Former Senior Aircraftsman Matt Neve has been selected to represent the United Kingdom in the archery event at the Invictus Games in Toronto.
Matt, who lives in Swansea, will join 90 other wounded, injured and sick UK military personnel and veterans as they compete in the third Invictus Games competition, following the inaugural event in London in 2014.
Matt, now 32, joined the Royal Air Force as a driver in 2001 at just 16-years-old.
Read moreAn RAF Regiment veteran, who will take part in this year’s Invictus Games, has spoken out about how sport helped turn his life around when an accident left him with life-changing injuries.
Michael Mellon, of Cardenden, was just 17 when he joined the RAF in 1997 following his father, sister and brother into military service.
In 2001, while playing in a RAF Rugby match, Mike fractured his tibia and fibula bones which resulted in compartment syndrome. Compartment syndrome is a painful and potentially serious condition caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles – known as a muscle “compartment”.
Read moreAn RAF welfare charity today revealed it has helped more than 1,000 people access £1.5million in unclaimed benefits after identifying that a large number of veterans were not receiving what they were entitled to.
The RAF Benevolent Fund launched its Advice & Advocacy Service two years ago after research that the charity carried out indicated many of its beneficiaries were not receiving eligible state benefits, such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction or Universal Credit.
Read moreThis year’s Kop Hill Climb motoring extravaganza will feature one extra special car – a red Aston Martin Vanquish S.
The £275,000 car is a representation of a spectacular Red Arrows Vanquish S model which the RAF Benevolent Fund is raffling off this December. The car is one of just 10 unique cars which will roll off the Aston Martin production line later this month, created by the iconic carmakers in a tribute to the world famous aerobatic display team.
See the car for yourself Kop Hill, Princes Risborough, on Saturday and Sunday (September 16 and 17) as it joins hundreds of others taking the historic trip up the hill.
Read moreFrom RAF Benson to RAF Wyton, the RAF Benevolent Fund has spent almost £50,000 in its second year of support for station families’ days.
The annual events are a much-loved date on the calendar when serving personnel are given the opportunity to share their working life with their loved ones. Families are able to relax and recuperate within their own community, without the pressure of operations, which is particularly important on stations where personnel are deployed short notice.
The RAF Benevolent Fund made grants to 34 stations, awarding a total of £47,000 to support the events.
Read moreThree chefs who were crowned the Crème de la Crème by the BBC earlier this year have helped to raise a sweet total for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity.
The trio, led by 30-year-old Corporal Liam Grime, created 1,150 desserts and an incredible chocolate centrepiece which featured the Fund’s roundel logo. A selection of 11 different sweets including entremets, macarons, tropical flavours, chocolate and crumbles were sold at RAF Odiham’s Families Day last Thursday (24 August) to raise £860.
Read moreThere are no half measures for RAF Benevolent Fund supporter Ceri Meehan, especially when she’s aiming to ‘give something back’ to the charity which has supported her family.
The 31-year-old is planning to run her very first road race, a half marathon distance, in tribute to the help the RAF’s leading welfare charity gave to her late grandmother Leading Aircraftswoman Edna Lacey. Edna lost her leg to bone cancer shortly after leaving the RAF following service during the Second World War. But she did not need to use a wheelchair until a second battle with cancer affected her mobility.
Read moreLast month, all eyes were on the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana – the aftermath, how it affected the Royals and those closest to her, as well as the impact on the British public. But what about the people involved behind the scene?
Retired RAF Squadron Leader Graham Laurie spent nearly 20 years flying the Royals as part of The Queen’s Flight and on 31 August, 1997, he was assigned to fly Diana’s body back to London from Paris.
The ambassador for the RAF Benevolent Fund has helped raise over £25,000 for the charity through his talks, ‘The History of Royal Flying’, and below shares his memory of that fateful day, when the RAF was in the world’s spotlight.
Read moreRAF Shawbury’s new play park was officially unveiled during its Families Day event by Air Vice-Marshal Warren James CBE, Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group. He cut the blue ribbon in front of excited and eager children, who proceeded to test out their new play area.
Shawbury play park opening
The new layout has been designed for children of all ages, replacing one which only catered for toddlers. It was created in consultation with the young people at RAF Shawbury.
Read moreSgt Steph Evans of 24 Squadron RAF Brize Norton is taking on a series of challenges like no other: a year of epic fundraising events, which she’s calling ‘An Oscarordinary Challenge’ after her young son, Oscar, who has Goldenhar syndrome, a facial cranium condition.
She aims to raise £20,000 to benefit our charity and others with 12 months of walks, spinathons, decathlons and runs – including Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert. She also wants to raise awareness of Oscar’s condition.
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