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Reservists across the country will today wear their service uniforms with pride at work in their civilian jobs.
Today the nation celebrates Uniform to Work Day, a national event when Reservists demonstrate the huge contribution that ordinary citizens can make to the Armed Forces.
Thousands of Reservists across the country – from gardeners to bankers – will hang up their usual work clothes and proudly don their service uniforms to show that the Armed Forces are made up of people from all sections of the community. Many of those wearing their uniforms today will have deployed on at least one tour of duty. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is just one of many employers throughout the nation that are showing their support for their reservist employees today.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:
“Reservists are a vital part of our Armed Forces – some 700 of them are currently deployed in Afghanistan. Uniform to Work Day highlights their importance, not only providing valuable support on frontline operations but in wider society too. This year, with the London 2012 Games, will see the biggest, single peace-time deployment of the Reserves. As we reshape our land forces to face the future threats, the Reserves will be playing a much larger role with increased training, equipment and deployability following an investment of £1.8bn.”
Major General Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, Deputy Commander Land Forces (DCLF) and the most senior TA Reservist, said:
“Reservists come from every walk of life, from communities up and down the country and people should feel proud to show their support today. The employers of Reservists should be proud to show their support today. We thank employers for their continued support – Reservists bring much valuable expertise into the military but also return benefits gained during their service to their employers and society.”
Des Thurlby, HR Director, JLR said:
"JLR has a long association with the military and is a supportive employer of reserve forces. Uniform to Work Day recognises the contribution reservists make to national security and the invaluable experience and skills they gain through their service which benefit the company."
Royal Naval Reservist Leading Hand (LH) Karen Noble from Coleshill, Warwickshire has worked at JLR for five years and works at both Gaydon and Whitley sites where she is a Senior Workplace Health Advisor in Occupational Health. Karen, aged 37, joined the Royal Navy Reserve in 1998 and is based at HMS Forward in Birmingham and is due to deploy to the Olympic Games in July for five weeks.
Karen is part of the Medical branch and her role is predominantly to provide medical support on the Primary Casualty Receiving Ship HMS ARGUS. However, as a qualified nurse, she can also deploy to other environments such as the Field Hospital in Afghanistan to work alongside her Army and RAF colleagues in a tri service medical environment. Karen has been deployed to Cyprus which is the holding area from troops returning from conflict and has also worked in the Military Hospital in Haslar, Portsmouth.
LH Noble said: “I joined the reserves because I wanted to gain medical experience in a different environment from the NHS, and the Military medical environments that I have worked in have given me some invaluable experiences. Uniform to Work Day is a chance for people to be aware that there are reservists in their workplace and their contribution to their regular counterparts.”
Territorial Army Signaller Stewart Bailey from Bolton, who now lives in Leamington Spa, is a Business Process Consultant at JLR Whitley working in IT on a major business transformation programme to improve business processes and increase efficiency and has worked at the company for three years.
Stewart has been a Communications Systems Operator in the Territorial Army for over two years where he sets up and manages communications detachments and provides communication options to senior commanders during UK emergency operations such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters and industrial strikes.
Stewart, aged 27, hasn’t been deployed on Operations but is currently mobilised for the Olympics this summer and is hoping for his first deployment to Afghanistan next year where members of his Regiment have just been posted.
Sig Bailey said, “I wanted to be involved in the military, to do something new and challenging after university as well as serve my country in some way and the TA gave me the perfect opportunity to do all of these. Uniform to Work Day is all about raising awareness and promoting what the TA is really about now. It’s a chance to help people understand our role and the value we can add not just to the Armed Forces at large but also as a voluntary service in times of emergency in the UK.”
David Cotterill from Tamworth, Staffordshire, is a Group Leader at JLR’s Castle Bromwich plant, where he has worked for 14 years.
David, 46, is a Senior Aircrafts Man in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and has served for 14 years. During that time, David has had six mobilisations, most recently to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2009 and Bashar, Iraq in 2007.
David’s role is an air movement’s operator servicing with 4624 Squadron, which is celebrating 30 years of service this year and are the largest squadron in the RAUAXAF, based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. His role involves all aspects of moving military cargo from mail and passengers to a Typhoon fast jet.
SAC Cotterill said, “I am proud of my career in the RAuxAF and all I have achieved in my career. I will be wearing my uniform in the plant with pride today. I think Uniform to Work Day is a good opportunity to celebrate the important work of reservists in the UK and overseas, which benefit both employers and their employees”.
Chiefs of Staff from all three services will today meet with Reservists to support Uniform to Work Day. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, will meet Lieutenant Commander Michael Colyer, a chartered accountant, in Whitby. The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall, will meet Reservists from the Honourable Artillery Company and The London Regiment over breakfast in London. Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, will meet with Royal Auxiliary Air Force Corporal Jason Finnegan, a detective with Hertfordshire Police, during a visit to their headquarters.
