-
Membership Secretary:- 24 Park Road, Alrewas, Staffs, DE13 7AG
Tel No 01283 791218. Email: arboretum@dlaproduction.co.uk
Please note new email address
Newsletter Editor: Anne Smith
41 Bradgate Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands, B74 4XG
Tel/Fax: 0121-352-0273
E-mail: twocats@btinternet.com
Website address: http://www.friendsofnma.org.uk
Dear Friends,
We are also progressing with plans to improve the site and cope with a large increase in visitor numbers on top of the 65 000 who visited the site last year.
Once the current improvements are underway, we intend to launch a 'development appeal' for the next stage of improvements, probably to include an education centre, improvements to the amphitheatre and museum/exhibition space. We have booked a number of exhibitions throughout the year which should enhance our attraction to visitors.
The vital contribution of our Friends will be more important than ever. As the year progresses we will be asking for your particular help and support in:
The AFM will bring a broad spectrum of people to the NMA, many of whom may not have seen the name of a loved one on a memorial before. This will present new challenges to staff and volunteers, for which we all need to be prepared.
To move us into this 'new age' the Trustees have approved a new strap-line and Mission Statement for the NMA:
"Their names will live for evermore"
To develop the National Memorial Arboretum, as the United Kingdom's living and lasting memorial to commemorate and celebrate:
* Those who have given their lives in the service of their country
This is a deliberately 'layered' approach to reflect the importance of commemorating those who have died, but it also recognises that the NMA's remit is much wider.
There are many other themes on which the NMA is currently working including education and linking to the National Curriculum, public relations, working with the Friends to continuously improve the experience that our visitors enjoy through guided tours and talks. I am delighted that the numbers of Friends and volunteers are now rising steadily and thank you all for your support.
My staff and I are also always grateful for your feedback, and you may wish to complete one of our new visitor questionnaires put together recently for us by local firm Lorien.
Friends' Constitution
Publicity News by Lawrie Walford
Past Events
Membership News by Roger Davies-Lee
Friends Donate Cash for Chapel Loop
A plaque will be placed in the Chapel to acknowledge the donation by the Friends and to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the NMA and to commemorate the life of Clair Middlemiss who died in 2006 aged 32.
This is an important year, as the completion and dedication of the Armed Forces Memorial will mean increased visitor numbers and a higher profile for the Arboretum. As you heard at the Autumn training day, following the inspection by the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) it was identified that we need to offer standard guided walks to drop-in visitors. A working party has been developing these over the winter and the proposed walks are currently being considered by Charlie and his team to make sure that they meet the Arboretum's aims. As soon as the final version has been approved, copies will be made available for you to look at so that we can talk about them on the training day. The day will also include;
* An introduction from Charlie
To enable us to make the necessary arrangements, please could you confirm that you will be coming by contacting me via the National Memorial Arboretum on 01283-792333 as soon as possible and let me know if you will be having lunch in the restaurant.
ONLY 10 PLACES LEFT - So, if you want to come along and haven't already put your name down, then please contact me, Anne Smith, in very early course or fill in the form on the Friends' Board at The Arboretum
Education Programme
The Arbor Restaurant by Susan Smith
Bric-a-Brac Stall
Refurbishment
Assistance required at The Arboretum
Adopt-a-Plot
The Wildlife Watch Goup has started a diary which is on display in the long gallery and the children have also been involved with climate measurement, specifically rainfall and maximum/minimum temperatures.
Spring Newsletter 2007
Well here we are again, well into the New Year and although we are now at the middle of March may I, on behalf of the Committee, hope that it will be a good year for all our members. I will not ramble on like I normally do because I think this is going to be a pretty full edition, so here goes.
As those of you who have visited NMA over the past few weeks will be aware, there is an enormous amount of work going on at NMA at the moment. The Armed Forces Memorial is now 'topped out', the foundation stone was laid by the Lord Lieutenant for Staffordshire on a cold January day and a number of you were present to witness the occasion. The causeway has been cut and a ramp and path is being installed to the visitor centre and we are involved in the early stages of planning for a large dedication event in October, which may well have to be limited by ticketed admission. 
The kitchen and dining areas will be improved first followed by, we hope, new visitor access, a refurbished shop, re-surfaced car parks and avenues and greatly improved interpretation of the site for our visitors. Some grants have been received and a lot of effort is now going into progressing 'match funding' and delivering these projects, which should start to give the NMA a 'wow' factor that causes visitors to return time and time again. In the meantime, there will be some disruption, but please be patient with us!
* Veterans Week 23 June to 29 June - a busy and high profile week for the NMA, the programme for which appears elsewhere in this newsletter. In particular, we would love those of you who are Veterans to be available to meet younger people and tell them your stories.
* The AFM dedication in October - not only will the day itself be big, but we expect large numbers to visit the NMA in the following weeks to visit the memorial. If you are available to assist over this period please fill your form out as security checks must be made in advance.
* Remembrance Sunday - which is also Armistice day this year and which we are planning to be high profile and centred on the AFM.
* All who have served and those who have suffered as a result of conflict
* Those who for specific and appropriate reasons, are remembered or reconciled within the site. 
Similarly, a new logo (shown here) has been approved linking the British Legion Poppy with the autumn leaves of the Armed Forces Memorial. We did not wish to lose the dove symbol from the NMA, which is a powerful symbol of reconciliation but it will be used in different ways than hitherto.
Don't forget
Friends' Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, 28th March 2007, 7.30 pm
Conference Room, The National Memorial Arboretum,
Croxall Road, Alrewas
You have already received a notice of the above (sent out in the Winter Newsletter) but please find enclosed the proposed new Constitution which will be voted on at the meeting. Please remember to bring your copies with you.
Our thanks go to Mrs Pauline Pedersen (a Friend) who has kindly agreed to include a short article from me about the NMA in the British War Memorial Project Magazine which is received by over 900 members of the BWMP worldwide.
We had our annual walk on the 28th of December which this year saw us 'doing one the Fradley Walks'. At Fradley
Marina, on the Trent & Mersey Canal, they have opened up a small cafe and shop and have issued a brochure with four walks of varying lengths centred around the Fradley/Alrewas area. These are really good and are accessible to most types of walkers as the terrain is mostly flat with not too many stiles, etc. I have done three of them with the longest walk (4 miles) still to be done and have enjoyed every one. Anyway, back to the Friends walk and it all went off exceedingly well with Jane rising from her sick bed (thanks Jane) to provide us with delicious mince pies and coffee once again. We then all retired to the Fradly Arms for, and I am sorry to have to own up to this, a bit of a disappointment as far as lunch was concerned. We will do better this year.
On the 6th of January we again had the Epiphany Service and Friends' Buffet Party. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures but the service was, once again, excellently organised. The party afterwards went very well indeed and we had an excellent quiz by John Brinkley which involved pictures taken at all the well known memorials but from peculiar angles. It certainly showed up my lack of knowledge of the site and made me resolve to rectify the situation. Still, the guide training day advertised below should help me in my quest!
Many of you have noticed that the Membership of the Friends badge for this year has changed slightly. This is due to the confusion caused using the old style date, which showed the membership up to the next year of renewal.
From now on, the current year of membership shown on the badge will be the year of renewal i.e. 2007 instead of what would have been used in the past, i.e. 01/01/08.
A big thank you to all the Friends who have supported us with donations during the past few years. The Donations have paid for the installation of the 'Induction Loop System in the Chapel for the hard of hearing'. There will be an official handing over at the A.G.M. later this month. The system includes an induction loop, speakers in the Chapel, a diversity hand held microphone and two lapel microphones.
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE GUIDING TRAINING DAY ON SATURDAY 24TH MARCH 2007 FROM 9.45 AM TO 4.30 PM IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE ARBORETUM
* A talk by Jack Plant about the Sumatra Railway
* A speaker from the Black Environment Network to talk about the Rainbow Project which the Arboretum is keen to support.
* A delivery of the standard Chapel Talk.
* A walk to the less well known parts of the Arboretum (please bring weather proof clothing so you are able to brave the elements!)
* A voucher for 50% discount in the restaurant will be provided. Alternatively, you can of course bring a packed lunch.
We are always adding to our range of clothing, the quality of which is excellent and the prices are very competitive, so if you would like to buy or order any of these then please contact Jane Vaughan on 01283-712025 and she will be pleased help you. I have always fought against wearing a hat whilst walking but the Thinsulate hat I bought this year has never been off my head (whilst walking of course) and it is very comfortable indeed. Only £5 - a bargain! I know Jane is looking at some new items to bring into the range in time for the AGM, so come along and see for yourself.
Well these go on as usual but we would like to welcome all the new Friends who have been helping us since, and just before, the start of the new year. You are all welcome, the more the merrier and we certainly seem to be getting a number of the plots tidied up in record time. The dates for the next working weekends are 13/14 April (later than usual because of Easter) 12/13 May, 9/10 June and 7/8 July.
FRIDAY 4TH MAY 2007 6.30 PM FOR A PROMPT START AT 7.00 PM. A personal guided tour, by Charlie, around the Hall and Church, followed by refreshments.
Past Events
There were two Carol Concerts held in the Chapel on the 16th of December one in the afternoon and another in the evening. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the afternoon event and I can say it was excellent. The Marchington Singers did us proud and we all left feeling very Christmassy indeed. If the Arboretum put them on again next year I can thoroughly recommend coming along.
On the 10th of September the Arboretum are launching an Education Programme and they are also hosting the area's Education Fair. They would like to ask ex veterans of all ages, who are Friends, if they would volunteer their time to talk to the children, etc. If you would be interested then please contact Randy Cush on 01283-792333 (Tuesday/Wednesday only)
The above finds itself short staffed at times (time of year, staff illness, or large function) and when I need to call in extra help this is not always possible without using expensive, and often not very good, agency workers. To help me with my staffing levels and to enable The Arboretum to give a good customer service, in particular at large functions or on busy days, I would like to set up a folder of Friends who are willing to help out, sometimes at short notice. The skills that may be called upon are washing up, table clearing, waitress, silver service waitress, counter service, till, etc. So, if you are willing to be included in this folder, could you please contact me in the first instance on Tel: 01283-792351; Email: SESmith@britishlegion.org.uk and I will send you a help form to complete and return. We really would appreciate all the help you can give us. 
The Babylonia Weeping Willow Tree
The Babylonia Weeping Willow Tree outside the Visitor Centre was planted to commemorate the British Servicemen/women killed in Iraq. For each life lost a white ribbon is tied to the tree and these are called Cotton Candles. The 135 ribbons hung on the tree to date are a very moving sight.
The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas has opened a charity shop within the visitor centre and are asking for your support. Do you have any bric-a-brac, unwanted gifts and books you can donate to help us raise much needed funds to continue the development of the site and the work of the charity? If you have items you wish to donate please deliver to Marianne Yates, Shop Manager. Come along and support the National Memorial Arboretum.
Due to the above taking place from the 16th to the 20th of April please note that the shop and restaurant will be closed for these dates (one week). However, catering facilities will be available but, of necessity, will be limited.
This, as usual, is an ongoing problem and we still need Friends on a regular basis to help in the shop, guiding. etc. We shall need as many as possible this year because of the Veteran' Awareness Week and the Opening of the Armed Forces Memorial, as mentioned by Charlie, so - if you feel you can help then please contact Helen Overton or Lynne Barkas at the Arboretum on 01283-792333.
We are still looking for people who would be interested in looking after a plot on a regular basis, or donating funds towards the upkeep of a particular plot, so if you feel you would like to help please contact Paul Kennedy, Arboretum Curator, at the Arboretum on Tel. No: 01283-792333.
Some 40 years ago, when serving in Singapore, Squadron Leader (now Air Commodore) Henry Probert wrote a short history of RAF Changi and its origins, including the wartime years as a Japanese prison camp. Printed and published locally, the booklet was well received, not just at Changi but also in the United Kingdom and Australia. It has remained on the scene, especially in support of the Changi Museum, whose Director recently invited the author to revise it and bring it up to date. The resultant book, twice the length of the original, completes the RAF story and leads on to the development of the International Airport. It was launched in Singapore on 28th July 2006 and includes a Foreword by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister and later President of the Republic of Singapore. Anyone wishing to purchase the book can do so as follows:- The History of Changi by Henry Probert. A Changi University press Publication, Singapore ISBN 981-05-5580-6 132pp sbk illus. The cost is £10.00, inc p&p, to RAF Changi Association, c/o Jerry Evans, Lilac Cottage, Bank, Lyndhurst, Hants, S043 7FD.
Saturday 17th March at 2.00 pm
See the Mammals: have a look at some real live mammals with Derek Crawley from Rodbaston College. To be done in conjunction with Wildlife Watch Group. Meet in Conference Room at the Arboretum
Saturday 24th March at 9.45 am
Guiding Training Day:See advert above
Wednesday 28th March at 7.30 pm
Friends' Annual General Meeting:
Weekend 14/15th April
Working Weekend:
Friday 4th May at 6.30 pm
Visit to Blithfield: Details above
Weekend 12/13th May
Working Weekend:
Saturday 19th May 7.30 am
Early Morning Bird Walk:The National Memorial Arboretum. Early morning bird walk with Lichfield RSPB
Weekend 9/10th June
Working Weekend:
Weekend 7/8th July
Working Weekend:
Dedications and other events can be found on the Events Page.
The good news is that a Little Owl has been seen and has been using one of the owl boxes and on a recent tour of the site with the otter expert from Staffs Wildlife Trust we saw direct evidence of Otter activity.
I was given this poem to put in last year's Spring Newsletter and it never got published. Unfortunately the poet did not put his name to these beautiful verses and my memory being what it is I cannot, for the life of me, remember who gave it to me but I am sure it is someone who comes to the Arboretum regularly. So will that person please forgive me and I leave you with the following, which does indeed conjure up visions of Spring:-
1:The sight of the swallow high up in the sky, Or young lambs gambolling in the field, Are sure signs that springtime is returning, And another victory over winter has been sealed. It is the time that all nature begins to sing, The song that it wants all the world to know, That the miracle of spring is here agian, That nature has survived the winter snow. The violets growing proudly in the hedgerow, The twigs on the trees showing buds of green, The snowdrops, crocus and daffodils in flower, Where a short time ago nothing could be seen. | |
2: All nature appears to have been reborn, The perfume of the blossom pervades the air, The sight of birds gathering material for nests, Is one of the many sights which are beyond compare. O' what a wonderful time to be alive When the cold of winter yields to the warmth of spring, At a time when all nature is revived, At the time when nature starts to sing. The song that nature sings to welcome springtime, Is a song that I really love to hear, It is part of an ever changing melody, Which is different for each season of the year. |
Best Wishes
Anne Smith
Editor
15.3.07