“The support from the Fund has given me comfort and security”

For RAF widow Helen, the RAF Benevolent Fund became a lifeline when her husband’s health deteriorated. Thanks to the support of the Fund’s welfare team in Scotland, Helen was able to care for her husband with less worry.

William ‘Bill’ Moir was a National Service veteran, who joined the RAF in 1953 and served for three years. Bill was stationed in Amesbury, Salisbury, now MOD Boscombe Down, home of a military aircraft testing site. He worked as ground staff, helping pilots to know whether they had hit or missed their target. Bill told Helen his service was ‘one of the happiest times in his life’.

Helen met her husband in 1995, and they were married in 1998. After thirty years together, Bill passed away in February 2025 at the age of 92. His health had deteriorated over time leaving him with kidney disease and heart problems, as well as vascular dementia.

Helen, 75, first reached out to the Fund for support for Bill’s mobility issues. It was through the welfare team in Scotland that Bill received an Electric Powered Vehicle to help him get outdoors again.

“The scooter gave Bill his independence back when he was no longer able to drive due to heart problems. Bill loved his greenhouse and his garden; thanks to the scooter he was able to go out to the shops and look at plants and bring them home. The things he used to bring back on that scooter from the supermarket would amaze you! It gave him a bit of life back.”

Both Helen and Bill received recliner armchairs to support their mobility needs. Helen has several health issues including asthma, angina and a neurological condition that requires frequent hospital visits.

She said: “The recliner chairs were a godsend for us both. Not only for the carers and the family to help get Bill up to hold his Zimmer frame, but also for me; I use a walking stick and lose my balance often. In the last year of Bill’s life, he had no mobility whatsoever and had carers coming to the house four times a day.
“I couldn’t have afforded the chairs for us myself. They made life easier for Bill and more comfortable – and easier for me to help him, which made all the difference.”

Helen and Bill received a grant from the Fund towards a new boiler in January 2024, three weeks before Bill passed away. “The last eight weeks of Bill’s life were horrific. But the support from the Fund gave me a feeling of comfort and security. It helped to take away the fear of not knowing how we were going to get by, or how we were going to manage.”

Helen and her family raised over £370 in donations at Bill’s funeral to give back to the Fund. Helen has also been supported by the Fund’s benefits advice team to take away some of the mental load whilst grieving her husband.

Helen concluded: “I’ve found everyone I’ve spoken to at the Fund to be so amazing and helpful. I respect what they’ve done for us; they gave us a better life. I’ll never forget the thought, care, and compassion that has been shown to me by the RAF Benevolent Fund.”