As we pause to reflect on the swift passage of time, 2025 now feels like a distant chapter behind us, while we find ourselves rapidly advancing through 2026. The Station has already enjoyed a busy and highly productive start to the year, with ongoing training programmes for both Regular and Reserve Phase 1 recruits continuing apace. In parallel, the DE SNCO course has been running at full capacity, alongside the Aviator Development courses, which remain instrumental in supporting students as they consolidate their well-earned promotions. Earlier this year, we successfully executed a two-week station exercise, Agil Warrior. This exercise provided invaluable operational experience and significantly enhanced our collective readiness and resilience. We also took great pride in celebrating the graduation of Regular recruits at the Recruit Training Squadron (RTS) and Reserve recruits at IFPT, marking important milestones in their professional journeys. As the seasons shift and the weather steadily improves, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of summer. This time of the year traditionally sees Officers, SNCOs, and Junior Ranks embarking on the detailed planning of their respective functions and events, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and esprit de corps throughout the Station. We warmly encourage everyone to continue sharing their stories, achievements, and highlights by sending them to hal-mainpoint@mod.gov.uk. Your contributions are vital in keeping us connected and celebrating the wide range of activities and successes taking place across RAF Halton.

The first 4 months of 2026 have been busy across the unit and there is change afoot. We said goodbye to Padre Mike and welcomed in Padre Helene, who having stayed in the Officers’ Mess initially many of you will already know, she has made it her business to get out and about on unit engaging with as many of you as possible. There is much to get involved in over the coming 12 months and by the time I am sitting down to draft my next foreword we will be firmly in the grips of the Anglesey Summer, fingers crossed it’s a good one. As always thank you for your continued hard work and I hope you enjoy Ynys Mon as the days get longer and the weather improves. Group Captain Gez Currie

This being the success and continuation of this vital piece of journalism, pieced together and completed by the reader. Whether this be an operational section on unit, or a civilian organisation wishing to spread word of their efforts within the community. We truly welcome all stories, as they mean more having come from the person with boots on the ground, or any part to play in the operational output of our station. With what will undoubtedly be a trying year moving forward, we can ensure to spread the news of all things Benson. As included in this quarter, we will show that whilst maintaining one of the highest turnouts for rotary wing training within the RAF, we can also take advantage of the opportunities that accompany our work. These being opportunities for recreational sport, travel and knowing that every day you put in, can and will contribute to the ever-turning cog of the British military. We would like to thank everyone who has submitted an article thus far and hope you enjoy our first edition of the magazine for 2026. Should you wish to submit a story, article or advertisement from your own respective area of responsibility; please send a completed article to the Lion’s Roar multiuser  BEN-LionsRoarMagazine@mod.gov.uk.