Wednesday 25 June was marked up and down the UK as Reserves Day, a key date in Armed Forces Week 2025, with Forces-friendly organisations raising commemorative flags and hosting special events to showcase their support for Reservists, service leavers and military family members within their communities.
To celebrate the occasion, the Ship’s Company of HMS Dalriada, Glasgow’s Royal Naval Reserve unit, invited several local employers and special guests to an Engagement evening where they could gain first-hand insights into how Royal Maritime Reservists work and train to ensure they are fit for deployment whenever and wherever the need arises.
After receiving a warm welcome from Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Barry Stephen, the attendees, which included representatives from companies of various sizes and sectors and the Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow, were divided into groups and given a tour of the extensive Govan facilities.
The main objective of the event was to showcase Reservist skills and training through five different capability stands, which incorporated equipment demonstrations with talks delivered by members of the Ship’s Company. The capability stands covered the following skill-sets:
- Seamanship (boat simulator)
- Firefighting
- Small Arms handling
- Sea survival
- Physical standards assessment
Throughout the course of the evening, the guests were encouraged to take part in the equipment demonstrations, testing their ability to steer a boat or correctly put on protective gear for surviving on open water.
Once each group had visited all five stands, the guests and Ship’s Company regrouped and enjoyed a chance to chat further over a light supper. The employers in attendance spoke highly of the demonstrations they had witnessed, and were keen to thank the whole HMS Dalriada team for showing them the importance of supporting Reservist employees when it comes to fair employment opportunities, including time off for training and mobilisation.
Lowland RFCA would also like to thank the Ship’s Company for hosting an informative and enjoyable Reserves Day event.
