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Visit Report RAF Waddington

RAF Waddington recently played host to the RAF Families Federation (RAF FF) for the team’s first Unit Liaison Visit to the Station. During a comprehensive visit programme organised by the Waddington Community Development Officer, the team members were made to feel very welcome by everyone they met. Whilst knowledge of the Federation’s role was limited, the visit gave the team an invaluable opportunity to deliver their key messages to a cross-section of serving personnel and also to gain a broader understanding of the challenges facing personnel serving at this busy front-line unit. Contact with families was limited, despite the laudable efforts of the Community Support staffs, but the Federation team hopes to follow-up on invitations to Squadron Families Days at the unit as a more productive way of engaging with family members over the coming months.

Following a short in-brief with the Acting Station Commander, the team was given the opportunity to deliver their message to key Station Execs, all of whom expressed interest in the ability of the Federation to represent serving personnel’s family-related issues to senior staffs and Ministers. A visit to the Integrated Welfare Facility provided an opportunity for a broad discussion with the SSAFA, HIVE and CDW staffs on a range of issues impacting on Waddington personnel. These ranged from the challenges of supporting dispersed quarters sites, the quality of SFA and the performance of DE and MHS, to difficulties in reaching the families of deployed personnel to offer support, and the high operational tempo which sees Waddington personnel repeatedly and frequently deployed around the world.

A delicious lunch in the Officers’ Mess followed and the team then had the chance to brief a cross-section of serving personnel. As the Federation is still in its first year of operation, the team was keen to meet with serving personnel to inform them of their role, their independence from the RAF and the unrivalled opportunity they have to represent the views of families to senior RAF staff and Ministers. Attendees at the briefing were keen not only to share their views on life at Waddington but also to raise a number of key issues that have had an impact on them personally. The team noted these issues as part of their evidence-gathering work, but asked individuals to also formally record their concerns by completing an Issue Report Form on the Federation website  Click here

The RAF Families Federation would like to thank the Station Commander and his team for arranging an extremely worthwhile and informative visit and look forward to returning to the Station in the future.

If we missed you during our visit, or you have an issue that you think we should know about, please take a look at our website or call us on (01780) 781650.

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