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It has long been a practice for local clubs and charities to raise money for their cause by carrying out bag packing events at local supermarkets / superstores.

Many of the well known outlets are more than happy to oblige community groups / charities as in some cases they will take a percentage for their own nominated store charity (normally 10%).  Most will be even happier to oblige if you arrange for an article to be printed in the local media.  After all this is a good news story.  (It’s a good idea to take a photo of the team with one of the store staff for publicity purposes)  It’s also good publicity for the cadet group.

This is a popular method of fundraising by many different charities / groups and as such stores book dates well in advance so expect there to be some delay in getting a date allocated.

It is good practice to get local cadet groups to assist with the bag packing.  Most areas will have either police or Marine cadet groups who will assist and who have relatively smart uniforms.  For many of the cadet groups they get recognition for community engagement events such as this.  I believe that the public like to see smart youngsters taking responsibility in events like this.  (If there are no cadet groups available consider approaching your local RMA to assist you.)

The cadet management team should be given at least three months notice if you want their help, so that they can forward plan the event.  They will need to know the following information;

When the event is taking place.( Date, start / finish time)

Where it is taking place.

Where and when do you want them to turn too.(allow time for briefing)

How many cadets you need. (some stores limit the number you can use but consider one or two extra to facilitate breaks)

Meal arrangements (do you want them to bring a packed lunch)

Insist on the following;

That the cadets are selected at least two weeks before the event and are advised of the importance of smart appearance and if possible are inspected before the event by cadet staff.

Contact details for the lead staff cadet who will be attending  two weeks before the event so that the day can be discussed.

Ensure that they are aware that the day will last between certain times and that they will be required for the duration ( there’s nothing worse if your cadets get bored and go home early)

It is wise to give the cadets a general briefing before the start time to ensure they understand the following;

Who they are

Who they are collecting for

Why they are collecting for the RMA ( they will almost certainly be asked these questions many times)

You will need to supply buckets / collecting tins.  The RMA do have a limited number of purpose made buckets with security seals.  These are not essential and any bucket can be used.

If the store has room consider erecting a stand / information board outlining the work of Commando 999 complete with photos of different events that we have taken part in and of what the money raised is used for.

Some stores insist that on completion of the collection the buckets are taken to their cash office where the money is counted and given to you minus their percentage.  If they want to do this let them!  It will save you hours of pain counting coppers and carrying it to the bank.  Other stores expect you to deal with the cash especially those that do not take a percentage.  To that end ensure you have lots of money bags.

Once the cash is banked it’s just a case of uploading the amount raised onto your fundraising account for Commando 999.

This really isn’t rocket science and I’m sure that things work differently around the country.  It is however a simple way of raising significant amounts of money for the cause, it engages the cadets into the corps family and raises the profile of Commando 999

Even bucket shaking outside your local supermarket can reap huge dividends team. To reach our £1000,000 target we are all going to have to pull our fingers out over the next few years…so let’s crack on Royal.

Adrian Gurney

Guz

As this is the first ‘update’ of 2012, may I first take this opportunity to welcome all the new members of Commando 999 to our team!! It’s great that only are we all committed to help out the RMA and raise this £1 million by 2014 (which they desperately need) but also that so many old friendships are being re-kindled as a result of our efforts. Hoofing!!

So, to business….and always bulleted for ease;

• Operation Commando – It has been decided to postpone Operation Commando from March 2nd – 4th until 5^th, 6^th and 7th October with the recce and dry run planned for around 28-31 August October. The reasons for this is wholly positive and based solely on the recent arrival of a wonderful new sponsor, who has not only added significant enthusiasm into the event, but also a significant donation to Commando 999 and The Royal Marines Association.  Our teams are being asked to ‘keep training’ until October, and our volunteers asked to ‘stand down’ for now. Please can I take this opportunity to apologise to those of you who offered your services as Directing Staff for the event as I know many of you have sorted A/L. But I hope that you understand that the arrival of a significant corporate sponsor is big news for us and the reality is that I have to stay focussed on the money as that is the whole reason for the event taking place. Everyone involved in Operation Commando, from Commando 999, The Royal Marines Association, Captive Minds and William McNamara OBE, Chairman of Bluestone Resort are absolutely delighted with the new developments and hope that in due course when the news is made public that everyone will join us in the race to create a wonderful annual challenge to raise funds for the RMA, and for that event to be Operation Commando. Can I please ask that you all promote www.operationcommando.co.uk to friends and family. The more teams that enter, the better and can I also ask that I still need 15 volunteers to act as DS for the weekend (no pay but free accommodation/food etc and a hoofing weekend!). Names to me ASAP please team
• Maxi-nutrition and This Tribe – As most of you are aware, we have teamed up with our friends at Maxi and This Tribe to bring some fantastic discounts and money into the coffers. Also with Maxi, they are offering free Delivery on every order and a Free Case of Chocolate Maxi Milk’s on orders over £50 until the end of February.
• Commando 999 shop/website – Please do remember to use the site fella’s. The shop is going really well and as a consequence we now have over 1600 followers on Facebook. The FORUM is there to use, gob off and spin ditts…so crack on and use it.
• Events – We have many events happening this year regionally, including round the UK rides, Yomps, a Dive Tank at the Southampton Boat Show and Commando Kids in Monikie Park in Dundee thanks to Conrad, Ally Taylor and the boys North of the border. We will be the recipients of monies from the Angus for Forces Ball in October and of course we have our signature speedmarch on Remembrance weekend…Saturday 10^th November. Put it in your diaries fella’s. A new route this year and some very, VERY special guests for dinner!!
• Bmycharity.com – I am in the throes of moving us away from bmycharity. It appears that since they have been taken over by H4H, they have placed little/no investment in the site and as a consequence it remains clunky and difficult to use. We are moving to ‘Justgiving’ and I will update you in the next email as to how we are progressing with that.
• Bucket Shaking and Fundraising – Adrian Gurney has arranged a Bucket Shaking day down in Guz. The Gurn has agreed to share with us how he has gone about putting the event together and how much he has raised once done. ‘Hats off’ to Adrian!! Team, please do remember that we have committed to raising £1 million by 2014. We have so far managed £303.000 which is significant….but it is events such as the one that Adrian is arranging that will make all the difference. Please crack on and all do your bit. It doesn’t take the brains of an Archbishop to realise how much money the RMA need to help our boys that need it….LOTS!!

I will send out another update soon, as things are moving quite fast at the moment.

Out for now….

Mark

Mark Robinson is a serving Police Constable with Grampian Police (who is pictured with a 1400 GTR Kawasaki, similar to the machine to be loaned by Kawasaki (UK) for the event). Three other off duty colleagues may also participate in the ride.

What we are doing;

On Tuesday 17 April 2012 we are undertaking a 10 day sponsored motorcycle ride affectionaltely called ‘GOING THE EXTRA MILE’, in aid of the Royal Marine Association through  ‘COMMANDO999′  to raise funds for injured ‘Royals’ for recuparation on return to the UK from overseas conflicts. The much needed funding will include onward care and welfare for the lifetime of the servicmen. We will be riding motorcycles kindly loaned by Kawasaki (UK) around all 51 Scottish, English and Welsh Police Forces with stops at all head quarters to collect donations. The journey will cover about 3200 miles. The penultimate stop over will be at RM Hasler in Plymouth to visit the injured guys who have returned from conflicts and to see where the raised money will be used. The ‘finish line’ will be at the Metropolitan Police New Scotland Yard head quarters the following day where we will be met by Chief Inspector Mark Scoular (who is the man behind the organisation of COMMANDO999 and an ex ‘Royal’ himself and Miss Lorraine Kelly  (Daybreak TV) who is the charity Ambassador (who earned her recent O.B.E. for services to armed forces charity work). We will then make our way to LLOYD COOPER MOTORCYCLES in Colchester (who were instrumental in sourcing KAWASAKI (UK)’s generous support) where we will be met by the KAWASAKI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM. The journey continues on to RM Condor in Arbroath to visit the final RM camp in the UK (as others will be visited on route) for a demonstration of the ‘Royals’ ‘hospitality’ before finishing at Grampian Police headquarters in Aberdeen. Each evening the COMMANDO999 web site will be updated with photos and developments so progress can be monitored.

Why we are doing it;

Back in November 2011, I (Mark Robinson) saw the COMMANDO999 web site detailing a massive effort by serving and ex ‘Royals’ doing a sponsored speed march around central London, and I thought, that I could have possibly done that 20 years ago but would still like to raise some money for the charity without (at 48 years old) becoming a casualty myself! I saw that a figure of £6m was to be raised by the 350th Royal Marine anniversary in 2014 and thought, BIKE RIDE! And after speaking with colleagues and Des Gregory at LLOYD COOPER’s, my idea to do the round Britain trip came to life and has grown serious arms and legs since. As Police officers, we have a dangerous job but not normally one which would put our lives in danger on a daily basis. We say goodbye to our families each day, knowing we will be home after work. The funding for the COMMANDO999 charity is to put some assurance in the minds of the guys serving away from the UK who may be saying goodbye to their families at the start of each deployment, unsure if they will return home. We are looking to maintain the certainty that the public are aware of these sacrifices and are preapred to do something to fund the resources in the UK. The bottom line is that the charity needs money to continue the great work, we want to keep that work going and need to something that might make a few people and companies put their hands in their pockets for a few pounds to contribute to a very worthwhile cause. A few days of riding with backache and getting cold or wet isn’t a big enough excuse or inconvenience that should prevent doing something worthwhile for someone else. It’s hardly as if anyone of us is being asked to fight for our country without the promise of coming home is it? Sponsorship for fuel and accommodation for the bikes and riders is still needed and any assistance would be gratefully accepted.

Mark Robinson

In Holland on 23 January 1945, 45 RM Commando (Lieutenant Colonel W N Gray DSO RM), part of the 1st Commando Brigade under command of the 7^th Armoured Division, was leading the Brigade’s German position along the line of the Montforterbeek Dyke. Advancing in intensely cold weather over flat ground covered in snow the leading Troop, A Troop, together with the jeep-borne MMG section of F Troop, were pinned down by heavy, accurate small arms fire and harassed throughout the day by artillery and mortar fire. E Troop then made a left flanking movement but was, in turn, held up. B Troop moved further left and, by the speed of their advance, caught the Germans withdrawing from a forward position, thus gaining a bridgehead on the Montforterbeek Dyke. A German counter-attack on the bridgehead during the night was beaten off with severe casualties to the enemy.

During this action Lance Corporal H E Harden RAMC, A Troop’s medical orderly, moved across 120 yards of open ground under intense small arms fire to attend to an officer and two marines who were wounded. After dressing their wounds he carried one man back and, though wounded, he went out twice more, accompanied by two volunteer stretcher bearers, to bring back the others. Returning on his third trip, with the wounded officer, Lance Corporal Harden was killed. For his fearless action he was awarded a posthumous VC.

The Brigade Commander, Brigadier D Mills-Roberts DSO MC, issued a Special Order of the Day.

“To all ranks No 45 Cdo. The Divisional Commander congratulates No 45 Cdo on their valuable work today, which has been of great importance in driving back the enemy on the Divisional front. Well done Royal Marines. You put up a fine show today, and I am very proud of you.”

Per Mare Per Terram

Brian O’Connor

Sergeant| Royal Marines

Programme One:  Deadly Underfoot.

Last summer Lima Company of the Royal Marines (42 Commando) was posted to Checkpoint Toki in the Nad e Ali (North) in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.   This small British outpost, nicknamed “Rorke’s Drift”, was right in the middle of one of the most heavily contested areas of Afghanistan – one of the most dangerous square miles in the world at the time.

Riddled with IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and crawling with Taliban insurgents L Company faced a tough challenge especially as their job was to attract the enemy and draw them into battle.  In short, the marines were the bait to provoke the insurgents to attack.

This was all for one purpose: To keep the enemy away from a small village to the north – Loymanda – recently cleared of insurgents by L Company itself.   Most of the village population had fled years ago and now the place lay deserted and in ruins.  The British plan was to rebuild the village and return it to its former prosperity but first that required the Royal Engineers to come in and rid the old bazaar of hundreds of IED’s and also for local contractors to start cleaning the place up.  To do that it was essential to keep the Taliban at bay who would have done all they could to disrupt the progress.  That is why L Company were posted to Toki – to act as a magnet for trouble.

“It’s as dangerous here as anywhere I have been”, confides Cpl Paul Vice, a veteran of four Afghan tours. “It’s like going out in a car with a driver, a front seat passenger and three in the back knowing that one is going to be killed, two are going to lose their legs and two are going to be slightly injured but you don’t know who or in what order.  It’s not a matter of “if” just “when”.

In “Deadly Underfooot”  – Director/cameraman Chris Terrill, joins the men of L Company as they hunt down a group of Taliban spies or “Dickers” who have been watching and reporting on the Marine’s movements as well as laying IED’s.  They have to be hunted down, captured or killed as soon as possible.

Programme 2: Venus Fly Trap

Programme 3: Dogs Of War

Programme 4: Kill or Capture

Programme 5: Brothers in Arms

Programme 6: The Final Tally

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If you are already signed up to a Maximuscle account, please let me know and I will get the account upgraded so you receive the 33% discount, that has now been set up for the Commando999.

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The official promotional agency for London are running a campaign with Guinness World Records to promote London as a must visit destination for the period either side of the Olympics.  The campaign will feature a series of Guinness World Records which will be promoted within London and National, International Press and Television.

Guinness World Records will be attempting to break the worlds longest hug, officially know as ‘LONGEST MARATHON HUGGING’

We are looking for groups of two people who would like to attempt this world record in London at St Pancras Station on the 19^th and 20^th January 2012. We will need to beat 24hr 33 minutes to achieve a new Guinness World Record.  This is an endurance event and participants must be aware that they will be standing on the spot hugging their partner for this period of time.

Anybody fancy a bit of this for Commando 999. Sponsorship via ‘bmycharity’ and bucket shaking at the station..!!

Guinness World Record Information

●      The record is for the longest time for two people to hug and must be attempted  by two people.

●      The hug must be continuous and both arms must be wrapped round each other at all times during the full embrace.  If embrace weakens or parts, the couple are immediately disqualified.

●      Moving the position of the arms during the attempt is not permitted. If a participant has an itch or needs something altered on their body (e.g. to blow their nose) then a support person is permitted to aid them to do this so they do not loosen their embrace.

●      The contestants must stand during the attempt and cannot be propped together by any aids, such as pillows, cushions or people.  The couple must be awake at all times.

●      Rest breaks are the only time when the participants are permitted to use the toilet. Participants will be given a 5 minute break every hour.

We would advise that all participants bring a support person/team with them in order to assist the participants with their challenge

Participant Criteria

●      Able to attend the event at the times stated below and be over 18 years of age.

●      Fit and able to stand up and hug for the 24 hour challenge.

●      All participants may be interviewed and could appear within television broadcasts as well as National Press.

Event Details

Week commencing 16/1 – Telephone briefing

19/01 at 6am – Participants arrive at St Pancras Station for formal participant briefing

7am                       Press and TV broadcast arrive

World Record attempt begins

20/01                                           7-8am                   World Record attempt ends

Record winner award ceremony – photo opportunity

Press and TV interviews

●      Chillisauce will provide travel expenses within London for all participants and a secure room for belongings throughout the event.

●      Snacks and water will also be provided throughout the event.

●      The record winner will be rewarded with a winner’s package post event.

Next steps

If you are interested in being a ‘Guinness World Record holder’ then please get in touch to secure your place at the event.

Contact Details:

Karen Jones       hug@chillisauce.co.uk 0207 2991877

2011 has been a great year for Commando 999. Our ranks have risen steadily and our numbers now stand at a little over 1500. We have once again raised over £100k this last year taking our total since we launched in November 2009 to £303.000. A significant achievemant I’m sure you will all agree.

With the money that you have raised, the Royal Marines Association have bought everything from prosthetics to mono-ski’s, our Hound for Hero (Yomper Richie), vehicles for our injured to be transported around in more comfort, we are sponsoring an Olympic ski-er in Pete Dunning and an adapted rowing boat…amongst other things.

We are now working in partnership with our own PR company (Captive Minds) and as a consequence are aiming our sights ever higher.

We have an ever increasing number of events this year. Operation Commando (www.operationcommando.co.uk) in March, a world record ‘diving’ attempt at the Southampton Boat Show, a range of other endurance events from individuals from within our ranks and of course our signatrure annual speedmarch in London in November to name but a few.

We are also now working in Partnership with ‘This Tribe’ to supply ONLY quality clothing Police/Military/out enthusiast clothing and equipment at a discounted rate (www.thistribe.com).

Our website is now fully functional and should you all wish to chat to each other…the FORUM is there for you to use. Don’t forget to let me know if you’d like to see something on the site that currently isn’t there. Our shop is now also filled with good quality clothing with our NEW logo embroidered on everything.

We have lots of money to raise to achieve our £1 million target by 2014…so please dig deep, crack on and remember that the small events that you put on for yourselves are every bit as important as the large events that we stage.

Spread the work, raise the money and let’s make 2012…the Olympic year…our best year so far. Happy New Year everyone.

Mark and Josie.

Hasler Coy over the last 12 months has seen the following:

• 22 Ranks leave the service and 2 returned to duties, of those who have left 21 are employed and 1 is in Higher Education.
• At present 81 assigned ranks of which includes 9 RN (Incl 2 females) and 4 Army ranks.
• Rank range is from Lt Col/Surg Cdr – AB/Mne/Rifleman.
• We have continued to deal with a variety of challenging, complex, long term injuries and illnesses, as well as sadly the terminally ill.
• We have never forgotten the families of those injuried and ill and with your support we continue to provide on a ‘need’ basis for them as well.
• Driven over 200,000 miles in support of those assigned and there families.

All of the above has been achieved by a dedicated staff of both Military and Civilian personnel, of which the Naval Service should be duly proud as the Single Service Leaders in the Recovery of injuried and ill personnel.

However, as if not more important is your continued support, as without this the achievements mentioned above would have not been possible.

Hasler Company looks forward to working with each and every one of you in 2012.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Kindest Regards

Steve

Major S MELBOURNE RM

Officer Commanding Hasler Company

Repel Hostile Forces with The Royal Marines
Have You Got What It Takes to Be a Royal Marine for the Weekend?
Prepare to Move Out: October 5th -7th 2012

Location for Battle: Bluestone, National Park, Wales. “Hostile forces have landed on a remote coastline. They are steadily making their way inland. You are part of an elite four man team briefed to repel the impending attack.”

The Mission: Undertake a mission with The Royal Marines that will test your physical endurance, mental ability, teamwork and leadership skills. Gather a team of four friends, for one weekend only and transform yourself into a Royal Marines Fire Team.
Battle Orders: Fire and maneuver, minefield extraction and casualty evacuations are just a few of the challenges which each team will endure over the weekend. Suitable for all fitness levels, Operation Commando is an adventure weekend designed by the Royal Marines to give mere mortals a taste of life in the armed forces. Designed with true spirit and passion, this adventure weekend will be like no other. Help raise funds for wounded Royal Marines and have a great time doing so. Over 30 serving and former Royal Marines will be guiding all teams through Operation Commando to provide an authentic Royal Marines experience.
The Price To Save A Life: Operation Commando starts from just £149 per adventurer, plus a requested
fundraising amount for the Royal Marines Association of £200 per person. Places are limited.
Visit www.operationcommando.co.uk if you think you have what it takes.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/operationcommando
@opcommando
- OVER AND OUT -