David Lidington MP visits RAF Halton
The Rt Hon David Lidington, MP for Aylesbury, visited RAF Halton recently to view and discuss the Station’s business; Mr Lidington knows the Station well and enjoyed an opportunity to catch up recent developments.
The visit began with a meeting with the Station Commander, Group Captain James Brayshaw, during which a range of current issues were discussed. From there Mr Lidington walked to Airmen’s Command Squadron where he observed students on the Junior Management & Leadership Course in training and discussed methods used to develop leadership skills in the RAF. His training overview continued with a discussion session with Recruit Training Squadron staff, learning about the latest Basic Recruit Training course; Mr Lidington was particularly impressed by the high first time pass rate.
The morning concluded with a visit to the James McCudden Flight Heritage Centre where volunteers briefed Mr Lidington on the Station’s contribution to STEM activity through the Cool Aeronautics programme. Cool Aeronautics is a regular event for local schoolchildren which develops their knowledge and understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through a series of aviation related tasks.
Mr Lidington’s final activity was a working lunch with RAF Halton’s Community Support team, during which he learned more about the support abvailable to Service Personnel and their familes, youth engagement and welfare services.
Group Captain Brayshaw said: “It was a pleasure to meet the Rt Hon Mr Lidington MP for the first time. During his visit we discussed RAF Halton’s role developing the next generation of RAF Servicemen and women. We also talked about the future of the Station and the planned closure by 2022. Mr Lidington took the time to meet Station staff and students to see first-hand leadership training being delivered. At the end of the visit we spent some time discussing wider community support and constituency related issues that affect the people who work and live at RAF Halton”.
