Branches are unable to make corporate donations to the fund due to their charitable status, however, if any individual would like to make a personal donation towards the race stake fund, they can send a cheque made payable to:

COLDSTREAM GUARDS ASSOCIATION RACE STAKE FUND (or just CGA if you prefer)

And then send it to:

Brigadier RJS Wardle OBE DL

Bellwood Hall

Littlehope

Near Ripon

North Yorkshire

HG4 3AA

If anybody would like to make an anonymous donation through BACS then please contact the York Branch via this site and we will supply you with the details.

If any business would like to sponsor the race, then please contact either Brigadier Wardle direct or pass a message through the York Branch via this site.

Photographs of the event will be posted soon in the galleries section.

In addition to these new recruits, the branch is delighted to announce that Lord Middleton has just acccepted our invitation to become a Vice-President. This is fantastic news, as the longer serving branch members will remember that his late father served as a Vice President for the branch for many years. The Branch Visiting Officers gave a thorough brief on the situation with the various branch members who are currently not well. The Chairman asked the Visiting Officers to pass on the best wishes of all branch members to those concerned.

The 56th Annual Dinner was discussed at length and it was felt by all those present that the change of venue to the York Marriott had been a great success. The branch carried a vote of thanks to Ernest Sawdon, our Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, for his sterling work in organising the event.

A detailed brief was given on the forthcoming Christmas Draw by the Honorary Secretary and these details are listed on the EVENTS page of this site.

The room in the final stages of set-up prior to dinner

In attendance this year was the branch’s newest member, Simon Whittaker with his good lady, Dawn, both of whom joined us at the dinner for the first time. Mr R Lewin kindly started the dinner by sounding Drummers Tap, and as usual Ernest Sawdon, our Honorary Secretary, kindly said Grace. The toasts to Her Majesty The Queen and to the Regiment and Association were proposed by our President, Brigadier Wardle OBE, DL and the visiting officer from the regiment was Major Tom Bailey. Major Bailey, currently serving at Headquarters Land Command, and a veteran of two tours in Helmand Province, gave a very informative speech about his own experiences, the current situation within both the 1^st Battalion and No.7 Company, and what the future might hold for the Army. He was also kind enough to present a certificate of merit to Mr John Richardson on behalf of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel. As many will know, John has been a key member of our Welfare Team for many years and continues to provide valuable support to branch members who fall ill, and gives regular feedback to the committee at branch meetings. His diligent execution of his duties as Welfare Officer are the embodiment of the Association’s objectives and he is warmly congratulated by all members of the branch for this much deserved recognition.

John Richardson receives his certificate of merit from Major Tom Bailey

New blood – Simon Whittaker and his partner Dawn

The Branch Chairman, Andy Johnson, made a short speech concerning the branch’s achievements over the last year, its aims and direction for the year ahead, and encouraged everybody to be as proactive as possible in both recruiting new branch members whilst also keeping their eyes open for any Coldstreamers in the local area who might need welfare assistance from the branch. A raffle was held which raised the impressive sum of £196 for the branch’s charitable funds. Thanks go to Mrs Coates and Mrs Johnson for prosecuting the sale of raffle tickets with such vigour! All in all, the night proved to be a great success and the new venue seems to have an initial seal of approval. It is hoped that several minor improvements can be made to help give next year’s dinner that added sparkle and the Chairman is extremely keen to push attendance beyond the 60 pax barrier next time around, with an aspiration for 70.

You can find more images from the dinner in the galleries section of this site.

Left to Right: Major Bailey, Mr D Aykroyd, Major (Retired) R Watson MBE, Mr J Waddington, our President Brigadier RJ Wardle OBE DL, Mr CMoubray

1. The recent article in a Sunday newspaper about the ‘disbandment’ of the regiment in the forthcoming MOD Cuts. The Branch Secretary read out a letter from the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, who emphasised that the article in question was not based on any current MOD plans and was purely speculative. He then outlined the basic process by which the MOD will scope its future structure as part of the ongoing defence reviews. The Chairman then led a short debate on the matter and requested Branch Members to follow the lead of Regimental Headquarters on this matter and asked that individuals should not ‘fire from the hip’ in reaction to a single, and highly speculative piece of journalism. He understood that everybody felt passionately about the matter but stressed the importance for all Coldstreamers to be ‘on message’ with Regimental Headquarters on this subject.

2. The forthcoming annual dinner, which promises to be a highly enjoyable event at our new venue. Branch Members were encouraged to attend with partners and guests. A proposal was made, seconded and carried, that all Branch Members and their partners’ meals be offset to a cost of £25 per head. All additional guests would be charged at the standard rate of £29.95. Full details of the dinner can be found on the events page.

3. The latest news on York Races and the Sweepstake for the Coldstream Cup. Thanks to the efforts of our President, the Cup would be run as usual this year. Full details can be found on the events page.

A number of welfare issues were discussed and visiting members were allocated where required.

Welcome to the new look website of the York Branch of the Coldstream Guards Association. The Branch website began only a year ago and as a result has been able to reach more ex-Coldstreamers in the York, North and East Yorkshire areas than ever before. This has meant that several new Branch Members have joined us and several past members have returned to the Branch. We recently decided to overhaul the website to this new format in order to make it more user friendly and allow us to publish more about our activities. We sincerely hope that over the coming months, the Coldstreamers among you, both past and present, will find this website to be a useful and interesting source on Regimental and Charity matters.

Above all, we hope that the Coldstreamers amongst you who live in and around the York area will be able to see what a friendly and easy going bunch we are here at the York Branch. Anyone who served in the Regiment or who is currently serving is more than welcome to come along. We understand that everyone has busy lives these days and so it really is a case of give what time you can without any pressure. As you will see from the photographs which will be posted routinely on the site, we have Coldstreamers who fought with the Guards Armoured Division in 1944/45, those who did their duty in various campaigns during the 50s and 60s, veterans of the Cyprus crisis of 1974, along with the younger pups who have served during the 80s, 90s and last decade. We have every rank and every battalion represented within the Branch, from former Commanding Officers, Regimental Sergeant Majors and Drill Sergeants, to Guardsman who were drivers and gunners in Sherman tanks!

The Branch welcomes all Coldstreamers past and present and we would be delighted to see you at one of our monthly meetings or at any of our regular dinners, lunches, social or charity events. Don’t be shy; you can be sure there is someone in the Branch you will know. If you would like more information on joining the branch then please drop us a line using the contact page stating your name, regimental number and contact details. We will get back to you just as soon as possible. We also have a Facebook page which carries flash information and short updates as and when required.

Honi Soit…

Andy Johnson, Branch Chairman

It is with deep regret that the Honorary Secretary must announce the sad death of one of our long standing Vice-Presidents, Major, The Lord Middleton, Military Cross. All members of the Branch would like to extend their deep sympathy to Lord Middleton’s family at this sad time.

On Sunday 17^th May 2011, thirty members of the Branch sat down to the annual St George’s Day Luncheon. The lunch was a week early this year due to the late instance of Easter. As usual, the lunch was held at the Lady Anne Middleton Hotel in York. All those who attended enjoyed splendid weather and a fine lunch in a very relaxed atmosphere. A raffle was held which made a cracking £100 for the Branch funds.

The Honorary Secretary made a short speech and invited the new Branch Chairman, Mr Andrew Johnson, to address those in attendance. The Chairman thanked the Honorary Secretary for his continued hard work in running the Branch’s accounts and dealing with its administration, which includes the organisation of the St George’s Day Lunch and Annual Dinner. He also thanked the Branch for his election to the position of Chairman and stated that his key aims were to ensure that the Branch continued its excellent welfare and charity work, and to boost the recruitment of younger Branch members in order to ensure the future survival of this vital organisation.

The raffle tickets are snapped up during the lunch

Left: Andrew Johnson, newly elected Branch Chairman, Right: Ernest Sawdon, our dedicated Honorary Secretary and Treasurer

Demonstrating its dedication to welfare and charity work in aid of UK Armed Forces Charities, several members of the Branch joined a charity walk along Hadrian’s Wall for the final 16 mile stretch on Saturday 11^th June 2011. They presented a cheque from the Branch in aid of Help 4 Heroes and used the opportunity to swap many a war-story.

The Fog on the Tyne is all theirs… Four hardy members of the York Branch with the leader of the charity walk pose in front of Newcastle’s most famous landmark. Left to right are Tony Mercer, Ernest Sawdon, Walk Organiser, Max Cummings and WO2 Roger Coates.

Water-stop in a leafy Northumbrian lane.

“Max… are you sure this is Hadrain’s Wall? It looks awfully like the A69 to me.” ... “Trust me Ernest, I’m a Geordie, I know this place like the back of my hand…”

Once again, the younger Branch members demonstrated their willingness to ‘return to the Colours’ for a bit of foot slogging in the name of charity. Special thanks must go to Roger Coates who took care of administration and transport for the day.

Finally, just a couple of reminders. Branch subscriptions for 2011 are now due and these are £5 made payable to the Treasurer at your earliest convenience please. Also, just by way of confirmation, we have a new venue for the annual dinner this year. It will be held at the York Marriott Hotel on Tadcaster Road, York. Full details will be published following the July meeting.