RAF Benevolent Fund proud to
announce the opening of the Ben Club
at RAF Brize Norton
The Ben Club forms part of Airplay,
an RAF Benevolent Fund sponsored
initiative which encourages
youngsters to take part in an array of
social activities at a variety of RAF
bases. Ben Club is for five to seven
year olds, and encourages more
youngsters to enjoy the benefits
enjoyed by their older counterparts.
The Ben Club will also allow parents
to relax safe in the knowledge that
the stresses of family life on RAF
stations are eased and that there is a
safe place for their young children to
spend time with others growing up
in the same environment.
RAF Brize Norton Community
Development Officer, Jenny Withers
says: "We are delighted to have
Airplay youth activities at RAF
Brize Norton and the launch of
the Ben Club is great news for the
families that live here. Providing a
rich and rewarding programme of
activities for our young people is a
very important aspect of our work,
and we are very grateful to the RAF
Benevolent Fund for helping this
project come to light”.
The RAF Benevolent Fund has
committed £24 million to their
Airplay initiative, a dedicated
support programme for young
people living on RAF stations.
As the only project of its kind for
Service families, Airplay has three
main elements: Airplay Parks,
Airplay Youth Support and Airplay
Childcare Centres.
As Philippa Gullen, Head of Regions
said, “The RAF Benevolent Fund
realises that children growing
up on RAF stations are often in
isolated locations, and may have to
overcome a number of challenges.
Sometimes the mother, father
or indeed both can be deployed
overseas, which is really tough for
the children. Such children can
struggle to find the confidence to
socialise with others, even though
many others might be feeling the
same emotions. Airplay and the
Ben Clubs are designed to help
children overcome such obstacles,
and provide a dedicated stimulating
range of activities – from dance
classes to mural painting. It’s the
perfect way for children to play in a
safe environment, despite all that is
going on around them.”
To find out more about Airplay and
Ben Clubs and see how you can
help, visit rafbf.orf/airplay.
For more information about RAF
Brize Norton Ben Club please email
Claire Reay, Ben Club Leader at
or
contact Jenny Withers, Community
Development Officer on 01993
897068 or
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