Archive - PAGE 5

Lance Corporal Frances Reed is an Army Reservist with 350 (The Robin Hood Foresters) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, based in Nottingham. In September 2023, the 33-year-old volunteered to be deployed on Op Tosca – a six-month peacekeeping mission – which is her first mobilisation since joining the Reserves a decade earlier. LCpl Reed, who is […]

The former Army Reserve Centre on Main Ridge West has been modernised to create fit-for-purpose facilities for the dozens of Cadets that will now call the building home. The historic building’s frontage has undergone a makeover as part of the project to make it more inviting to existing and new Cadets, who add so much […]

Competing in a team with their fellow RAF Chefs, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force chefs cooked up a storm to beat their Army and Royal Navy counterparts to the prestigious accolade. As well as the Royal Air Force contingent being crowned overall competition winners, the 504 Squadron Training Team, based out of RAF Wittering, was […]

For Second Lieutenant (2Lt) Christian Saunders that punishing scenario was his reality as a cohort from East Midlands University Officer Training Corps (EMUOTC) tackled Exercise Cambrian Patrol, the ultimate challenge in navigation, fieldcraft, tactics and soldiering. “It was the best and worst three days of my life,” said the 20-year-old, describing the exercise in October […]

Jim Wright, of Wright Logistics Services, welcomed five new organisations into the Armed Forces Covenant club at a mass signing organised at Northampton International Academy in February. Machinery firm County Lifting Services, recruitment agency More Driver Solutions, and the hosts Northampton International Academy, which is home to a Royal Navy Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingent, […]

In 2023 I had the pleasure of organising an exclusive employer trip to one of Britain’s overseas military bases in Cyprus. Wherever I go I spread awareness of the great value Reserve Sailors, Soldiers and Aviators add to their employer’s workplace. This rare three-day trip with simulated platoon attacks and helicopter lifts was a chance […]

Sergeant Major Instructor (SMI) Ian Powell took seconds to react as an elderly man, who was strapped – and trapped – into his vehicle, became completely submerged in the murky water. Applying lifesaving decision-making and first aid skills taught by Derbyshire Army Cadets, the 40-year-old, who lives in South Wingfield, jumped in feet first to […]

What is the purpose of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme? Commonly abbreviated to ERS, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme serves to recognise and reward employers for their support to Reservists, Service Leavers and Spouses, Cadets and Cadet Volunteers. The scheme is the Ministry of Defence’s highest badge of honour for Armed Forces-friendly organisations. Underpinning it […]

Long-serving Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Jenny Sanderson, 59, of Chilwell-based HMS Sherwood, was named ‘Maritime Reservist of the Year’ for 2023 due to exceptional achievement, performance, and dedication to her country. Her significant contributions and exemplary service have led the Reservist, who lives in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to be described as “the epitome of a Maritime […]

Reservists serve in their spare time and play a critical role in national defence and security, from countering threats, peacekeeping, and humanitarian efforts abroad, to supporting communities and national resilience at home. Reservists within 203 (Loughborough) Transport Squadron are taught to drive a wide range of vehicles, such as 15-tonne trucks and enhanced palletized loading […]