Edition 55
As a valued supporter, we are pleased to bring you up-to-speed with a weekly round-up of activities from RMA – The Royal Marines Charity and the wider Corps Family.
This week, we show our support for national Alcohol Awareness Week, a Teddy Bears’ picnic gets a musical boost, and there are news updates of some very inspirational land, sea and air fundraising.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Laying bare the true cost of alcohol

A series of short videos that includes the deeply personal story of a former serving Royal Marines Commando has been launched by RMA – The Royal Marines Charity in its support of national Alcohol Awareness Week (3rd – 9th July 2023). Its theme this year is ‘Alcohol & Cost’.
The ‘cost’ is so much more than a financial one. Alan, a former serving Royal Marine who is diagnosed with PTSD, has experienced this firsthand and lays bare that ‘true’ cost in a very powerful video, which can be viewed here. He was one of the many who have reached out for support from RMA – The Royal Marines Charity after finally accepting his drink problem was taking him ‘down a very, very deep rabbit hole’.
The series is presented by the Charity’s Plymouth-based Specialist Addiction Nurse, Pam Diamond. During the week she shares tips on what to do if you think you are drinking too much alcohol, how to have a conversation with a friend or family member about their drinking, and how to get support if you are affected by a loved one’s drinking.
Pam says: “The culture of drinking is deeply embedded in the Royal Marines’ culture, as it is across all sectors of the Armed Forces, and especially amongst those who are continually at the sharp end of things, such as our Commandos. This can follow them into civilian life and for some it will cause problems.”
Shared Success

Danny Egan, our Director of Health & Wellbeing (pictured above making his presentation) and Zoe Darnbrough, our Head of Employment & Education, were invited to SSAFA Devon’s Annual General Meeting.
“This was an excellent opportunity to hear from the outgoing Chairman Brig Andy Pillar OBE Royal Marines and the National Chairman, Sir Gary Coward KBE CB, who gave an enlightening SSAFA central office perspective,” said Danny. “Of particular interest to RMA – The Royal Marines Charity was to hear of the successes of the regional support hubs that have given a new and assured approach to case working.
We also learned about the future plans for the two regional Network Delivery Programmes that are being piloted. This model brings together employees and volunteers, resulting in a much more integrated approach to beneficiary support.”
Danny’s presentation – ‘Together we can make a difference’ – reinforced the strength of our own merger in 2019 (RMA with the Royal Marines Charity) – and the essential partnership our Charity has with SSAFA, especially with their casework volunteers in delivering joint support to those most in need. Many of these volunteers are Royal Marine veterans, ensuring that the Corps Family is represented across the whole of Devon.
Out and about

Our team from Scotland has been out and about networking with the ‘great and good’ of the country having attended two high profile events there recently: the Edinburgh Castle Dinner hosted by Brigadier Duncan Forbes where the key speaker was Susie Hamilton, the Scottish Veterans Commissioner. This is event takes place every second year and is run and organised by Lt Col Gary Green, ably supported by Major Mark Goldsbury RM, Administration Officer of Royal Marines Reserve Scotland.
The Charity’s Relationship Manager for Scotland, Nick Holloway, was also welcomed at 45 Commando’s annual Unit Reception (Cocktail Party) at RM Condor (Arbroath) where he met some of the senior dignitaries attending including The Duke and Duchess of Fife and the Earl and Countess of Dalhousie, taking the opportunity to share some of the top headline information contained in our recently published Impact Report 2023/24.
RM Band Scotland takes teddies to hospital

The Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines, Scotland recently headed to Sefton near Liverpool to hold a workshop with some of the young, talented up-and-coming musicians from the local council’s music services.
On their way back north, they took time out for a flying visit to Alder Hey to present some RMBS Teddy Bears to the charity attached to the well-known children’s hospital and that supports it in providing much-needed care to 330,000 children and families every year.
The simple gift of teddy bears was greatly received and will be presented to some of the young patients during their upcoming ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’.
Liverpool is one of the six cities featured on the Massed Bands’ tour of six UK cities in September. It will be on the scale only ever before seen at their annual sold-out performances at the Mountbatten Festival of Music in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Tickets are selling out fast and at least one venue has made extra seats available to meet demand.
From Bandsman to Ironman

We are delighted to hear that one of our amazing fundraisers and serving member of the RM Band Service, having vowed to attempt an Ironman event three years ago before reaching the age of 50, has this past weekend realised his awesome ambition by completing the gruelling IronManUK Bolton.
‘Andrew Gregory, you are an Ironman!’ “When those words were spoken to me at the finish line, it was hard to describe the feeling of elation and relief in that single moment, which represented the culmination of months and months of training, and which marked the end of an incredibly challenging journey,” he says.
And he smashed it – swimming two laps of the 1.2-mile course of Pennington Flash, then out of the water for the initial 12 miles of the bike course into Bolton, followed by three laps of a 33-mile course that took him and the other 1,300 competitors up (and up… and up!) onto the moors, all the time battling strong 35-40mph winds: followed by a 26.2-mile marathon before triumphantly ringing the Ironman Bell at the end to indicate he was a first timer.
“It has been an incredible journey, with plenty of blood, sweat and tears along the way (literally!), which has taken up so much time in energy and training just to get to the start line, but that moment made everything worth it.”
Huge congratulations and thanks for raising, to date, over £1,000 for our charity. Hoofing effort!
The sky’s the limit

Our very own Director of Communications, Caroline Casey, joined by John Pinkney – the son of a serving Royal Marine at RMB Chivenor – and a team of three staff from St Peter’s Prep School in Lympstone (we are their chosen Charity of the Year), together raised an absolutely whopping £3,568 (inc Gift Aid) during a recent skydive! Utterly terrific – huge thanks to them all.
Sails ahoy!

David Butcher (second right), a former serving Royal Marine with almost 30 years under his belt, decided to combine his love of sailing with fundraising for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity, recognising the lifelong services it provides to the Corps Family that includes offering mental health support. “I have seen many dear friends who have suffered during and after service with mental health issues. For me, the Royal Marines mental health – promote, protect, prevent and treat – is key for the future of this elite group of men and women.”
So, while sailing his boat back nearly 2,500 nautical miles from Leros Island to Fr ance, joined by his brother Charlie, an ex RAOC, Stevie Curran retired Royal Marine and his nephew, Duncan, he raised over £700 – fantastic! Huge thanks.
Big blue Danube

Meanwhile, former serving Royal Marine John Holden is now well on his way kayaking down the River Danube. He has now reached Serbia, having passed through Hungary and reaching Bucharest having covered 27 miles the previous day in temperatures up to 30 degrees C.
This awesome ‘Big Blue Danube’ challenge involves him paddling 2,400km along the River Danube in a double kayak, ‘Big Blue’. The Danube is the second largest river in Europe that will take of him through seven countries in his seven weeks of paddling!
John was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) three years after leaving the Marines. He is now raising funds for three charities, including RMA – The Royal Marines Charity, explaining he owes his life to the support he received during that difficult time.