Posted on 11th December, 2023

The Trustees are pleased to announce that the Annual Regimental Dinner 2023 will be held at Potters Club, Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday 23rd March 2024.

The evening starts at 6:30pm with a drinks reception, sponsored by Ansons Solicitors, during which guests will be free to mingle and chat to Friends old and new before being called to dinner at 7:00pm. During the meal guests will enjoy a performance from the Staffordshire and West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force Drum Corps along with short presentations from local Cadets who described the positive impact that being in the Army Cadets has had on their lives.

Our after-dinner speaker this year featured regularly on our TV screens during the recent pandemic, Colonel Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam MBE. Whilst we all appreciated his voice of reason through that difficult period, what is less well known is that he is a former Army Cadet Force Medical Officer, serving for 12 years and awarded an MBE for his design of medical response equipment for cadets taking part in arduous activities. JVT, as he is popularly known, was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to public health. He is Senior Strategy Adviser for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham and is Honorary Colonel for Medical Support within the national ACF as well as Honorary Colonel to 306 Hospital Support Regiment. He describes the ACF as a superb organisation, committed to happy, healthy, and active older children who can get a real taste of adventure, activity, challenge, self-discipline, self-reliance, leadership and camaraderie, in a safe and safeguarded environment.

Guests will be able to enjoy a multi-course meal, sponsored by Staffordshire University, expertly prepared and served by the professional team at the Potters Club, served with selected wines sponsored by Whitebridge Wines and finished off with a selection of cheeses with Taylors LBV Port, kindly sponsored in conjunction with long-established wine merchants Mentzendorff.

This annual event truly is a night not to be missed by those who enjoy something a little bit special. It also has the added benefit of making a positive contribution to the lives of the young people and adult volunteers in your local Army Cadet Force.

Thanks to the kind generosity of our sponsors, the cost of this special event is £85 per person. There has already been a high level of interest in this event so if you wish to attend, please click on this link to email chair@staffsacffriends.ac.uk as soon as possible indicating how many people wishing to attend. The Chair will then either send you a booking form with payment details or, if numbers exceed capacity, will advise you that you have been placed on a waiting list.