Regimental Asscoiations in the News!

Regimental Associations are something that i wholeheartedly believe in, i attend my own and actively encourage others to attend theirs regardless of what Regiment or indeed arm of the service they are from. I have noticed from my own local branch that there is somewhat of an age gap when it comes to the members and this is something that i actively try to help out with even if it is only at a local level. So, when the opportunity came to voice my opinion in a magazine that reaches out to many serving and ex-servicemen i thought why not? It could give the various organisations some much needed new impetuous and help secure the future of a whole host of regimental Associations.

The Circuit Magazine suggested that i pen an article on just this subject then i readily agreed. I used my own experiences to suggest why i had not attended my local PRA as soon as i left the Battalion, others will be in the same situation that i was, many will have other reasons for not attending but for me it has to start at a battalion level. We need greater and greater awareness so that the serving soldiers know that the PRA exists and there is highly likely to be one in a town near them; the PRA has close to 100 different branches in the UK. Once i got in to the groove of attending the meetings [once a month on a Saturday in our case) it just became something that i do on a regular basis, not only that but i enjoy them and the fact that i feel that i am giving something back to those Airborne soldiers or their dependants that have fallen on hard times.

One way to increase awareness levels is by having a strong online presence which is why we at The Parachute Regiment Association Durham Branch are now developing our website along with other ways to network so that people become more aware of us. This is the way, 2010 is the year and the you have to look forward and not back.

To read the full article then just click on the link.



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