News

Annual Forces Carp Classic raises thousands for charity

The ninth annual Forces Carp Classic has raised thousands of pounds for military charity Blesma, The Limbless Veterans and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
The competition, which took place over a week in October at Abbey Lakes in France, was the best attended to date with around 100 anglers from serving military, veterans and the emergency services taking part.

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Former RAF serviceman scoops rollover draw

A former RAF serviceman from Cumbria has won £9,750 on the RAF Association’s Wings Lotto rollover. 84 year-old Mr Byers joined the RAF in 1951, aged just 18, and served for four years in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He has been an Association member for 33 years and a Wings Lotto player since it started nine years ago.

Speaking of what it felt like to win the money, Mr Byers said: “It was a dream. When I was called up to be told I had won, I thought it was a con. I have been entering the Wings Lotto for many years, but never thought I would actually win – but you know what they say, you have to be in it to win it!”

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Win £500 for yourself and £15,000 for your RAF station

The RAF Benevolent Fund has launched an appeal for serving RAF personnel, reservists and their partners to complete a short survey to help inform the future of its welfare services.

The RAF’s leading welfare charity has commissioned this new piece of research to enable the charity to better respond to the needs of the serving RAF Family. Those who complete this short survey can enter a prize draw to win up to £500, with an additional 75 runner-up prizes of between £20 and £100 in Amazon vouchers also to be won.

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As 10 unique Aston Martin Vanquish S Red Arrows cars roll off the production line, one rolls into Canary Wharf – and you could win it!

The RAF Benevolent Fund launched the exciting raffle to win the limited edition car earlier this year. The car is worth £275,000 and tickets to win it are just £20, with all proceeds going towards the RAF’s leading welfare charity in support of the RAF Family, past and present.

The car will visit Canary Wharf in November as part of the area’s Remembrance Day commemorations this year – sited on Reuters Plaza. Plus members of the Red Arrows team including pilots and Red 1 Sqn Ldr David Montenegro and ‘Blues’ – engineers and other support staff – will be visiting the car on November 1 to help sell tickets.

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Blind veteran from Hampshire set to take Baking Blind project global following Holman Prize win

A blind veteran from Fareham, who won inaugural Holman Prize, is set to take her baking project, Baking Blind, on a global tour across six continents.

Penny Melville-Brown OBE, who receives support from Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, was selected as one of the three winners and won $25,000. She says: “This is an extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine my love of cooking and travel. I’ll be a standard bearer for blind people, demonstrating that blindness isn’t a bar to ambition.

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Award-winning chefs’ fundraiser is icing on the cake for RAF charity

Three 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.

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Blind veteran from Hampshire wins prestigious Holman Prize

A blind veteran from Hampshire who was invited to compete in the inaugural Holman Prize has emerged victorious as one of the three winners.

Penny Melville-Brown OBE, from Fareham, was selected as one of the 11 finalists from over 200 original entries. Run by the San Francisco Lighthouse organisation, the three winners will be awarded $25,000 to achieve their ambitions. Penny’s goal is to cook across six continents with her online Baking Project, Baking Blind. The two other winners are Ahmet Ustunel and Ojok Simon from the United States and Uganda respectively. Ustunel is planning on completing a solo kayak from Europe to Asia, while Simon is aiming to build a blind-led social enterprise for beekeepers.

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SSAFA – shortlist to win commercial partnership with Rockface

SSAFA has been shortlisted, as one of three charities, with a chance of winning a commercial partnership with Rockface.

Rockface is a widely distributed men’s grooming product range – stocked in major supermarkets and stores across the UK.

This is a fantastic opportunity for SSAFA to raise vital funds, to further support our work, as well as see the SSAFA name on a widely distributed commercial product.

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Thrilling finish to City Invitational Cup

The 2nd Annual City Invitational Cup, a charity Twenty20 cricket match played in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, saw a dramatic finish with Ashes winner Simon Jones’ City Select XI take the win with the last ball of the match. Last year’s winners, The Soldiers’ Charity XI captained by England legend Mark Ramprakash, had to concede defeat with the batting team making a last gasp four off the final bowl.

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Afghanistan support

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here