Association Pages

Fundraising & Publicity Report

July 2011 - Report

Fundraising

With all ComTabs now sold, the main thrust for fundraising for the construction of the memorial has been achieved. However, the Trustees still have a duty to put in place a financial structure that will enable an income stream to flow, after its construction and dedication. The imperative for this is to ensure that the AANM project does not become a failed charity.

Research into achieving this aim is currently being conducted and firm proposals are to be placed before the Trustees at the next meeting in August.

Activity in this field at a national level has been muted and will not revive until much nearer DD7, when, with the ceremony finalised, we will be able to “offer” an event through Tala PR to the media at large.

The main focus of activity since the 5 March 2011 memorial site sub-committee meeting with Barry Hunter, videographer, has been research into understanding the legal requirements of public liability insurance and working at health and safety regulations whilst filming DD7.

This exercise has been conducted by e-mails and telephone conversations between Lynne Barkis, Johnny McGahan, Mo Hope and the Secretary.

Public Liability insurance cover for the filming of the dedication service to the tune of £5million is now in place.

In liaison with Lynne Barkis, NMA events organiser, the necessary documents have been lodged with the NMA and filming of the dedication day service can proceed.

Publicity

Gordon Bonner (Arborfield 49B)

Hon Secretary and Fundraiser - AANM Trustees

Earlier reports

April 2011 - Report

As the fund stands (£63,300 as at 1st April 2011) the bills for construction and dedication day can be met. However, as the trustees decided to aim to leave a legacy of some magnitude, in order to transfer the liability for annual maintenance and insurance permanently to the NMA, sources of additional funding have still to be found. The comemmorative tablet has now been fully subscribed, contributing over £45,000 towards the memorial costs

Registering the AANM project as a charity has given the trustees an opportunity to reclaim tax from the HMRC in the form of Gift Aid and a VAT refund. The majority of these refunds are still outstanding but are unlikely to generate sufficient funds to achieve all our needs.

At the previous trustees meeting the question of recording a DVD of the Dedication Day Ceremony was discussed. Could we film or not? Johnny McGahan approached the NMA and the advice was to speak with Tala PR since a licence to film is a specific requirement and the standard fee is £2,000

The secretary is able to report, subsequent to a meeting with Andrew Baud MD of Tala PR in March 2010, a good relationship developed between Tala PR, and in particular, between Kate Habberly, Consultant, Tala PR and the secretary. Thus the secretary was able to obtain permission for filming dedication day, but more importantly, the location-filming fee was waived. Good news indeed.

There are however conditions attached to this agreement. The DVD is NOT for sale to the general public. The DVD is available exclusively to ex-apprentices and families at cost, which includes the disc, printed label, filming and travel costs, editing, packaging and postage, giving an estimated unit price of £8:50p.

Next, there occurred over a number of days, telephone conversations between the secretary, various trustees, Anthony Church (55A 'TeeCee') and Barry Hunter (60C). The result being that Barry Hunter has agreed to film the Dedication Day Ceremony on our behalf, in accordance to the conditions agreed above.

Barry Hunter has also agreed to design a DVD application form and publish it on the AANM web site, copies to the webmasters of the four sponsoring associations.

Barry will be the focal point to receive applications and cheques to cover costs, thus after filming, his only commitment is to provide DVDs to order. There is a verbal agreement, that when all sales have been completed and finite costs calculated, surplus cash from orders (if any) will be added to the fund.

Finally, Mo Hope and the secretary, were able to meet Barry Hunter at the NMA, on Saturday 5th march 2011, to carry out reconnaissance of the site in preparation for filming.

Video recording of Dedication Day ceremony

7th September 2010 report

There is no question, the prediction made by Max Warwick in October 2009, that the adoption of the Australian Ex- Apprentices idea regarding the sale of ComTabs would prove to be the main thrust of fund raising, was correct.

Supported by wide ranging advertising in Regimental and Corps magazines, the AANM and Sponsoring Association web sites, the publicity resulted in the sale (to date) of 339 Commemorative Tablets generating a very satisfactory £29,595 so far.

Since the last MSC meeting in May 2010, a portable publicity display stand has been taken into use. The display stand with it’s vivid graphics, form an excellent background for the display of the sample ComTab, alongside the specimen fragment of the Queen's Crown AAS badge, supplemented by briefing documents composed by the Secretary, give the viewer a very good insight into what the finished memorial will look like. The display was augmented with the framed artist’s impression of the memorial, mounted on an easel.

The display was first used on the 23 July 2010 at the REME RHQ Officers Mess and at the AOBA reunion the following weekend. On both occasions the display was well received. The display has been scheduled for use at the Armourer’s Association re-union at the end of August, at the BOBA reunion in September and the Harrogate reunion in October.

Friday, 30 July 2010, marked a very successful social evening at the AOBA reunion. The secretary, assisted by Mo Hope raised £615:00p by means of a raffle. In addition David Schofield and Anthony Church (AOBA members), between them raised a further £302:00p from the sale of 2011 calendars and souvenir mugs. The Treasurer also collected £164:00p in miscellaneous donations lifting the total for the evening to a magnificent £1081:00p.

In pursuance of the commitment outlined in minute 1 of the MSC meeting of 28 October 2009, the secretary has been in a three-way conversation (by telephone and e-mail) with Johnny McGahan and Paul Kennedy (NMA Liaison officer) regarding the information required by the NMA for a text to be published in the NMA guide outlining a brief history of the Army Apprentice.

An outline has been written and the secretary, on behalf of the Committee is preparing a dossier for presentation to the NMA. Mr Kennedy has already seen and commented favourably on the outline brief. The secretary has arranged for Johnny McGahan pass the dossier to Mr Kennedy for his perusal in order for him comment on the veracity of the content. The dossier is to be returned to the secretary for final edit in preparation for approval by the MSC, and presentation of the dossier to the NMA.

Finally at the beginning of August the secretary sent an update to Andrew Baud MD, Tapla PR, on progress in achieving our aim.

10th July 2010 report

It can be said that since the MSC meeting of 17 Febuary 2010, fundraising has seen considerable success.

As the ComTab applications and enquires arrived in ever increasing numbers, an unforeseen consequence was an almost permanent liaison between the Honorary Secretary, Gordon Bonner, Treasurer Mike Davis and Web Master Max Warwick by means of e-mail and telephone, resulting in the development of an INFORMATION PACK.

The information pack as issued to the public is made up as follows: Three graphics documents showing the approved and accepted design of the memorial, the artist’s impression, and Mo Hope’s site map, showing the allocated construction site for the memorial at The National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire.

A much modified design factors letter issued to respond to public concerns regarding apprentice training at locations other than the four principal schools/colleges (particularly from those of pre-war vintage).

The most significant modification to our design factors letter was the deletion of the text referring to “ The four principal schools/colleges” on the monolith. Public concern was of such significance, the three of us decided on behalf of the MSC, to take cognisance of their concerns and reassure the public their views would be taken into account when deciding the final text to be recorded on the memorial.
Individual and family ComTab donation forms completed the information pack.

Earlier this year at the request of the Honorary Secretary, Johnny McGahan, Mo Hope and David Chapman wrote to the Mayor of the Towns of Chepstow, Reading, Wokingham, and Harrogate, with a request for donations to the memorial project. This was done. So far a negative reply has been received from Reading, replies remain outstanding from Chepstow and Wokingham, but the good news is that Harrogate Town Council have indicated that a donation is likely to be made; Johnny has supplied additional information and we now wait in anticipation.

Coupled with that, the Honorary Secretary has established a good relationship with Colin Taylor, Web Master for HOB, which has proved to be very fruitful. In the first instance he offered to contact a member of HOB who just happens to be a businessman in Carlisle, and will ask his colleague to write to the Mayor of Carlisle regarding our project and request a donation.

In addition, Colin sent off Ted Cooper’s HOB bulletin, saying that it was due to be distributed by e-mail to over 500 members of the HOB association. As a result of this an information pack was sent to Colin, which he very kindly distributed as an attachment to his round robin e-mail. In addition seven information packs were sent by post to members of HOB who do not possess e-mail facilities, one in Australia and six in the UK.

Further, activity, such as the insertion of donation forms into the spring edition of the OBAN, organised by Max Warwick through the good offices of Lt.Col. Bill Cleasby MBE (Director of the REME Museum; the progress report and donation forms, published in the Beachley Echoes, Edition 16 by David Chapman, last but not least, a 2500 word progress report published by Johnny McGanan in the HOBA newsletter, have collectively, encouraged a significantly increased flow of donations into the fund.

E-mails (with information packs attached) were sent to the Editors of the Legion, Wire, Sapper, Sustainer, Gunner, and Craftsman with a request that they would publish an up date in their respective magazines.

A Letter, enclosing requests for a donation were sent to the Chairmen of the REME, Royal Signals, Sapper, and RAOC Associations.

For the attention of the AOBA, a report updating fundraising activities was sent to the Editor of the OBAN asking him to publish the same in the next issue of the OBAN, whilst at the same time it was posted as a blog on the AOBA website.

The ARMY APPRENTICE ... remember with pride