Terry Giles, deputy chairman and secretary, the Royal Observer Corps Benevolent Fund, of Orpington, Kent, writes:

The Royal Observer Corps may have been disbanded and its many former volunteers live happily with their memories. Today a few of those who served their country have found that despite best plans, times are difficult in the current economic climate. For those, there is the safety net of the benevolent fund to fall back on. The fund continues to serve those, who once served. If only they knew how to make contact...

A typical case was that of Brian and Mary, a couple in their late seventies. Brian worked for the same small garage as a mechanic for the last 20 years before his retirement.

His wife Mary had worked as a school cook and they were enjoying a modest but reasonably comfortable retirement. However, things started to become difficult five years ago with the onset of Mary's serious illness, which reduced her mobility. Living in a bungalow was an asset but maintenance was important and it was something that was now too difficult for Brian, spending most of his time as a carer. With limited savings, repairs had become too expensive. The window and door frames were rotten and badly in need of attention and last winter the cold and damp had started to have an effect on Mary's health.

Brian had served on his local Royal Observer Corps post and still was in contact with Fred, another of the former volunteers. Fred told him that even though the corps had been stood down back in the nineties, the ROC Benevolent Fund was still going – his grandson had found out about it on the internet, doing a school history project on his grandparents!

Fred found the details and Brian contacted the fund explaining his situation. It was only four days later that a very helpful lady from SSAFA Forces Help arranged to visit him and Mary, and she couldn't have been more reassuring and helpful with an application. She was experienced and sympathetic and Brian and Mary didn't feel embarrassed to explain their difficulty to her – which they had both had some reservations about.

The happy outcome was the caseworker helping to get some quotes for work on the bungalow. The job was completed earlier this year, helping to make much more comfortable conditions for Mary, with the added bonus of lower heating bills. The benevolent fund arranged to pay the window firm directly.

Brian commented that the helpfulness was something that he remembered from his voluntary service in the corps and it was good to know that there was still some of that old spirit left.

Are you a former member of the ROC, a dependant, or do you know someone who is?

Contact can be made with the ROC Benevolent Fund by going to http://www.rocbf.org.uk">www.rocbf.org.uk or by writing to The Secretary, 120 Perry Hall Road, Orpington, Kent, BR6 0EF.MORE LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION