Item 1.  Annual Quiz

Quiz night date Friday 29 April 2022.

Date confirmed with Byfield Village Hall & PTA has agreed to supply bacon butties.

Bob Cubitt had advised Alan Bailey that Shaun Start is unable to attend so Bob will be Quiz Master on the evening.

• Posters to start being displayed by beginning of April 22.
• Caroline Crewe to contact PAO, Branch Support Officer and County (Alan Bailey to pass relevant contact details to Caroline) for any pens/RBL merchandise.
• Volunteers needed to help set up the hall from 6.00pm onwards.

Any raffle prizes to go to Alison Boyle or Jane Holland please.

• All details to be checked & finalised at April 22 meeting.

Item 2: New Padre and Remembrance Sunday 2022

• Alan Bailey tried unsuccessfully to contact Byfield’s retired Bishop today to ask if he is available this coming Remembrance November. Alan will try again in the coming days. C/F to April 22.
• PS: Bob Cubitt has advised post meeting the Rector replied to an email to confirm that he will be making all the arrangements for the Remembrance Day service to be covered in his absence. We can ask the retired Bishop to officiate at the War Memorial, but the church service is the remit of the Rector (his email was quite firm about that).

Item 3: Joy Rees farewell presentation

Bob Cubitt had contacted Joy Rees and a date of Friday 15 April 2022 is suggested. No venue or time was given.

• Bob Cubitt to book Red Lion Culworth for a lunch time booking for 30 possible people. This date is Easter Friday so will need to be booked sooner than later.

John Russell will present Joy with her framed certificate at the meeting.

 Item 4: Flag flying dates 2022

Byfield Parish Council has approved the proposed Flag flying dates for 2022.

Item 5: Meeting speaker for June 2022

• Graham Walker to contact Peter Stratton for availability and topics for a talk on Monday 6 June 2022. Topic to be decided at April 22 meeting.
• PS: Bob Cubitt has advised post meeting that Bernard Tisley has agreed to give a presentation on weaponry for the June meeting. This booking is confirmed. Graham Walker to be asked if Peter Stratton is able to speak on 1 August instead.

If any member has any ideas for interesting local speakers for our branch, please do let Bob Cubitt, Secretary know. Talks ideally 30-45 minutes in length.

Item 6: Annual County Conference January 2022

Bob Cubitt has received the minutes of the annual County conference that took place January 2022. No actions required at Branch level.

Item 7: Queens Platinum Jubilee June 2022

• Brought forward from February 22 minutes. Bob Cubitt to contact Byfield Parish Council to ask if anything has been arranged for Byfield and whether RBL Byfield & District branch can do anything to help / join forces with any other groups in the area.
• PS: Bob Cubitt has advised post meeting the Parish Council has responded to an email to say that they are not organising anything for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. However, Pom Boddington is acting as co-ordinator between groups who may be organising activities. She has been made aware of our willingness to participate in anything suitable. A "Village Show" has been mooted but nothing more is known about that at the moment.

Item 8: Branch BBQ 2022

Dates discussed and Sunday 31 July 2022 was decided upon. Attendees to be Members and others by invitation only.

• Brought forward from February 22 minutes. Bob Cubitt to contact Byfield School to see if this is a possible venue. To be discussed further at the April 22 meeting.

 Item 9: Finance statement end February 22

BFI a/c: Healthy as at end December 2021.

Current a/c: OK

February 22 expenditure to deduct from this total is: Hire BVH Feb22 £15.30.

• Bank signatories need to be amended. David recommends that new signatories attend Barclays Banbury with him so the changes can be more easily made.

Item 10: Branch Outing 2022

• C/f to April 22 meeting

RAF Defford was proposed and accepted as the venue. The proposed dates of either 7 June or 9 June were discussed and it is felt that these are too close to the Platinum Jubilee weekend. Alternative dates to be proposed.

Item 11: Member Question – Byfield and District Standard

A member had asked “Can the Byfield and District Standard be paraded at the Woodford Halse Remembrance Sunday parade this year?  It has been paraded at the Byfield church for a number of years and we held a well-supported parade at Woodford Halse, last year we had 16 Veterans and 3 uniformed currently serving personnel on parade and even made it into the Daventry Advertiser.”

This request is accepted. The Standard will be paraded at Woodford Halse in November 2022 for Remembrance Sunday.

Proposed by John Russell, BEM and seconded by Chris Kiely.

Item 12: New members / welcome pack

Chris Kiely has removed the old recruitment posters in Byfield Surgery.

• Rob Crewe to check the bus stops for old recruitment posters on next flag flying day (10 March)

Terry Hoyle has kindly supplied a “Welcome to new members” document that will be used alongside a contact list for any new members (see two attached documents).

• The list of members that do not have email is to be updated, and then other members will be asked if they will distribute any electronic communication to these members accordingly. Caroline Crewe / Bob Cubitt to prepare the list ready for April 22 meeting.

Item 13: AOB

Chris Kiely has completed the Branch Community Support (BCS) Officer (ex Welfare Officer role) course and has been DBS checked. He needs to complete an online refresher.

Chris Kiely is happy to be the Byfield and District branch BCO.

Proposed by David Bradshaw.

Seconded by John Russell, BEM.

• PS: Bob Cubitt has advised post meeting that RBL Byfield and District branch is not currently registered to provide BCS because we have no registered qualified BCS trained personnel. Training will be provided on-line on 13th and 14th April. Both sessions must be attended to qualify. Following that the branch can be re-registered.

John Russell, BEM, has updated the Presidents regalia as from 2020 when he took over from Russ Mallace.

Meeting closed 21:16

Date of next meeting: Monday 4 April 2022. Byfield Village Hall annex 20:00.

Bob Cubitt to open the meeting with a talk on the Malayan Emergency.