202NEWSNEWSHOMEPORHOMEPORTT
From the Chairperson
W
ell, what a busy few months we have July we will have an NFF information If, however, you should disagree with this
had in the office! The message that message on all 35,000 Pay Slips. Posters, focus or feel that there is a burning issue of
NFF is in business seems to be filtering out to leaflets and letters have been sent to all HIVE which we are not aware – then tell us!!
all areas of the community, and you are Information Offices in UK and abroad. We
responding by making contact with us. The are currently mail-dropping all Citizens So what else have we been doing? Jackie,
enquiries and requests are varied and Advice Bureaux and plan to contact local Rita, Ethel and I had an away-day in London,
interesting, and in several instances we have newspapers and GPs’ surgeries throughout attending the Army Families Federation
found ourselves mediating between parties to the country. We are also recruiting in the Conference in the Guildhall. The early start
help resolve ongoing issues. The message made our day very long but interesting, and it
boards on the website have had flurries of proved to be a good forum to meet other
activity. One suggestion we had was for a service providers. It is important that the three
dedicated children’s page on the site. Jackie Federations communicate and, whilst
has been researching this in-depth; by the acknowledging our differences, work together
time this magazine reaches you the children’s towards a common goal. I am confident that
pages will be up and running – ask your the new Chair of the AFF, Sammie Crane,
children to let us know what they think. and I have established a sound basis on
which to build. We wish her well in her
June was particularly eventful: on the 10th I new post.
attended the Families Forum in London,
where I met the Under Secretary of State for Later in the month, I had a very enjoyable
Defence, Ivor Caplin. (The Minister has morning at Tidworth where I was privileged to
promised to visit us in Portsmouth before the be asked to speak to the HIVE course,
end of the year, so watch this space!) representing all three families’ federations.
The feedback from the Information Officers
During our meeting, I gave an overview on wholeheartedly supported our remit to
where the NFF is ‘today’ and explained that, represent ‘families’ in the wider sense – the
as a result of feedback from families, we have term encompassing spouses, partners and the
very quickly determined that our main focus extended family.
should be on improving ‘communication’.
A visit to DHE offices and a walk around the
At present, we are almost solely reliant on the quarters at Rowner, Gosport, has raised a few
serving person to take information home to matters that we plan to research and address
you – and what a wealth of information, in the next magazine – so watch out for that
advice and support there is available! The article – it could raise a few eyebrows! A
Data Protection Act prevents us from good friend to the NFF, Godfrey Hilliard,
contacting families directly and our frustration Fleet Chaplain, arranged for me to visit
is compounded by the fact that so few of our Amport House and speak to the RN Church
families (20%) are a captive audience living of England Chaplains at their Conference.
in Family Quarters. Our families have told us They were a smashing audience who I am
that this lack of contact and access to now confident will take our message out into
information is felt most keenly when their the wider community.
loved ones are deployed. It would make
sense, then, to assume that this would also be July brought a visit from The First Sea Lord.
the case for Royal Navy and Royal Marines We enjoyed showing him around Castaway
Reservists. The NFF has been instrumental in House and letting him see for himself the
making improved communication the number achievements we have made to date. You can
one priority on the Service Families Task Force see photographs of the visit on our website:
Action Plan (see Justin Stanhope-White’s www.nff.org.uk The Plymouth post will also be
article on page 09). Plymouth area, where our aspiration is to advertised and a permanent link to the West
access the training establishments at Country will be forged. Recruiting in Scotland
So how have we tackled communicating with RALEIGH, DARTMOUTH and LYMPSTONE. will be next on our agenda.
our families to date? We have had to think Just the tip of the iceberg I feel, but a good
‘creatively’. We have an excellent website and start nonetheless. Do you have any good I hope your summer was a warm and relaxing
magazine, and the Personnel Division has ideas or suggestions we could use – the one, and for those of you with loved ones
facilitated contact with Commanding Officers best one will receive a bunch of flowers, away – not too long! G
of ships and submarines who will endorse the and if you live in the area – I will deliver
NFF when writing to families. At the end of them myself!
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