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Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter, bringing you stories from across our region.
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Dr Catherine Baxter receives MBE
One of our Board Members and former Harper Adams University Secretary, Dr Catherine Baxter, will be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to higher education, as announced in the New Year’s Honours List.
Dr Baxter’s honour marks a career working across a diverse range of educational institutions, including Harper Adams, where she served as University Secretary from 2009 until her retirement in September 2023.
Find out more about Dr Catherine's years of support to the Armed Forces community.
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Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award
With this year's Employer Recognition Scheme expression of interest window open we wanted to share some interviews from our 2023 Gold Award ceremony, which highlights the importance of the award and benefits it offers.
Watch the video.
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Reserves hold Christmas cake competition
In early December Army Reserve unit 159 Regiment RLC held their annual Christmas Cake Decorating Competition, which showcased fun and fantastic decorating skills whilst raising funds for two charities - SSAFA and Brake.
Members of 159 Regiment RLC's headquarters, their respective Squadrons and cadets from 163 Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets all rose to the challenge to make creative entries which were judged by a panel of special guests from the local community.
After the top prizes were awarded, a feisty auction took place which raised just short of £700 in 20 minutes!
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Royal Naval Reserve take part in Royal Navy Ski Champs
The Association gave a monetary contribution to support a team of RN Reserves from HMS Forward in January as they took part in the Royal Navy Ski Champs
“In the beginners group we were treated to instruction by Stan – a robust ex-marine who never wore thermals the entire week despite some pretty frosty conditions at times. At the start we were tottering up and down a 20-metre stretch of gently-sloping snow. By the end we were sweeping (and, occasionally, tumbling…) down green and blue runs with enthusiasm.
Read more from Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander Vincent.
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Army Cadet Force's trip to South Africa
During the summer of 2023 cadets from Warwickshire and West Midlands (South Sector) Army Cadet Force and the Core Education Trust CCF embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to South Africa, visiting schools and orphanages, planting trees, learning about conservation and wildlife spotting
Watch the highlights video
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Phoenix Collegiate CCF climb high for charity
Cadets from The Phoenix Collegiate Combined Cadet Force climbed the equivalent height of Mount Everest to raise funds for charity.
Undertaking their charity climb, they completed 1,610 climbs on their indoor climbing wall in nine and a half hours, raising a fantastic £894.95 for the Royal British Legion. Well done all!
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YOU WM Leadership Experience Day
Over 80 young people, from uniformed youth organisations in the West Midlands, attended a Leadership Experience Day at Aston University Engineering Academy.
Organised by YOU West Midlands the event opened with a series of talks, including an inspiring talk from keynote speaker Sally Orange MBE, who was a former Army Physiotherapy Officer for over 20 years and is an Ambassador for the Army Cadet Force.
During the day youngsters from a range of different youth organisations – including the Cadet Forces – took part in a number of stands and activities which aimed to build leadership skills and test their teamwork.
We produced two videos, one around Cadets from St. Paul's School for Girls CCF and one around Adult Volunteers - view them both on our website.
Find out more about the work of YOU West Midlands: https://youwm.org.uk
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Royal British Legion care home share hub with community
The Royal British Legion (RBL) is a national charity providing vital support to serving and ex-serving personnel, their dedication and work led them to receiving their Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award in 2022.
One of the ways they provide support for veterans and their families is through the provision of a number of RBL run care homes across the country. We caught up with Shelley Fardon, Events and Bookings Co-ordinator, at the Community Hub located at Galanos House, at the launch of their Poppy Appeal in November
Read more about their renewed support.
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New UHNM role will benefit Armed Forces inpatients
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust has become the first hospital Trust in Staffordshire to appoint a full-time Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) Officer, who will provide specialist support to Armed Forces patients.
Lucy McDonald has begun her 18-month post and will provide emotional and practical support to UK Armed Forces community members at both the Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford.
Read more on Daily Focus (Staffordshire Chambers news page)
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Joint Armed Forces Covenant event
On 6th December the Association sponsored an Armed Forces Covenant event organised by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at West Midlands Safari Park and welcomed speakers from both business and military.
The event also saw five companies sign the Armed Forces Covenant for the first time and re-sign the covenant, with updated pledges.
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Cadet Stores Assistant - Shropshire Army Cadet Force
£28,000 (E1 grade) All hours worked contract.
A vacancy has arisen for the post of Cadet Stores Assistant at Shropshire Army Cadet Force based at Copthorne barracks, Shrewsbury.
pplicants should preferably reside in the Shropshire area or be prepared to commute at their own expense. Ideally they should have previous service in the Regular or Reserve Forces to the rank of Sergeant or equivalent.
Read the full vacancy description
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Meet the Shropshire Yeomanry
You will learn how members of the Armed Forces community can add value to your organisation and how becoming signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant can be of benefit to business.
Lunch prepared, cooked and served by the units own chefs will be available, along with the opportunity to talk to their soldiers and see some of their training and equipment.
To register your attendance please follow this link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9P7PSZY
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West Midland RFCA Regional Briefing
This event will be held at an Army Reserve Centre in Kings Heath, Birmingham and will include presentations around the Reserves, Cadets and supportive employers, followed by a curry supper cooked by RAF Reserve Chefs.
If you would like to find out more about the event or register your interest in attending, please email: wm-commsoffice@rfca.mod.uk.
The RSVP date is 5th February 2024.
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With over 25 Reserve centres available to hire across our six counties we are open and available for new bookings.
You can view our properties at www.alternativevenueswm.co.uk
To contact the Alternative Venues Team please email wm-av@rfca.mod.uk
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