Did you get yours?

AMP members should have received their exclusive spring newsletter which was sent out in the post from Monday April 27 (2015). If you did not receive yours (see page 1, left), please let us know using the Contact Us form.

Diary note: 2015 AGM and Scots’ annual meeting

A NOTE for your diary: the Association’s 2015 Annual General Meeting will be held in the St Alban’s Centre (Baldwin Gardens, off Gray’s Inn Road, London EC1N 7AB), on Tuesday, October 20, starting at 11.30am.

The Scottish Annual Meeting kicks off at 11.30am on Monday, November 2 (2015) at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail offices, Glasgow G3 8DA.

Trinity Mirror’s group finance director VIJAY VAGHELA will speak at both meetings. Do try and attend if you can, and don’t forget to sign the members’ register.

Brave Willie’s medals

MANY will remember the indomitable WILLIE SOUTAR, who worked at the Daily Mirror from 1934 to 1986, principally as art editor and later as strips editor. Willie died in 2008 aged 88, and now his daughter Carolyn has put forward a collection of Willie’s medals and other memorabilia to be sold at auction at Spink on April 23.
Carolyn said: “I’m selling not for the money, but because, sadly, I do not have anyone to pass these precious items on to. I decided to go to auction rather than let them be ‘just another exhibit’. This set includes Willie’s Military Medal, awarded ‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East’, and some Mirror memorabilia.”
Willie’s Lot 33 is featured in the Orders, Decorations, Campaign medals and militaria sale which starts at 10am on April 23 at Spink’s London HQ, 69 Southampton Row, London WC1 4ET (https://www.spink.com).
Here’s the full description from the auctioneer’s catalogue:
A Second War Western Desert ‘Wireless Operators’ M.M. Group of Six to Gunner W.R. Soutar, Royal Artillery: a) Military Medal, G.VI.R. (993647 Gnr. W.R. Soutar. R.A.), surname officially corrected; b) 1939-1945 Star; c) Africa Star; d) Burma Star; e) Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. Oak Leaf; the campaign stars and medals official later issues, extremely fine, with the following related items:
*The recipient’s two Mentioned in Despatches Certificates, dated 5.4.1945 and 27.9.1945; Named Buckingham Palace enclosure for the M.M., and Defence Council enclosure for the Campaign
Medals;
*The recipient’s Record of Service, Soldier’s Release Book, and National Registration Identity Card
*Two letters to the recipient from Hugh (later Lord) Cudlipp, Editorial Director of the Daily Mirror
* Letter to the recipient from the Press Secretary, Clarence House
* Copy of Twelve Legions of Angels, by H.C.T. (later Lord) Dowding, this slightly damaged
* Portrait photograph of the recipient, together with four more photographs
* Various copies of the Daily Mirror covering the death and funeral of H.M. King George VI, partly
designed by the recipient
* Hand-drawn card [caricature] presented to the recipient on his retirement from the Daily Mirror
* Copy of the recipient’s obituary in The Times, 12.1.2009 (lot) £800-1,200
M.M. London Gazette 19.3.1942 No. 993647 Gunner William Richard Souter [sic], Royal Horse Artillery (Scarborough) ‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the
Middle East”.

Hooray Hooray for the 1st of May

To all Garth’s Day May Firsters out there – let us know if you can join us.

Happily, there’s still a thirst to raise a glass or three to the memory of the inimitable Garth Gibbs and, sadly, so many others from the Mirror family who are no longer with us.

For the fourth year running, Garth’s Day is on. We’re also back at The Harrow, just off Fleet Street (Whitefriars Street) from 12.30pm onwards.

As per usual, it’s a tenner a head (in a bucket on the bar on the day – your money, not your head!) to cover the cost of grub and private use of the two upstairs rooms.

Please check your busy diaries and let us know if you are able to make it: [email protected] or [email protected] so that when we have sufficient numbers we can secure the space.

Election result

Current “C” director trustees ALAN BURNS and ANDREW GOLDEN were re-elected in the recent ballot, polling 1,381 and 1,176 votes respectively, and will serve for a further three years.

Scots committee man RUSSELL STEWART, the third candidate, polled 576 votes.

Ballot forms were sent to 4,390 service pensioners of the Mirror Group Pension Scheme, the MGN Pension Scheme, and the MGN Past Service Pension Scheme. (A “service” pensioner is someone who worked for the company; those receiving a pension as a dependant are not entitled to vote in trustee elections.)

The total votes cast were 3,133. Considering the importance of the work of the “C” director trustees it is something of a surprise that so few excercised their right to vote.

*Full report and much more in the AMP spring newsletter – sent to AMP members only – in April.

Don’t forget to vote

MEMBERS will have received ballot forms from the Electoral Reform Society to vote in the election for two “C” directors for MGN Pension Trustees Ltd. An election is necessary because there are three nominations – the current incumbents Alan Burns and Andrew Golden, plus Russell Stewart – for the two positions. Members are urged to cast their votes before the deadline – 2pm, Friday, February 13 (2015).

Committee closes gender gap

TWO women members have joined the AMP committee, helping to reduce the gender imblance.

JILL PALMER, ex-Mirror medical correspondent, and VILMA SMITH, former top-flight editorial secretary (and widow of Tony Smith) bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Although on paper we have a large committee, health and travel constraints mean that attendance at the London committee meetings is usually around ten or twelve.

The Scottish contingent keeps up to speed regularly but more informally (in a pub, perhaps?) and both committees conduct a deal of business by email and phone.

Chairman Tom Brown said: “I’ve been appealing for more women on our committee and Vilma and Jill are first-class recruits. Their input will be valuable, just what we need. I’ve long thought we need to be more representative and include more women, and especially widows, but also more departments. We seem to be heading towards gender equality and that’s something to boast about.”

More information about Jill and Vilma soon on the About Us page, and in the spring newsletter sent to AMP members only. (Membership coupon on the Join Us page.)

Season’s Greetings to all our members

THE AMP committee would like wish all members and their families a very merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy 2015 and beyond.

Lobby for Equitable justice

THE word around Westminster is that MPs don’t have enough to occupy them until the current Parliament ends next May, writes Tom Brown. One MP was even caught playing the Candy Crush computer game during a Commons pensions committee session!

The AMP is giving idle MPs something to think about instead of child’s play: the shabby treatment of pensioners who have lost heavily in the Equitable Life scandal.

We are asking AMP members, especially those directly affected, to ask their constituency MPs to take action in the five months left of the current Parliament. If they are seeking re-election next May, it will be a test of their attitude to pensioner issues.

We have also urged the Commons Committee of Public Accounts to look at what will happen to an unpaid £500 million lying in the so-called Equitable Life Payments Fund. Instead of being returned to the Treasury, it should be used to top up the miserly 22 per cent payments to those who lost cash in the Equitable Life collapse.

A year ago, the Public Accounts Committee investigated our complaint about the treatment being meted out to a number of our pensioners whose AVCs were paid by the company into a “with profits” benefits scheme with Equitable Life, and who made claims for compensation.

Combined with pressure from others, one result was that the deadline for closure of the Scheme was extended to June 30, 2015. A number of our members who had been overlooked have been able to lodge claims with varying success.

We have now told Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee: “With only a few months of the present Parliament remaining, it is time for a review of performance and the necessity to keep the Scheme open after June 2015 until the final disposal of its funds is decided.

“We feel most strongly that the Scheme’s undistributed funds should not be returned to the Treasury but used to top up the derisory payments which have been made to those who lodged claims.”

The £1.5billion Equitable Life Payment Scheme was set up to compensate victims because the Treasury and the Government have a moral duty to recognise their failure properly to oversee Equitable Life during the 1990s.

More than 100,000 people remain untraced, with the result that some £500 million remains in the fund. Sadly, the likelihood is that the majority of these have died and no further claims will be forthcoming.

We have told Parliament: “The case for using that money to top-up the niggardly payments to deserving pensioners is overwhelming. This was hard-earned money meant to make provision for their retirement but the result has been hardship and distress.

“Typical is one lady who wrote to tell us that her husband is now a severe Alzheimer’s case and the money that was ‘robbed’ (her word) is desperately needed to help with his care at home.”

Several members have already questioned their local MPs and one reported: “To be fair, she gave me a good hearing and appeared to be very surprised at the low levels of payments being made from the fund. She has promised to write to the Treasury and will communicate their comments to me in due course.”