Our PWRRA Branches are: official, financially governed (audited under UK charity rules) and have direct link to the PWRR RHQ welfare support.

Explaining the County Structure for Growth 2020-2040

We have a brilliant, unique Regiment, Regimental Family; every veteran has an opinion on it - oh yes, we do! - all depending on our own special viewpoint. We probably will never please every man therefore... but we can only do our best. So a consensus if our aim - we may never get 100% agreement like in Battalion life.  
  • In 2017-2018 PWRRA discussed at our Branch Chairman meetings how we can grow with still so few volunteers but also learn the lessons learned by ourselves and our forebear Associations. All Branch Chairman discussed these big challenges. A plan was circulated and agreed: to match our heritage and geography with County Branches. This was approved by the Regt Council and published online here in Jan 2019 and to Branches. Only South Branch had to undergo major change, which is sad, but other county remain still such as how does East Kent Branch serve West Kent and who covers E Surrey if W Surrey Branch are the only presence.
  • How can we better integrate fellow infantry veterans who are proud of the one badge to feel happy and welcome alongside another comrade? Challenging issues.
  • Volunteers not stepping up were/are holding us back and still do.  Sussex had no volunteers or events for best part of 4 years.
  • Seeing that R Sussex and R Hamps Associations were also coming to the end of their time also we all looked to the future. To get a structure that suits a 23-year-old leaver as well as a 90-year-old from a forebear badge: we opted to follow our county heritage. To stick with the old structure meant we would start to exclude some older regts and we would have 3 county branches and only one for 2 counties with just 2 volunteers.  
  • Another Example: Financial management of charitable funds means nothing to most of us but if done wrong it can lead to us losing the charitable status on the tax free PWRR Benevolent Fund that pays for all the welfare for all!  PWRR BF Trustees (all vols) have a duty to audit and investigate Branch fund management. We could not (any of us) allow a situation that put the regiment fund at significant risk. 
  • We found the confusion was most real for those seeking urgent care - in 2 cases in 2019 for example a cry for help was flagged up to one of the many groups and sites, but the wrong one. Our care was delayed whilst the message was passed properly taking days longer. 
  • This county structure for growth also means our 3Cs is always just a short trip away -T25 feedback from many veterans was that we have too big an area.
Summary:
  1. The needs of the whole 20,000+ PWRR Family of Regts' veterans is biggest factor for the PWRRA of 2020-2040 given the limited number of volunteers. 
  2. We need volunteers: all our challenges stem from the lack of them. Having branches where 1 or 2 men carry all the burden alone must change.
  3. We soldiers like routine, not change. By changing, now nobody needs to change again for future decades.  
  4. Our SE County structure allows proper local connections, local team spirit & Assoc growth for 2020/2040.
  5. PWRRA still won't charge for membership as our volunteer Trustees & Barclays Bank manage our charitable funds properly, compliantly and legally.
​I would like to as always pay tribute to our few volunteers who work so hard. May I ask us all to think of the big picture, of others over ourselves - that is our Infantry way. It is nice to sit and post on Facebook but not as easy to give up a few hours a month for the good of our comrades. 
Like JFK once reminded: "Ask not what your regiment can do for you but what you can do for your Regiment..."
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