RAF Brize Norton hosted a visit for the Asian Elderly from Swindon and the surrounding areas on Thursday 27th September 2018.
Mr Harivadan Patel, who is involved with all three groups, The Swindon Punjabi Centre Elderly Group, Swindon Hindu Centre and Gita Study group, got in contact with the Station to request a visit for group members, who all have a keen interest in the UK Armed Forces, particularly Mr Patel himself, who is an RAF Veteran.
An intuitive and interesting programme was put together for the 27 guests, who got the opportunity to explore a variety of areas across the large diverse Station. They were first hosted by members of XXIV Squadron, who gave a tour around the A400M Atlas aircraft, a visit to Survival Equipment Section to understand the different aspects of the safety equipment and learn the role of our Survival Equipment Fitters. Ending the day with a visit to the Parachute Training Squadron hangar, many of the visitors found this very enjoyable and could see first-hand, the training that is delivered to all UK Military Airborne Forces.
Mr Harivadan Patel, who served as aircrew at RAF Brize Norton said: “We are trying to encourage our young to take an interest in the Armed Forces and perhaps consider a career with them and integrate with the host society. We will try to publicise this visit in the Asian press to provide information about careers in the RAF."
There are many ex-servicemen and women, including members of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, living in Wiltshire and it is natural for them to encourage their family members to be interested in the Armed Forces. This visit to the Station gave the group members a chance to experience life in the Royal Air Force and gained information that they could pass onto their family.
Flight Lieutenant Adam Holland, Project Officer for the visit said: “It was an absolute pleasure to plan and host the visit of the Asian Elderly Community, Swindon to RAF Brize Norton. I think it was especially important that they got to see some of the support elements here, which help to contribute towards the Station’s output.”
Dr Parveen Sharma, one of the visitors said: “I have had a fantastic day today, I will tell my grandchildren how fascinating the Royal Air Force is. I want to pass on a massive thank you to our host and everyone for giving us the opportunity to be here today.”
