We had a new host this year for our Branch Christmas Dinner and, for the first time, it was a Lunch not a Dinner.  We were the guests of SWO Barry Tanswell and his WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess at RAF Wittering, and they made us very welcome. The Bar was a dream – speedy, well-stocked, comfy and, above all, near half the price of bars in the real world! Then we all sat down in a bright, cheery dining room to traditional Christmas fare, beautifully served up by really helpful, cheery ‘volunteers’ – presumably the ‘you, you, and you’ type, but they did not show it! The Sergeant cook in particular deserves praise for producing with aplomb three coeliac vegetarian courses for my difficult daughter. Definitely above and beyond…

After the meal, helped down by apparently unlimited quantities of wine and port, we held the raffle which also featured an auction of three Christmas cakes baked and donated to us by the chefs at St George’s Barracks; in all they raised £161 which we gave to our ‘volunteers’ in thanks for all their hoard work. The SWO has already said that he hopes that we shall be his guests again next year.

I am sure that those present would like to give a very special thankyou to John Copeland who almost single-handedly set up and organised this event. Pat Savory, our Branch Secretary of course took the bookings and pre-registered everyone past the Guardroom, but without John none of this would have happened