RAF veteran Keith gets back on his feet
THE ROYAL British Legion has helped an RAF veteran from Halifax to secure £9000 in unpaid benefits, rescuing him from a life of food banks and queuing for handouts.
Keith Beaumont served with 11 Squadron at RAF Leeming working on fast jets and was posted to the Gulf to protect the no-fly zones before and after 9/11 as part of Operation Southern Watch.
Keith left the RAF in 2003 and joined the family business, working alongside his dad as a plumber, and settled down with a new partner and baby son, Bradley. But Keith’s relationship broke down and he turned to drink and drugs.
Keith, 43, said: “I was neglecting bills so my finances went into meltdown. I pawned my General Service Medal for 20 quid and sold all of my tools, which left me taking calls for jobs I could no longer do. It was heart-breaking, really.”
Keith accumulated so much debt that he couldn’t afford to feed himself. He owed Calderdale Council more than £10,000 in council tax and the fines alone wiped out his benefits each month. A serious accident in 2017 also exacerbated his depression, leaving Keith unable to work for months.
He said: “I was down to my last bag of rice, so I rang the Legion. They sent me £250 in food vouchers straight away, and then a Case Officer called Paul James came out – I just remember showing him my drawer full of nasty letters.”
The Royal British Legion’s Benefits, Debt and Money Advice (BDMA) team realised Keith’s that the debts were so serious that bankruptcy in 2020 was the best route. The team also supported Keith with a benefits appeal, which landed him £9,000 in a Universal Credit back payment just before Christmas.
Keith said: “I’ve spent £2000 buying back all the tools that I sold and I’ve spent a further £1,000 on a college course so I can fit renewable energy boilers when the regulations change, and the next thing I will buy is a van.”
Keith has also managed to pay the money to get his Iraq medal back.
He said: “I can’t thank Paul James and the Legion’s BDMA team enough, their help just made me so humble.”
I can’t thank the Legion’s team enough, their help just made me so humble
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