I disagree. Up to covid Vorders was really proactive and visited many sqn and events. As an educated woman with a degree in engineering and an interest in aviation and STEM. After lockdown and the changing of the guard at HQAC she got a job as a radio presenter on Radio Wales every Saturday which make her role very difficult and under TK she was not utilised as much as when DMcC CAC.
6 Likes
Plus she was a well known personality who did raise the profile of RAFAC. Unlike our other two ambassadors.
2 Likes
only joined in 2019, so i don’t really have that much of a grasp on Pre Covid Vorders, but our honorary Wg Cdr could be such a more useful tool only if HQAC got her on national media, and not just the corps Instagram.
1 Like
A bit of scope of what a RAFAC ambassador is there to do wouldn’t go a miss either. Yes you could look at the current “celebrities” or athletes people like Jonny or Alistair Brownlee for example. Lorraine Kelly is National Honorary Colonel of the ACF but without googling ACF Ambassadors I wouldn’t have known about that. Emma Wolstenholme is a good move for RAFAC but is she that high profile that the “average Joe” would know her/knew what she did, she is good for the corps but perhaps not for wider recruitment/awareness of the organisation.
Could we be looking at something a bit different? Rather than a person have an entity ? A lot of the general public aren’t really aware of modern day fighter or fixed wing aircraft apart from what they potentially might see over the skies. Could our “recruitment ambassador” be the Red Arrows? Mentions/links to RAFAC on their site and social media with potential for their official merch to have our logo on it, would go a long way in reaching the public awareness. The Reds have approx 33 displays and flypasts in the UK alone this year which ultimately will reach millions in some form of capacity, even if that is on the news reel at trooping the colour or at the F1/Great North run fly pasts.
But again it goes back to what is the TOR/purpose of a RAFAC ambassador if that is nailed down then the process should be easier.
If not for ACC I wouldn’t know anything about her at all.
I’m only aware of her because of this forum than anything from the RAFAC channels.
Other than being a rower with the nickname of “Aunty Albert” I don’t really know anything about her.
Does she have a Wikipedia page?
1 Like
Seems obvious to me that we need three types of ambassador…
-
4 da kidz.
-
For industry.
-
For society and the body politic: someone who has traction in the media, someone politicians are aware of and aware of the ‘pull’ of. This is about letting politicians know how valuable the cadet forces are and what they do for kids, and those politicians being convinced by that, and deciding to protect/increase our resources envelope.
Guess what? It doesn’t have to be the same person…
7 Likes
Carol actually did a good job with all 3 imo! Pre Covid at least.
7 Likes
And pre-Tony
3 Likes
All I know about her is that she’s a bad Sea Cadet.
She could probably do a whole lot more, but 2024 isn’t going to be providing many opportunities to get any ambassador in front of cadets - national events cancelled, wing and regional events cancelled or scaled down due to accommodation issues, AT Centre all but closed…
I agree with this, but the cadet one needs some amount of relevance otherwise we might as well just hire an actor through Cameo.
1 Like
We need some *leadership * who really meets our motto of Venture Adventure and can help us raise funds for things like AT, and scholarships and such.
2 Likes
where military fails,
Celebs succeed 
2 Likes
Agreed with this when you look at the other organisations they all have their “one of their own” types with Army vets for ACF etc When you look at RAFA ambassadors they have John Peters who although through unfortunate circumstances is fairly well known through his books if not his face. Although on the one hand maybe having a shot down pilot as an ambassador is great on the other our main online record system is interestingly named.
If only the leadership had the leadership ability to bring in external ambasador leaders.
Not a chance in hell.
1 Like
I think you mean John Nichol
2 Likes
For that part (recruiting decent ambassadors), you’d need some charisma too.
3 Likes
Wasn’t John Nichol’s pilot called Peters?
2 Likes
John Peter’s was John Nichols pilot. Of the two, JN is the author… Albeit Tornado down has both their names… But JN had a string of other books to his name.
3 Likes
No definitely mean John Peters
Although John Nichol would be a good shout too
2 Likes
Watching sort your life out on the Beep.
Perhaps Stacy Solomon would make a good ambassador - the amount of squadrons who could do with a declutter.
Saying that apparently she’s looking at stepping back from tv so perhaps could nap her as a CFAV like penny lancaster.
2 Likes