The Royal Mail Group Fellowship has a robust, quality and highly respected group of individuals comprising the Executive Committee which is elected annually, comprising President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of Newsletter, Webmaster and up to five Committee members. The EC is responsible for day-to-day business and organisation.
President: Gerard Nosowski
ex Consulting
Now lives in Devon
Email: gerard.nosowski.rmgf.net
Immediate Past President: Alan Goddard
Was a strategic operations director in head office
Now lives in the Isle of Wight
Email: alan.goddard@rmgf.net
Secretary: Maggie McGrath
Left the Royal Mail SPICE project (introducing best practice in the use of computer technology in Customer Service Centres) in 2002.
Now lives in Gloucestershire
Email: secretary@rmgf.net
Treasurer and Webmaster: Derek Reeves
Formerly Director Customer Services, Post Office Property Holdings
Now lives in West Sussex
Email: treasurer@rmgf.net
webmaster@rmgf.net
Newsletter Editor: John Adam
Formerly Customer Service Director (N)
RM Packages & Express, Distribution Services.
Now lives in Derbyshire
Email: editor@rmgf.net
Committee:
Len Clifford: was District Manager Parcelforce Reading.
Now lives in Gloucestershire
Email: len.clifford@rmgf.net
Steve Hannon: was a Strategic Operations Director
at Head Office.
Now lives in West Sussex
Email: steve.hannon@rmgf.net
John Polglass: ex Head Postmaster Chester
Now lives in East Sussex
Email: john.polglass@rmgf.net
Doug Swanson: Retired as Director
Operations Performance
in Royal Mail North Wales & North West, in 1999.
Now lives in Dorset
Email: doug.swanson@rmgf.net
Background Information on The Fellowship
1898 – The Association of Head Postmasters was founded. It changed it’s title to The Fellowship of Head Postmasters in the 1960s when it ceased to be a negioating Association and changed to a ‘Social Fellowship’.
2001 – The title was changed to “The Fellowship of Senior Managers of The Post Office “. Membership was opened up to current serving members with Corporate/Business Personal Contracts and to all retired employees formerly in the Senior Salary Structure. Others would be invited to join by invitation of the EC and/or Group Secretaries.
2006 – Title changed to “The Royal Mail Group Fellowship” to match the structure of the Business.
Annual Dinners/Venues
In order to attract attendees and to share the “burden” of travelling (especially for older members), the AGM/Annual Dinner has been held at different locations around the country. These have included Peebles, Gloucester, Skipton, Stratford on Avon, Newcastle, Bournemouth, York and Kenilworth.
Despite moving the event around the country and relaxing the dress code (in 2013) attendance figures declined over the years. At the 2014 event (held at Barton Grange, Preston) attendance was only 35 and it was agreed that we would carry out a survey via the Newsletter to gauge whether or not we continued with the Annual Dinner. The results of the survey showed that whilst there was continued support for Group Lunches/Dinners there was little or no support for the national annual event.
The 43rd and final AGM/Annual Dinner was held in Kenilworth in 2015 (this was the last year of the PLCWW sponsorship agreement whereby the Dinner was held in memory of John Liptrot and 52 people attended.
Since 2015 we have held smaller less formal ‘get togethers’ (including an EC meeting) at Dumbleton Hall (in 2017, 2018 and 2021 ) and Kenilworth Holiday Inn in 2019 and 2022. These are now established as annual events as set out in the Constitution.
Autumn Breaks
The annual Autumn Break was originally held to give the EC (and their wives) an opportunity to meet in an informal setting but this was subsequently extended to all members . For many years the event was held at Eaves Hall, Clitheroe. The hotel was owned by the Civil Service Motoring Association and because of this the Fellowship received the benefit of preferential rates. The hotel was then sold to another chain and the Fellowship no longer obtained the special rate – the last Break was held there in 2006.
Whilst other venues were used in 2007 (Ardesley House, Barnsley) and in 2008 (The Rendezvous, Skipton) the number of attendees had fallen to such an extent that it was no longer possible to negotiate a group rate. The Autumn Break was discontinued after the 2008 event.