Characteristics of The Rifles Regiment

The Royal Green Jackets Association

Management Plan 2020

At the formation of The Rifles in 2007, the Royal Green Jacket (RGJ) Colonel Commandants decided that a significant sum of money from the RGJ funds, which were transferred to The Rifles, should be ‘ringfenced’ to look after the interests of the Regiment and its Association in the long term. In due course, any remaining funds would be transferred to The Rifles on the demise of the Association. In 2015, Royal Green Jacket Regimental Association (RGJRA) with its management committees was consolidated into the Royal Green Jacket Association (RGJA), with a Council and Association Committee as the means to run and administer the organisation, and to provide the necessary governance. The RGJ Museum remains an independent Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), but on Regimental Association matters reports to and is a member of the RGJA Council. The RGJ Ladies Guild was absorbed into The Rifles benevolence structure. A more detailed account is at Annex A.

Structure

RGJA Council: The RGJA Council is the Association’s governing board to determine Regimental and Association policy issues, agree the drawdown of the RGJ Management Fund, and allocate grants annually as required to the RGJA Committee and the RGJ (Rifles) Museum. It is chaired by the President of the RGJA and its membership is set out in the Rules for the RGJA. RGJA Association Committee: The RGJA Association Committee coordinates and controls, as required, the Association and Branch activities, and makes recommendations to the RGJA Council on both activities and funding. It is chaired by the Chairman of the RGJA and its membership is set out in the Rules of the RGJA; it is supported by the following sub committees: • Executive Committee • Communications – Website/IT/Journal.

• Officers’ Club

• Annual Reunion • Others as required • RGJA Council Its purpose is to direct and support the activities of the RGJA, through its Association Committee, and support the Museum and other legacy and memorial elements of the Regiment, in order to safeguard the traditions, heritage and values of the RGJ, and foster comradeship between veteran fellow Riflemen.

RGJA Council Objectives

• To encourage and sustain membership of the RGJA. • To provide communication for and between veterans through the Regimental website and annual journal/Ezine. • To safeguard our regimental heritage, traditions and values, and as required, to provide input to Colonel Commandant The Rifles and RHQ The Rifles.

• To support the annual Veterans’ Reunion and Officers’ Club dinner and the annual NI

Veterans event at the Nation al Memorial Arboretum (NMA). • To help support the running costs of the RGJ (Rifles) Museum until the future of the

Museum is clearly determined. • To maintain the Regimental Memorial at the

NMA and the Garden of Remembrance at

Winchester. • To oversee the income and capital of the RGJ

Management Fund, review the policy and priorities for spending, and annually allocate resources as required. • To support other RGJA and Regimental activities as the RGJA Council deems appropriate.

Funding Policy

While the RGJ Management Fund is managed by the Trustees of The Rifles Regimental Trust for investment purposes, the income and capital are under the control of the RGJA Council to support the activities of veterans of the RGJ, through the RGJA, and the RGJ (Rifles) Museum. This control is to be based on an annual total return from a 50-year plan from 2015, which will be reviewed annually by the RGJA Council, based on the average valuation over the previous three years. The intent is that a residual sum – £100k – will remain in the RGJ Management Fund to be transferred to The Rifles at an undetermined date in the future. This will be a decision taken by the RGJA Council, to merge the RGJA into The Rifles Association, in order to continue to support veteran RGJ Riflemen and their successors. Additional capital drawdown can only take place with the approval of the RGJA Council.

Funding Priorities

Funding will be allocated annually by the RGJA Council based on the priorities below, but understanding that Association social events should have a self-funded element, and that financial benevolence is now the remit of The Rifles Benevolent Trust. Support to living veteran Riflemen in meeting the objectives above is the overriding priority: • Maintain a regimental website and database. • Support the publication of an annual RGJA journal/Ezine(s). • Measures to increase membership of the

RGJA. • Subsidise the annual Veterans’ Reunion and Officers’ Dining Club dinner. • Contribute to RGJ Museum running costs until its future is clearly determined. • Maintain the Regimental memorial at the NMA and Winchester Garden of Remembrance.

Support as required to other RGJA and Regimental events as appropriate, including: • Remembrance Day • Senior Riflemen’s lunch

• Officers’ Widows lunch

• Branch annual grants (tbc) • Support to other activities as appropriate

Annual Budget

A three-year funding allocation forecast is to be updated and approved annually by the RGJA Council.

RGJA Association Committee Objectives

• To implement the objectives and policies set out by the RGJA Council. • To bring to the notice of all persons who are serving or who have served with the Regiment, the existence of the RGJA and to encourage and sustain membership of the RGJA. • To provide an environment through which past members of the Regiment can get together and maintain contact with each other and the wider Regimental family. This is achieved through the establishment of Association Branches in all parts of the United Kingdom and abroad, where this is feasible, to foster a bond of comradeship between all who have served as Riflemen in the RGJ in any capacity whatsoever.

• To encourage attendance at and organise social and commemorative events either centrally or through the Regional Branches.

• To implement a Communications Plan for and between veterans through the RGJA website and by the publication of an annual journal/ Ezine(s).

• To organise the Veterans’ Reunion, which will be held annually, normally on the second weekend in July, at a venue to be decided by the Association Committee; and the Officers’

Club dinner; and the NI Veterans event at the

NMA.

• To maintain the Regimental Memorial at the

NMA and the Garden of Remembrance at

Winchester.

• Based on the priorities for spending, to bid to the RGJA Council annually for an allocation of resources to support the activities of the Association and its Branches.

• To support other RGJA and Regimental activities as the RGJA Council deems appropriate.

20 November 2020

RGJA Association Committee

Its purpose is to provide the means whereby Riflemen of all ranks who are serving, or have at anytime served in the Regiment can continue to be part of the “Green Jacket Family” through maintaining contact with the Regiment and friends.