Reunion & AGM  14 - 17 October 2016

Friday

From 11.00hrs, meet & greet at our reception desk in the foyer. Rooms available from 14.00hrs.

Arrive by car, taxi, train etc at the Novotel Hotel, check-in with IOW Tours and RAF&DFSA where the accommodation has already been prepared for your arrival. All accommodation has en suite bathrooms, colour TV and tea and coffee making facilities. Note: All this weekend, certain bar drinks are at a specially reduced rate on production of your IOW Tours voucher.

Don’t forget to visit the Association Shop, selling badges, ties, jumpers, etc available throughout the weekend.

Evening meal will be taken in the Nottingham Lace Suite.

Rest of the evening socializing in general.

Saturday

            08.00 – 10.00 Breakfast in the restaurant.

10.30 AGM in the Nottingham Lace Suite

12.30 Coaches depart, via Newark Town Centre, for a visit to the Newark Air Museum with entry ticket included in the package. Those who would rather spend the afternoon in Newark can disembark. After the visit to Newark Air Museum, the coaches will return to Newark Town Centre, where those who took the museum option will have the remaining available time to view the town. Coaches will finally depart Newark so as to return to the hotel by 16.30.

18.30 Pre Dinner Wine Reception in the Nottingham Lace Suite.

19.00 Gala Dinner is served in the Nottingham Lace Suite.

Rest of the evening enjoying the entertainment and association raffle.

Sunday

            08.00 – 10.00 Breakfast.

09.00 Coaches depart for our trip to RAF Scampton. Security is now very tight so it is important that you tell us that you intend to come before arrival at the hotel as we have to send names to Steve Shirley before we arrive. You will also be required to take personal ID with you. Coaches will return to the hotel by 17.00

Dinner is served in the Nottingham Lace Suite.

Monday

            07.00 – 09.30 Breakfast and depart after a wonderful weekend.

Please Note that all booking forms and queries relating to this get together must be addressed to

IOW Tours Ltd, 3 New Road, Lake Sandown Isle of Wight PO36 9JN

Contact shirley.winn@iowtours.com or vanessa.trow@iowtours.com

Telephone Shirley or Vanessa on 01983 405116

Click here to download a booking form:

Reunions kindly organised by Isle of Wight Tours

Social Weekend - March 2016

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Friday  

1500    Arrival and register for accommodation.  The bar will be open for you to relax after your journey and bar snacks are available all day. Parking at the hotel is plentiful.  There is no lift at the hotel but plenty of ground floor rooms.

1900 Dinner is served in the Restaurant. Following dinner meet in the bar to catch up with old friends.

Saturday 

0800 – 0930    Breakfast is served in the Restaurant. 

1000     Coach tour for those who have booked to Bletchley Park & the Shuttleworth Collection. Coach returns to the hotel at 16.30.

1830    Pre dinner Wine Reception in the Bedford Suite

1900    Gala dinner is served in the Bedford Suite followed by your raffle & live entertainment is provided.

Sunday

  0800 – 0930    Breakfast is served in the Restaurant

Members who are departing today must vacate their rooms by 1000. Provision has been made to store luggage. Please see reception 

1000    Coach tour for those who have booked to RAF Hendon.  Coach returns to the hotel at 1630.  

1900                Dinner is served in the restaurant.

                        Socialise with your friends in the bar.

Monday 

0700 –0930     Breakfast and departures. Please vacate your rooms by 1000 and remember to settle room accounts before leaving (extras only).

We wish you a safe journey home

Please Note that all booking forms and queries relating to this get together must be addressed to

IOW Tours Ltd, 3 New Road, Lake Sandown Isle of Wight PO36 9JN

Contact shirley.winn@iowtours.com or vanessa.trow@iowtours.com

Telephone Shirley or Vanessa on 01983 405116

Click here to download a booking form:

Reunions kindly organised by Isle of Wight Tours

Reunion & AGM  16 - 19 October 2015

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Friday  

14.30   Arrive by car, taxi, train etc at the 4* Sketchley Grange Hotel where the accommodation has already been prepared for your arrival. All accommodation has en suite facilities, colour TV and tea and coffee making facilities. Check in for your room with reception then come to the separate check in for all RAFDFSA Members in the foyer

19.00 Committee Meeting in one of the small meeting rooms in the hotel- TBC

18.30 – 20.00 Dinner is served in the main Restaurant. Book a table for dinner at reception for Friday night & Sunday night if you are staying Sunday night.

Saturday            

07.30 – 10.30 Breakfast is served in the main Brasserie Restaurant

10.30 AGM in the Bradgate Suite

12.30 Coach departs the hotel for those who have booked to visit Coventry City Centre where you have the chance to visit the Transport Museum, the old & new cathedrals and in the main Shopping precinct say a quick hello to Lady Godiva. Coach returns to the Hotel at 16.00

19.00 Gala Dinner Wine Reception is served in the Bradgate Suite

19.30 Gala Dinner in the Bradgate Suite

Followed by top class live entertainment and raffle

Sunday            

07.30 – 10.30 Breakfast in the Restaurant.

Departure of the 2 night guests – please vacate your room by 10.00. Please ensure you settle Personal Extras Account at reception. If you are going on the trip but not staying Sunday Night please check out of the hotel but you may leave your car in the car park

 10.00 Optional Trip to the home of Shakespeare Stratford upon Avon including a one hour river cruise on the Avon River.  Coach returns at 1600

 18.30 – 21.00 Dinner in the Main Restaurant Book your preferred time at reception

Monday            

06.45 – 09.30 Breakfast in the main Restaurant and depart after a wonderful weekend.

Please vacate your room by 11.00. Please ensure you settle Personal Extras Account at reception

Click here to download a booking form:

Reunions kindly organised by Isle of Wight Tours

Reunion & AGM  11 - 13  October 2014

Having recently returned from the October 2014 association reunion and AGM, I would like to put on record my appreciation to the Association committee for organising and over seeing what was in my opinion an excellent reunion weekend .the venue was excellent hotel staff very polite and extremely helpful Shirley Winn was as ever fussing over members and their quests making sure all was going well and ensuring they were receiving the best possible service. The actual AGM went very well made all that more entertaining and interesting by the lively and informative presentation given by our new flashpoint editor Adrian Tearle who outlined his plans for developing flashpoint even further. As it is Flashpoint is generally acknowledged to be one of the finest ex Service Association magazines but I’m sure aide can take it even further. It was also great to hear from Ron brown the association

Cenotaph coordinator. Ron informed all present that he has managed to allocate all thirty of this years Cenotaph parade tickets; a first for Ron and for the association. Very well done to Ron for all what he has done organising our association involvement in this very prestigious national event. I am sure his late great mate Alan Alsop would be delighted to think that what he started all those years ago has now developed into an annual event for the association.

Trevor the Treasurer also gave those present at the AGMs a breakdown of the association accounts which really are in a very health state. Although Allan and Marilyn Brooke have stood down after many years sterling and committed service  managing the association shop Dave Hughes and Neal Slade volunteered to take on responsibility for running the shop.

The association therefore appears to be in very good state of health in fact the association experienced a bit of a renaissance this year with some lapsed members returning to the fold and participating once more in reunions in addition we have attracted some new members can’t fail to mention that one new member just happens to be an Air Marshal.

Sir Roger Austen very kindly offered to take on the role of Association Honorary President and without further ado he paid his subs and is now a fully paid up member of the Association and proudly wears his association tie at our functions .As principal guest at the Gala Dinner Sir roger was invited to say a few after dinner words and hat an inspiring and very entertaining speech it was. He recalled a incident when he was returning from a operational sortie flying a Hawker Hunter in Borneo and was touching down at Labuan runway when he encountered a RAF fire truck half way down the runway fortunately neither party was injured or held to blame but Sir Roger did close his speech buy asking all present to stand and raise a toast to the wonderful men of the RAF Fire and Crash rescue service.

The RAF Fire  and Defence Fire Service Association has come a long way since those early pioneers like John Arthur and others set up this wonderful Association. Nowadays we have widows and sons of deceased members attending reunions thereby keeping alive the memory of their loved ones.

Let us all strive to encourage all lapsed members to return to the fold  at the same time lets see if we can attract new members to what is after all probably one of the best ex service Associations

George Edwards BEM

Association member 238

Reunion & AGM  11 - 13  October 2013

Below are some photo's of the event kindly provided by our Chairman Neil Slade

..and from Brummie Yates:

 

 

 

 

Treasurer's report on the get-together at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield:

Although there were only 36 of us in attendance, the weekend was a resounding success and enjoyed by all. I received lots of compliments about the hotel, the rooms, food and entertainment- all expertly organised by Shirley of Isle of Wight Tours. A few people seemed a little dubious about the low number of attendees when they arrived on Friday, but soon changed their minds when the weekend got going.  We had a very nice carvery dinner on Friday night then just chatted and caught up with our friends for the rest of the evening. There was a very warm and friendly atmosphere at all times. 

On Saturday morning 18 of us travelled by mini bus to Holmfirth- where "Last of The Summer Wine" was filmed. It's a very interesting and pretty little place which we all enjoyed. The coach driver then continued on to Wakefield to give us time to do some shopping- where we split up and did our own thing before travelling back to the hotel.  We had a couple of hours then before a wonderful Gala Dinner and I don't believe anyone came away hungry. There were 5 courses and each one was delicious and plentiful. A few people came up to me after the meal and said it was the best they had ever had at any reunion. The portions were large to say the least. 

After the meal we were entertained by a very talented lady called Julianne who sang a variety of songs across the years. She was accompanied by a friend called Karen who is just starting out in the business and is classically trained, so she sang a couple of solo numbers, then a duet with Julianne, which was most enjoyable. 

We held a raffle which raised a very surprising £93, considering there were only 36 of us there. All prizes were donated by the members attending and by Shirley. 

We had a special raffle which had been arranged by Shirley and me, which was a free room for the weekend. We decided that rather than raffle the room, we would split it into 2 single prizes each worth £120. These were won my Olive Arnold ( widow of member John Arnold) and John "Chalkie" White, who were  both pleasantly surprised and delighted. Hopefully, we will be able to continue to raffle at least 2 places at each future reunion with Shirley's generosity. 

We also managed to recruit 2 new associate members to the Association, those being Olive Arnold and her friend Yvonne Blair, who is the widow of a fireman who died before he had the chance to join the Association. 

18 members stayed on until Monday and for them, there was a coach trip to York which I understand was most enjoyable, despite the weather, with visits to the shops, museums etc.  I actually went to York independently to visit my Grandson and it was pretty grim weatherwise- rain and snow, so, very wet and cold and we headed for the nearest restaurant! 

The meal on Sunday evening, for those who stayed on, was most enjoyable, as were all the breakfasts, with plenty of choices to suit everyone. 

The consensus of opinion was that we should continue to arrange a social weekend in March for all members wishing to attend as 12 months is a long time between meeting up with our friends. I did not speak to anyone who said they would not wish to come again next March, which I took as a huge compliment.

Kind regards

Trevor

Reunion & AGM  12 - 14  October 2012

Below are some photo's of the event kindly provided by our new Chairman Neil Slade

 

 

 

 

Reunion & AGM  22 - 24 October 2010

 

World Cup Vets Bob Brearly, Scouse Grant, Sven Goran-Erikson, Tam McCrorie & John Hurl From Tam McCrorie	John Hanley, Brian Lindoe, Len Beynon, Jock Smith & Bill Rogers From Tam McCrorie	Tom, Lofty, Walter & Bill From Tam McCrorie	John, Brian, Jock, Len & Bill From Tam McCrorie

Reunion & AGM Weekend 9 -12 October 2009

George Edwards, Kevin Meeson and Paul McGhee	Aldergrove six from 1959-63 Bill Bennett, John Miller, Malcolm Byrom, Tom Mc Crorie, Jim Croll & Bill Brown

 

 

Older:

 

Shoreham Circa 1995 From Brum Yates