AIRPLAY Is in Full Swing! A
Airplay is the RAF Benevolent Fund’s £11 million support project for children and young people living on RAF stations. Here Jon Wallace of the RAF BF explains more.
irplay is about reaching out to children and young people of RAF personnel. Tere are two main elements, Airplay Parks
and Airplay Youth Workers. Te RAF BF has been busy overseeing the construction of new Multi Use Games Areas or MUGAs, youth shelters and rejuvenating play parks at RAF stations. In a separate programme the Fund has commissioned the national charity 4Children to provide trained youth workers at units to engage with the young people.
Paul Hughesdon, Director of Welfare and Policy for the RAF Benevolent Fund says: “The Airplay project is intended primarily to enhance the morale and wellbeing of RAF families. That’s a key part of our work. RAF parents are meeting the RAF’s challenges head on, but this demanding operational environment puts serious pressure on the family unit. By giving children and young
42 Envoy Summer 2011
people the facilities and activities they need to play and develop safely, Airplay can take some of the strain off the parents, at home and on the front-line.”
New Airplay Parks have already opened at RAF stations, Benson, Boulmer, Coningsby, Leeming, Marham, Prestwick, Wittering, Valley and Waddington, while others are in the process of being handed over at High Wycombe, Honington, Northolt and Shawbury. Once we know the outcome of the RAF’s Basing Strategy, we will be able to press ahead on many other units too.
Stuart Peace, former England defender, opened the facility at Benson. Stu said: “I’m only too aware that we live in a time when serving personnel are stretched on all sides and its easy to forget that this impacts on their families too, not least their kids. I’m a great believer in the positive
effect sporting activities can have on young people, it builds morale and confidence”.
Carol Chapman is the Station Youth Worker at Wittering, she explained: “If young people want to do something in particular then we try to offer it to them. So far we have had some really good requests including cultural evenings, trips out to the cinema, seaside and the Waddington Air Show. All the ideas are coming in from the young people themselves and that’s what we want to encourage. The new programme will help expand youth provision to Service children and young people aged 8 to 19 years, offering not just activities but also support where needed.”
Community Support Worker at Wittering, Mark Davis added: “The youth programme used to be delivered by volunteers and community workers but it became quite fragmented as people were
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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