OCSC rolls out the red carpet

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristopher Levasseur
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  The Officer and Civilian Spouses Club held a "Rock the Red Carpet" dinner April 18, which was a combination of the OCSC's annual British-American social and the RAF Lakenheath British-American Committee's community award ceremony.

OCSC members and their spouses, along with members of the British-American Committee came together to recognize several community members for their contributions to the community and raise money for charity. Several honorary commanders, including Mr. Colin Wills, the 48th Fighter Wing honorary commander were also in attendance.

Mr. Wills presented Doreen Salmon and Elizabeth Cowell of the Brandon Knitters the BAC British Award. The Brandon Knitters have been knitting layettes for new RAF Lakenheath babies for more than 10 years. Gisele Novak received the BAC American Award for her efforts in reaching out to the community, and organizing donations to the East Anglia Children's Hospice.

Doug Wickwar was also awarded the BAC Outstanding Award for his work in coordinating base tours to RAF Lakenheath.

Mr. Wickwar has been coordinating tours of RAF Lakenheath for locals for almost two decades, said Christina Jenkins, OCSC president. The awards are the OCSC's way of recognizing all the efforts the award winners have made.

"I started taking people on base in 1987 because I was always fascinated with American aircraft and the American culture," said Mr. Wickwar. "Everyone has been so nice and friendly on base, so I continued to organize base tours for nearly 20 years now. People sometimes ask me if the repeated tours get boring after a while, but every time I come on base, it is a new experience and I get to meet new and interesting people."

In addition to the award ceremony, the OCSC had several games and raffles to help raise money for charities.

"We had a great mix of fun and philanthropy," said Mrs. Jenkins. "We had a fun movie trivia contest, which raised more than £160 for East Anglia Children's Hospice, and the OCSC made a £1,000 donation to the East Anglian Air Ambulance."

According to The East Anglian Air Ambulance website, the air ambulance is completely funded by charity and covers approximately 11 percent of the total area of England.

"The event was very successful; many people approached me afterwards to let me know how much they enjoyed themselves," said Mrs. Jenkins. "It was a neat idea that came to fruition, and there was a great energy and camaraderie throughout."