Holy Trinity Church Bi-Centenary Celebrations/ Autumn Newsletter

Autumn Newsletter

Dear Members/Friends,

I am now pleased to be back on the island, following some very hectic months working in the NHS in the UK, where the increasing numbers of patients requiring care and attention seems to be becoming invertionally proportional to the numbers of skilled staff available to tend to them!

However, as we now “gear-up” to one of our organisation’s busiest period of the year, here is some “hot off the press” news of what I have been working to arrange for us……

REMEMBRANCE LUNCH

I am pleased to confirm that I have now been able to arrange for us all to enjoy a Lunch together. The details of the event are below:

Casal da Penha Restaurant
Rua Penha de França 1, 9000-014, Funchal, Madeira
Friday 4th November 2022
1pm Reception for a 1:30pm meal.

The price of the 2 course – served at the table – meal will be around €25 per head (under negotiation) which includes an aperitif reception, Canapes, Dips, etc, wines / water /soft drinks during the meal, choice of Meat, Fish or Vegetarian main course, choice of deserts, a Digestif and tea / coffee. A Draw will be held to gather funds for our ex-servicemen and women from all wars, and their dependants, who are less fortunate than ourselves and any contributions of prizes for the draw will be very welcome.

Dress will be semi-formal/formal: a blazer and tie, or black tie if preferred, for men and corresponding dress for ladies. All those who have medals and/or decorations are asked to wear them in accordance with Legion custom.

Whilst our Madeira membership has been static of late, I hope that we can start to increase it again. New membership forms will be available on the day; so please support this function and bring your friends and potential new members with you.

To finalise arrangements, I need to know how many will be attending this event, so will you please contact me at rblportugalmadeirarep@gmail.com or on Mobile Number 967 210 835 ASAP (but by 5pm on Monday 1st November at the latest) to let me know if you will be attending and if you have a table seating preference and / or any special dietary requirements. (And if you are able to donate anything to the draw!!).

2022 POPPY APPEAL COLLECTION

I am pleased that, this year, we will be able to restart our collections at the Port of Funchal and special thanks must go to Jean and Graham Faulkner who have been co-ordinating a rota of all of us and to ensure that the necessary permissions and formalities were in place to enable the Collections to take place. Thanks to all those who have volunteered to participate but, if you have not been contacted and would like to assist with the collection, please contact Jean on 965 733 057 or myself on 967 210 835. Also, if you are aware of any local hotels or bars, etc who would agree to have a box of poppies and collecting tin during the appeal period then, again, please do get in touch.

2022 REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY SERVICE

Our Annual Service of Remembrance will be held at Holy Trinity Church, Funchal on Sunday 13th November 2022. (Please be seated by 10:30am). The Service will be led by The Reverend Canon Dr Arthur Edwards as Father Michael Jarman will be on Leave during November this year.

The first part of the Service will include the “traditional” Act of Remembrance – including the Exhortation, Last Post, Two Minutes Silence, Reveille and the Kohima Epitaph.
During the Service a Royal British Legion wreath will be laid at the Altar and, at the end of the Service, a short ceremony will be held at the Memorial Corner in the Church Gardens and a Poppy Cross laid at the RBL Memorial there.

After the Service there will be the church’s usual Garden Reception with Tea / Coffee / Biscuits, Madeira Cake and Wine!!

Our Branch Membership Secretary W/O Stephen Bland RN and his wife hope to be able to join us for the Service and I am currently in communication with the UK’s Defence Attaché at the British Embassy in Lisbon as we may also be joined by some Royal Navy personnel – so it would be really great to see a good attendance at the Service from all of our members and friends.
The Defence Attaché has kindly offered to extend an invitation to a small number of our RBL Branch Members and their partners / spouses for a lunch that they would be hosting on the afternoon of the Remembrance Service at a venue in Funchal.
If you would like to have your name(s) on the potential guest list then, again, please e-mail me your details to me at rblportugalmadeirarep@gmail.com by 5pm on Monday 1st November 2022 so that I can discuss final numbers with the Embassy staff.

and finally …………………

 

NEWS ABOUT OUR BRANCH STANDARD

Our Branch is quite unique within the RBL – due to its geography – in that we do not have just one Branch Standard but four!! (These are held in Lisbon, Oporto, Algarve and Madeira). All of these have recently been refurbished or replaced and all are now a mirror image of each other.
For the one held here in Madeira this involved me taking it back to the UK and sending it to a specialist flag company where the “GP90” Ypres Scroll was added, together with a 50th Anniversary Pennant. The Standard was then shipped back to me, together with a new Mourning Ribbon and Holster. The Branch has also purchased new Union Flag coffin palls and I brought all these items back to the island with me last week so that all is ready for Remembrance 2022.

I look forward to hearing from you all regarding our Lunch on 4th November (and the potential guest list for the hosted lunch on the 13th November) and to meeting as many of you (and your friends / guests) as possible at our forthcoming events.

If you are unable to attend the 4th November lunch then I would ask you just to send an e-mail back please to say that you are unable to attend as this stops me then having to send out “chaser” e-mails and getting anxious at the closing date that people may not have received the information .

Best Wishes

Ian

Ian Norris
Madeira Area Representative
Portugal and Atlantic Islands Branch (Branch 3443)
E-Mail: rblportugalmadeirarep@gmail.com
Mobile: (+351) 967 210 835