Page 42 - 1RHA 2024

The welfare team has been privileged to support the person- nel and families of 1st Regiment RHA for another eventful year. The team have assisted with a plethora of matters for our extended family, both at home and for those deployed on trawls, exercises, and operations.
Over the last year, the welfare team have organised and facili- tated several trips and activities for our serving personnel and their families. These events have been made possible with the use of welfare funds.
Sgt Sam Richards (Welfare SNCO) has been the driving force behind all the trips that have been organised. For Halloween, he organised a trip to Thorpe Park for a Fright Night Fearstival; this was greatly received and enjoyed by all 96 attendees; one of these being Capt (Simon) Tallis, who took the time to send a note of gratitude to Sam. The following week, there was an opportunity for our extended families to attend a Garrison Halloween Party. The children’s costumes were impressive; they all got involved with party games, and pumpkin carving, before hitting the disco dancefloor. A great time was had by all.
The lead up to Christmas saw several events laid on for our peo- ple: the first being a weekend trip to Bath Christmas Market. This saw 25 regimental personnel and their families peruse the pleth- ora of stalls and bask in the festive ambience. The next event was a fantastic pantomime of Aladdin, organised by the Army Welfare Service (AWS). The Christmas period was topped off with a magi- cal visit to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London. We had a coachload of excited serving personnel, and their families join the procession of vehicles making their trip to Winter Wonderland. Everyone was spoilt for choice, as there was more than enough for adults and children of all ages to get stuck into.
Larkhill Garrison welfare teams organised an Easter event for service personnel and their families to attend. This is an opportu- nity for children to get lost in the festivities by turning up in fancy dress, getting faces painted, entering an Easter bonnet competi- tion, and dancing at the disco.
Next in the calendar was the Regimental Families Display, orchestrated by Capt (Stu) Paine RHA. This was an opportunity for our extended family to learn more about the Unit’s capabilities and how we operate. The families got the chance to explore the AS90 platform and Light Gun, jumping on and in them, gaining an understanding of what it’s like for our soldiers and officers to live and fight out of armoured vehicles. They then witnessed a live firing demonstration, as part of Ex CYPHER WARRIOR. The event was well attended, and it was a great chance for all ranks to interact with each other and meet their respective families. The event culminated with attendees joining the exercising troops for a fantastic curry, BBQ, and other refreshments, excellently catered for by the RCWO and his team, and made possible with the financial backing of both the 1st Trust and Welfare funds.
The last organised event before this year’s Regimental Journal goes to print was a trip to the Natural History Museum in London. Our very own Welfare SNCO (Sam) attended, alongside 26 other personnel and their families. It was a great day out packed full
of educational moments for adults and children alike.
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
1RHA Welfare Team WO2 (UWWO) J Godwin
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