PW_2_2023

IPA News

Festive Lunch Wilf Rickard , Secretary, Cornwall Branch

Operation Zephyr 2024: Task Force Sirocco In September 2022, a large group of volunteers set out from across Europe on the first Operation Zephyr Aid Mission to The Gambia. This team comprised mainly of serving and retired emergency services personnel, many of whom were IPA members, and between them were successful in delivering 17 emergency vehicles to partner agencies in The Gambia. This included six fire engines, a massive achievement when at the time the country only had 12 engines nationally. The remaining vehicles were ambulances, which were distributed to hospitals in need throughout the rural areas of the country. To do this, the team drove from the UK, across Spain, and down the west coast of Africa, crossing Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal, before finally reaching their destination in Banjul, the Gambian capital. Following from this success, a second Operation Zephyr Mission has been planned, known as Task Force Sirocco, and the Emergency Services Aid Charity would like to invite you to join us in September 2024 to complete this amazing project, and have the adventure of a lifetime along the way. If you are interested in an information pack, please email: info@emergencyservicesaidcharity.com

Christmas Lunch at The Prancing Stag Roddy MacKenzie , Glasgow Lomond and Clyde Branch On 14th December, the Glasgow Lomond and Clyde branch of the IPA held their Christmas Lunch Joining us for the event was Colin Hutt, VP Comms, and Una Blundell, No7 Region Secretary. Together with our local Branch Committee, we discussed the possibility of using this hotel again for a future event, as it is ideally located for many attractions, including; Eden Project, Truro Cathedral and coastal fishing ports. Also there is the Carlyon Bay Golf Club adjacent to the hotel. In past years, Cornwall Branch have marked the Festive Season with a Branch dinner, which in recent years moved to a Lunch. This year, we decided to have our Festive Lunch at the Carlyon Bay Hotel, St Austell. This was a superb venue, overlooking St Austell Bay. It was bathed in blue sky and sunshine all day, giving us perfect surroundings. Our 21 members, including guests from Devon, met in the lounge to admire the views and renew many old acquaintanceships, until time for lunch. The lunch was superb and we were well looked after by ever attentive staff.

This is not an IPA event but it is a cause we are happy to promote.

at ‘The Prancing Stag’ restaurant in Glasgow. All who attended enjoyed their meal and catching up with old friends. Christmas Lunch in Devon Una Blundell , Devon Branch Secretary

New York, New York Bill Butcher , Thames Valley Branch Bill and Val Butcher recently travelled to New York and came back on a cruise ship. They took a walk along 5th Avenue in the rain. On one corner was a Donut stand and guess who were standing there, New York’s finest, so they had to have a photo-op.

Devon Branch members and partners enjoyed a lovely Christmas lunch at the Mary Tavy Inn on the edge of Dartmoor. It was a very good turnout (28) despite losing 8 people to the snowy conditions which many of us woke up to! Our Chairman Alan Street welcomed everyone including a new member, Andy Collins, who attended the lunch with his partner for the first time. There was a special welcome for VP Colin Hutt and his wife Helena, who were our honorary guests at the lunch. We were also very pleased to see some friends who had braved the conditions and travelled from Cornwall. It was all very worthwhile and the venue looked after us superbly with excellent food, drink and hospitality. Thank you to everyone for attending and making it such a special Christmas affair.

POLICE WORLD Vol 68 No.2, 2023

23