On Thursday 14 November Edinburgh Castle welcomed guests of Lowland RFCA for a Royal Gun Salute (RGS) to mark His Majesty The King’s birthday.
On special Royal days, such as anniversaries and birthdays, Royal Salutes are fired by the Armed Forces from various locations across the United Kingdom.
The guest of honour at this year’s RGS was Dame Katherine Grainger DBE CBE, who serves as Honorary Colonel of 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment, Army Reserve. Born in Glasgow, Dame Katherine Granger rowed for Scotland and is a Gold and Silver Olympic medalist.
Dame Katherine’s link to the medical Regiment gave Lowland RFCA the opportunity to invite guests with a particular interest in Scottish healthcare.
Many guests from across NHS Scotland were invited, including John Burns COO NHS Scotland.
NHS Scotland, Scotland’s largest employer, affirmed their commitment to Defence by re-signing the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC); whilst NHS24 and NHS Education for Scotland were presented with their AFCs. The Governor of Edinburgh Castle, Major General Bob Bruce CBE DSO, both signed and presented these momentous certificates.
With ‘healthcare’ as the theme of the day, Lowland RFCA were pleased to invite Cadet representatives to speak about the way in which young people from across Scotland are upskilling in this area.
Many Cadets pursue careers in healthcare after gaining hands-on experience during their time in uniform. In fact, Cadets from Glasgow and Lanarkshire Battalion Army Cadet Force were thrilled to share their experience of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme.
By taking part in the scheme Cadets complete an assortment of learning modules and undergo a clinical placement within a local healthcare setting. If the Cadets successfully submit their learning portfolio, they gain a recognised certificate from the RCN.
Guests in attendance were particularly impressed to hear about the potential of these young people and the qualifications they have gained through the Cadet Forces.
Edward Challis, Principal Lead Armed Forces Talent Programme for NHS Scotland, said: ‘There were many stakeholders in the room who really see the value in utilising the skill sets that are brought from the Armed Forces Community as a whole, but especially from the Cadets. The Armed Forces Talent Programme can recognise how they can fit into an organisation like the NHS, both organisations sharing such similar values.’
Those in attendance were united in their desire to see Scotland flourish, and recognised how well skills can be shared and developed when collaboration takes place. To be in the renowned setting for such a celebratory moment was the cherry on top.
