It took 22 mins from your post!
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If I were an outsider reading this thread, it would appear that all the RAFAC does (or did) was car parking! How many carparking events been submitted on Bader as an activity in the past 5 years!? Whats more rewarding and beneficial for our CadetsâŚstanding in a field pointing at cars or being show side looking at the events or engaging in PR tents etc?? The day or two a year you may be doing Car Parking could now be spent applying for grants which bring in many thousands compared to the few quid donated for CPing. These village fares often attract local influences who have fingers in pies of money (Lions, Masons, Rotary etc) rather than telling public to park there, talk to these and raise more funds more safely and rewardingly.
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Standby for incoming 
One of many marshaling events that bring a few quid in and get us seen in the public and often with positive comments about how smart we look which may encourage Mrs Bucket to encourage her son to join. And to be fair it was easy money for a few hours that could raise hundreds if not into the thousand(s)
Which is what we do with the other 363 days of the year.
And those of us lucky enough to have uniformed staff and an abundance of cadets will often be doing that anyway.
The less we are seen, the more that the SCC or ACF are seen and they will be pocketing any money and potential recruits.
For me, especially on our growing Sqn, we need more and more kit for the cadets so parents donât have to purchase their own, take DofE, for instance, sleeping bags, waterproofs, stoves, and tents etc are what we loan out so they only pay registration and for the training walks. And not to mention (which I have now mentioned) camps and various other activities can be upwards of ÂŁ100 for a week away. We want to reduce the amount parents have to shell out and make it financially easier.
And finally, just me thisâŚbut over the last 10 yrs I have seen many pauses, we canât do this or that now, so who knows in the next 10 yrs what we will have left that we can do? Yes drastic thinking on my part but each year there is something else that we have to try and figâŚactively dispute and find the real reason for why we canât do what we have done for years.
And itâs not a âjust because we have always done itâ mindset. But it wouldnât have been in my top 3 of probable dangerous activities for the potential harm of a cadet, I can think of a few that are permitted with risk assessments that we continue to do that have resulted in cadets being harmed or not going back home again.
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It brings us about ÂŁ4.5k a year, for 4 days work - and each of these days also provides community engagement, recruitment, schmoozing, entertainment for the cadets and staff. It also puts us in the running for being the designated charity for that year for a number of local/industry orgs - that usually brings us another ÂŁ500, but twice in the last 4 itâs netted over ÂŁ2k.
I assume filling out grant forms would would take the same or less time, generate that amount of cash on a regular/reliable basis, come with a free bar, entertainment and food for 30+ cadets four times a year, generate loads of leads for training land, as well as for work experience and employment for cadets outside of cadets?
No?
Shocked mate, absolutely shocked.
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What night isnât a parade night somewhere in the country 
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Shirley, Saturday and Sunday 
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How did you know my name was Shirley 
To me this is the bigger thing.
We need to be seen in the community helping the community. Village fairs are a great way to do this.
Iâve never been involved in car marshalling, but have had similar people marshalling activities. As well as being seen in the community, the cadets really enjoy the responsibility.
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You must have an idea of the financial benefits / engagement with the public / participation in local event?
Our car parking activities used to be linked to local airshows, so marshall cars in the morning; from early afternoon, walk around the site (often with chances to get âup closeâ to exhibits not possible to the public) & of course, enjoy an AIRshow.
Applying for local grants? Do you have an idea as to how many other charity organisations are feeling the pinch & are competing for such grants?
Are you really a CFAV??
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I completely accept that this is your call, and I can see the merits, Iâve never had a problem with the stop.
But, can you see how communicating the decision, with merely a few days notice before it came into force (and in many cases, because of the scattergun lottery which is information dissemination in this organisation, some units wouldnât have eben had a dayâs notice) caused huge amounts of unnecessary stress, reputational damage and financial difficulties for the staff and units who suddenly had to turn around to events that they had agreed to support and cancel? In many cases having done so for years without incident.
Why could the decision not have been given a start date even a week from the date of announcement? Itâs not like the actual historic risk of the activity, considering the complete lack of incidents, necessitated an immediate stop.
Or, alternatively, why was there not any sort of accompanying note or statement from the headshed at least apologising for the stress and impact the stop would have on staff and units? Even a few lines to show that the ivory towers at the least appreciated that this would have a negative impact on those on the ground?
The overall result of the way in which this decision was made, issued and supported just made us look stupid, both internally and externally.
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@cab did state he had raised the issue more than once in meetings with HQRAFAC and nothing had happened, maybe the problem is within HQRAFAC and they need sorting out. He may have become exasperated at the lack of response to his orders and issued a very direct one to CRAFAC.
ETA from the FoI
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Ignored because everyone in HQAC thought it was a completely bonkers decision, that wouldnât go down well and were fearful that it sets a completely new benchmark for banning things?
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Pull pin, throw, withdrawâŚ
Obviously the Scouting senior management has bigger balls than RAF senior management!
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So the scouts are an example to be used as an organisation with an unsafe history (in a single example provided that didnât follow correct procedures), but theyâre safe enough for the RAF to turn to when we decide weâre not safe despite not doing things the way the scouts did when they got it very wrong?
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Wasnât on the call tonight as car decided it didnât want to play so was tinkering with that but the RAFAC Snr Volunteer is known to be heavily biased/bigoted against scouting so speculating but perhaps thatâs whatâs feeding into HQs Mindset?
Not unexpected, some events would have only had 4 days notice that RAFAC units could no longer help. I had to advise an event we could no longer help, 11 days notice.
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Iâll biteâŚ
Sometimes itâs okay to be angry, and I think we should take a moment to be angry about this.
One part of the RAF accepting liability for an organisation (and activity) that another part of the RAF thinks is unsafe.
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