FOREWORD FOREWORD

BY STATION COMMANDER GROUP CAPTAIN GARETH PRENDERGAST, BA (HONS), LLM, MSC, RAF

With Spring in the air, it feels good to have the hard nights of winter fading away and the longer days to look forward to. Here on Station the tempo continues apace. The new year has continued to bring new challenges and opportunities for our people to shine. It is a testament to the talent, tenacity and total commitment of the team here that RAF Leeming’s personnel and their skillsets are in constant demand. I hope you are as proud of your success as I am.

Looking forward, we once again have a great year ahead of us. In May we celebrate the coronation of HRH King Charles III and his wife, The Queen Consort, who is also RAF Leeming’s Honorary Air Commodore. We’re working on plans to celebrate the Coronation here on base, but I encourage you to engage with community support and get planning for your own street parties to celebrate this historic event.

After a successful visit by the RAFX team to USAF Miramar, I was delighted to host their Station Commander here at Leeming for a reciprocal visit. With our partners at Newcastle University we have an exciting suite of opportunities between North Yorkshire and California for growing our partnership. Continuing to progress the ability of our forces to be ever more resilient and energy self-sufficient is the foundation of the relationship. Our efforts to better understand wellness and ways to stay fighting fit in both

A Date for the Diary!

body and mind is another area that we have shared interests in.

Now, I know from talking to people across the station that whilst the name RAFX is familiar, and everyone knows it’s where there’s a lot of future looking innovation on the environmental front, there’s some ambiguity as to what exactly the projects are. To help broaden understanding, the RAFX team are hosting an exposition day on 26th April. The RAF team and the scientists from Newcastle University will be throwing open the doors to showcase their work so far and share plans for the future. We will also host other academic institutions and industries who are looking to provide solutions for Defence on our journey to greater sustainability. This event is open to all Station personnel and families. Additionally, the team have been in contact with local schools to build partnerships so children here at Leeming and the broader community can learn more through interactive workshops. I strongly encourage you to come along and learn more about the great work happening here at Leeming.

Community Support, Pinnacle, DIO and SSAFA the forums have resulted in an improved transport offering for non-drivers to access Northallerton at the weekend, a new community group for supporting parents of young children and progress on estate and housing issues, particularly where works are required or standards have not met our expectations.

The 27th July will be the day of the RAF Leeming Show. We’ve taken the lessons from previous Families’ Days and the team are working on providing an awesome day of fun, activities, flying and entertainment for all of us here at RAF Leeming.

I want to take the opportunity to thank those of you who have come along to the Station Commander’s Forum events and shared your views, frustrations and ideas on life at RAF Leeming. Working in partnership with attendees,

Additionally, it has been great to see our volunteer community continue to grow post-pandemic. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community as without them there are not the resources to provide events and activities that make life more enjoyable. And it doesn’t need to be a big commitment: even a small time commitment, shared amongst a group of likeminded individuals could have a big impact. So, if you have a hobby to share, an idea on how to improve things or a sport needing more team members, come along to the next forum and we can help you get started.

Finally, a date for the diary: the 27th July will be the day of the RAF Leeming Show. We’ve taken the lessons from previous Families’ Days and the team are working on providing an awesome day of fun, activities, flying and entertainment for all of us here at RAF Leeming. Mark the date and look out for further information on what to expect and how to get involved in the coming weeks.

Straight and true!