Page 43 - 1RHA 2024

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Children enjoying the equipment stands
Throughout the year, there have been several coffee mornings and such like events held between the garrison welfare teams. The reasons for these events range from raising awareness and funds for some great causes and charities to simply bringing the gar- rison community together and reestablishing the support welfare teams can provide for our soldiers and their families. This last year has seen the integration of Afghan national families into our family quarters, as part of the Afghan Relocations & Assistance Program (ARAP), in synergy with Op LAZURITE. Several opportunities have been provided for soldiers and their families to learn more about their presence and what to expect whilst they share our commu- nity space. They hold weekly shuras (meetings) to welcome any- one who would like to engage. The welfare team share the Com- munity Hall with the Afghan nationals, as they follow an education programme and gain a better understanding of the British culture. Interactions have been very kind and welcoming by all.
The Regiment’s welfare house has recently been upgraded, keep- ing with the standard expected of a fully furnished family home. Pinnacle have given the outer shell a long overdue makeover whilst the welfare team have been working hard on the interior to bring it up to good standard. The house is fully furnished with 3 bedrooms (sleeping up to 6), a fully equipped kitchen, SMART TVs, with a garden bench and parasol. These efforts have been greatly received and has resulted in back-to-back bookings for the house for the next few months. We are glad to provide this resource for personnel and their extended families, offering a relaxed environment to stay whilst they visit their loved ones, with visitors often coming from overseas. The feedback has been positive since the uplift, and we endeavour to keep this going as we continue to provide our people with this fantastic, discounted accommodation.
As some of you may well know, the welfare team was gapped a UWO and UWWO for the best part of 6 months. The team bid farewell to Maj Harvard (UWO) and WO2 Fiona Rushmore (UWWO) in the months leading up to Christmas 2023; their efforts and presence were invaluable, and this left a huge capa- bility gap within the team. Praise and acknowledgement should be given to Sgt Sam Richards for his remarkable efforts for plug- ging this gap and singlehandedly managing the Regiment’s welfare matters during this testing period, with assistance from Bdr Daunakamakama (DK) picking up the slack on all housing
Ex CYPHER WARRIOR Families Day
related matters. Fortunately, their struggle came to an end with the recent addition of the new UWWO (WO2 John Godwin), as now the responsibilities can be distributed so that Sam and DK can take some well-deserved respite. We look forward to the wel- coming the new UWO (Capt Allan Weir) into the team before we depart on summer leave. Together we will look to positively impact and provide the full complement of support to the Regi- ment and their families, whether stationed in the UK or overseas.
We have recently seen the safe return of B Battery from Esto- nia, and have bid a safe journey out for the soldiers and offic- ers of Chestnut Troop; they commence their deployment on Op CABRIT for 9 months and are due to be replaced by 19 Regt RA. The welfare team will look to play a pivotal role in maintaining the welfare needs of deployed personnel as well as their loved ones back home, and we encourage all those loved ones to partake in the upcoming family events and to strengthen and foster our family community.
Please follow us on Facebook (1 RHA Community Group) to stay in the loop with all future events; we have several more before the end of the year. There will be the Larkhill Garrison Children’s Halloween Party, and the Children’s Christmas Party, to name just two. We expect the turnout for these events will be just as great as last year, if not better, as the Regiment and their extended fam- ily continue to thrive.
We look forward to the new challenges that the next half of this year will bring; we anticipate the change that is due for us in the coming year, and we are ready to embrace all that comes with it. From the standdown from Op CABRIT to rerolling to the Archer platform, we will pull together to optimise output and maintain good morale within the workforce, which will subsequently enhance the lived experience for all those who are part of the Regiment’s wider family.
The Welfare Team
Capt (Allan) Weir RHA Bdr (Peni) Daunakamakama WO2 (John) Godwin Cleo (Welfare Dog)
Sgt (Sam) Richards
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