.While great strides have been made in this it well. But this is only part of the equation. area, there is still more we can do. This is akey What Ihave been increasingly convinced of,is part of the moral component of Service life and it that it is the families who are left behind who is imperative that we get it right. have the hardest job. Life on Ops is relatively straightforward: work, gym, eat, sleep, repeat! None of us possess acrystal ball but 2016 looks Whereas home life continues apace. Bills still set to be asimilarly frenetic year,with the same to be paid, bins to be emptied, shopping to be huge demands placed on Service personnel and done. It is something Iamacutely aware of. their families. That means that Service charities will continue to be akey contributor to us The return of flying to Wittering this year,after a delivering on operations through the outstanding gap of around five years following the withdrawal work that they do across awide spectrum of of the Harrier from service, is hugely welcome.