26 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2011


White knight helps ward


IS ARK Royal’s LAET Nigel White dazzled by the fl ash of the camera bulb... or possibly the ‘colourful’ shirt his CO, Capt John Clink, is wearing? Even more dazzling than both, however, is the fact that the leading hand decided to donate some of his lottery winnings (being handed over in LA(Phot) Gregg Macready’s photograph) to charity. When Nigel won the ship’s raffle (£4k) he immediately offered


to give one quarter of the sum to the Children’s Surgery Ward at Southampton General Hospital. The reason why? Well, some 30 years ago baby Nigel received two


life-saving operations at the hospital. Following twice-yearly check-ups he was given the all-clear at the age of 13 and, aged 20, he fulfilled his ambition of following in his dad’s footsteps and serving under the White Ensign. Every year the air engineer donates toys and teddies to the ward, but


YES, we know it’s


February. But there’s been so much Santa-


has always wanted to make a more significant donation; his ticket being drawn out of the carrier’s raffle during the Auriga deployment afforded him just such an opportunity. “I owe so much to the hospital – and especially the children’s ward,” said Nigel. “I’ve never forgotten what they did for me and have always done what I can buying toys and the like – and I’ll continue to do that – but it’s just great to be able to do something like this.”


related fundraising tomfoolery since our last issue we couldn’t ignore it.


And besides, where else could


you find a photograph of Santa in the back of a Royal Navy helicopter (try page 28 – ed).


We’ll begin with the chaps and chapesses above from the good ship HMS Edinburgh,


posing


in front of Southsea’s Pyramids Centre for the Santa Fun Run. Ten ship’s company from the


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destroyer volunteered for the charity race, led by their CO Cdr Paul Russell, and all donned appropriate festive fancy dress for the workout (no we have no idea why some are in blue rather than the more usual St Nick red...). They joined around 1,000 other fun runners on the streets of Portsmouth and Southsea for the Believe and Achieve/Alexandra Sports event which didn’t mind if competitors completed five or (the hardcore) ten kilometres walking or running – as long as they raised money for the local RNLI.


The ten matelots clocked up 85 kilometres (52 miles) between them and raised £134 for the lifeboat charity. “It was such an enjoyable event for a really good cause that I’m thinking of doing my next half- ironman [cycle-swim-run] in a Santa suit,” said Cdr Russell. Aside from preparing for that,


there’s the small matter of getting the Fortress of the Sea through a spot of Operational Sea Training in Plymouth before Edinburgh deploys in the spring following her refit in Portsmouth. To Culdrose now and the good


● It would be much more fun if I had a machine-gun like the chap on page 28... a pensive Santa on his way to visit ill youngsters at the Royal Cornwall Hospital – courtesy of 820 NAS


folk of 820 Naval Air Squadron who delivered a special visitor to the children of Sennen Ward, Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske (clue, he wears red and has a white beard).


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While deployed in the Middle East and elsewhere, members of the Merlin squadron raised funds for the children’s Christmas party at Paradise Park in Hayle. AET Lucy Holt (also coincidentally a part-time elf) organised a number of events inlcuding a Halloween Fancy Dress Night and a beard- growing competition during the deployment. In total, the men and women of 820 NAS raised £750 for the ward to help cover costs for presents and the party. Lt Cdr Steve Thomas said:


“820’s long-standing affiliation with the ward is something we are very proud of, and the chance for us to bring some Christmas cheer to children unfortunate enough to be ill at this time of year was most welcome. “To deliver Santa himself was a


privilege that we simply couldn’t pass up. “Several members of the squadron have had children treated on the ward, so it is very close to both the squadron and


RNAS Culdrose’s hearts.” Santa brought with him a sack stuffed full of teddy bears, courtesy of Bears on Location, for the children on Sennen and other wards around the hospital. Not to be outdone in the Santa stakes were the Commando Helicopter Force who delivered Santa to two local schools (his sleigh obviously was proving more troublesome mechanically than a Sea King...).


A Jungly Mk 4 dropped in on schools in Chilton Cantelo, near Marston Magna, and Leweston, near Sherborne. At Leweston the children gave shoe boxes to Santa which they had filled with gifts as an appeal to support children after the disaster in Haiti. Santa’s plans to visit Charlton


Farm Children’s Hospice South West at Wraxall were scuppered by weather, so the team from 848 Naval Air Squadron whisked Santa there by car. Whilst at the hospice, the squadron presented a donation for over £1,000 raised through charitable events and coordinated by the Engineering Training Office.


Needy folk in Fareham and


Gosport had a bumper Christmas thanks to personnel and VT Flagship staff at from HMS Collingwood. People at the Fareham establishment spent the year filling hampers with anything from biscuits and exotic tea to children’s toys, books, and health and beauty products.


Come December the thoroughly-stuffed hampers were


ready for handing over to Fareham and Gosport


Adult Services


Department . And finally... A song, recorded


at Camp Bastion last year, by two members of the Royal Navy has been raising money for Help for Heroes.


The song, Maybe This Christmas!,


was written by S/Lt Dave Emery, who is the guitarist, and lead vocalist is Lt Phil Clark, both of whom met while on active duty with 857 Naval Air Squadron in Afghanistan.


Once back in the UK, the two joined forces with three of Dave’s friends to create the band Little Red Ambulance. Dave said: “We wanted to bring


Christmas back! I wrote a song to conjure and inspire a warmth and Christmas spirit unravelled by recent Christmas releases. “We identified that recent popular hits have either contained a token seasonal sound or been totally lacking in any relevance to Christmas at all! “Looking at those tunes that


are played year in year out as Christmas classics, they all have festive content in abundance.” Phil explained: “While the prospect of battling it out with established artists in the Christmas chart is hugely exciting for us all, we hope to maximise the money we can raise for Help for Heroes. “It is such a valid and relevant cause especially for two of us who have witnessed firsthand the courage and commitment of the Servicemen and women on the front line. They deserve all the support they can get!”


● HMS Edinburgh’s Santas all dressed up for the eponymous festive fun run in Southsea


All for a good Claus


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