We want to gauge your thoughts on your subscription to the Royal Anglian Regiment Association. Currently, your subscription pays for Castle, our annual in-house journal.
Castle costs our charity £30,000 to edit, print and distribute, our income from current subscriptions is about £10,000. My intent is to make Castle available to all our soldiers and veterans at no cost and accessible as part of the newly launched Digital Muster on our Regimental Website at royalanglianregiment.com. This based on the premise that all our soldiers and veterans are part of the Royal Anglian family, and it should cost nothing to be a member. We will keep some printed copies to for public display such as in messes and for those who prefer a hard copy in future.
At the previous Regimental Council meeting it was proposed that a 90% cut in the Castle print run will make a saving for our soldiers and veterans charity (about £20,000) as well as reducing the consumption of a great deal of paper and ink. It is worth understanding that income to our charity is reducing; organisational changes to our regular battalions and a smaller establishment in workforce means a significant reduction in income from soldiers and officers days’ pay donation scheme and subsequently a drop in expenditure by the charity for benevolent support.
I therefore ask you to decide whether:
1. You wish to continue your subscription, as before and receive a printed copy of Castle. No change.
2. Stop your subscription and are content to read Castle online.
3. Maintain your subscription and from now on consider it charitable giving to the Regimental charity (no action required by you) and read Castle online.
As a Regiment we would like as many of you to choose the third option. The demand to support our soldiers continues and we do provide regular and continued benevolence support for veterans in hardship distress and need. The demand for support will increase as our veteran population ages with no let-up with pressures on the cost of living. Please let us know which option you choose by emailing rhq@royalanglianregiment.com.
Thank you for your continued support.
RHQ The Royal Anglian Regiment
