On behalf of the South East and Eastern Area Council and all staff; We wish all readers a prosperous and Happy New Year.

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1 South East and Eastern Area Newsletter January 2018 rafa.org.uk South East and Eastern Area Headquarters Royal Air Forces Association Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road Leicester LE3 1UT On behalf of the South East and Eastern Area Council and all staff; We wish all readers a prosperous and Happy New Year. eastern@rafa.org.uk As the Area Director, I also wish to thank all of you who kindly sent Christmas cards and good wishes to the staff at South East and Eastern offices. Your kindness was much appreciated. National Presidential Certificates To coincide with the New Year Honours List, the following have been awarded National Presidential Certificates: Branch Area Duncan McIntosh Fraserburgh Scotland & Northern Ireland Muriel and Derek Simpson Oldham Northern Susan Stroud Sturminster, Newton & Gillingham Wales, Midlands & Southwest Ashley Oldroyd-Clarke Germany Overseas Geoffrey Horton Morecombe & Lancs Northern Derf Mockford Aylesbury & Halton South East & Eastern BEM John MacLean Peterhead Scotland & Northern Ireland Pip Iles Basingstoke South East and Eastern South East & Eastern Area Presidential Certificates In conjunction with the New Year s Honours List, I am pleased to announce that these have been awarded to Edgar Ribbans Gerald Collins Glynis Miller Corporal Anthony Burnham-Bamford Nigel Andrews Robert Asher Kenneth Draper Marisa Gilmour Bury St Edmunds Lincoln Lincoln Carterton & Brize Norton Cambridge Harrow Dunstable Dunstable Our congratulations go to all recipients. 1

2 South East and Eastern Area Conference and Seminar 2018 The 14 th South East and Eastern Area Conference and Seminar will be held at The Marriott Hotel, Peterborough over the weekend of 23 to 25 March Please find attached booking form and note that there is a change this year, in that rather than cost per person, the cost of accommodation is per room. A single room is 190 for the weekend, with a double room being 300. Both are inclusive of VAT and covers meals from dinner on Friday 23 until lunch on Sunday 25. This is slightly up for singles but cheaper, by 20 per person, if attending as a couple or in a twin room. Should you wish to attend as a day visitor, the rate will be 32 per person and will cover unlimited tea and coffee, refreshments during two breaks and lunch. If you wish to stay for a 3 course meal on the Saturday evening, it will be an extra 25 per person. At the time of booking, please advise whether any special requirements need to be taken into account, together with any dietary requirements or food allergies. I hope as many Branch delegates and members as possible will be able to attend. The conference programme will shortly be finalised but will include: Friday 23 March 2018 Accounts training for Branch Chairman/woman and Treasurers - Dinner Evening Entertainment Saturday 24 March 2018 Address by Air Vice Marshal Gary Waterfall CBE RAF, Chief of Staff (Operations) Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood Update on today s RAF Association Air Vice Marshal John Cliffe, Chairman of the RAFA Council and Secretary General, Nick Bunting Panel discussion Chairman and Secretary General Charity Commission/Charity Law training and GDPR training Presentation of Trophies and Awards Evening Entertainment Sunday 25 March 2018 RAF 100 Update Update on the Air Cadets Group Captain Nigel Gorman, Regional Commandant Central and Eastern Welfare Update Open Forum with the Secretary General, Area Council and Area Director Parade and Service Please ensure booking forms are returned to cat.brooks-price@rafa.org.uk or Cat Brooks-Price, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester, LE3 1UT by 31 January Bookings cancelled after 16 February will forfeit their room fee. If you would like to donate towards the raffle/tombola either by way of a prize or monetary donation, these can be sent to Cat Brooks-Price at the above address. Final call for Flying Scholarship Scheme 2018 The scheme is open to members of the ATC, CCF (RAF) and GVCAC. The six scholarships provide the overall winning cadet with a course of 35 hours flying training, plus 12 hours each for five runners-up. They are provided as a thank you to the cadets for their tremendous support each year, especially fundraising for the Wings Appeal and to encourage their continued interest in aviation. 2

3 Many branches have links with Air Cadet Squadrons/Units and it would be appreciated if Branch members could make as many Cadets and ACO staff as possible aware of the Flying Scholarships. Applicants can, of course, also be nominated by a RAF Association Branch. Application Forms and Terms & Conditions are available to download from the Association s website following the Air Cadet link, or by post from Molly Henson (Membership Support Officer) at the RAF Association CHQ, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester, LE3 1UT, by calling , or by to molly.henson@rafa.org.uk. The closing date for applications is no later than 31 January RAF100 Celebrations Tuesday 10 July 2018 London The 100 th Anniversary of the RAF will be celebrated in central London on Tuesday 10th July A limited number of tickets are available for the Service in Westminster Abbey (including reception), or access to the reception only on Horse Guards Parade, from where you will view the flypast. Applicants should provide the names, addresses, place and date of birth, Passport or Driving Licence number of individuals wishing to attend. Applications should be made in writing and are to be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Applications should reach Mrs Michèle Small, SO3 RAF Ceremonial Events, RAF Ceremonial Office, RAF Northolt, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 6NG before the 3 April Please clearly mark the rear of the envelope PARADE. To assist with the categorisation of tickets those applicants that have previously served in the Royal Air Force or its Royal Auxiliary Air Force/Reserve Force should provide their Service number. Please state if you are a wheelchair user. Successful applicants will receive tickets, and a note on dress and timings 4 weeks before the event. Those applicants wishing to attend the Service at Westminster Abbey should plan to be at the Abbey at 0845hrs. Reception guests only should plan to be at Horse Guards Parade no later than 1045hrs. Calling Notice for Standard Bearers St Clement Danes 1 April 2018 The RAF Association has been allocated 20 Standard Bearers plus one guest ticket for The Annual Service to Commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Air Force to be held on Sunday 1 April 2018 at St Clement Danes Church. The Service will commence at 1100 hrs and it will be followed by a Post Service Reception in the Royal Courts of Justice. If you wish to attend, please contact Christina Narayan on Christina.narayan@rafa.org.uk no later than Tuesday 30 January Westminster Abbey 10 July 2018 The RAF Association has been allocated 20 Standard Bearer tickets for the Service to Commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Air Force to be held on Tuesday 10 July 2018 at Westminster Abbey, followed by a Reception in Horse Guards Parade. Standard Bearers can be accompanied by a guest, however, they will not be able to attend the Service in Westminster but they will be able to attend the reception in Horse Guards Parade. If you wish to attend, please contact Christina Narayan on Christina.narayan@rafa.org.uk no later than Wednesday 28 February Harrow Branch Supermarket Tour 3

4 Monday 20 November 2017 saw 3 members of the Harrow and District Branch undertaking a little retail therapy of a different kind. Wings Appeal Organiser, Mr Bob Tiny Asher, Standard Bearer, Mr Keith Troke and President, Sqn Ldr Dean Gibbo Gibson made a tour of 3 supermarkets to present a Certificate of Thanks to each, in a short ceremony organised by Mr Asher and supermarket staff. The supermarkets wonderful customers and staff who gave such excellent support were Waitrose, South Harrow, Morrisons, Hatch End and Asda, South Ruislip. Customers and staff at each supermarket gave very generously to Wings Appeal and the members of the Branch were overwhelmed by the generosity. As well as those making the tour, many other members took part in the collection, including WWII vet, Mr Ron Mason, and they were ably assisted by members of 1454 (Harrow) ATC Sqn a real team effort. Thank you. Social Media The Area now has its own Facebook page, you can find Follow us to find out what is going in and around the Area. If you would like any articles to be considered to go on the page please contact cat.brooks-price@rafa.org.uk or Christina.narayan@rafa.org.uk. RAF100 Celebrations at Runnymede 17 June 2018 To commemorate the Centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, South East and Eastern Area have organised a service at the Air Force Memorial, Runnymede on Sunday 17 June 2018 commencing at 1045 hrs. Sir Roger Austin, the Area President, will be attending along with Members of Commonwealth Air Forces and members of South East and Eastern Area Council. A reception will be held after the service. Numbers attending the reception will be restricted, so it will be a first come-first served and a fee of 10 per person will be applicable for the reception. The RAFA Presidents band will provide the music at both the service and the reception. Standard Bearers are invited to attend. Interested members and Standard Bearers should contact Area Headquarters stating if they are attending the service and the reception or only the service. Honours and Awards Please find attached the nomination form for National President s Certificates and State Awards. Any nomination forms should be sent to ailsa.gough@rafa.org.uk or Ailsa Gough, South East and Eastern Area Director, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester, LE3 1UT. They should be received in the office no later than 19 January

5 Area Annual Report 2017 Over the past few years we have published a mosaic of photographs of various Branch members and RAFALO activities in the Annual Area Report and would like to continue this for the 2017 Report so we are looking for suitable material. We cannot guarantee that all photos received will be included but they will all be considered. Digital photographs are preferred but we can also accept good quality colour prints. If your Branch or Unit has one or more photographs which you think might be suitable for inclusion in the report then please forward them, together with a short statement on when and where they were taken, for consideration. Digital photographs can be sent by e- mail direct to cat.brooks-price@rafa.org.uk and colour prints can be sent to the Cat Brooks-Price, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester LE3 1UT by 30 January Branch Newsletter National Competition Entries for this competition must be received at HQ RAF Association no later than 26 January 2018; therefore, they must reach us at Area Headquarters by 19 January We have seen some excellent Newsletters from across the whole Area, so I hope that all Branches decide to enter the competition. To enter, please send at least two examples of the Newsletter, together with details of how many issues there are per year and the average distribution per issue. These conditions must be met prior to consideration by the Judges. Please submit all entries to Area Headquarters making clear that it is for entry to the National Competition. Form 1056 and 1056A Branches are reminded that in accordance with Branch Regulation (BR) 23, Annual General Meetings (AGMs) should have taken place between 1 January and 31 March Unfortunately, there are still a number of 1056 and 1056A forms outstanding for 2016 and Letters are now being sent from the Area Director to the individual branches, which are non-compliant. Branch and branch club accounts In accordance with Branch Regulation (BR) 32, branch and branch club accounts as at 31 December, including a report from the auditor or independent examiner, should be forwarded to the Area Headquarters no later than 31 March the following year. Unfortunately, there are still some outstanding and those branches will be receiving a letter in the near future. Your attention is also drawn to byelaw 10(1) b, which states that a branch shall be entitled to be represented at Area and Annual Conference of the Association, providing that its audited accounts for the preceding year have been submitted to Area Headquarters, no less than ten days before the first day of Conference. Lapsed members As of 16 January, the Area had 1734 Ordinary members and 1573 Associate members who had not yet renewed for this year. It is incumbent upon all of us to try and recover these lapsed members. Once again we ask all branches to 5

6 make every effort to personally contact those of their members who have not yet renewed. It should not be forgotten that a personal visit or phone call to someone who has not yet renewed their membership may highlight an underlying welfare problem. Personal Data Privacy branches and clubs The Association has a legal obligation to protect personal data in conformance with UK data protection legislation (currently the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998). The Association s Personal Data Privacy Policy, together with the associated Standard Operating Procedures, describe the measures necessary for the Association and its members to comply with the DPA. At branch level this means that any personal data held about branch members must only be used for legitimate Association purposes and that all personal data must be kept under strict control and not inadvertently shared or made available for unauthorised use. The Association is only able to share personal data with branch officials who have agreed to use such data in compliance with the policy and have signed the annual Certificate of Compliance for the protection of personal data. Some of our branches and clubs have not yet returned the signed certificate regarding compliance with the Data Protection Act, which was sent out last year. Until these certificates are returned, we are not able to provide those branches or clubs with membership lists. We would request those branches that have not yet returned their certificate to do so as soon as possible. If required, further copies of the certificate can be found on the Members Log-In Section of the RAF Association website or from the Area Headquarters by request to: eastern@rafa.org.uk. addresses We would be grateful if Branch Secretaries would encourage those members who have addresses, but do not yet receive the Area newsletter electronically, to get in touch with the Area Headquarters to ensure we have their address recorded. Standard bearers dress regulations Standard bearers are reminded that the guide for branch standard bearers is at Chapter 8 of the Admin Handbook. Contained within this chapter at paragraph 8.3 is guidance on the wearing of medals. This states: When applicable, full sized medals should be worn on all parades and ceremonies. Standard bearers should not wear commemorative or other unofficial medals. No insignia or badges should be worn except that of the Association. A Veterans badge in addition to the Association s badge is also acceptable. RAF Centenary Celebrations RAF100 On 1 April 2018 the RAF will mark the centenary of its formation as the world s first independent air force. This will be an important opportunity for those in the RAF and the RAF family to commemorate their past, celebrate their success and also inspire the public as to their contribution to the UK s national security and prosperity. The RAF100 programme of events will start in October 2017 and end in September 2018 and a number of flagship events will take place across the UK between March and September 2018 including a service in Westminster Abbey and a parade along The Mall, followed by a Royal Salute and flypast. 6

7 The four main RAF charities (RAF Association, RAF Benevolent Fund, RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises and RAF Museum) have taken the unprecedented step of creating a joint venture charitable company, the RAF100 Appeal Ltd. Its purpose is to deliver a coherent and collaborative campaign raising both income and profile. More information about RAF100 can be found here: There is also an opportunity to put forward any ideas that will help COMMEMORATE the achievements of the RAF and all who served, CELEBRATE the RAF of today, or INSPIRE people in your local community and beyond: Further updates will be given as more information becomes available. The RAF Association President s Band The RAF Association President s Band is a successful and friendly band that performs music to a high standard and is comprised of approximately 40 talented players, including former RAF and military band musicians, music teachers, and many other walks of life. It gives regular performances around London and the south east of England, and has toured Ypres in Belgium, where it took part in a major Remembrance festival, France, Luxembourg, Brussels and most recently Malta. The band has also played at several RAF Association conferences including; Eastbourne, Hayling Island, Bexhill, and Bracklesham Bay. If your branch is planning an event, you might consider hiring the RAF Association President s Band for the occasion, or two or more branches might get together to hold a concert to raise money for the Wings Appeal. For more information visit the website at or contact the Band Manager at bandmanager@rafapbmusic.org or Ailsa Gough South East and Eastern Area Director Enc: 1. SE & E Area Conference Booking Form 2. NPC and State Award Nomination Form Donations: In memory of Stanley Hoddinott, Aldeburgh & District Branch