AN 81-year-old man from Basingstoke has won an award for his help supporting serving and former members of the RAF.

Pip Iles has won the “Welfare Caseworker of the Year” category of the RAF Benevolent Fund’s annual awards.

The award recognises welfare caseworkers who have gone the extra mile for the RAF Benevolent Fund’s veterans and their families.

Pip has been an honorary member of RAF Association Basingstoke for more than a decade.

He was nominated for the award because of his dedication in helping both the Fund and RAFA manage requests for welfare support in the local community.

READ MORE: Dedicated caseworker, 81, nominated for national award for helping serving and former members of the RAF

Pip said: “None of us do the work we do to gain any recognition really, but it’s just the icing on the cake for everything that we do.

“I’ve done hundreds of cases over 30 years, and I still get great satisfaction from knowing that someone has gained from my work.

“It’s lovely to be able to help people who are less fortunate than us, and through the generosity of the RAF Benevolent Fund it is a way of helping all the serving and ex-serving who need our help.”

During the pandemic, Pip worked tirelessly in ensuring that RAF veterans in the local community were not overlooked and were able to seek welfare support, either through local charitable efforts or through the auspices of RAF Charities.

As well as supporting the veteran community, Pip has also played a significant role in the welfare support of two churches in the Basingstoke area and has previously been recognised by the Council in its annual welfare support award.

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Paul Hughesdon, director of welfare and policy at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “2021 was another difficult year for many in our community, but the impact of ongoing lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures were particularly tough on older, vulnerable, or isolated members of the RAF Family.

“We continued to adapt our welfare provision to ensure their needs were being met as best we could, but this wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of caseworkers like Pip who go the extra mile to support our mission.

“They do a fantastic job and with the Fund’s staff, work hard to ensure that we meet as many needs as possible.”

The RAF Benevolent Fund Awards is now in its 10th year, celebrates the outstanding contributions of the fundraisers, volunteers and partners who support the charity.

The 2022 awards took place on Thursday, June 9 at Plaisterers’ Hall in London.

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.

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