Page 177 - RAPTC Year of 2019

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NORTH WEST BRANCH ASSOCIATION
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Sheff Appleby
Pat & Eddie McMinn & Guests
The RAPTC North West Branch Association continues to hold our annual events at the Royal Ruskin Hotel in Blackpool, which over the past 3 years has had a major refurbishment programme conducted. This year has seen further improvements to the main function room, where we have our annual dinner. The staff remain their effervescent selves, nothing is ever too much trouble whilst remaining very courteous and polite.
The Branch hosts 2 functions annually, one, on the first Tuesday in December, our Annual General Meeting and Christmas Dinner. The second function is our Annual Friday Social & Reunion Dinner Weekend held the first full weekend in March.
AGM & Christmas 2019
We always hold the AGM prior to the Christmas dinner. The major points from the AGM this year was the appointment of new and old members to the committee as well as a suggested inclusion to the Reunion Dinner. The new appointments were Terry Goulding as the Vice Chairman, with WO1 (SMI) Matt Arthur RAPTC (soon to be Capt (MAA) M Arthur RAPTC) taking over as Secretary who brings a fresh vibrancy to the committee as well as a set of younger eyes.
Terry & Dot Goulding, Dave & Barbara Redding, Danny Bryant & Wife
A suggested inclusion to the dinner was to combine an RAPTC Rugby club reunion with the NW Branch reunion dinner and after some discussion it was agreed to hold it as a trial to see how things went. On the successful conclusion of the dinner we collected our partners and went down to the Christmas dinner. The numbers have increased yet again with 42 members attending and is going from strength to strength. The food as you would expect was traditional Christmas fayre accompanied with wine and port for the toasts. After which the majority of personnel retired to the cabaret room and thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment.
Tony & May Grainger, Sheff Appleby, Matt Arthur, Clem Mcbride & Guests and Phillipson Peltier
The Wardle Family & Guests, Brian & Karyn Pyle, Chips & Angela Rafferty, Christine Appleby