It gives me great pleasure to thank you for your donation of £1,800 to the RAF Benevolent Fund raised through the Blumlein Memorial Appeal.

I gather that your readers and organisations contributed £5,000 to erect a plinth to commemorate those who lost their lives in an airplane crash during World War II, and that this was the residual amount left over from the costs.

We are so grateful for your support as every donation we receive helps us to make a real difference to members of the RAF family who find themselves in great difficulty.

For 100 years, RAF servicemen and women have shown the utmost courage and commitment, despite unforgiving conditions.

In 1919 , one year after the RAF’s formation, Lord Trenchard, the father of the RAF, established a charity to provide welfare assistance to the men and women who had served and fought for our freedom.

One hundred years on, we remain the RAF’s oldest friend, resolute in our mission that no member of the RAF family will ever face adversity alone.

The RAF Benevolent Fund is an independent charity and we receive no regular government funding.

Therefore we rely solely on the fundraising efforts of our supporters to allow us to continue to offer the financial, practical and emotional support to the RAF family in the way we do.

Thank you once again, so much, for supporting the RAF Benevolent Fund: it means the world to us because we get to see first-hand the huge difference it makes to the RAF family.

Heather Kemp
Regional Fundraiser
RAF Benevolent Fund