RAF Association (RAFA)
IntroductionRAFA is a registered charity incorporated under Royal Charter. Its primary aims are to offer comradeship and welfare. The Association has over 100 000 members and some 550 Branches world-wide . Nearly 200 of these Branches have clubs.
Membership is open to serving and ex-Service men and women of all ranks who serve or have served in one of Her Majesty's Air Forces. The Association's welfare support is not confined to its membership but extends also to serving and ex-Air Force non-members and their dependants.
The Headquarters of the Association is in Leicester with 5 area offices in the UK and one overseas. It maintains a residential home for the disabled, 2 convalescent homes and sheltered housing developments as well as providing supportive housing for single or elderly ex-RAF personnel. The Association has both full-time and voluntary welfare workers who assess individuals in need of help, referring many to the RAF Benevolent Fund for financial support. In this way, the Association provides a field force of welfare workers for the Benevolent Fund and the 2 complementary organisations work closely together. The full-time welfare workers of the Association also represent individuals at War Pensions Tribunals.
The primary link between the RAF and RAFA is through RAFA Liaison Officers (RAFALOs) who provide the link between the Station, RAFA Branches and serving members. Currently there are over 250 RAFALOs involved in a variety of tasks from membership promotion to welfare and fund-raising. Each Station Commander is to nominate at least one serving person to undertake the role of RAFALO as a major secondary duty.
The Association provides a free and confidential support service to those who may be entitled to a War Disablement Pension. A resettlement service is also available to bridge the gap between leaving the Service and settling into civilian life. This service includes free financial planning advice to those who need it and a local "Point of Contact" scheme which is a network of Association members with a strong knowledge of their local business community.
Short stay breaks are available for personnel in 2 of RAFA's 3 convalescent homes. There is also a 58-bed nursing home which has excellent hydrotherapy and physiotherapy facilities available to any personnel who may be badly disabled. In addition RAFA has 4 Malcolm Apartments at Rothbury House in Northumberland, which are normally reserved for families of serving personnel who need a break for welfare reasons. Finally, a network of trained welfare officers covers the country and can provide real help for those in need.
Address:
The Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA)
117 ½ Loughborough Road
Leicester
LE4 5ND
Tel: 0116 266 5224
Fax: 0116 266 5012
Website: http://www.rafa.org.uk/
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