Guernsey Friends of Air Search

Newsletter - Summer 2001

News Update

You will see from the reports in this newsletter that demand for the service has been considerable and not without success on occasions. With the addition of the FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) equipment and our consequent new ability to be able to operate in the hours of darkness, the indications are that there are likely to be more occasions than before when the service will be called upon to assist. We managed to raise nearly £200,000 between the Guernsey Friends and Jersey Friends to fund this piece of equipment which was a tremendous response and it is most encouraging to see the amount of use and benefit it has already proved to be in assisting in searches.

Whilst always ready and willing to respond to a call at any time, this does mean an increased demand on our crews and by the very nature of additional services being operated, an increase in operating costs and therefore greater demand on our funds all of which are raised through voluntary contribution. Therefore it is more important than ever that we maintain our efforts to bring in the funds needed to keep the service operating at peak efficiency and reliability.

It is the support and generosity of both the people and businesses of the islands that make all this possible and everyone involved with Channel Islands Air Search is deeply appreciative of the support we receive and offer their sincere thanks to those who help us in so many different ways. Our annual operating costs for this year look as though they will be in excess of £60,000 on top of which we have had to raise an additional £15,000 for the purchase of new survival suits, lifejackets and homer beacons for the crew.

Events

The Friends have had a busy year and despite the cancellation of the West Show have worked hard in other areas to compensate for the loss of funds normally raised there. We attended the Boat Show at Beau Sejour again this year and for the first time ever took a stand at Floral Guernsey. This proved to be quite successful and during the course of the show we received a lot of interest in our activities and raised several hundred pounds for funds from the sale of draw tickets, Air Search regalia and in donations. The stand contained a substantial floral content in deference to the show and we were delighted to have been awarded a Bronze Award in the Charities Class.

Again as part of the Floral Guernsey Week we were very fortunate to be able to hold an Open Garden at Frogmore House in the Rohais, the home of Renwick and Jean Russell who kindly allowed their garden to be open to the public. The afternoon proved to be a tremendous success with over 1400 people attending and enjoying the garden, the Vale Quartet playing in the summer-house out in the lake and the excellent teas provided by the helpers with cakes kindly donated by members of the Vale and Castel Women's' Institute Branches. All in all this event raised over £2,700 for our funds.

We were also extremely fortunate to be chosen as one of the two charities to benefit from the proceeds of the immensely popular and successful Diva Opera held at St. James' in June. This event again proved to be an enormous success and we are deeply grateful for being given the opportunity to benefit from it receiving just under £9,000 from the organisers.

Our caravan manned by Friends was also in attendance at the North Regatta and we had our usual stand at the Harbour Carnival.

We will also be attending the Christmas Fayre at Beau Sejour on Sunday 2 December where once again we will have our Christmas cards and goods on sale.

Subscriptions

Quite a number of Friends have already renewed their subscriptions for 2001 which we much appreciate. Even so our records are showing there are still a number of people who have supported us in the past and who to date do not seem to have renewed their membership. Many regular subscriptions are by Standing Order and we enclose a form for this in case you currently pay by cheque and would like to change to this method of payment. The annual subscription remains at £10, with life membership which has shown a considerable increase in popularity in the last year, still only £100. We have held these amounts again this year as we feel that they are small enough to encourage all those who would like to support the organisation to become part of it. Needless to say, as a number of our supporters already do, any larger amounts are most gratefully received. Subscriptions or Standing Order forms should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer whose details are shown below:

Mike Quarrington, Champ du Pretre, Les Traudes, St. Martin GY4 6LR

Draw Tickets

We have enclosed 10 prize draw tickets which we would be grateful if you are able to sell to aid funds. Counterfoils and payments should be returned to the address below to arrive no later than Tuesday 2 October. Our annual draw along with subscription represents an important source of funds to the service.

Christmas Cards

We are pleased to inform you that we have a new Christmas card this year featuring a superb photograph of the Islander G-CIAS "Air Search One" in flight with the south coast of Guernsey as the backdrop. Crewmember and professional photographer John Fitzgerald took this photograph from another aircraft and we enclose a postcard of the picture to give you an idea of the finished product. The words "Seasons Greetings" appear on the front and the cards are available with either blank inside, to allow for either company or a personalised greeting, or already printed with a greeting. The cards measure 8 1/4ins x 5 7/8ins and may be ordered from Reg Noble and are priced at 50p each.

Items for Sale

We have a good selection of items suitable for Christmas presents so why not give an Air Search sweatshirt, polo shirt, jumper, tie or one of the other gifts listed below. We also have remaining some copy prints of a lovely painting of St. Peter Port harbour donated to the Friends by local artist Sheila Noble at only £10 each. All items are available through Reg Noble. All the items below will be available for purchase from our stand at the Christmas Fayre at Beau Sejour on Sunday 2 December.

The following is list of goods currently available.

Sweat Shirts	£16
V Neck Jumpers	£8
Polo Shirts	£9
T Shirts	£2
Baseball-caps	£6.50
Ties	£7
Tea Towels	£2
Islander Broaches/Tie-pins	£5
Air Search Teddies	£6
Burgees	£9
Prints	£10

Supporters

The Committee of the Guernsey Friends would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have helped with fund-raising in various forms over the past year. Help which takes many different shapes and forms but all channelled into one purpose - to enable the continued operation of the service to the benefit of both locals and visitors alike. As always we are looking for volunteers to help at events even an hour or two a year is appreciated and helps spread the load!

Publicity

We have tried over the last year or so to raise the profile of Channel Islands Air Search in the public eye. The organisation's prime purpose of carrying out searches is often mentioned by the media but we have also tried to let islanders know a bit more about the whole organisation.

In our twenty-first anniversary year Channel Islands Air Search has been featured in a series of radio interviews made by Radio Guernsey reporter and crew-member Eddie Parks and broadcast by both Radio Guernsey and Radio Jersey, the Guernsey Press did a double page feature on our activities.

For nearly eighteen months we have been working very closely with Su Loyd and Channel Television to make a record of Channel Islands Air Search over that period. This has been made possible by close liaison with CTV and has covered actual flying scenes, footage of re-enacted call-outs, interviews and some history of the service leading to a high quality production reflecting the professionalism of the service and those who operate in it. At the time of going to print the screening date still remains to be finalised but is likely to be this autumn and will probably be included in Channel Report. We feel this programme will be a fitting tribute to the many men and women who for the last twenty-one years have devoted so much time and effort in voluntarily providing a service for the benefit of others.