The Association has a clear objective: to help sustain a resilient and empowered RAF community, including serving personnel, RAF veterans and their families.
We work to reduce loneliness and isolation by helping all generations to remain active, thriving and valued members of their local communities.
We relieve key elements of everyday life which can cause our beneficiaries pressure, by increasing resilience and wellbeing, while enabling strong relationships with family and friends.
We help vulnerable individuals in the RAF community to keep their freedom, dignity and independence, by empowering them and providing them with the tools they need.
Through our sector-leading services, we offer friendship to the isolated and lonely, sheltered housing for those who want to remain proudly independent, and childcare to serving personnel on RAF stations.
We also offer specialist online training programs – Finding It Tough? and Navigating Dementia – plus advice and assistance regarding war pensions or Armed Force Compensation Scheme payments.
Our branches help bring the RAF community together, and our caseworkers identify and support those going through particularly tough times.
With thousands of members across the UK and further afield, plus hundreds of dedicated employees and volunteers, we have the network and experience needed for a personal, one-to-one approach.
We work closely with partner organisations, including other military charities, and have a strong bond with our donors and other supporters, giving us the confidence to deliver for our beneficiaries when they need us.
We work together, to make sure no one is ever left behind.
The RAF Association is one of the oldest military charities, with a 90-year history of support to the RAF community. More than a million people make up the RAF community, to whom we offer support.
We have a thriving membership of almost 70,000 people and over 300 branches across the world.
Our dedicated helpline receives nearly 40,000 enquiries during an average year, and we support more than 85,000 beneficiaries through our sector-leading welfare service. Our welfare team is always on hand to help members of our community, providing a wide range of expert support, tailored to individual needs.
We have a field force of over 1,100 highly trained case workers and Connections For Life volunteers who reach out to those in need, making over 100,000 outreach calls on an average year. They are trained to actively listen, develop conversations and sensitively identify where someone may require more specialised support.
We offer specialist training and advice to the RAF community. Our online services – Finding It Tough? and Navigating Dementia – helped nearly 4,500 people last year. We also offer advice and assistance regarding war pensions or Armed Force Compensation Scheme payments.
Effective childcare is critical to so many in our RAF community. More than 430 children receive childcare at our RAFA Kidz nurseries on RAF stations across the UK. Every child at our nurseries enjoys stimulating and educational activities in a welcoming environment.
Our 4 retirement accommodation complexes around the UK allow 150 people to retain their independence – with a helping hand available on-site should they need it.
Maintaining relationships is vital for all members of our RAF community, including those currently serving. We provide free WiFi on RAF stations, so serving personnel are able to keep in touch with their loved ones. Our Storybook Wings initiative helps deployed parents still be there for their children at bedtime.
We also help support contact housing at RAF stations, and our online entertainment program has helped people stay connected during the pandemic, receiving over 1.35 million views.
