One of the UK's oldest military charities is celebrating its 25-year anniversary.<\/p>\n
Armed Forces charity, SSAFA is a service which boasts boasts 57 employees, five regional divisions and operates across 48 RAF stations and MoD establishments nationwide.<\/p>\n
It claims that in the last 25 years, over 75,000 RAF personnel and family members have received support. <\/p>\n
Commenting, Nigel Holland-Williams, head of service at SSAFA, who helped establish the Service 25 years ago and has seen it develop significantly since, said he is proud of the work SSAFA has done and continues to do.<\/p>\n
"We’re pleased to have been able to provide valuable support to RAF personnel and their families who are doing a difficult job, which can throw up many – and often unexpected – challenges."<\/p>\n
In 1990, the welfare service for the RAF was brought in by the Ministry of Defence to provide support for airmen and women during the Gulf War.<\/p>\n
At the time, the charity was operating with just five SSAFA employees who worked alongside their RAF counterparts and assisted in a range of issues such as relationship problems, domestic abuse, illness and disability, financial concerns, mental health and housing.<\/p>\n
Mr Williams continued: "Over time the welfare needs of the RAF has changed, especially in light of recent conflicts. We have had to constantly adapt to ensure the best possible care and support is in place for our airmen and women and importantly, their families.
"As we continue in our commitment to RAF families who are facing difficulties, additional focus will be given to informing RAF Reservists, who often live outside the traditional RAF network of support, that they and their families are able to access the same level of support– which is an important message to convey."![\"ADNFCR-2867-ID-801795029-ADNFCR\"](\"http:\/\/feeds.directnews.co.uk\/feedtrack\/justcopyright.gif?feedid=2867&itemid=801795029\"\/)
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One of the UK’s oldest military charities is celebrating its 25-year anniversary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n