Our stories

The Baileys
In 2008 Shaun’s wife, Jacky, gave birth to their third child, Adam, who was diagnosed with Hemimegalencephaly, an extremely rare condition which results in abnormalities in the brain.The doctor recommended that Adam should go to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital to have surgery to ease his symptoms.

Alf Booth
What was Alf Booth supposed to do? 78 years old, and having lost a second leg to diabetes, he was told by his local Primary Care Trust that he was not eligible for an electric wheelchair.

Anita and David Brayshaw
When David and Anita Brayshaw's son, Jack, was born severely disabled in 2004, they sought expert advice on how to best support him. To stimulate his limited vision, doctors recommended some sensory impairment equipment which was beyond what David and Anita were able to afford.

Craig and Leanne Cooper
Craig and Leanne’s twin daughters Sophie and Erica were born prematurely at 24 weeks and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The Coopers found themselves under severe financial pressure and didn’t know what to do

Caroline Davidson
Caroline Davidson's husband, Roger, died in service at the age of 43. Still reeling from the death of her mother four months earlier, she was forced to give up her job and income as a Special Needs Teaching Assistant to be there for her three daughters.

Rick and Abbie Freeman
Corporal Rick Freeman and his wife Sian were taking their 10 year old daughter, Abbie, on a birthday trip to London when she started to experience pain in her knees. After a number of medical tests, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Gordon Green
When Sandra's father, Gordon Green, was discharged from hospital, he was still too unwell to live at home. Sandra and her sister found a care home for Gordon, but were worried that they would not be able to manage the top-up fee payments.

Carl Harding
Just married and with a baby on the way, Carl Harding was on his way home from teaching at RAF College Cranwell when his life changed forever.

Connie Hird
After her husband's death, Connie found herself with a much reduced income and her house needing some essential repairs. Her 1950s bungalow still had many of its original windows and doors, with rotting wooden frames. “It would have taken everything I had to replace them,” said Connie.

David Holmes
For people with a disability, a computer can be a way of keeping in touch with the world at large. When David Holmes started to lose the use of his hands, he dreaded the isolation that could follow.

David Jones
When Sergeant Dave Jones developed a rare degenerative condition that affects his balance and speech, his home became a hazard, especially the stairs, which he fell down many times. Dave, his wife Dee and son, Jason, needed a new way of living.

Corinne Knight
Sgt Bob O'Connor had been to Iraq and Afghanistan several times before. But when he didn't return from his last trip, his partner of 15 years, Corinne Knight faced losing not only the man she loved very much but also her home.

Anne Lawson
Anne Lawson had to flee the United States with her children due to her husband's behaviour. On returning to England, the ex-RAF Telecommunications Controller was determined to find a job, but it wasn't that simple.

Chris Ledgard
In some situations, serving or ex-RAF need very specific specialist help, like Christopher Ledgard, a former Chaplain in the RAF. We ensure they get the help they need by supporting specialist organisations who can then support the RAF family.

Joy Lowe
Joy looked after her mother at home for fifteen years. When her mother became too unwell she found her a place in a care home but the costs of the home were hard to meet on her own pension.

Charlie was medically discharged in 2007 after he sustained a back injury whilst on duty in Iraq. At the time, Charlie and his family lived in Service accommodation and so found themselves in great difficulty when he had to leave the RAF.

Joanna Martin
Senior intensive care nurse Joanna Martin joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force to use her skills in new situations. In 2005, she went on a training course to prepare for a second tour of duty in Iraq. She never made it onto the plane.

Ryan Moorhouse
When an IED exploded under his vehicle in Afghanistan, Ryan suffered a frontal facial fracture, collapsed eye socket, collapsed lung and neck injury, and cognitive impairment.

Roger Morewood
Despite being a pilot during the Battle of Britain, protecting convoys in the English Channel and undertaking fighter sweeps over Holland and Norway, Wing Commander Roger Morewood found himself without a pension when he retired from the RAF.

The Nicholsons
43 year old Master Engineer Gary Nicholson looked after his sons alone for many years, after his marriage had broken down. He even made the decision to stop flying until his younger son had reached 16. So when he left for Iraq in 2005, they weren't worried.

Winnifred Paul
For many people struggling on a small pension or income, life is precarious. When a leaking roof soaked RAF widow Winnifred Paul's bedroom, she worried about how she could possibly get it fixed.

Ali Pearce
The RAF Benevolent Fund is not just here for people who are serving or have served in the RAF. We're also here for dependants, like Ali Pearce, 24, a keen but frustrated young photographer with Down's Syndrome.

Marie and Peter Pendlebury
Marie and Peter's son Paul contracted ephalitus before his second birthday which left him with damage to the left-hand-side of his brain, greatly affecting his speech and mobility.

Eric Reedman
When Eric Reedman developed problems with his right hip and knee, he turned to the RAF Benevolent Fund for help.

Ben and Bridie Shields
After 34 years in the RAF, Ben Shields and his wife, Bridie, had plans for an active and adventurous retirement. But when Bridie developed early dementia, everything changed.

Carol Taylor and David Mears
When Carol Taylor's brother-in-law died in 2008 she wanted to celebrate something that had been very dear to him - his experience of RAF life in the 50s, which he often talked about.

David Thompson
The Falklands, the First Gulf War, East Timor, Afghanistan… David Thompson served in them all. But when he set out to adapt his home for his son Gregor, the challenge seemed huge.

Jacqui Thompson

SAC Gary Thompson served as an RAF reservist with 504 Squadron, RAF Regiment, from 2005 until 2008. Gary was tragically killed in Afghanistan when his patrol vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. He left behind his wife Jacqui and five daughters.

Pamela and Grant Turner
Grant's wife Pamela suffers from Parkinson's disease and permanently requires a wheelchair. When Grant contacted the RAF Benevolent Fund, Pamela hadn't been able to go out for six weeks because of her condition.

Ken and Jean Wheeldon
When Jean Wheeldon's husband, Ken, suffered a stroke it placed an enormous strain on Jean. Ken experienced memory loss, became easily confused, had to be in a wheelchair if he left the house, and could not be left alone at any time.

Stu and Sasha Whiteman
Cancer treatment is gruelling for the whole family. So when Sacha Whiteman had a pause in chemotherapy, she and her family took a break on the South Coast with plenty of home comforts and sea air provided by a very special facility for serving RAF.