ARRC SOCIAL CLUB ( ASC )
The ARRC Social Club ( ASC ) is an inclusive club set up for all partners of everybody posted to – or attached to – NATO ’ s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps at Imjin Barracks ( Headquarters ARRC , 1st ( United Kingdom ) Signal Brigade , ARRC Support Battalion and GCHQ ).
What does the ASC do ? The ASC arranges events to bring together all nationalities and ranks represented at the ARRC at Imjin Barracks .
These include monthly lunches and coffee mornings , hosted by different nations , which give a real taste of each other ’ s customs , culture and cuisine . They are a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and learn more about the different nations that make up the Imjin community .
Throughout the year the ASC organises trips to places like the Houses of Parliament and Ascot Races , as well as various other events and activities , ranging from tennis coaching to family bingo .
There is also a walking club that meets regularly to explore the local countryside . Anyone can try one of our recent walks by following the route covered in this edition of the imjin .
There are also a variety of formal and informal clubs associated with the ASC to join , including Innsworth Military Wives Choir , Cook with Me , ARRC Theatre Lovers , various neighbourhood book clubs , This Mum Runs , and Photography .
How do I join ? It couldn ’ t be easier . E-mail the ASC Secretary theascsecretary @ gmail . com for regular updates about ASC events . Or join our Facebook group www . facebook . com / groups / ARRCSocialClub
We look forward to seeing you !
ASC Chair Update
Hello everyone and welcome to the update of our ASC community .
Although we haven ’ t been able to participate in our usual monthly lunches and coffee mornings , hosted by different nations , we are still keen to keep in touch with all our members , ‘ old ’ and new .
Fortunately , it is still possible to go for a walk with another person and it is a good opportunity to have some English conversation , as well as meeting new friends and keeping fit ! Some activities have continued online , including the Innsworth Choir , the English Book club and a yoga session . The Christmas Advent Trail was a great hit with families and a similar ‘ Animal ARRC ’ took place during half term . New ideas are always welcome .
We are grateful to ASC members and their families who generously donated to the annual CCP Hamper Scamper initiative in December . The Charity made 1,953 food hampers and delivered them to vulnerable families at Christmas . The ASC also supported the ARRC Raffle which raised £ 2,038 for the Alabare Charity .
Spring is on our doorstep and restrictions will gradually be easing , so let ’ s look forward to meeting up more outside and to the possibility of organising further activities .
A very warm welcome to everyone who is new here and ‘ Arrivederci ’ to those who are leaving us .
Julia D ’ Addario ASC Chair
Reflecting on Two Years at ARRC
By Claire Turner
As my two years at Innsworth comes to an end , I thought it would be great to look back on my time here . The past year has been very difficult for so many of us , but I am hoping this will help you look forward and see what a posting here can look like and in time , will again .
My first encounter was helping to put together a Military Mums running group , in association with This Mum Runs . This allowed ladies , not just military or mums , to join together on a weekly basis and have 30 minutes of head space . I trained to become a Run Angel and lead runs with other angels around the local area . This gave me a great opportunity to meet people and explore what is on our doorstep and to encourage ladies to come out running . It was a great success and we even managed to get a spot on the local radio station to launch it .
I soon realised how many events there are on the patch after going along to the weekly coffee mornings at the Community Centre , another great opportunity to meet more people , eat cake and drink coffee , what isn ’ t there to love !? I attended the monthly coffee mornings / lunches hosted by different nations , allowing us an opportunity to embrace all the cultures here . I attended the German , Nepalese , Lithuanian and USA thanksgiving coffee mornings and lunches and helped bake some goodies for our British coffee morning too .
There are some amazing volunteers for the ASC that give up their time to research and lead local walks . They generally ended at a lovely pub for lunch , so of course I indulged . This allowed more exploration of the beautiful Cotswolds , new opportunities to meet more lovely people and enjoy some pub grub . Even in lockdown there were suggestions of where to walk within the Government guidelines , as a family this meant we ventured to places we wouldn ’ t have known or thought about .
There are so many family friendly events too . There is a monthly Family Friday at the Officers ’ mess , that provides children ’ s meals and entertainment in the form of bouncy castles and films , allowing parents to relax , enjoy a good curry ( and other delicious meals ) and socialise at the bar . Once a year at the end of summer there is an International Families ’ Festival , we were lucky to attend one . There we were able to sample national dishes from all NATO nations , we were entertained by some Gurkha dancing , Italian cars , a climbing wall for the children and bouncy castles . My two boys had an awesome time and were particularly fond of the Canadian Poutine ( cheesy chips ).
I went to a Summer and Christmas ball , again so much entertainment – the Summer ball was themed ‘ Around the World in 80 days ’, there were stilt walkers , live music and amazing food . The Christmas ball was a themed ‘ Masked ball ’ with ice sculptures , silhouette entertainers and more live music – it was amazing ! For the children there was a Christmas Party for all and for Christmas 2020 they managed to arrange a float to come around the patch , so the children didn ’ t miss out on the festive spirit in these current times .
The Welfare office have annual tickets for local attractions , cutting the cost of a day out significantly , we visited Bristol Zoo , Cattle Country , All things Wild and Noah ’ s Ark farm park . I would highly recommend using this opportunity when things open up again . There are loads of children ’ s clubs too – Beavers , Cubs , Karate , Swimming and climbing to name a few . We ventured to the Ski and Snowboarding Centre in Gloucester for some tubing fun , wandered around Gloucester Quays and Cathedral a few times and explored many of the local walks on the Cotswold Way . Some of our favourite walks have been in Broadway , Crickley Hill Country Park , Cleeve Hill Common and Haresfield Beacon .
We have truly had an amazing time here and I wish for anyone who has arrived or arriving to experience some of this too . The community are fabulous and very supportive , my advice is to reach out as soon as you get here and make the most of what is around you . Happy exploring !
18 SPRING 2021 the imjin