Copy
View this email in your browser
June Newsletter
Dear All,

Welcome to the June edition of the BA Clubs newsletter - as we write the sun is out and things in the UK are starting to return to normal - long may it last. News that our own Club facility is now back in business is welcome - why not pop in and have a drink sometime?

This month we have the usual selection of news and information, along with the first of some reminiscences from John Scott who has kindly provided us with some great (and amusing) stories which we think you will find of interest- thanks John!

As always, we are keen to get your feedback on the newsletter and all ideas for new content are welcome.

Best wishes,

Alison and the Team
BA Clubs
Section News
The Club is Open!
We're delighted to inform you that the Club facility at Bedfont & Feltham is open again!

There is a Bar area and a Function Hall, along with a glass covered patio making it a great place to come for a drink with friends and family.

The Hall can be hired for private use, and BA Clubs sections can book the it for free, subject to availability.

Full details can be found on the Bedfont & Felthan website
Memory Lane: Concorde Club
John Scott, stalwart of many BA Clubs Committees has begun trawling his personal archives for stories and anecdotes about the club, with gems such as this one...

Overheard by one of its members at the club bar delivery area.
A senior BA Clubs person was “co-ordinating” as the bar stewards were not around:-
BA Clubs person: Thank you for our delivery. I see your load sheet is signed Socrates, are you Greek?
Delivery Man: “No, that was loaded on my truck this morning,  50 crates.....“
BA Clubs Lottery: May Draw Results


May saw nine lucky winners each pocket a cash prize in our Monthly Lottery - this month the jackpot winner was David Malarczyk from South Wales who is now a little over £6,000 better off... what would YOU do if you won?
Lucky winners as follows:
 

First Prize 
£6,120.90

David Malarczyk - S. Wales

Second Prize
£278.00 each

Saul Butterworth - FSRC
Brian Hutton - Reward
Christopher Hopkins - FSRC
Alan Seymour - LGW

Third Prize
£139 each

Matthew Burley - LHR
Marc Davidson - LHR
Paul Hudspith - LHR
Lyndsey Pelham - Reward

Click on the button below to join or increase the number of your monthly chances - some extra cash will come in handy!
I'd like to join the lottery or increase my number of monthly chances
Club News
Just Like Waiting for the Bus

We're always keen to feature Section news and some months it's a bit difficult getting something to publish, but this month we have not one, but three contributions from Rowing, Golf and SOYC. Whilst SOYC aren't officially a BA Clubs Section, we have a close working relationship with them and they'd love to hear from any members wanting to have a go at yachting. Read on...
Rowing
British Airways Rowing Club (BARC) is based at Staines Boat Club (SBC) which is located on Riverside Drive in Staines-Upon-Thames. We pay SBC an annual fee so we can use their boat house and club house facilities. About a year and a half ago SBC started constructing a new boat house with club facilities on what used to be its car park. This has been a long drawn out project due to the effects of Covid and financial constraints, however the boathouse is now finished, and the clubhouse should be complete by about August.

The BA Rowing Club has several boats of its own and by arrangement with SBC we can use SBC boats as well. We presently go rowing on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Rowing is a competitive sport and the opportunity is there to compete at regattas around the country, but you must be a member of British Rowing to do so. However, not everyone wants to compete and it’s just as enjoyable to take in the benefits of being on the river keeping fit and enjoying the company of others.

Over the years the club has had relations with other Airline Clubs notably SAS Airlines in Copenhagen where we have attended their summer regatta in June, and they have attended the Staines Regatta in July. We have also rowed in Hamburg at the invite of Lufthansa RC and Lisbon at the invite of TAP Airlines.

If you are interested in finding out more, contact
Adrian Fletcher adrianfletcher2@virginmedia.com
Golf
In a normal year, the BA golfers play matches against FlyBe, Delta Airlines, SAS, Emirates, Amadeus and Richmond Police. Last year we organised a new match against the Strawberry Hill ladies golf team which was a great success and has become an annual event.
 
Due to the current Covid travel restrictions, our match schedule this year has been massively disrupted. There will be no Amadeus match this year and the away match against SAS has been postponed until later in the year. We are hopeful that our match against FlyBe will go ahead as planned in August where we are competing at Woodbury Park Golf & Country Club near Exeter.
 
In addition, we’ll be sending two teams to Atlanta in October to play against Delta Airlines. This is always a very popular event and the team is well looked after in the US. We will be hosting them next year in the UK.

BA Golf hosted the ASCA championships in 2012 at the East Sussex National golf club. This year the event will be hosted by Finnair and we have yet to decide whether to send a team to Helsinki.
 
All our members can play in these team events and they are always well subscribed. Although we do play for a trophy (and bragging rights) it’s the social element that is most important to all who participate. This is one of the best things about being a member of our society. 

New members are always welcome - contact
Steve McDonald stmcdonald@hotmail.com
Yachting
The Speedbird Offshore Yacht Club (SOYC) was launched in 1965 as a sailing club for the staff of British Airways and has evolved to become a successful, wholly independent, members' owned and operated Company, limited by guarantee. 

We are a friendly and inclusive yacht sailing club based at Mercury Marina on the popular river Hamble, near Southampton. Our members enjoy day sails around the beautiful South coast Solent cruising area. There are sheltered anchorages, superb scenery and numerous ports to explore to the West such as the Beaulieu river, Lymington in the New Forest or Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Portsmouth, Wootton creek, Osborne Bay and Bembridge to the East. Opportunities for trips further afield to Chichester, Poole, the West Country and cross Channel are also available.

Memberships are currently available and open to all, whether you are a complete novice or an experienced sailor, we would love to welcome you aboard. Please see our website for further information www.soyc.co.uk or email membership@soyc.co.uk

In addition, we are an RYA recognised training centre with a team of experienced Yachtmaster and Cruising Instructors, offering some of the highest quality training available. 

Life is a journey, start yours today with the SOYC
Useful Info
Advertise with Us!
Would you like to reach everybody that gets our newsletter? Check the two links below for details of how you can advertise your product or service.

Advertising Packages here
Terms & Conditions here
Are You Looking to Buy or Rent in London?
With lots of people looking for that extra room, study or outside space, getting a helping hand when you are moving house is invaluable. Dexters are still offering all British Airways employees a free property search service though their Corporate Relocation team.

Whether you need area advice, an idea of the best mortgage rate you can get or you are short of time and you need someone to do all of the hard work for free, please contact us on 020 7483 6399 or corporateservices@dexters.co.uk
Former Staff? Travel Concession Ended?

Join Hotline for Formers!

If you are Former BA Staff and no longer have Travel Concessions, you can join Hotline for Formers, which gives you access to Hotline fares and the Perks at Work online portal (see below for more on this).

Apply online using the link below. As soon as your application is approved you will get an email notification, at which point you log in to your account and pay your annual subscription - currently just £30


Click here for online application

Did you know dependents can also join? Ask us for details
Altitude Plus

Altitude Plus is the number one place to save on your grocery shopping.

The average household will spend £4,805 on groceries every year. You can use Altitude Plus to save consistently every time you do your weekly grocery shop in-store - over the year you can enjoy up to £240 in savings.

Plus you can use these savings on top of supermarkets' own loyalty schemes, so you effectively save twice!

Remember: DO check the details of each offer - some are In-store only, others in-store AND online. Check the full range of offers here
Offers correct at time of publication
Take me to Altitude Plus/Perks at Work
Welfare
British Airways Benevolent Fund
The Benevolent Fund is a charity set up by British Airways to help both current and former employees of British Airways and its predecessor companies, and their dependants, who are experiencing severe financial hardship.

Any serving member of staff and former employees, or in the case of the deceased their spouses, can make an application for help.  The Admin Team will discuss their application and if it falls within the guidelines a Caseworker is assigned to visit the applicant to (a) help them complete the application form and undertake the necessary disclosures, financial or otherwise, and (b) validate the application is legitimate. 

Of necessity this process can be awkward for people, but it is a key stage that all applicants must go through, and one where the Caseworkers provide applicants with all the support needed to get them through it.  Data privacy is, or course, of paramount importance throughout.  Even the Trustees do not know the full personal details of applicants, they make their decision based on the individual facts and merits of each case.

For further information and details of how you can contact BABF, follow this link
Pensioner and Retirement News
Pre-Retirement Sessions

 

We are now running the pre-retirement sessions for BA serving and former staff online. 

The next online webinar pre-retirement session is confirmed as June 22nd, they run from 10.00-12.30 and the presentations will be from BA Pensions and Lighthouse Financial with an opportunity for Q & A's at the end. 

Please note that in order for you to be sent the webinar link invite we will forward your email address to Lighthouse Financial. Your request and payment made to attend the session will be taken as your consent for Lighthouse to have your email address.

Admin booking fee is £10 but FREE to BA Clubs members.

Wifi, iPad or laptop/pc with webcam required

The number of delegates for each event is limited, but another session will be scheduled for:

Tuesday 22nd June 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Tuesday 27th July 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Tuesday 24th August 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Tuesday 21st September 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Monday 25th October 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Thursday 25th November 10.00am to 12.30pm 
Monday 20th December 10.00am to 12.30pm 

To book your place, please email: membership@ba.com

 

Note: LFA advice is only relevant and available to UK residents / taxpayers
Lighthouse Financial Advice Limited is an appointed representative of Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

BA Pensioners

Many of our Members are also BA Pensioners and we'd like to share two websites that BA Pensions are using for updates:

For APS members:

https://www.mybapension.com/aps/news/latest-news

For NAPS members:

https://www.mybapension.com/naps/news/latest-news
Staff Travel Telephone Numbers Changing

From 1 February 2021, the staff travel telephone numbers will be changing. The UK will move to a single, local rate number for both Duty and Personal travel which can also be used when you are away from base.

Colleagues in the USA and India can continue to use their existing numbers but other colleagues overseas can use the number below.

Numbers to use from 1 February 2021

UK: +44 (0) 207 949 3081  (0800 – 1700 UK local time, Daily )
USA: 1-800 782 3387 (2330 - 1600, Monday to Friday )
India: +91 124 4120708 (0900 - 0130, Daily)
World: +44 (0) 207 949 3081 (0800 – 1700 UK local time, Daily)  

If staff are away from base and are unable to manage their booking online and need to contact Staff Travel, they can call the local number depending on which region their destination comes under.   
Top Tip of the Month

No Leftovers!

There is a food waste crisis in the UK: Edible food thrown away costs each person in the UK £227 a year with an environmental impact of 75kg of CO2.

No-Leftovers produces a bespoke list of recipes from the leftover ingredients that the user inputs. Recipes match the user’s dietary requirements e.g., vegetarian

The search algorithm uses substitutes for recipes that can successfully be made with other ingredients. For example, a great shepherd’s pie can be made with beef in place of lamb. The algorithm allows users to see more recipes for their leftover ingredients as well as experiment with the food they eat.

Why not give it a try?
Take me to No Leftovers website
Copyright © 2021 BA Clubs, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.