The Port of Felixstowe and Ipswich-based Barnes Construction were among 14 Suffolk firms recognised for supporting army reservist employees, who give up their spare time to train alongside Britain’s regular military forces.
The 14 were presented with Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Awards by Major General Greg Smith at Wattisham Flying Station, near Ipswich.
Among the other award winners were Aquablast Limited, Asset Reuse Limited, AXA Insurance, West Suffolk Forest Heath District, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Morson Technical Services, N2S Global Limited, Rockford Components Limited, TEX Special Projects Limited, Turners (Soham) Limited, and Elizabeth Finn Homes Limited.
Maj Gen Smith, chairman of the East Anglia Reserve Forces & Cadets Association, Col Anthony Fairbanks-Weston, chairman of the Suffolk Employer Engagement Group, and Lt Col Rob Olney, Commanding Officer of 6 Regiment Army Air Corps, all gave speeches during the ceremony about the support local employers have shown to the Reserve Forces.
At a similar ceremony at Colchester’s Wivenhoe House Hotel, 17 Essex firms scooped the accolade. They were: Brentwood Borough Council, Castle Point Borough Council, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Essex Cares Ltd, Essex County Council, Essex Police, First Data International, Green Earth Management Company Ltd, Micrologic UK Ltd, Milbank Concrete Products Ltd, Montecare Solutions, Re-Cycle, SGFM & Global, Southend University Hospital NHS Trust, University of Essex, Raytheon and Selex ES.
The awards were presented by the Rt Hon The Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant of Essex.
Lord Petre, Col Gary Wilkinson, Brigade Commander at Colchester Garrison and Iain Finch, Essex Employer Engagement Group chairman, spoke at the event.
Kristina Carrington, Regional SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers) campaign director for East Anglia said: “The presentation event was a great success with many of those in attendance having the opportunity to speak to other Suffolk employers about their experiences of employing reservists.
“The MOD received over 500 nominations for Silver Awards across the UK and 105 have been awarded to employers based in East Anglia.”
Mike McCarthy, managing director of Tex Special Projects Limited, based at Great Blakenham, Ipswich, said he was “delighted”. The firm relied on the commitment of its reservists, who offered a unique skillset with a proactive aptitude, he said.
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