THE ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL MARINES CHARITY
1710 unite for big race
Rocking tours of tunnels
A TEAM of 14 sailors, soldiers, civil servants and partners from 1710 NAS based in HMNB Portsmouth, helped to raise funds for the RNRMC when they took part in the Morrisons Great South Run. Organised by LAET John Dawson, the squadron entered two teams of seven people into the business competition. After a lot of lunchtime and evening training sessions, for some more than others, the day itself turned out to be almost perfect for running around Portsmouth. All 1710 NAS participants put in very creditable performances with POAET Mike Sellars achieving a most impressive time of 1:10:18 that placed him 682
WO1 Mac McLoughlin presented a cheque for £400 to Rebecca Saunders, a Regional Fundraiser and Volunteers Advisor for the RNRMC. WO1 McLoughlin and Pete Murray-Jones raised the money by offering visiting MOD personnel guided tours of the WW2 tunnels in Gibraltar. The tours are conducted on a voluntary basis in their spare time and rather than charge for the tunnel tours they accept optional charity donations. Rebecca, who was visiting Gibraltar to raise awareness of the RNRMC, said: “My visit has reminded me of how unique life on the Rock is and how important the enduring relationship of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines is there. “This type of fundraising by current Royal Navy and MOD personnel is vitally important in helping us to support sailors, marines and their families, both at home and abroad, whilst also raising awareness of the charity among other British overseas territories.” WO1 McLoughlin and Pete averaged one tunnel tour a week and in 2014 they raised £335.30 for the charity.
Sailors set for challenge
Festival of rugby
TWO sailors are planning a dinghy voyage from Plymouth to Portsmouth to raise funds for the RNRMC.
A ROYAL Navy President’s XV beat Petersfield Rugby Club 38-21 in a match in aid of the RNRMC. The crowd at Penns Place, Petersfield, were entertained with a couple of warm-up matches – an U9s game between Petersfield and US Portsmouth and a home affair which saw the under-12s take on the under-13s. The home side took the honours in the U9s match while the second game ended in a draw. The Royal Navy Volunteer Band from HMS Sultan also entertained spectators during the intervals.
Phil Slade and his crew Mark Rogerson will complete the 170 nautical mile trip in a Bosun dinghy in June. “Other than one stop in Portland we will sail for about 40 hours, navigating notoriously hazardous waters,” said Phil. “We will be sailing night and day, and we will be up to 20 miles off shore. The dinghy will be mostly unsupported.” The duo will have emergency support available from the yacht Sarie Marais during their journey from the Camber Sailing Centre in Plymouth along the coast to HMS
Songs of praise THE annual carol service onboard HMS Victory raised £396.40 for the RNRMC. Readings were given by members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, while the Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth provided the music, along with the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir and St Ann’s bellringers.
Excellent at Whale Island in Portsmouth. “I chose the RNRMC because I am serving in the Royal Navy and I think they do a terrific job supporting the RN and Royal Marines, which is obviously close to my heart. “I have been instructing people in sailing the Bosun dinghy for a couple of years, but we have been training specifically for this event. “We have been up to ten miles offshore and in different sea states, so the boat will not present any problems – it will be the endurance side and the navigation. “I don’t want to make it something it’s not, but it will be a hard job keeping our concentration, especially in the dark. “Dinghy sailing is very visual but at night we will have to feel our way.” To show your support f visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ camberbosunchallenge
in a field of over 25,000 people. The squadron also just missed a podium position in the team event, but the day was still hailed a great success by all runners. A Just Giving page set up by WO2 Craig Thomas raised almost £1,100 for the RNRMC. When they are not raising funds for charity, the team from 1710 NAS delivers specialist engineering and scientific support to the Fleet Air Arm and to Royal Navy ships. The team also included: Aaron Cusack, PO Mike Sellars, Lt Sandeep Longia, CPO Jed Groves, Sgt Dave Spilsbury, Becky Elliot, LAET John Dawson, Chris Brearley RNR, WO2 Craig Thomas, CPO Lloyd Boyce, CPO Perry, Nimali AmaratungaBrearley, Lt Cdr Dan Weil and PO Simon Whittell
l Irene Robinson
Musical marathon A PIPER from Poole is travelling 50,000 miles in 50 days on a Seven Continent Piping Challenge hoping to raise £50,000 for the RNRMC and Julia’s House, a hospice for children. Irene Robinson, 57, who works as a forensic health practitioner, will play the bagpipes at iconic locations across seven continents, including New York’s Radio City Music Hall, San Francisco’s Alcatraz, Antarctica’s Port Lockroy, Auckland’s Sky Tower, Sydney’s Captain Cook’s Cruises, Johannesburg’s Regina Mundi Catholic Church, among others, finishing in London’s HMS Belfast on February 27. “I have made this challenge as big as I can because I want to raise £50,000 for two charities that are close to my heart,” said Irene. “I am proud to be a member of The Royal Navy Pipe Band Association and because of this, I see at first hand the brilliant work that the RNRMC do.” For more details and to donate visit www.bagpipetheworld. com
Female aviator arrives Down Under at end of epic flight
BRITISH adventurer Tracey Curtis-Taylor, 53, arrived in Sydney to complete an epic 14,600-nautical mile flight from the UK to Australia in a classic open cockpit biplane. The intrepid aviator, who is an active supporter of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity as well as an Honorary Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, set off in her 1942 Boeing Stearman Spirit of Artemis aircraft from Farnborough, Hampshire, in October, retracing pioneer Amy Johnson’s 1930 flight. Tracey travelled across 23 countries, making some 50 refuelling stops. Robert Robson, CEO of the RNRMC, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and we
l Tracey Curtis-Taylor flew Spirit of Artemis over Uluru (Ayers Rock) on her final leg to Sydney were thrilled to see Tracey flying the flag of the Royal Navy and the RNRMC logo worldwide. Just like the Naval Service personnel we support, her determination
and tenacity are unwavering. Well done!” Tracey undertook the flight to celebrate the pioneering days of early aviation in the 1920s
and 1930s, and especially the achievements of revolutionary British aviator Amy Johnson. A celebrity of her day, Ms Johnson became the first woman
to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930 and died in mysterious circumstances during WW2 while flying for the Air Transport Auxiliary.
“To fly something like this, low level, halfway around the world seeing all the most iconic landscapes, geology, vegetation – it’s just the best view in the world,” said Tracey. Flying the open cockpit biplane had given her an “insight” into what Ms Johnson went through getting to Australia, she added. A group of 150 friends gathered in October to bid Tracey farewell, including Prince Michael of Kent, Dame Diana Rigg, Amy Johnson’s niece Judy Chilvers and Rear Admiral Ben Key. She was also joined by a number of her partners, including personnel from Global Sponsors Boeing and Artemis Investment Management, as well as representatives from ExecuJet, Inmarsat and Cobham SatCom.
VOLUNTEER I DONATE THROUGH PAYROLL GIVING I APPLY FOR A GRANT E: theteam@rnrmc.org.uk 26 : FEBRUARY 2016
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