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Round-up of 2009
A report by Christopher Lunn, Chairman
The Devon Committee would like to start by thanking Peter Rostron, for guiding ABF The Soldiers’ Charity in Devon over so many years. Fundraising in the County went from strength to strength under his leadership, culminating in a final bumper year which saw a contribution of just over £82,000 from the County.
Peter has set a very high standard for us to meet in the future; high but hopefully not impossible!
Street Collections
One of the most encouraging aspects of the year has been the willingness of the public to continue to support ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Despite tough economic times, our street collections have held up extremely well and topped over £17,500, an unprecedented 70% increase over last year.
None of this could have happened without the support of our collectors and we are extremely grateful to them all. We never cease to be amazed at how generous they are with their time.
But we are always on the lookout for new blood and so if anyone reading this wants to help, please get in touch.
Events
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Whilst I don’t think we’ve borrowed anything (that we haven’t returned) and I am not aware of any noticeably ‘blue’ events, the blend this year has certainly been something old and something new.
The New
The stand-out new events this year have been a black tie dinner at Powderham Castle, a Last Night of the Proms at Flete House and a reception with an antique theme at Ugbrooke Park.
The Powderham dinner, courtesy of the Earl and Countess of Devon, was a very special occasion run with real flair by Hamish and Muffet Monro. Martin Bell, complete with white dinner jacket, was the guest speaker and his support for the work of the Army came across loud and clear. The evening was interspersed with musical entertainment with a harp, a piano and a squeeze box as well as Hamish himself in good voice. It was a wonderful evening and a real team event that included a former Director Army Air Corps as a very efficient waiter! More importantly, it raised a magnificent £4,900.
The second new venture was a Last Night of the Proms by the Salamanca Band and Bugles of The Rifles at Flete House near Modbury. Blessed with dry weather, it was another excellent occasion that raised a wonderful £5,500. The initiative came from the residents of Flete House who supported us throughout; we are very grateful to them for allowing us to use their stunning home as such a marvellous backdrop for the concert. I am sure it will become a regular feature of our programme in the future.
Another novel event held for the first time this year was an antique evening at Ugbrooke Park, courtesy of Lord and Lady Clifford who are very generous supporters of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. Superbly organised by Trevor Ongley and Philip Hutchens, and fronted by Bearnes, Hampton & Littlewood, the Exeter-based auctioneers and valuers of fine art, the evening began with a reception, followed by an informal quiz which involved guessing the value of 10 carefully selected items. Originals and fakes were included and it was not difficult to see how the amateur enthusiast can be fooled. The author of this article scored just 2 out of 10! The evening was rounded off with a short band concert by the Semper Fidelis Concert Band. Another excellent evening.
The Old
One of our flagship annual events is the Michaelmas Fair at Powderham Castle. Run by a small committee of Helga McQueen, Barbara Durnford and Helen Vincent, it was another great success this year and appeared to have bucked the economic trend. Numbers attending were up and the event raised (at the time of writing) a record £6,500, an astonishing achievement. Sponsorship of such events is an essential pre-requisite these days and we must give our thanks again to Bearnes, John Morgan Hire Company and Wilkinson Grant & Co, the property agents. Read more about ABF The Soldiers’ Charity fairs and see the photos.
The second regular event to highlight is the Festival of Remembrance at Barnstaple organised by Tony Hare as it has been for 12 years. Once again it was a perfect mix of remembrance and entertainment. In fact another triumph!
Finally, I must end by thanking everyone who has helped to make the year one of success: our collectors; the sponsors; the donors; our committee; the Regular, TA and ACF units who give us the essential manpower support; the Regional HQ team of Alan Gorczyca and Helen Vincent; as well as those who support us just by coming to the events we run. As we come to the end of my first year as Chairman, I have had the privilege of attending some marvellous events and this record gives just a flavour. Each one has been superbly organised, run with style and panache and financially successful. They have all been events that any organisation would be proud to be associated with. We aim to do the same and more next year.
A report by Geoffrey Durrant, County Chairman
This year has been busier than ever and public support has been unflagging. Current operations in Afghanistan are placing increasing pressure on the Regular Army and the Territorial Army and the concern and generosity of our supporters is much appreciated.
Arrivals in 2009
This year the Committee welcomed Lt Col Peter Prentis and Michael Pether and Major Peter Moran. The increasing programme of events and collections is such that new committee members or activities assistants will be very welcome.
Fundraising Events
The first event of the year was the annual Big Curry held in April at the Taunton Royal British Legion. This was the second occasion that we held this lunch at the Legion Club and we hope to continue this arrangement which has proved popular.
In June, in place of our much missed Montys Court event, we held an open-air theatre evening in conjunction with the St John Ambulance at Stowberry Park, Wells. In beautiful surrounds and with perfect weather for a picnic before the play, London Assurance, it proved a very enjoyable event and we thank Tim and Frances Young, the owners of Stowberry Park.
As usual, the Sedgemoor Battlefield Tour on 8 July was fully booked and we thank General Barry and Shirley Lane for all their work in making the day so interesting and informative. The TA and Somerset ACF again were very supportive and we also thank Pardoes Solicitors for their kind donation.
A new venture this year was Proms in the Garden at Ivyclad Hall, Brent Knoll. This was a concert given by the Band and Drums of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and The Yorkshire Regiment, both TA. We thank them and also John Harper and his team and Miss Frances James for allowing us to hold the event in her beautiful garden.
On 8 September the Montacute Concert was given by the Band of The Royal Gurkha Rifles accompanied by the Bugles of 6th Rifles. The Band and Bugles of the Somerset Army Cadet Force also gave a splendid performance. The audience was the largest ever to have attended this event. It was organised by the Somerset Hospice and Major General Ray Pett. He replaces Major General Barry Lane who was involved with the event since its inception.
On 12 September, a parade and service took place in Wells to mark the 50th Anniversary of the formation of The Somerset and Cornwell Light Infantry. A portion of the cathedral collection was donated to the Somerset ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
The King’s College Talk on 9 October was given by Brigadier Johnny Torrens-Spence CBE, former British Defence Adviser Pakistan. His subject was “Afghanistan, The North West Frontier, Why we are where we are”. This very topical subject attracted a lot of interesting questions. We much appreciated his giving us his time, because very shortly afterwards he departed to Southern Sudan as a Defence Advisor on behalf of the British Government. We thank the Headmaster and Staff of King’s for allowing us to use the facilities of the School.
Most recently, on 10 October Colonel Christopher Price, a member of our Committee, set out from Lands End on his bicycle and 922 miles later reached John O’Groats at 4.30 pm on 19 October. Frequently the traffic was a hazard, its noise and bad road surfaces tested his determination. This was a marvellous achievement for anyone but for a man in his sixties it was a remarkable effort indeed. He was supported en route by his wife Rosemary in a camper van. Between them they raised the magnificent sum of more than £10,000 for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. We congratulate and thank them both and greatly appreciate their contribution to our work.
Military and Civilian Support
We thank 6 Rifles, 21 Signal Regiment, Somerset Army Cadet Battalion The Rifles, Augusta Westland of Yeovil, the Mendip Clay Pigeon Shoot and our many friends and supporters throughout the County. This year we expect to raise more than £50,000.
With best wishes for 2010