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I have a long association with the Falkland Islands, having served there twice and visited a number of times during my 22 years of service with the Royal Air Force. This includes my very first assignment following Initial Officer Training - the first of two stints in the Helicopter Tasking Cell on 78 Squadron, at the time the military Support Helicopter and Search and Rescue unit on the Islands. In my last job as the Commanding Officer of a highly operational, front-line C130 Hercules Squadron,  I have spent the last two years being responsible for providing aircraft and crews to support the permanent detachment at amount Pleasant Complex, operating on 1312 Flt in support of 905 Expeditionary Air Wing.

My association with the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund began early in my service, and I have always been a keen admirer and an enthusiastic champion of the outstanding work they do to support the RAF Family. However, this was brought into sharp focus for me just over 10 years ago when a C130K operated by 47 Squadron, XV179, was shot down just north of Baghdad, resulting in the loss of all 10 servicemen on board. Eight of these brave airmen were my colleagues from RAF Lyneham, and I counted the 5 members of the crew amongst my personal friends. I witnessed at first hand the Benevolent Fund providing steadfast yet unobtrusive support to all of the families concerned, both financial and emotional, in what was a devastating time for everyone involved in the tragedy. This support and pastoral care is available not just to serving or even retired RAF personnel, but to anyone with any family link to the Royal Air Force who is in need of help. This is a fantastic cause. 

I became involved with the April Fools' Club almost as soon as I became the Commanding Officer of 47 Sqn in 2012 and I was delighted to offer my support to Graeme Shankland to act as the UK-based RAF liaison for the Yomp. Using a combination of a little local knowledge of the Islands, and my military links, I have committed much of my spare time for the past 12 mths to helping the team source vehicle hire in Port Stanley, liaising with the locals to arrange some forms of shelter for their overnight stops (primarily outbuildings and barns), and making sure that their passage through RAF Brize Norton, the Royal Air Force's Gateway to Operations, was set up to go smoothly. Much of the latter has been managing expectations as I suspect they will all be used to slightly more luxury than the service tends to provide - despite all having payed in excess of £2000 for their tickets.

As a serving member of the Royal Air Force I consider the April Fools' Club to be an extraordinary organisation. For the Service to receive this level of support and engagement from such influential and successful business leaders and captains of industry, I believe, is testament to the outstanding work all 3 of the Armed Forces do in support of the country. These tasks include providing short-notice assistance to the civil authorities in times of need, such as the floods of 2014, helping to assure the success of major public events, such as the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and enhancing the country's standing within the international community by helping to react to natural disasters and humanitarian crises, such as the aftermath of the 2013 typhoon in The Philippines. All of the Club's members have a strong personal link to the Royal Air Force, be that through a family association, time served on a University Air Squadron whilst going through further education, or simply a keen interest in aviation combined with an admiration of the country's military. Their personal contribution in terms of both money, and especially time, to this endeavour is a measure of their commitment to both the Service and the Benevolent Fund and I am hugely grateful to them for allowing me to tag along and help.

Please meet the team, and follow their progress and blog on the web page falklandsyomp2015.com - for anyone who has been to the Falklands before, you will know that just because it's summer doesn't count for much. Horizontal rain instead of horizontal snow!

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