Almost 100 servicemen and women from RAF Lossiemouth, who are currently deployed away from Moray, will soon receive their traditional Christmas present.
The parcels, which were sent out this week, will be going to forces personnel in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands, Canada, Nigeria and the Middle East.
This year, all of the servicemen and women are deployed as ‘individual augmentees’, meaning they are deployed to supplement operational activities being led by units not from RAF Lossiemouth.
Group Captain Paul Godfrey, Station Commander at RAF Lossiemouth, joined the Community Support Team to pack the parcels.
And he has included his own personal message to them in a station Christmas card.
All the packages contain traditional items shortbread, tinsel, toiletries and a pair of Christmas-themed socks, but one special parcel had some treats for a Military Working Dog currently deployed in the Falkland Islands with their handler.
The Tesco and Superdrug stores in Elgin have both provided a discount on some of the items in the parcels.
Squadron Leader Arlene Walker is Officer Commanding of Personnel Management Squadron and leads the community support team in the region.
She said: “Christmas is very much a season of spending time with the ones we love and of sharing, caring and giving.
“Due to deployments, many RAF Lossiemouth personnel will be unable to enjoy the luxury of coming together with their family and friends.
“As we embrace the festive period, it is particularly important that those deployed personnel, and their families, remain at the forefront of the station’s thoughts, and are included wherever possible.
“Our community support team continues to provide Christmas parcels for our service personnel in order to remind them we are thinking of them, and appreciate the sacrifices they make in support of the station’s mission.
” Furthermore, for the families of those deployed, the team continues to organise regular events and activities under the Deployment Support Programme in order to provide fun, friendship and information.
“To all of those deployed on operations, and to those who remain behind in support, I express my sincere thanks.”
