The aim of the evening was to give guests an insight into the activities of reservists and cadets, and to encourage community support by building on the Community Covenant for Surrey signed in 2012.
Reservists from Farnham based A Company 3 Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR), sea cadets from TS Swiftsure in Badshot Lea, Farnham-based army cadets from D (Ypres) Company, and air cadets from 229 (Farnham) Squadron, came together to host stands giving guests a hands-on opportunity to handle fire arms, try their skills on a flight simulation programme and find out about life as a sea cadet.
The evening included a series of short presentations that gave guests further insight into the role of the Army Reserve, the opportunities for personal development open to cadets across all three forces, and the need to support military personnel and their families when they move to a new community or return to civilian life.
Welcoming the mayors and councillors of Farnham, Waverley and Haslemere to the information evening, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Chris Booth asked them for their continuing support in encouraging further local support for the reservists and cadet forces in Surrey.
The Mayor of Farnham, Pat Frost said: “The Community Covenant is dear to my heart. I am particularly concerned with what we can do to support families with someone serving in an area of conflict, and what we can down when they come home and leave the Army.”
Colonel Patrick Crowley, Regimental Deputy Colonel PWWR, reflected on the history of PWWR as Surrey’s local regiment and stressed that the cadet forces, reserves, regular army, veterans and family members are all part of an extended family.
Captain Giles Wales, Commanding Officer A Company gave an overview of the size and activities of the company, including deployment on operations to Afghanistan and Cyprus, taking part in UK Resilience Operations, supporting the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and training in the USA and Spain.
Army Cadet Corporal Matt Jones, 17, spoke about his experiences as a cadet and how these had built his self-confidence and given him transferable skills and qualifications.
Canon Peter Bruinvels outlined to the audience the role of the ABF The Soldiers Charity in supporting soldiers and their families particularly in areas such as education, welfare and housing. He described the organisation as: “The little charity with a big heart.”