At last! Restrictions had been lifted enough for us to be able to meet up in person for our half yearly meeting and hold a social weekend. There was still some trepidation as the last thing we wanted was to risk catching, or more to the point passing on, “sssh you know what”. We had all been double jabbed, but there was still the slight risk of “that which must not be named” being passed on.
We met up on the Friday afternoon / evening some having travelled from as far away as Dunblane to come and enjoy the social gathering. A huge thank you to Harry and Fiona Morton for joining us. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed the weekend as much as we enjoyed your company. It was great to finally meet up with friends we have only been able to see on Zoom and exchanged e-mails with.
On the Saturday afternoon preceded by tea, coffee and a buffet we held our half yearly meeting chaired by Colin Gameson. It was great to see representatives from all branches present. This was also our first attempt at a hybrid meeting with members unable to travel given the opportunity to take part via Zoom. We had a few issues with sound and internet stability, but members were able to log in and join the meeting. We were joined toward the end of the proceedings by Aiden Goundry (West Mercia Branch) who spoke about Operation Zephyr and the fundraising required for volunteers to take part. Operation Zephyr featured in the previous edition of Police World.
During the meeting matters regional and national were discussed and opinions from the floor taken. The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of certificates marking the signal contribution made by region members over the course of the last year. In particular for their invaluable assistance during the G7 conference held in Carbis Bay. Without them we would not have been able to make the contribution we did to the success of the event and the recruitment of so many new members to the IPA. So once again thank you. You know who you are.
That evening we met up in the bar before heading into the hotel restaurant for what was an excellent meal provided by the chef and staff at the Livermead House Hotel. After the food came the entertainment provided by a disco with a DJ that listened to his audience and played age-appropriate music which had members up and making shapes on the dancefloor. We had everything from Rock and Roll to the Gay Gordons and all stops in between. As well as having a great night we managed to raise £330 by way of a charity prize draw. The star prize was a bottle of the IPA single cask 23-year-old whisky, won by our region chair Colin G. The monies will be split between our IPA nominated charity The Thin Blue Line and the Royal British Legion. Many thanks to all who donated to the draw both on the night and online.
Sunday saw members heading back to their respective homes, but not before many took part in the Service of Remembrance in Torquay or in their own towns and villages. A cross with and IPA logo was laid at the memorial at the end of the formal ceremony. The cross was donated by Devon member Rab Peattie who unfortunately was unable to attend the Service.
Colin Hutt Vice Chair 7 Region