My name is Barry Swallow, and I am an RAF veteran. I have been a member of the Royal Air Forces Association since 1988 and am currently the Standard Bearer for the Rutland Branch. Along with Ian Reynolds the current Rutland Branch Treasurer and also an RAF Veteran, we have taken on this task as individuals and independent of the RAF Association, but with the support of the Rutland Branch Committee and local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness & The High Sheriff of Rutland Susannah Fish.

Taking into consideration the long history and association that Rutland has with the Royal Air Force, and the significant number of RAF veterans who still reside in our County, there is no memorial to speak of to remember the RAF Servicemen and women from Rutland who have served in conflicts around the world and at home. Having seen memorial benches and similar tributes in many other towns and villages, I thought how nice it would be, and how appropriate, for Rutland to have something similar. With Ian's help, the aforementioned support of others, and having visited the Roll & Scroll Company in Grantham, who manufactures these benches and other memorials, I have decided to plan this fundraising venture. The Roll & Scroll Company has a Facebook page where examples of their benches can be viewed, many of which are sent all over the world. The design of the bench, to make it relevant to Rutland, is currently being researched by Ian.

If the fundraising is successful, we hope to be able to purchase more than one bench. The location for the first bench is initially planned to be in Oakham, but a precise position has yet to be decided. Thereafter, and if successful, we can purchase other benches, potentially with a more general theme representing the wider Armed Forces.

This is a private fundraiser, with the guarantee that 100% of the donations will go towards purchasing the bench (or benches), delivery and installation on a suitable base. Your support would be very much appreciated, and you would be helping to secure the memory of the service of all those RAF personnel who once, maybe temporarily, called Rutland their home. Some of whom left here to never return having given the ultimate sacrifice.