Community News

BBQ ANYONE?

Thanks to the RAF Benevolent Fund, RAF Honington has officially opened the new BBQ Area for service personnel and their dependants.

Ahuge donation of over £40K from the Fund has enabled the Station to provide the perfect outdoor socialisation area for family and friends, and for functions alike. Following a community needs analysis, service personnel and their family members voted this to be a great space to reconnect and decompress from their daily duties. Use of this area was considered for socialising and spending quality time together after the effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Perfect timing with the consistently warmer weather and dryer landscape, the new facility has contributed to the safe use of BBQ’s providing the ultimate venue for summer social times.

Since it’s completion in the last couple of months, the BBQ area has already been used for various large station functions including Family’s Day and a number of sporting fixtures.

Crown Copyright | RAF Honington Station Commander Group Captain Dutch Holland said: “Everyone loves a BBQ right? Well thanks to the RAF Benevolent Fund there is now a communal facility here at RAF Honington where families and friends can get together and enjoy a relaxed and social time together. It’s a fabulous facility which I am proud to have here and extremely grateful to the RAF Benevolent Fund for their continued support.”

EX EXEC BURY ST EDMUNDS DISCOVERY

One quiet afternoon in Jul, 10 of the Station Exec Team ventured into Bury St Edmunds to undertake an afternoon of Force Development – Ex Exec BSED organised by Wg Cdr Suzi Senior. The programme for the afternoon involved 3 Stands at various locations which explored the Town’s military past, the important role that the Elveden Estate played during WW1, how Bury St Edmunds was affected by raids and bombing during both World Wars and how it and RAF Honington now honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE

Between Stands 2 and 3, the group was split into 3 Teams to undertake the BSE Treasure Trail - Alpha (OC Support Wing – Wg Cdr Rachel English, OC Force Development Squadron – Sqn Ldr Ali Sandeman and Station Padre – Sqn Ldr Matt Buchan), Bravo (OC Force Protection Centre Centre – Wg Cdr Mitch Mitchell, SO1 Capability Integration – Lt Col Scott Haselden and the Station Warrant Officer – WO ‘Jerry’ McGuire) and Charlie (Station Commander – Gp Capt Dutch Holland, OC Training Wing – Wg Cdr Tony Antoniou and the Stn XO – Sqn Ldr Sam Mitchell). Following an outline brief and a reminder to read the clues carefully, they were given 2 hrs to answer all the questions and a finish RV point for debrief and presentation of medals to the winning team (chocolate of course)!

Congratulations to all the teams for completing the TT but especially Team Alpha who not only stormed around the TT overtaking the other two teams but solved all of the clues correctly. An informative and interesting afternoon with some Team Building thrown in - more importantly it was just on the doorstep.

RAF Benevolent Fund Auction Prize - A day with the RAF Regiment

An enthusiastic group from SCC enjoyed a ‘day in the field’ with the RAF Regiment recently at RAF Honington.

Their Company, SCC, had bid a substantial amount to benefit the RAF Benevolent Fund at the annual fundraising auction held by MBDA at the end of 2021. The 6 guests yesterday had also each made an individual donation to Troop Aid UK the charity that provides support of welfare and clothing items to Service Personnel while they are in hospital – non moreso than to the many medevacced troops that arrived from operational theatres over the years of operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East into Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

As ever, the day started with an introduction into the history of the Corps starting back 100 years ago with Armoured Car Companies in operations in the Arabian Peninsula, through to its formation to defend the RAF on Air Operations in WW2 and the enduring role that is still played in delivering Air Power across the Globe to this day.

Equipment and training has certainly changed over the years and continues to do so but seeing the Jackal, Foxhound and Panther vehicles was a welcome follow on from the Snatch Land Rovers in the Heritage Centre. That we still need to put our personnel from across the RAF into locations that not be the safest as individuals, was covered by seeing some of the training delivered by the Global High Threat Course at the Force Protection Centre and also the Virtual Reality Training tools including ‘Ready Gunner One’ at the RAF Regiment Training Wing too.

The scale of the equipment need individually was an eye opener but so was the weight of it when carried in worst case scenario of full Marching Order at about 70 Kg plus weapon personal armour and weapon!

The RAF Benevolent Fund has helped in the provision and delivery of many significant projects across RAF Honington that benefit all age groups in families through Nursery and Youth groups to serving personnel too and our community by renovation of the Social Club and new BBQ areas to name but a few. SCC’s support will ensure the RAF Benevolent Fund will be able to continue to support our people, families and veterans when they need it.

Thank you from RAF Honington to the RAF Benevolent Fund and SCC.