Newsletter. Northern Area. June Branch Property Issues.

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1 Northern Area Newsletter June 2018 rafa.org.uk Northern Area Office Royal Air Forces Association Fishergate Preston PR1 2NJ Branch Property Issues Branches with property should by now have received the fire risk assessments and building surveys; these have been sent out to the branch chairs by . If you haven t received the reports for your branch please contact James Early on Estates@rafa.org.uk. Once the fire risk assessments and building surveys have been received they should be the subject of discussion by branch committees. Notably, the fire risk assessments are accompanied by action plans detailing the work required and these should be completed and returned to HQ within 30 days of receipt. Even where work cannot be completed within this period, the action plan should identify what actions the branch and club has taken and are planning. Council have asked for regular updates on branches responses to fire risk assessments in particular and area staff will therefore be following up with branches on an individual basis. A number of common themes emerged from the fire risk assessments, including poor record keeping and lack of training. To support branches (and clubs) an Association Fire Safety Log Book has been developed. These provide both guidance on fire safety, and provide forms on which checks and tests should be recorded. The Fire Safety Log Books will be mailed to branch chairs in mid-june. Please ensure the log book is shared with all of those who have any responsibility for fire safety at the property. If you haven t received your Fire Safety Log Book by the end of June please contact your BSO. A fire safety workshop took place at Annual Conference, and a copy of the presentation is available on the Members Portal, under Documents / Association Governance / Risk Documents. Those branch officials who were unable to attend the workshop will find the presentation of use in their role and as a branch and club training resource. Finally, branches will be pleased to note that a new Property Grant application process has been developed. Details will be ed to branch chairs in June. The process and application form are also available under Risk Documents on the Members Portal. 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 1

2 compliance with the Data Protection Act (DPA), 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 office by request to: RAF100 Appeal fundraising volunteers needed: Support a century of service This year, the RAF is celebrating 100 years in the air and the RAF100 Appeal will be fundraising in 11 cities across the UK. We are looking for you to grab a collection bucket, get your free t-shirt and join serving RAF personnel in the streets of a city near you. Everyone who puts a donation in your bucket gets a free roundel pin, they re pretty special We d love you, our members, volunteers and supporters to be at the heart of the celebrations, helping us collect for the charities that care for the RAF family. The fundraising role is a fantastic and exciting one, with volunteers being part of a team raising awareness of the work of the RAF. RAF100 Appeal city collection locations near you: City collection locations Birmingham Manchester Dates Saturday 25 August The National Aircraft Tour will be present Friday 14 September The National Aircraft Tour will be present So make a day or a stay of it. Get a group of friends, colleagues or family together the more the merrier. Volunteers can sign up by visiting rafa.org.uk/raf100volunteer and complete the registration form, including selecting the city location(s) and shift(s), you wish to support. Alternatively, call Jo Baker in the volunteering team on

3 Volunteering update Sam Squire, Area Volunteer Coordinator, South East and Eastern Area and Northern Area June is an exciting time for the volunteering team as the start of the month marks Volunteers Week. Running from 1 to 7 June 2018, this annual campaign recognises the contribution volunteers make to our communities every day. During Volunteers Week charities across the UK will be holding events to celebrate the power volunteering has in bringing communities together. The RAF Association will be celebrating with a series of volunteer spotlight videos being shown across our website and social media to highlight just some of the roles that our volunteers undertake in support of the RAF family. Volunteers Week also gives us the opportunity to recognise the time and energy our volunteers so willingly give in support of the Association, and to say a well-deserved thank you. Volunteering for the Association means something different to everyone that helps us. This year Volunteers Week is about volunteering for all; celebrating the huge range of people who give so much of their time in so many ways. We hope that whether you are volunteering in a fundraising, welfare, branch role, or in any other capacity, that you will feel proud to have helped have a positive impact on the lives of the RAF family. Could you spare some time to help? To those of you who are interested, or know of someone who may be interested in a volunteering role, please visit our website at rafa.org.uk/volunteer where you can see further information on all our volunteer roles and how to get involved. Below is a list of the current volunteering roles we are advertising and the up-to-date list can always be found at rafa.org.uk/volunteer/search. Alternatively, I can be contacted directly on or via using sam.squire@rafa.org.uk 3

4 Northern Area Role vacancy required Number of vacancies Location of role for role Fundraising Team Leader 1 Blackburn Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Blackburn Fundraising Team Leader 1 Burnley Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Burnley Caseworker 1 Cheshire Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Chester Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Chesterfield Fundraising Team Leader 1 Crewe Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Crewe Caseworker 1 Derbyshire Caseworker 1 Greater Manchester Fundraising Team Leader 1 Kendal Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Kendal Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Leeds Befriender 1 Leigh Branch Branch Volunteer General Member 1 Leigh Branch Treasurer 1 Leigh Branch Vice-Chair 1 Leigh Branch Wings Appeal Organiser 1 Leigh Branch Wings Appeal Collectors +1 Leigh Branch Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Matlock Caseworker 1 Merseyside Befriender 1 Northumberland Fundraising Team Leader 1 Selby Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Selby Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Sheffield Honorary Welfare Officer 1 Branch Volunteer - PR 1 Wings Appeal Organiser 2 South Fylde (Lytham St Annes) Branch South Fylde (Lytham St Annes) Branch South Fylde (Lytham St Annes) Branch 4

5 Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Southport Wings Appeal Organiser 2 South Fylde (Lytham St Annes) Branch Fundraisers for fundraising group 11 Southport Preston Wings Centre Update Our amazing volunteer Paul has made us a new Uckers board for the Wings Centre. We play board games on Tuesdays and Uckers is a sure fire hit as you might imagine. Clearly we ve had to laminate the rules to ensure things don t get too out of hand in the event of a disagreement! We have also signed up yet another wonderful volunteer, Andy is former MT and after stepping back from his business recently, wanted to give something back to the RAF Family. Great decision Andy and welcome on board from all at the Wings Centre. Wednesdays have seen the continued use of the centre by our partner charities. Blind Veterans UK and Help for Heroes have created a lunch club and a modelling club respectfully, which are both proving to be very popular, so much so that we have signed up new members of the Association from both these events. We are proud to be an authorised filming location for the new RAF Museum project, RAF Stories. RAF stories will gather audio and video recorded interviews from across the RAF Family keeping permanent records of individual experiences and reflections of RAF service. Our volunteer Tass is a trained interviewer and has already generated some wonderful recordings. If you or someone you know what to be recorded, please get in touch with us. Our next project to push is Storybook Grandparents, which will allow Grandparents to record bedtime stories for their grandchildren. After editing these recordings are sent on CD, flash drive or as a downloaded file to the parents of the grandchild and used at bedtime. A wonderful project which we are proud to become part of. If you are in the Preston area please drop-in and make yourself known as a RAFA member...we d love to see you. That s what Gordon Marsden MP did last week and we were able to show him the great things we are doing for veterans in Preston. We are near Preston train station at Fishergate and are open from hrs, Monday to Friday. 5

6 Cenotaph Ceremony - London - 11 November 2018 The Royal British Legion (RBL), on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will be organizing the ex-service contingents attending the Parade and Service at the Cenotaph, Whitehall, on Remembrance Day, 11 November We are awaiting confirmation of criteria and further instructions but as a guide, last year the MOD, Cobseo and RBL agreed priorities for the allocation of tickets, those priorities were: Category 1: Ex-Service Personnel holding a campaign medal Category 2: Civilians deployed on operations in support of the Military (e.g. Merchant Navy, Police, Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Civil Servants) Category 3: Ex-Service Personnel with no campaign medal Category 4: Bereaved Spouses (of those who died on operations) Category 5: Veteran Association representatives Category 6: Military Charities and associated civilian groups Carers assisting someone in the above six categories can also apply for a ticket. This year the President of the Association, Sir Baz North will lay the Association s wreath; Stewards will also be positioned at the Cenotaph to lay wreaths on behalf of the detachments as they march past. Contingents will assemble and disperse at Horse Guards Parade Due to the number of personnel on parade the overall length of the march past has increased and we ask you to ensure that your members are aware of the physical demands of standing in Whitehall for at least one hour and then marching for a distance of 1.5 miles, possibly in inclement weather. We have been asked to remind all on parade to help to ensure that behaviour and dress standards match the dignity of the occasion. There have been a few rather regrettable lapses that have offended the majority of those marching and the general public. Due to heightened security measures all those with allocated tickets will need to carry a form of photo ID on the day together with a document showing proof of address for access to Horse Guards Parade via the manned police entry points. The Metropolitan Police will need to conduct individual security checks on all participants. Basic personal information will need to be provided when applying for tickets for each applicant. This consists of: Title/Rank First Name (This must be the name on photo ID) Last Name Date of Birth Place of Birth First Line of Address Town Postcode Service Number (where applicable) In view of the current security arrangements, only holders of admission tickets will be allowed to join the parade. A ticket allocated to an individual is not transferable. All participants are liable to a security search on the day. The South East and Eastern Area Headquarters will be administering the ticket allocation for the event. We would therefore be grateful to receive applications for tickets, together with the required 6

7 information above, by 13 August Contact details: RAFA South East and Eastern Area, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester, LE3 1UT or RAF Association Holiday Home, Selsey The self-catering holiday home can be found at the Green Lawns Bunn Leisure Holiday Park in Selsey, near Chichester on the West Sussex coast. The home provides a fantastic-value break and is available to all serving and former-serving RAF personnel and their dependants. The fully wheelchair accessible holiday home accommodates up to six people. It has two bedrooms, a double and a twin, and a stowaway bed in the lounge area. The bathroom contains a walk-in shower with fold-down seat and supports, the kitchen is well equipped and the spacious lounge/dining area offers a colour TV and DVD player. There is a no-pets policy, however assistance dogs are allowed. Bookings are available between end of March and October. For further information please contact Vicky Ford on Tel: vicky.ford@rafa.org.uk RAF Association Chalet Project, Hemsby The RAF Association operate six holiday chalets on the Sea Dell Estates Site, Beach Road, Hemsby which can be rented by serving and former RAF personnel and their dependants. The chalets are fully equipped for four people; each comprises a lounge/dining area with kitchenette and two bedrooms. All chalets have a bathroom with electric shower. A cot and highchair are available on request. All amenities are close by, including shops, market, restaurants and cafes. The 2018 chalet season commenced on Monday 7 May and runs through until mid-october. Arrival/Departure day is Monday. The cost per chalet per week is 145 full rate 100 welfare rate. There are still vacancies mid-june to mid-july if anyone in your branch is interested in going. Please contact Vicky Ford on Tel: vicky.ford@rafa.org.uk for further information or to book. Vacant Sheltered Accommodation The RAF Association has a range of one bedroom rented sheltered housing locations around the country for former RAF personnel or their widow/widowers aged 60+ who need a little support but are still able to live independently. Each RAF Assocation rented housing location is supported by an experienced scheme manager. Accommodation vacancies at:- Wexford House, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Live in scheme manager that provides three meals a day. Rent is approximately 903 per month including all bills and meals. Dowding House, Moffat in Scotland. One minute walk to the town centre. Rent is approximately 510 per month. Lord Tedder Court in Northumberland. Residents can use all the facilities of Rothbury House. Rent is approximately 400 per month including heating and hot water. Storrington in West Sussex, one bedroom self-contained flats fifteen miles away from Brighton, communal lounge and laundry. Rent is approximately 450 per month. Our sheltered housing is linked to a 24-hour emergency call system and is monitored full time by friendly, well trained staff, ensuring help is always on hand should you need it. 7

8 For further information please complete the simple expression of interest form attached and return to James Kew-Moss, Welfare Department, RAFA Headquarters, Atlas House, 41 Wembley Road, Leicester, LE3 1UT. RAF100 Cookbook Squadron Leader John Pullen, the mastermind behind the RAF100 Cookbook, and his team have developed a presentation around the production and contents of the book which they would be quite happy to perform to the branches/clubs in our Area. Squadron Leader Pullen says he defies anyone to find that he or she (serving or retired) cannot relate to one of the years or locations described in the book, which means they probably have tasted the associated recipe. There is a team of around 80 personnel who have contributed to the cookbook ranging from serving personnel, veterans, auxiliaries, air training corps, families and friends who pulled the book together at no cost. If you would like to arrange for Squadron Leader Pullen or one of the other team contributors to visit your branch/club, however formal or otherwise and talk to people about the history and how we pulled this together please contact him on Newcastle and Gateshead Branch As part of their recent RAF100 activities the Newcastle and Gateshead Branch arranged for Newcastle City Council to confer the Freedom of the City to RAF Boulmer. Following on from the impressive ceremony and led by the RAF Waddington pipe band, RAF Boulmer exercised their right to march through the city. The event was supported by uniformed personnel, veterans and RAF Association members. The weekend also featured an open air exhibition with the branch raising money for Wings Appeal. Leeds Rhinos Annual Armed Forces Fixture On Friday 13 June Leeds Rhinos will take on Wakefield Trinity at Emerald Headingley Stadium, in their annual Armed Forces fixture (kick-off 1945hrs). The day will feature a variety of military-themed attractions including the Royal Dragoon Guards and an aerial display from the World Famous Parachute Team. Leeds Rhinos are offering all Royal Air Forces Association members a discount on their match tickets including friends and family. Adults will be 15, concessions 10 and 5 for juniors 16 and under, when using the promotional code FORCE18. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.therhinos.co.uk, over the phone on or by visiting the club shop at Emerald Headingley Stadium. 8