Volunteers' Week Showcase - RAF Association

The first of our Volunteers' Week Showcases: Royal Air Forces Association

Loneliness affects tens of thousands of people across the RAF community. Whether it’s a veteran struggling to adapt to life after service, or a family member facing difficulties alone, loneliness can be devastating to people’s mental and physical wellbeing.

The RAF Association’s Connections for Life service aims to fight loneliness with friendship and create a resilient, empowered and connected RAF Community. The RAF Association’s Connections for Life volunteers are at the heart of the service. They provide one-to-one, personalised conversation, vital friendship and support via telephone and other initiatives.      

Originally created as the RAF Association's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic;  Connections for Life has now become the Association's largest permanent welfare service. Over recent years, hundreds of volunteers have generously given their time to support members of the RAF community experiencing loneliness and isolation. Now, with the cost of living crisis, our support is still needed more than ever.  

Our volunteers offer a listening ear, help someone regain their confidence, share discussions around their interests and help them reconnect with the wider world. The RAF Association is also the only military charity to offer accredited training to our volunteers, with the Connections for Life training course being certified through AIM, and carrying the Investing In Your Future excellence kitemark.

The positive impact our volunteers have on the RAF community is huge and can be seen through the wonderful responses from our beneficiaries. Seeing how our volunteers can help and support veterans such as Ray show the difference our volunteers make: https://rafa.org.uk/blog/2021/07/09/a-noble-job/            

Thank you for making a difference to members of the RAF community who have needed your help!