As you know, we have been busy trying to sort out the membership, following us becoming a Branch of the Parachute Regimental Association (which is for ALL airborne soldiers) It has caused a kerfuffle in some quarters, so David Lang, our President extends this message to you all:
Message from our President
Dear AFR Riders and Supporters,
Many of you will have seen the recent posts on Facebook, regarding membership, subscriptions, access to social media pages and the like and as the newly incumbent President of AFR and Chairman of the PRA AFR branch committee, I believe it falls to me to position where we are with Airborne Forces Riders (AFR) and the approach the committee is taking on your behalf, attempting to explain the reason behind some of the decisions already made and the changes forthcoming. I understand that the following may not be agreed with by some members, but with registered riders and supporters in the region of 650, unanimous agreement is never going to be achieved, but the approaches and decisions reached by the Committee and Trustees have been taken with the interests of AFR and it’s members at the centre.
Back to fundamentals: What is Airborne Forces Riders?
10 years ago when AFR was formed, Paul Moore described AFR as …”a loose association of airborne veterans and their supporters who have casual, organised and annual rides”. In the last 10 years however, AFR has grown from 14 to c650 listed riders and supporters and with that the controls have tightened, we have become regulated and governed under the constitution and rules as part of the Parachute Regimental Association. Alongside the necessary rigour, AFR has developed organically with people of a shared interest and mindset. Acts of remembrance and respect have grown in prominence, along with raising awareness of our airborne brothers who paid the ultimate price, becoming increasingly prominent in our mindset and activities. Of course the sense of belonging we lose on discharge, is also mitigated by AFR; getting together with likeminded people who ride motorbikes, sharing pride in our airborne background and the shared mindset is invaluable to our own wellbeing. Many just ride for the get together, friendship and reunion. All of this is OK and a positive reason to be part of this amazing organisation. Further background can be read on our website A “Club” or not ? – AIRBORNE FORCES RIDERS
AFR is now a branch of the PRA. As such we want all AFR members to be members of the PRA also.
AFR are at a key junction of our evolution. We understand that the move of AFR to become a branch of the PRA is an emotive one and not to everyone’s liking, but just as a reminder, the PRA is a charity that supports not just the Parachute Regiment but also Airborne Forces families and veterans in their hour of need and the requested commitment to this charity is small. The decision to become a branch of the PRA has been made and we ask that it is supported given the reasons already published by Paul last year and laid out below. The requirement to join as a member of the PRA will have the added value of vetting applications into categories, thereby reducing the risk of ‘Walts’ blagging their way as a ‘Rider’, which unfortunately has happened in the past. AFR membership has grown rapidly over the last 5 years and events, attendance and commitments has grown along with numbers of those riding. As a formed organisation of this size, it was an ever increasing risk for event organisers should something go wrong and they be held accountable. Additionally, the costs of wreaths, crosses and other acts of remembrance are substantial and were being borne from the personal pockets of the President and a few others; this is simply not fair or sustainable. Therefore over and above membership of the PRA, an annual subscription to AFR of £10 is currently in place to cover the running costs and facilitate our charitable aims. This approach is not unique to AFR; other military Riders groups have the same approach. Many of us are also members of other military charities as well and I understand the charitable fatigue, but the price of £10 for which you would struggle to get 2 pints of Guinness for in a pub, is small in comparison to the benefits. As a comparable example, the annual fee I pay for the Riders Branch of the RBL is £25 a year.
Therefore we ask Riders and Supporters to become a member of both PRA and AFR.
What is a member? To date a member is someone who has registered with Phil Hannah through the AFR Website. However we are transitioning to a more formal footing over the next 6 months, whereby a member will be classified as someone who has joined the PRA as either a Full Member, Associate Member, Affiliate member or Armed Forces/Social member and also paid annual subscriptions to AFR. Joining the PRA is done directly with the PRA her Become a Member • The Parachute Regimental Association. Please note that lifetime membership is only £7.50 and £5.00 for over 60s. Please note that Supporters can join the PRA as social or Armed Forces members as appropriate.
As an AFR member, you will be eligible to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and vote on the strategic direction of the AFR Branch, vote on matters arising and vote for committee members to represent AFR and indeed stand as a committee member as vacancies arise and rotate. In order to cover running costs of remembrance and to meet our charitable aims, such as recent support to the Arnhem Fellowship, annual AFR membership is set at £10.00 a year.
Social Media. As the AFR’s application of governance grows, it has become apparent that there is significant disparity between numbers of members signed through the website and members on Facebook (FB). Therefore the committee have initiated work to rationalise the two disparate lists. Alongside this requirement, concerns were raised over security and access to certain areas of the website and to activities shared on FB. Therefore it was proposed and carried, that for a trial period the AFR FB page would be accessible only to members. I think it is fair to say that the response by way of healthy challenge and comments was swifter and more numerous than anticipated. It is noted that as an example, our Dutch friends enjoy seeing what we do in UK aside from Arnhem that is publicised in the Arnhem Riders pages. It is also a shop window for fresh blood and for people to register interest. Therefore the decision is not final, but will stand in the short term while membership lists are consolidated. A communication will be sent to some members who have yet to pay subscriptions explaining what is required of them to continue to be registered as an AFR member. Any questions on subscriptions payment should be sent to our treasurer John(Jasper) Harratt. Any questions on FB should be sent to Barbara or Steve Bone. Any questions on membership should be sent to Phil Hannah or Martin McGill.
If I don’t join and pay as a member can I still come along and ride? In short; yes. You are welcome as a guest, but don’t be surprised going forward if you are asked at ride outs to make a donation to AFR. Naturally we would prefer you to join and support our charitable aim. If you are not a member, you would not be invited to attend the AGM and therefore would not have a vote, certain areas of the web page and potentially FB along with certain items from the shop would no longer be available to you either, but you would still be welcomed at the rides. Indeed we change our name to ‘Arnhem Riders’ for that trip specifically widen the participation and to recognise the fact it was an all arms battle. Note: More to follow on Arnhem suggested accommodation after RTTW.
In summary, it is recognised that the move to formalising the AFR as a branch of the PRA and the associated decisions on subscriptions to meet charitable aims and share the cost of expenses, will not be for everyone. Indeed, there will be a proportion of people registered that did so on a whim, or out of intrigue, who have never ridden with us and have no real interest in ever doing so and this process will weed those out; providing a more accurate picture of ‘active membership’. I hope the above is of assistance in helping with understanding our direction and rationale behind some of the decisions made. Please be assured of the best intentions of myself, the Branch Committee and of course the Trustees who have your collective interests at heart.
Kind regards
David