Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Annual Review 2012/13 OUR GOALS IN 2012 Continuing – hOW DID WE DO? CONTENTS to repay ‘the Carry out a full strategic review of the RAF Benevolent Fund’s welfare provision to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of the RAF family debt we owe’ whilst ensuring the charity’s financial security. Our review of the Benevolent Fund was completed and FORMER MEMBERS s readers are all too well aware, we are living in very Front cover image: implemented in 2012. By taking sensible, pragmatic OF THE RAF challenging financial times, which appear likely to continue Former SAC and decisions, we have been able to maintain the broad range 2012: facing the A for some time. The pressure on everyone’s pockets, whether RAFBF beneficiary, of welfare work that we undertake and remain “best in challenges together 02 “I am pleased individuals or commercial organisations, has been felt keenly in John Robertson class” in all that we do. We have protected those whom the charitable sector, where fundraising is becoming ever tougher. (centre) with we have helped in the past and continue to provide vital Mick McConnell: I am pleased to say that the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund’s very to say that the Paralympic sailing support to new beneficiaries. dogged determination 03 generous and loyal supporters have continued to provide us with team-mates Hannah RAFBF’s very the means to undertake our vital welfare work for members of Stodel and Stephen Reaching out to the RAF family 04 the RAF family in need in 2012. Install Airplay parks and multi-use games areas Thomas. © OnEdition Sheila Prettejohns: (MUGAs) on a further five RAF stations. loyal supporters But we are certainly not complacent, and we know that we need proud to be in the RAF family 05 have continued to continue to educate people about what we do to demonstrate In fact, in 2012 we installed Airplay parks and MUGAs at the the value of our work. This will help to widen our support base following six RAF stations: RAF Brize Norton, RAF Digby, RAF to provide us and further ensure our long-term financial health and sustainability. Henlow, RAF Odiham, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Wyton. SERVING RAF In an appeal on behalf of the RAF Benevolent Fund in 1951, Taking the strain from with the means Winston Churchill reminded the nation of ‘the debt we owe’ to those Maximise the effectiveness of the Airplay youth serving personnel 06 to undertake who served in the Royal Air Force in World War Two. With recent support strand at 25 RAF stations. operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and now places such as Mali, Working with our partners, the children’s charity 4Children Top mum: Flight Lieutenant our vital welfare today’s Royal Air Force continues to face enormous pressures in and RAF Community Support, we increased the number of Janet Logan 07 keeping us safe at home and protecting British interests around the children and young people whom we supported during the Flying high at RAF Lossiemouth 08 work.” world, often involving long periods of separation from families. year, up by 30% to 2,610. We continue to improve the quality of Airplay across all settings, through the Aiming We must acknowledge the debt we owe today just as our forebears Higher programme. The year also saw young people from did all those years ago. The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is here the Airplay Programme take a leading role at the Tri-Service FUNDRAISING to ensure that we remember that debt and continue to help those Youth Forum, which was supported by the Ministry of who need our assistance. Defence and highlighted the challenges that young Remembering Bomber Command 10 2013 will be my final year as Chairman of the Royal Air Force people from Service families face. How our loyal supporters Benevolent Fund, which has come a long way since I first became helped us through 2012 12 a trustee in 1991. It has been a great privilege to serve such a Increase the occupation of Princess Marina Fundraisers remember wonderful organisation and to play a part in the outstanding work House and the Seaside Cottages by 5%. fallen Tornado pilots 13 that it does for the Royal Air Force family. Princess Marina House has had an excellent year. During Financial review 14 I know that my grandfather, the first Viscount Trenchard, sometimes 2012, the total number of guests at PMH and the Seaside called the founder of the Royal Air Force, would be happy and proud Cottages has risen by 26.7% to 1,562. that the charity he set up in 1919 continues to do so much to help Prudent planning for the future 16 those in need almost 100 years later. Successfully take over the guardianship of the Bomber Command Memorial. Tony Rogers: an extraordinary life 17 The Benevolent Fund became the guardian of the Bomber Command Memorial, following the successful Unveiling and Dedication ceremony in London on 28 June 2012. We now need to raise £1.5m to maintain the The Viscount Trenchard of Wolfeton DL Memorial for future generations (see p10). Chairman of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund | 1 “I didn’t know a lot about OUR impact the Benevolent Fund until I MICK MCCONNELL: ON THE EX-RAF DOGGED DETERMINATION COMMUNITY was injured, but now I realise they’re not a small cog in the 2012: facing the For RAF Police dog handler Corporal Mick wheel – they’re making a huge McConnell a simple walk on the beach with difference to people like me.” his dog Memphis brings new pleasure, and £12.4m challenges together support from the RAF Benevolent Fund is was spent helping former helping him rebuild his life. members of the RAF and their families ike many other organisations in Indeed, the total number of awards made In 2011 Mick was on patrol in Afghanistan the charity sector, the economic by our general welfare department in 2012 searching for IED’s when his dog Memphis L downturn has presented the was up by 2% on the previous year. These momentarily left his side and Mick stepped on Benevolent Fund with some difficult awards are the heart of our welfare work a mine. Even though the IED only partially exploded, challenges. Due to worsening economic and comprise grants for a variety of needs, it caused irreversible damage. conditions, members of the RAF family are ranging from the cost of a new cooker for a “There was a massive bang and I fell on my left more in need of our help than ever while at widow struggling to make ends meet, to the £920,000 the same time, pressure on household side,” Mick recalls. “Although I was screaming in was spent on electrically powered purchase of an electrically powered vehicle budgets means that many people are agony, my first thought was to feel for any major wheelchairs and associated costs (EPV) for a World War Two veteran who has unable to donate as generously as they bleeding and see if my arms and legs were still lost the use of his legs in old age. have done in the past. there. As I was dragged to safety, I heard Memphis barking – it’s the first time I’d ever heard him bark.” So the challenge for us in 2012 was to do WE ARE DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT 340 more with less. And we are delighted to say LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO Mick’s left foot had been shattered in the explosion and back in England he spent a month recovering in wheelchairs that while we spent £4m less on welfare HELP 68,538 MEMBERS OF THE hospital with five-inch pins keeping his foot together. were issued to delivery last year, we were able to help 68,538 RAF FAMILy – A 10% INCREASE. Despite almost two years of rehabilitation, he is still ex-service personnel members of the RAF family, a 10% increase on the number of people we helped in 2011. Our care services continue to be in demand. on medication and last year took the decision to Overall, across Princess Marina House and the have his foot amputated. What helped us to achieve this was a more homes we run jointly with the RAF Association, prudent approach to our grant-giving process, It was during this time he contacted the Benevolent which focussed more specifically on the core 2,850 guests benefited from breaks at these Fund for a loan. This enabled him and his wife Lorna, needs of our beneficiaries. This resulted in the facilities, representing a 4.8% increase on the a former Flight Sergeant, to buy a more suitable £789,000 average grant awarded totalling some £1,300 previous year. Fees for residential care or home in Elgin, close to family. was spent on top-up fees and in 2012, slightly lower than the previous year’s nursing homes were slightly lower than the “The fact that the Benevolent Fund has helped us domiciliary care average of £1,500. The benefit of this approach previous year, while with domiciliary care, to move from a house where it took me 10 minutes was that we were able to align our expenditure demand increased but overall costs were to get up and down the stairs to a home that’s easily more closely with our income without having to lower, continuing the theme of doing accessible and close to family where we can get turn away anyone in genuine need.