Former RAF helicopter pilot to hit the road for the RAF Association

Stu, a former RAF helicopter pilot and intelligence officer, became the President of the Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England Area of the RAF Association in May 2023. To introduce himself to the 52 branches and eight Registered Members Groups in the Area, he decided to jump on his motorbike and try to visit them all in August, to promote the Association locally and nationally and raise funds for the charity.

Stu will ride clockwise around the area, starting from his home branch in Halifax on August 4, and head west to the Isle of Man, up the northwest coast of England, across to Northern Ireland, back to Western Scotland, the Isles of Lewis, Orkney and Shetland, then northeastern Scotland, and down the east coast of Scotland and northeast England, finishing back in Halifax on August 29.

During the ride he will visit up to four branches a day for coffee, lunch or an evening meal, and will overnight with Association members who have kindly offered him accommodation.

Stu said: “I’ve been humbled by the generosity of Association members and the supporting general public who have welcomed me to their branches at strange dates and times, dictated by the route I will be taking. Many are organising special events to celebrate the work of the RAF Association and raise funds locally.

“When I floated the idea of the Big RAFA Ride to the 60 branches/groups I was immediately offered financial support for my fuel by Tim Wood, the owner of the Old Colonial Pub in Mirfield, who has supported the Association for 30 years. I’m looking forward to hearing more stories from the RAF veterans on my journey.”

Details of Stu’s ride are available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter #bigrafaride and his JustGiving page is here:https://www.justgiving.com/page/bigrafaride