Fund supports summer holiday camps for children at RAF Stations

Following the success of its pilot programme in 2025, the RAF Benevolent Fund was proud to reintroduce its School Holiday Provision this summer, helping RAF families access enriching activities and vital support during the summer holidays.

This year the programme was extended across 25 RAF stations, who were awarded a total of over £140,000 in grants from the Fund to support RAF families throughout the summer holidays.

The programme was developed in response to a growing need identified by the RAF’s People and Families team, and colleagues across RAF units, helping serving personnel and their families access affordable, high-quality activities during the summer holidays.

The provision included a range of activities which varied across stations to help children and young people build friendships, increase confidence, and boost wellbeing.

At RAF Brize Norton, the project delivered a football camp attended by approximately 150 children, a STEM Week engaging over 40 children, and a residential experience for 60 young people. Collectively, these activities provided around 10,000 hours of operational support to service personnel and their families, helping to improve wellbeing, build resilience and strengthen community connections.

A portion of the funding went towards the costs of the residential programme, helping to ensure the experience remained affordable and accessible to families who may otherwise have faced financial barriers to participation.

Craig Hutton, Community Development Officer at RAF Brize Norton, said: "Support from the RAF Benevolent Fund has been instrumental in the success of this year's Summer Football Academy. The programme has provided valuable opportunities for children and young people while enabling an estimated 2,800 operational effectiveness hours by supporting service families throughout the summer holidays. It is a fantastic example of how investment in our families directly strengthens the operational capability of RAF Brize Norton."

At RAF Benson, the funds were used to provide 11 activity days through the summer holiday period, starting with breakfast each day in the junior ranks mess followed by a trip or activity. Suitable activities were provided for children and young people aged 5-15.

The trips included Legoland, Longleat Safari Park, a trampoline park, Chessington World of Adventures, paintballing, an Oxford United football camp and more. Parents paid £10 per young person per day attended and the funding covered the rest of the entrance costs and breakfast.

One parent at RAF Benson said: “They were fantastic. I can’t thank the team enough. My son loved having breakfast in the mess – it made him feel part of the community.”

Another parent added: “I thought the whole project was beautifully run, the communication was fantastic and the trips varied. Thank you.”

One of the young attendees said their favourite part was a trip to Thorpe Park: “It was really fun and we got to go on all the rollercoasters. I found it really amazing because I have never been on rides that go upside down before.”

At RAF Halton, 18 children aged 6-13 attended a summer camp delivered by Kings Camps. Throughout the programme, they enjoyed 25 different sports and activities, with badminton, obstacle courses and tag games proving most popular. Feedback from the camp highlighted notable improvements in children’s self-belief, confidence and overall happiness, demonstrating the positive impact of the provision.

A parent at RAF Halton said: “Our children loved the sports element. This is a great holiday club and ideal for myself and my husband who both work full time.”

Kings Camps returned to RAF Odiham for the second year of the summer holiday provision, with 45 children attending overall aged 5 -10. The attendees said their standout activities included swimming, basketball and dodgeball, as well as the scavenger hunt for Kingsley the Kings Camps Bear, the ‘Wet Wednesday’ water fight and the UV disco.

The programme had a positive impact across a range of wellbeing measures. Every child observed showed improvements in their friendships, 100% demonstrated some or substantial increase in confidence and 90% were found to have strengthened their self-belief.

A parent at RAF Odiham said: “My kids have absolutely loved this week and wish they were doing another week. I really hope it’s back next year! It’s such an amazing help knowing that the kids are happy whilst we work through the summer.”

The grant provided to RAF Lossiemouth enabled over 750 holiday club sessions at a subsidised cost to RAF families throughout the summer holidays. This support made a significant and meaningful difference to families who otherwise may have faced considerable childcare costs during the school holiday period.

The Holiday Club provided children with a safe, engaging and supportive environment throughout the summer, while giving parents and carers the opportunity to continue working, meet their service commitments and maintain a healthy balance between work and family life.

Maria Lyle, Associate Director Operations at the Fund said: “We are delighted by the hugely positive response to this year’s school holiday provision. Our aim this year was to help more families by significantly expanding this programme, so it's great to see this happen. By helping families access affordable holiday activities, the programme has eased pressures for hundreds of serving parents during the summer holidays. We are delighted to have helped so many children and young people enjoy a summer filled with new experiences, friendships and opportunities to learn, grow and thrive."