Paignton RAF veteran wins national charity award
A 75-year-old man from Paignton won the RAF Benevolent Fund’s Welfare Caseworker of the Year title at the charity’s annual awards. John Marsland served in the Royal Air Force for 30 years and has been a caseworker with the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) for the past 10 years.
The ceremony, held on Thursday 21 October at Plaisterers’ Hall in London, was attended by hundreds of RAF personnel, veterans, and supporters of the RAF Benevolent Fund. Now in its ninth year, the Fund’s annual awards celebrates the outstanding contributions of the charity’s fundraisers, volunteers, and partners.
Sadly, John was unable to make it to the ceremony, but said of winning the award: “When I was in the Royal Air Force as a Warrant Officer personnel administrator, a lot of my job was to help service families in all sorts of different ways. I’d do it all over again – in fact, I’m still doing it now! Every case is different, and I like meeting people and trying to help them as much as I can. I’ve got to thank the RAF Benevolent Fund for their assistance with this.
"I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. It makes the effort and time that not just I, but all caseworkers put into preparing and submitting cases to the RAF Benevolent Fund so worthwhile. I very much look forward to continuing my support to this very worthy charity.”
The Welfare Caseworker of the Year award was sponsored by Midshires Mobility Group, with Managing Director Paul Cushen presenting the award.
Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “After making the difficult but necessary decision to hold our annual awards ceremony virtually last year, it’s been an absolute pleasure to see so many friendly faces once again in person this year as we celebrate the efforts of our supporters and fundraisers.
“Last year was a challenging time for the whole of the RAF Family, and the awards are a great opportunity to recognise all of the fantastic work that allowed us to continue supporting RAF veterans, serving personnel and their families throughout the pandemic and beyond.
“I’d like to pass on my congratulations to all of this year’s winners, particularly John for his tireless support. The enthusiasm, creativity, and generosity we saw over the course of 2020 was truly inspiring, so from all of us here at the Fund – thank you.”
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity, providing practical, financial, and emotional support to RAF personnel, veterans, and their partners and dependants. If you know a member of the RAF Family in need, please go to rafbf.org to find out how the Fund could help.
