Nottinghamshire YMCA is honoured to introduce our newest Ambassador, Sir Andrew Pulford, Air Chief Marshal (Retired) GCB CBE DL.
Born in Newark and educated at Magnus Grammar School, Sir Andrew has kindly agreed to join YMCA Ambassador Veronica Pickering DL, HAC (RAF) in furthering the charity’s mission of empowering young people to belong, contribute and thrive.
About Sir Andrew Pulford
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew joined the Royal Air Force in 1977 as a Support Helicopter Pilot, accumulating over 5,000 hours on both Wessex and Chinook helicopters, serving primarily in Germany but including exchange tours with the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. He saw operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Lebanon, the Balkans and the Gulf.
Sir Andrew enjoyed a wide variety of junior ground appointments including staff posts in Headquarters Northern Ireland and the British Army’s doctrine organisation, in addition to serving for two years as Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff. As Station Commander of Royal Air Force Odiham, he commanded the UK Chinook Force through a period of unprecedented operational activity, including large scale deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
His senior appointments included: Director of Air Resources and Plans; command of the Royal Air Force’s Air Transport, Air-to-Air Refuelling and Surveillance forces; two years as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations); plus three years as Deputy Commander Capability at Air Command, responsible for all RAF personnel and equipment procurement matters.
Sir Andrew took command of his Service as Chief of the Air Staff in July 2013 and served a full 3 years in post, overseeing the Royal Air Force’s contribution to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and leading the successful Air input to the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
He joined the UK’s leading Defence company, BAE Systems, as Senior Military Adviser in 2017. He was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of the RAF Museum in 2019 and the following year was appointed as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.
Sir Andrew has been married to his wife, Nicola, for nearly 40 years and they have two grown up children. In his spare time, he enjoys walking his three dogs, motorcycle touring and dinghy sailing. He is also engaged in a lifetime search for good beer and cheap fine wine.
Inspiring young people through YMCA
YMCA Newark and Sherwood supporters welcomed Sir Andrew’s Ambassador debut as he delivered the guest speech and ribbon cutting to mark the charity’s Community and Activity Village’s multi-use games areas open for business on 18 August 2021.
A genuine inspiration to our community’s next generation, Sir Andrew kicked off his role by taking time to speak with young people who attended the launch event about their favourite school subjects and what they hope to achieve to get the most out of their promising futures.
We hope you will join us in warmly welcoming Sir Andrew as we embark on this fantastic new relationship to shape our communities for the benefit of all.