Army Reserves Appeal – Can you help?

An appeal to encourage more people to volunteer time to the Army reserves to help with community work has been made in Telford.

The volunteers of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry (RMLY) based in Dawley Bank spend hours of their time volunteering in times of emergencies such as flooding, support old comrades, give ceremonial support to local dignitaries and provide instructors for military youth organisations and colleges and universities.

The reserves also volunteer their time to go to Afghanistan. The appeal to the business community to give their employees the chance to volunteer for the community roles was made at the Telford Pulling Together meeting organised by Telford and Wrekin CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) this month.
The monthly Telford Pulling Together breakfast networking event at the Whitehouse Hotel in Wellington attracts people from across the business community eager to meet their Community Social Responsibility role.

Captain Samantha Brettell, of the B Squadron based at Dawley Bank in Telford, said: “We rely solely on volunteers giving up their time as do all volunteer based organisations. “The breakfast networking event gave us a chance to give an insight into the varied roles the reserves play such as instructor roles at TCAT.
“Our volunteers enjoy the chance to learn new skills and make invaluable bonds with new friends.
“They are also playing valuable roles within the community, especially at times of emergency such as flooding.” She added she was grateful to the CVS and wanted to thank the charity for allowing them to attend the breakfast meeting.

Ella Sips, of the Telford & Wrekin CVS, said volunteers for all charities and organisations were often people who also worked full time but gave up their time to help others. “Telford Pulling Together is attracting new businesses every month and we would invite anyone interested to come along and hear about the exciting plans we have in place. “The business and charity communities in Telford are working together and are making a real difference to the place we live and work,” she said.

The next CVS Telford Pulling Together breakfast networking event will be held at The Whitehouse in Wellington on May 2 from 8am to 10am. Businesses need to register their interest in advance of attending by calling the CVS on (01952) 567800.