Help fund the Chilcren’s Art and Remembrance Project

A grand aviation raffle was organised to help fund the Chilcren’s Art and Remembrance Project. We have sold few hard copy tickets because of the crisis. We appealed for help by selling a few tickets to friends and relatives. Although really grateful to the few who did very few tickets were sold. In the meantime we placed the raffle online to try and compensate for our losses.

The project is an educational arts, history and remembrance project for all 200 pupils at Scampton schools. It is aimed at giving them a lift back into school life as a reality instead of a virtual life!. ‘VE75 Remembrance Day is an ideal opportunity to ease children back into reality engaging them in a collective project of local interest and importance’

‘Many children have no concept of the sacrifices made by previous generations which enable them to live in a free and democratic country, but this project will help to address that while enabling them to develop something tangible for their community’.

Following a talk by Squadron Leader Mark Discombe, spitfire pilot and officer commanding the BBMF and, Ray Bainborough, the chairman of the Lincolnshire Lancaster Association, and under the guidance of Claire Williamson, the RAF commemorative window designer, the children will design and make a glazed tile each which will represent their understanding of ‘remembrance’. The tiles will be joined together to make six framed collages; one of which will be given to each school, The Dambusters Inn (village pub), RAF Scampton, The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (The Red Arrows) and Scampton Church

A selection of tiles will be displayed at a VE75 Remembrance Service at Scampton Church on the 8th November 2020 and then, hopefully, again at The RAF Scampton Heritage Centre on 11th November 2020 (Remembrance Day) when all 200 children, staff, parents and carers will take part in a remembrance service in the 617 Squadron hanger.

RAF executives visit to Scampton Church 

A party of executives from the RAF at High Wycombe and the RAF Museum at Hendon visited the RAF Museum and Heritage Centre at RAF Scampton.

Whilst in the area they particularly wanted to visit, The Dambusters Inn and Scampton Church to look around the church building, and understand the setting for the RAF Scampton Commemorative Window. They spent time visiting the Commonwealth War Graves and were interested in hearing of the future plans for the church.

Follow up e mails were received saying: ‘Thank you for a wonderful visit – it was great to meet up in person and find out more about the project and your wonderful plans for the Church and your community.

‘Thankyou for being so generous with your time on Wednesday. The warmth and values that shine from all that you showed us are incredibly inspiring, from your beautiful community church, to the German graves beside the RAF ones, to the lovely welcome note you read to us as we were leaving. The Dambusters Inn also was a real joy.’

Pictured from left to right: Maggie Appleton (Ch Exec RAF Museum), Wing Commander Erica Ferguson (RAF heritage lead), Rev Sue Deacon, Ian Thirsk (RAF Museum Head of Collections), Seb Cox (RAF’s Senior Historian) and Karen Whitting (Director engagement RAF Museum).

Church of England flag

The new flagpole has now been erected in the churchyard, and currently flying the RAF ensign whist the RAF Scampton Commemorative Window Project and The extended ‘Allies in the Air’ Exhibition is running.

Thanks to Chris Kenny and Bruce Foulston for preparing the foundations and erecting it, and Greg Algar for donating the Church of England flag.

School children helping in campaign video

In support of a crowd funding effort for a new RAF stained glass window at Scampton Church commemorating the one hundred year relationship between the village, the church and the RAF, children at Scampton Primary School were involved in the production of a video to be used in the campaign.

Also contributing to the video are: the children at Pollyplatt School, Wing Commander Keith from the Red Arrows, Wing Commander Parker from RAF Scampton, Johnny Johnson (the last surviving member of the original 617 squadron), Bill Ramsey who has flown the Vulcan, Lancaster and was a Red Arrows pilot, and of course the Revd. Sue Deacon and Greg Algar from The Dambusters Inn in Scampton.