E d i t o r / C h a i r m a n
From the EDITOR
W A 2
elcome to the second edition of Envoy. It was probably predictable, but
there were a few teething problems with the distribution of the first edition, which, with the help of the RAF Community Support staff we are endeavouring to sort out. If at the receiving end you encountered any particular problems that you think we should know about, then please do get in touch.
From this month onwards we are able to offer a subscription to the magazine, albeit subscription is probably the wrong word as we are not asking for payment. If you would like to receive Envoy at your home address, because you are unable to obtain a copy by other means, please either send us an email via our website or fill in and return the coupon on page 10.
We would also welcome your comments on the magazine, good or bad. Did it make
a good read? Did we include articles of interest? What other areas and topics would you like us to discuss? We should also like very much to have a letters page, but to date we have not received any and, unlike other organisations perhaps, we are not inclined to make them up! So if you would like a letter's page - please write to us!
Good reading. The Editor
From the Chairman man
s I write this, there is freezing fog outside the Federation windows, the trains are delayed, the airports are under
threat of strike action and petrol costs are spiralling yet again. That bargain I bought in the January sales doesn’t look anywhere near as good as it did in the shop and the batteries in all the children’s Christmas gifts have already expired. It’s pretty much gloom and doom on every front so why then do I feel so optimistic and cheerful? Well, having launched our Federation late last year and undertaken our first unit liaison visit I cannot help but feel that 2008 is going to be our year. I have every confidence that the Federation’s role as ‘the voice of RAF families’ will grow ever stronger as we establish ourselves with the Service chain of command, the serving cadre and the families.
There is one important piece of work I want to tell you about and, hopefully, in the Summer edition of “Envoy” you will read about the results of this project. Some of you will be aware that the Minister for the Armed Forces, the Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP, is leading work to set out the first ever cross-
Spring 2008
Government strategy for the provision of support to those serving in, and those who have served in, the Armed Forces.
The 3 Service Families Federations have been invited to contribute to this work and we will have direct access to the Minister and very senior policy staffs as they gather evidence on the challenges confronting Service families and make proposals for how to coordinate effort across the relevant Government Departments. At this early stage, I am not entirely
sure what is required of the Federations but you can guarantee that, if there is anything we can do to influence this important project, we will be in touch with you to ensure we represent your views accurately and honestly.
As the study will consider such issues as accommodation, mobility, education, medical care, pay & allowances and support to families whilst serving personnel are deployed on operations, it is safe to assume that there will be many areas upon which we would wish to comment on your behalf. A copy of the full Terms of Reference and an opportunity for you to comment on the issues you consider most important are on our website – do let us know what you think.
A related but independent piece of work is also being launched and that is a study by Quentin Davies MP into the national recognition of the Armed Services by the British Public; this work is aimed at improving the understanding and appreciation of the military by the general public and will consider such issues as wearing uniform in public, homecoming parades, community engagement, museums and heritage, etc. Both pieces of work will certainly keep the Armed Forces high on the political agenda and we hope to report on the outcome of both studies later this year.
In the interim, we will be busy planning a programme of unit liaison visits, upgrading our website and dealing with the many and varied issues we hope you will bring to our attention. To give you some visibility of the sort of issues we have dealt with to date, a summary is included in this issue, with names and units removed to protect the innocent and preserve the confidentiality that underpins our independence from the RAF.
We hope you enjoy this second edition of Envoy and we look forward to hearing and representing your views over the coming months.
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