“It’s all about the people.” Says Ben Rossi, Community Development Officer at Royal Air Force Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Defining how the word ‘community’ works in a military setting isn’t easy; it refers to more than one group. To begin with, there are more than 2000 service personnel at the Station, many of whom live locally with their families. There are also civilian neighbours, and the people who provide the services personnel rely on, like emergency services, schools, local authorities and the military charities.
As the Community Development Officer, Ben Rossi ensures that service families aren’t disadvantaged by a life spent around the RAF. He said:
“The presence of a military unit will always affect the nearby communities. So, you have to think about two things; to support our service community, and at the same time keep up a positive and friendly relationship with our neighbours.”
April last year saw the opening of a new playpark in a mixed estate, where service and civilian families live as neighbours. Although funded by Amey Defence and project managed by the RAF Coningsby People and Families Team, the play park is open to children from both service and civilian families.
The Station’s close relationship with the nearby schools is down to the People and Families Team. Mr Rossi said:
“Interacting with the schools is one of the most important things we do. Through Remembrance and STEM events, the pupils interact with station personnel and learn about what we do. They also come to understand that the base is a part of their community, not just co-located with it.”
With over 2000 military personnel on the Station, and over 130 civil servants, the team of four is kept busy all the time. Audra Bishop and Ann Parkinson are HIVE Information Officers, the HIVE Service provides an information and welfare referral service to the entire Coningsby Armed Services community, service and civilian. Although not counsellors, Audra and Ann provide a confidential signposting service and direct clients to the organisation they need.
The Armed Forces Covenant ensures that the service community faces no disadvantage in accessing public services: for example, reminding a school admissions team that Armed Forces children don’t choose to move mid-year and it would be incredibly helpful if they could find a space for that child. Or ensuring the continuity of dental care or other healthcare so a patient doesn’t lose their place on the waiting list.
From January 2026 the team’s People and Families Support Officer post and Covenant Champion for RAF Coningsby will be filled again. Their primary role is to make sure that service personnel and their families find life at Coningsby easy; whether its housing, support from military charities, or funding bids for local projects.
Ben Rossi said:
“We develop as many links as we can between the military and civilian communities. It makes sense because we all live in the same place. Equally the life of service families is different because one or more family members can be absent from the home for months at a time. We consciously encourage families to build a support network because they have a shared experience.”
The team organises regular events for service families; including monthly family meals, and family days out during the summer holidays. Crucially, there are also activities for the adults in service families. It can be genuine fun too. RAF Coningsby’s Christmas market was organised by the Station Charities Committee, but the Community Team played a key role in the event. The team arranged for the families craft area, the Santa's Grotto and arranged food stalls for Deployed Families too.
Wing Commander Nick Startup commands Base Support Wing, of which the Community Team is a part. She said:
“It’s almost impossible to describe everything our Community Team does, but we wouldn’t function without them. They are the link between the Station and the service families, and our link to our neighbours and the local authorities. That RAF Coningsby sits amongst its neighbours as well as it does, is due almost entirely to Ben and his team.”
