The Retired Staff Reunion is an annual event held at the Concorde Club in Cranford. This year, around 200 BA retired staff gathered in the Olympus Hall at the Concorde Club on Saturday 9th March. Many had flown in from overseas specifically for this event, from places such as Italy, Spain, and as far afield as India. The guests were welcomed by the BA Touchdown Team (formerly the retired staff support team) before proceeding to the Olympus Hall and meeting up with former colleagues and old friends.
Retired staff patron, Mike Street was also present to meet and welcome former colleagues.
Inside the hall were several stalls offering products and services of interests. There were information available about the BA Touchdown team, the Liaison Council, the Retired Staff Association, Altitude Plus voluntary reward programme, BA Clubs memberships, Ballroom Dance at the Concorde Club, BA Heritage Centre displaying a fine historical and nostalgic exhibition of the airline, and Staff Travel representatives presenting information and helping with staff travel queries. Lighthouse Financial Advice and the Touchdown travel company were also on hand to offer advice on financial matters and holiday options.
There was a delicious spread for lunch, with 3 choices for main course and 2 choices for dessert. A raffle draw was held after lunch with a good variety of prizes donated mainly by the BA plc (airline tickets to Europe and New York), Retired Staff Association (hampers and potted plants) and BA Clubs . Thanks to the generosity of everyone who bought the raffle tickets, we raised £600 for the British Heart Foundation.
One of our former colleagues Robert celebrated 91st birthday at the event. He was presented with a mini birthday cake with a round of ‘Happy Birthday’ from everyone.
This year we have on board Patricia Fitzgerald, who is herself a former staff. She did a fine job of keeping everyone informed and focused on the agenda of the day. A big ‘Thank You’ to Patricia for a job well done.
A big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who came to the event. We look forward to seeing you again next year. The date for your diary is Saturday, 17 May 2014, same time, same place!
Photos to follow shortly.