The RAF Benevolent Fund, the Royal Air Force’s leading welfare charity, announced a new partnership with national charity 4Children to develop and deliver youth provision on 28 RAF bases located throughout the UK.
The partnership will be the first comprehensive programme of activities for teenagers of its kind. It will be made up of structured sessional activities for young people living in and around RAF stations, such as sports, crafts, performing arts and ‘drop-in’ after school activities. The programme is designed to provide safe places for young people to play and to stimulate and nurture the aspiration, ambition and resilience of young people, as well as providing vital support and reassurance to parents.

Sir Rob Wright, the Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund said: ““As the RAF’s leading welfare charity, we are delighted to be launching this new partnership with 4Children at a time when serving personnel and their families are faced with increasing pressures from all sides. The youth workers programme is designed to reduce the stress on families and service personnel, particularly those on operational deployments away from home who worry about the welfare of their children whilst they are away. Since RAF families are very often based in isolated and rural locations, we are confident that the provision of a safe, stimulating programme of activities for young people on stations will make a significant difference to the lives of serving families across the UK.”

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children said: “It is a huge honour and privilege to work with the RAF Benevolent Fund to support the RAF family. Families of RAF personnel face particular challenges which make it more important than ever that young people have positive support to realise their potential. 4Children is proud to play this crucial role in ensuring that young people within RAF families receive the first class services and support that their family’s dedication and sacrifice rightly deserves.”
The comprehensive programme will be launched in September with summer activities taking place on bases from August.
The partnership will be announced today at a reception event in Westminster. Organised by the RAF Benevolent Fund, the reception will be a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain by MPs from all parties.
The partnership is part of the RAF Benevolent Fund’s wider Youth Support Programme for children of RAF families. The charity has committed to invest £10 million over 5 years to provide recreational services and facilities for young people across 28 UK bases. As well as providing qualified youth workers through 4Children, the RAFBF will also fund the construction of Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs) and the regeneration of existing play parks across RAF stations nationwide.

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Editor’s Notes

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Jon Wallace, RAF Benevolent Fund on 020 7307 3339, jon.wallace@rafbf.org.uk

Julie Evans, 4Children on 020 7522 6928 / 0791 787 0641 Julie.Evans@4Children.org.uk


RAF Benevolent Fund
 
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to all members of the RAF family. We are here for serving and former members of the RAF, as well as their partners and dependants, whenever they need us. We help members of the RAF family deal with a wide range of issues: from childcare and relationship difficulties to injury and disability, and from financial hardship and debt to illness and bereavement.
The Youth Support Programme represents a major investment in today’s Royal Air Force and will provide a step change in the facilities and support available for the younger members of the RAF Family. It also builds on the £13.5M investment in childcare centres across the RAF that the Fund has undertaken in recent years and which provides more than 1600 registered childcare places year on year. To find out more, visit www.rafbf.org.

4Children

4Children has an established track record of working to support young people through its direct delivery of youth provision and its long standing Make Space campaign which has campaigned for more places to go and positive activities for young people since its launch in 2002. The charity has also developed an insight into the particular needs of service families through visits to RAF sites as part of its Family Commission, an 18 month inquiry into family like in the UK.

4Children is the national charity all about children and families. 4Children develops, influences and shapes national policy on all aspects of children, young people and families lives and works with a wide range of partners to deliver real support for children and families in their community.

4Children has spearheaded a joined up, integrated approach to children’s services which puts the needs of the most vulnerable at the centre. It is the one of the largest not for profit Children’s Centre providers in the country and also runs and supports out of school programmes and the new next generation ‘myplace’ youth hubs

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