WELFARE facilities for personnel and families at RAF Benson have been extended.

A third welfare house has opened on the domestic Wallingford site. The facilities are fully furnished, two-bedroom properties available for personnel to hire all year round, with those with welfare needs taking priority.

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Over the past 12 months, the existing two houses have been occupied almost every day, supporting hundreds of personnel and families, according to the RAF.

It says the third welfare house, which was supported by the RAF Association, allows the Station to provide support to hundreds more families every year.

Oxford Mail:

Ailsa Gough, the Area Director of the RAF Association, formally handed over the keys to the third welfare house, named Bartlett House, to the Station Commander, Group Captain Adam Wardrope.

Mr Wardrope said: “We are delighted to open a third welfare house. With personnel currently committed to operations around the world, it’s essential that we can provide support to them and their families.

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"The welfare houses are a fantastic facility and help hundreds of personnel every year, from enabling parents to have contact with their children in a homely environment to accommodating the support network needed by our families during deployments.

"We are extremely grateful to the RAF Association for helping us to extend these popular facilities to provide welfare support to even more personnel."

The facility opened on Thursday, May 9.