RAF Shawbury personnel take part in charity Christmas challenge

The team are one of 12 teams from across the Royal Air Force taking part in the ‘12Ks of Christmas’, running 12 kilometres every day for 12 days.

The challenge was the idea of Flight Sergeant Lunn from RAF Boulmer, Northumberland, who wanted to increase awareness of the work that Combat Stress does and raise funds for the charity, so that they can continue to support veterans. For over a century, Combat Stress has helped former servicemen and women deal with mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression.

The RAF Shawbury participation in the 12Ks of Christmas was organised by Sergeant Benson, a member of Simulator Support Flight at the Defence College of Air and Space Operations, based at RAF Shawbury. The team from RAF Shawbury have been completing the challenge in their spare time, running in various locations to complete the required 12K each day.

Sergeant Benson said: “After hearing about Flight Sergeant Lunn’s idea for the challenge to support Combat Stress, I just had to be involved. When I mentioned the idea to my colleagues, they got on board straight away and we soon had our team formed. Combat Stress provide incredible support to veterans, both locally and across the country, and it’s an honour to be able to support the charity and help increase awareness of their work.”

He added: “It’s been tough at times. The weather has been wet and very cold, making the pavements quite slippy for the team. The support though has been fantastic, seeing people’s donations and their kind words has really helped spur us on.”  

Overall, the challenge is hoping to raise £12,000 for Combat Stress, with over £8000 already raised by RAF Shawbury and the other 11 teams across the Royal Air Force.

You can support the team and donate by going to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/12ks-of-xmas