shortly after, the royal air forces association befriending service introduced her to sean, a formerng a teddy bear — bertie — around the world to raise awareness of the service. 0ur reporterjj chalmers went to meet them. it's a friendship that might at first seem unlikely. welcome! i'll get my arm underneath yours. tell me when. but 95—year—old marjorie thomas, a great—grandmother from solihull, and sean bell, a company director and former raf commander, have been firm friends for three years. it's our favourite restaurant, isn't it? let's take you in. the pair have a military connection that brought them together in the most poignant of circumstances. your late husband served in the raf. i met him before he went into the air force, and he was 16. and we met at a dance academy, learning how to dance. and he was a beautiful dancer. everything we did, we did together. and when i lost him, that was a big hole. how did you first meet sean? i first met sean at colin's funeral. he read the 23rd psalm, and afterwards he walked across and saluted the casket, which was a lovely gesture. i wr

and that is why the royal air forces association set up as voluntary service.example where for a relatively small investment of time you can make huge difference to people's lives. i suppose a lot of military families, if they have moved around the world for decades, they might get a point in later life where they don't have that routes back home, they haven't been in one community where they have friends, neighbours, family next door, so it can be especially lonely. and one thing we tend to forget the older generation is they have all been our age and younger before, they have masses age and younger before, they have masses of experience and so many stories to tell. when we were filming that peace with marjorie, we asked her, what you get out of this, and she came with lots of things, and she came with lots of things, and we said, what you think sean gets from it, and she said, i'm not sure? what do you get from it? i spent 30 years in the military, we studied history and leadership is a lot, i have books about churchill in my library, and this was a lady who

shortly after, the royal air forces association befriending service introduced her to sean, a former when he went to meet the three of them on one of their regular lunches. it's a friendship that might at first seem unlikely. welcome! i get my arm underneath yours. tell me when. but 95-year-old marjorie thomas, a great—grandmother from solihull, and shawn belle, a company director and former raf commander, have been firm friends for three yea rs. have been firm friends for three years. it is our favourite restau ra nt, years. it is our favourite restaurant, isn't it? let's take you in. the pair have a military connection the brought them together in the most poignant of circumstances. your late husband served in the raf. i met him before he went into the air force, and he was 16. and we met at ada is academy, learning how to dance. —— ata academy, learning how to dance. —— at a dance academy, and he was a beautiful dancer. everything we did, we did together. and when i lost him, that was a big hole. how did you first meet him? i first met him at colin's funeral. he read the 23rd psal