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Jim Doran – Honorary Secretary Branch 519 Rushden & District 11 Saxonlea Close Rushden NN10 6BF Mob: 07747 464122 Email:
[email protected] January 2017
Dear Members and Friends,
Already we are almost at the end of the first month of the New Year. Let’s hope that the year brings us as much success as last year. Notable for 2016 was an increase in our branch membership from a recorded 75 at the start of the year to enrolling our 100th member in December. We welcome all of the new members over the year and we will keep you up to date with the statistics in future newsletters. Our average meeting attendance has also risen, with a record attendance of twenty-nine at our November meeting. On the membership front, your need to be reminded that annual subscriptions are now due. If they are still outstanding at the end of January you will have deemed be a lapsed member and have to rejoin. Our Christmas Social was enjoyed by all thirty-eight people who attended, that number again was up on last year. In view of the success of last year’s social events we have decided to go to Knuston Hall again for our next summer social with the same buffet style format as last year. Before that of course, will be our next major event which is the band concert to be held once again at Park Road Baptist Church on Saturday March 25th 2017. This will be our sixth annual concert and we welcome the return of the Royal Air Force Area Voluntary Band, who you will remember performed the first in this series of concerts. Tickets have been distributed to our usual outlets and I sincerely hope that you members are doing your bit and giving this event as much publicity as you can. Tickets are slightly more expensive than before at £12 each, but this has to be a bargain to enjoy such a quality band. Proceeds from this event of course will, as previously, be a major part of our 2017 Wings Appeal. Apart from that we have a varied programme of trips and speakers to keep us occupied this year. The full itinerary is printed on the reverse of this letter. We do hope that you will partake as much as you can to make all our efforts and those of the social committee worthwhile. Please let us know as early possible by putting your name on the sheets which are now a feature of our meetings. Our first speaker of the year was yet another visit from Marylyn Wood, who gave us a most interesting insight into the funding of the Northamptonshire Spitfires. We currently have vacancy on our social committee as Owen Smith has had to stand down. And so we are looking for a volunteer to take his place. The social committee meet once a month at Jim’s place where we enjoy wine and nibbles. Not only do we discuss and plan branch events it is also a very social event in itself. Prior to this newsletter, we learnt of the sad passing of Dick Sanders. Dick had been a faithful member both at meetings and outings up until his illness about a year ago. He always insisted on knowing when everything took place; writing it in his notebook so as not to miss anything! We shall certainly miss him at our meetings where he mostly seemed to be asleep! That’s about it for now, make a note of our next meeting on 21st February, and we hope to see you there. Perhaps you will also take this as notification of our AGM which is on March 21st in place of our normal meeting. We hope to put on some refreshments and a short film show after the main business. If you have anything you wish to raise, please contact Jim by the end of February.
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Branch Charity Number 263072 In England & Wales www.rafa.org.uk
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Jim Doran – Honorary Secretary Branch 519 Rushden & District 11 Saxonlea Close Rushden NN10 6BF Mob: 07747 464122 Email:
[email protected]
In the meantime, we wish you the best of good fortune for the rest of the year, and thank you for your continuing support. We Look forward to seeing you all again soon. Kind Regards Bernard Lines (Chairman) - Jim Doran (Secretary)
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Branch Charity Number 263072 In England & Wales www.rafa.org.uk
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Jim Doran – Honorary Secretary Branch 519 Rushden & District 11 Saxonlea Close Rushden NN10 6BF Mob: 07747 464122 Email:
[email protected]
2017 Calendar – Meetings and Social Events Programme
Meetings at Rushden Town Bowls Club 144 Northampton Road, Rushden NN10 6AN:1930hrs 3rd Tuesday of every month unless otherwise stated below
16th January 2017 Day/Month
Meeting or Social Event/Visit
21st Feb
Speaker Meeting Dave Norman – Coroner’s Office
21st Mar
Branch AGM
18th April !
Speaker Meeting - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Nancy Wake Presented by Betty West
19th April
Bletchley Park
16th May
Speaker Meeting Tony Noble – “HMS Britannia”
17th May
Hendon Museum – Further details to follow
20th Jun
Summer Social
18th July
Speaker Meeting
19th July?
Duxford
15th Aug
Speaker Meeting
Subject to numbers signed up
Knuston Hall
TBA
Date to be confirmed but subject to change
TBA
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Branch Charity Number 263072 In England & Wales www.rafa.org.uk
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Jim Doran – Honorary Secretary Branch 519 Rushden & District 11 Saxonlea Close Rushden NN10 6BF Mob: 07747 464122 Email:
[email protected]
16th Aug
Metheringham Airfield + Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa
19th Sept
Speaker Meeting Concorde – An Incredible Aircraft
Presented by Les Evans
20th Sept
St Clement Danes, RAF Club and The Cabinet War Office
17th Oct
Speaker Meeting
18th Oct
RAFA Cranwell Branch Visit + Lunch and tour of Cranwell College, Date subject to change dependent upon the host branch & numbers signed up
21st Nov
Speaker Meeting
TBA
TBA
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Branch Charity Number 263072 In England & Wales www.rafa.org.uk
