L Teare

Halfords Reservist celebrates Reserves Day from the Gulf

A Halfords employee and military Reservist is celebrating this year’s Reserves Day from the Gulf. Charlotte Kertrestel (29) is a member of the Royal Naval Reserve and will be spending Reserves Day deployed with the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC) headquarters in Bahrain as part of a six month mobilisation. Charlotte, who joined Halfords as a Digital Product Owner in 2018, said: “I…

Army Reservist helps the COVID support force

An Armed Forces Liaison Manager is one of many Reservists across the UK who swapped their civilian role to work with the military during the Covid-19 pandemic. Darren Knight works full-time for recruitment firm Pertemps at their Birmingham office in his usual business capacity, assisting people from the military community to help find jobs in civilian roles.  He has also been an Army…

Cadet Halford aims to reach the top

Cadet Thomas Halford from 495 (Sutton Coldfield) Squadron Air Training Corps has got his hiking-boots on, and is in the middle of an endeavour to climb Mount Everest. There are no ice-axes or Sherpas in sight, because he decided to do this during the lockdown period by climbing his stairs to raise money for a charity close to his family’s heart – The…

Youngest qualified Aerospace Instructor graduates

Cadet Corporal Zain Aslam, aged 16, from 495 (Sutton Coldfield) Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets, graduated from this year’s Qualified Aerospace Instructors Course (QAIC). QAIC is the Royal Air Force Air Cadet’s premier aerospace course. Aimed at senior cadets, the challenging syllabus requires a high level of commitment.  The course, now in its twelfth year, aims to provide youngsters from across the…

Lockdown activities: Cadet Force focus

In mid-March it was deemed that alongside many other organisations across the UK, face-to-face cadet activities would need to cease in line with social distancing measures in our Covid-19 response. The question that arose was: how do you maintain the spirit, activities and social side of an organisation if you can’t meet face-to-face? The Cadet Forces are a prime example of organisations who…

West Midland RFCA’s virtual celebration and commemoration for VE Day 75

In the lead up to the 75th anniversary of VE Day our Employer Engagement team invited employers who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant to a special virtual talk on Thursday 7th May. Being unable to host any face-to-face events to celebrate and reflect on VE Day, the team decided to take the plunge and host our first virtual event. After welcoming remarks…

Army Reservists leap into action for parachute training

Joining the Reserve Forces is a rewarding experience.  As well as gaining military skills and learning specific trades, there is also plenty of opportunities for overseas travel and an exciting variety of adventure training and sport. This was the case for sixteen Army Reservists from 4th Battalion the Parachute Regiment who travelled to the USA last October for Exercise Black Skyfall to complete…

Security firm pledges international support to Armed Forces

A security firm has become the first company in the West Midlands to sign the Armed Forces Covenant in this financial year. Evolve Security Risk Management Consultants have offices in the UK, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.  They have worked with various Government departments, the Police and a wealth of private sector clients around the world, offering an extensive array of…