Hotel for the RAF family celebrates major milestone

Some of the musical entertainment at the party. Picture by Mary Scott

A hotel which offers relaxing holidays for ex-Armed Forces personnel has celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Rothbury House provides welfare breaks for the entire RAF family, as well as offering sheltered housing accommodation.

It is one of a number of the RAF Association’s Wings Breaks hotels.

The actual anniversary was on November 9, after Princess Margaret officially opened the facility in 1996.

To mark the milestone, two events took place at the end of last month.

The first, on November 23, was a big dinner, which featured a talk from guest of honour Air Commodore David Prowse.

This was followed by a buffet, musical entertainment and a fireworks display for local friends of Rothbury House on November 25.

Registered manager Colin Lee was delighted to mark the milestone. He said: “We have been able to offer a welfare service to ex-RAF personnel during this time. People who come to us tend to have some level of care need and they come for a relaxing holiday.

“We get around 800 people a year – with many coming from the North East, but also those from the likes of Birmingham, Coventry, London and the south west.

“It is a great place for people to come to rest and meet and talk to like-minded people about the RAF and comradeship.”