october 2011 - British Forces Germany

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SerengeTi parK fun p 14 puTTing fiTneSS firST p 21 4 SCOTS HigHland gameS p 26 Editorial Jess Barbier-Marsden, Garrison Information Officer Covering Bad Fallingbostel Hohne and Celle inside HEIDE this month: Need to Know 8, 17, 27 Garrison News 10 - 11, 26, 29 - 30, 39 Op HOME RAT 12 - 14, 21 HERRICK Headlines 16 - 17 Community Health 18 - 20 Schools News 22 - 23 Library 28 SSAFA News 31 ‘What’s On’ Leisure Guide 32 - 36 Army Welfare Service 40 Chaplain’s Chatter 41 UNIT UPDATES 42 - 54 Classified 55 - 65 Garrison Telephone Numbers 66 - 67 FRONT COVER: HRH Prince Andrew The Duke of York visits 9 th /12 th Royal Lancers and accepts 7 th Armoured Brigade wristbands, as Mrs Juliet Fooks, CO 9 th /12 th Lancers’s wife, looks on. FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Cpl J Williams, RLC. Crown Copyright 2011. Copyright: Heide magazine is published by kind permission of the Commander, Bergen-Hohne Garrison. It is not an official publication and the views expressed, unless specifically stated otherwise, do not reflect MoD, Army or Garrison policy or are the personal views of the author. No responsibility for the quality of the goods or services advertised in the magazine can be accepted by the publishers or printers. On occasion, articles may have to be altered or edited. Printed by Mundschenk Druckverlag. www.mundschenk.de Deadline for November edition: Weds. 12 October HEIDE Magazine Tel: 05051 914271 BFBS Studios, Hohne Station, 29303 Lohheide (BFPO 30) 4 | HEIDE | OCTOBER 2011 Homecoming is here! Welcome home to all of our 7th Armoured Brigade ‘Desert Rats’ that have already arrived, and to those that will be arriving later this month. In this issue we have ‘Homecoming How-To’, a helpful guide through the range of emotions that can occur around homecoming time, with a special section on how children handle homecoming at different ages. Did you know that there is a special homecoming DVD that you can rent too? It is available to borrow from your Unit Welfare Offices, libraries, and HIVEs. Our final Garrison Op HOME RAT park trip was to Wildpark Lüneburger Heide in September, so check out the photos in the next issue of Heide Magazine. Next month we will also feature photos of some of the homecoming parades. Finally, best of luck to those elements of 16 Tank Transporter Regiment, based in Fallingbostel Station, that are deploying on Op HERRICK 15! Have a great month! gareth favis, Assistant Editor e-mail: garrisonmagazine@yahoo.com ren ruddy, Advertising Manager e-mail: garrisonadvertising@yahoo.com
Foreword Brigadier Paul Nanson MBE, Commander 7 th Armoured Brigade It’s a real pleasure to be finally writing a foreword that contains an article entitled ‘Homecoming How-To!’ By the time you read this we will have already welcomed back the first flights from Afghanistan and there will be a definite ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ feel about the place. I visited Theatre in August and managed to see most of our units – they were all in excellent form; tired but buoyant after a hugely successful summer. They were all obviously looking forward to coming home. I did promise to ensure you were the first to know of any significant updates regarding the implications of last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). As you know, SDSR marked the start of transforming Defence to meet the challenges of the future aiming for a coherent and affordable Defence capability for 2020 and beyond. More recently a Review has been conducted to fully close the gap between the cost of Defence and the money available to deliver it. This has resulted in a number of announcements which will mean changes for you and your family. I realise this has caused much uncertainty and I thought I would use this opportunity to share what I know about the three issues which are causing you most concern. rebasing: On 18 July 2011 the Secretary of State gave a statement to the House of Commons on Defence Transformation, stating that the two Multi- Role Brigades currently based in Germany would move back to Scotland, centred on Kirknewton, south-west of Edinburgh, and the East Midlands in England, centred on Cottesmore. So what does that mean for us? I stress that it has not been finally decided which Brigade will go where, but the planning assumption is that 7 th Armoured Brigade will move to Scotland. The reason for this is that 7 Brigade finishes in Afghanistan before 20 Brigade (HERRICK 19 v HERRICK 20), and so will be available to move first. Since the political direction is that Scotland be occupied first, it is a relatively safe assumption – but not a certainty – that we will be based north of the border. In Scotland, units will be moved into Glencorse, Caledonia, Albemarle Barracks (in Northumberland) and eventually Arbroath, as it is intended to bring the bulk of the Royal Marines together in the south-west of England. Two major units and a formation HQ will be based at Leuchars – the former RAF Station. ‘When’ we are likely to move remains unclear, but I can report that it will not be before we complete HERRICK 19, so not before the Summer of 2014 – but again I stress this is a planning yardstick. In other moves you should be aware that Trenchard Barracks, and therefore Celle Station, will close in 2013. 2 RRF will be the last battalion in that barracks although some quarters will be retained and absorbed into Hohne Station. Additionally, we have just been informed that 1 Med Regt will now move to Hohne next summer. allowances: The cuts to allowances have hit us all hard. I think we all understand why the cuts are needed and please rest assured that I represent your concerns up the chain of command. I do remain committed to ensuring that, whilst we continue to serve in Germany, the ‘offer’ reflects the challenge that living away from the UK brings with it, for us and our families. It is difficult – there is no more money, and our senior officers have to balance ever decreasing resources with a multitude of demands. I can report that, whilst there are no new cuts, some of the changes are now coming into effect. Soldiers returning from operations will notice a drop in monthly income as operational allowances cease. I would ask you all to plan ahead and, if necessary, ask Welfare Staff or Regimental Accountants about where to find financial advice. There is no more news on pensions or Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA); I will keep you posted. redundancy: A number of soldiers will have been made redundant in the recent first tranche announcements. They will now be assisted to transition into civilian life and, rest assured, they will get the full support of the Brigade. There are, as I am sure you are well aware, more redundancies to come and the recent announcement of a further cut to the Army’s regular cohort means that the details of the next tranche will now not be available until January 2012. Again, as soon as the information is known, I will pass it on. On the home front we are now making excellent progress on the new briefing centre and cinema for Fallingbostel, which should open for Christmas, as well as the swimming pool cover in Hohne which will be ready early next year. And as the troops return, we are delighted to have our new online travel guide for the Garrison up and running on WikiTravel – more on all this in the magazine. Finally, in this October issue, I have asked that we continue my push on information concerning the medical system and, on a lighter note, I trust articles on the Duke of York’s visit to 9 th /12 th Lancers and the Op HOME RAT trip to Serengeti Park will provide you with some colour to brighten up the autumn weather and bring back some memories of summer in the Garrison. OCTOBER 2011 | HEIDE | 5
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Page 11 and 12: patient complaint procedure British
Page 13: My name is Padre Carl Stokes and I

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