Arriva praised by Prince of Wales for supporting reservists

Transport operator Arriva was recognised for its support ofmembers of the Reserve Forces at a reception hosted by HRH thePrince of Wales, at his Clarence House residence, on Wednesday.

Stephen Noble, Arriva's managing director for the North East,received a certificate from under secretary of state for defence,Tom Watson MP, thanking his company for its support ofreservists.

Stephen Noble was one of more than 50 employers from across theUK who attended the reception. Arriva employs 6 reservists in theNorth East.

He said:

We are proud to support our reservists. They perform acrucial role for the nation often at great personal sacrifice. Asan employer, we also benefit from the skills and experience theygain from working in high-pressure and difficult circumstances. Wegive them our full support.

Thanking the employers, the Prince of Wales said:

The reserve forces are vital as an integral part of thearmed forces. Releasing valuable employees for mobilisation canplace a considerable burden on employers and I would like toexpress my appreciation to the companies involved. There is anenormous debt that is owed to employers.

Tim Corry, campaign director of SaBRE (Supporting Britain'sReservists and Employers), which organised the event, said:

Mobilisation can be a time of concern for reservistsand employers alike. Having the support of their employer makes ahuge difference to Reservists. SaBRE's role is to listen toemployers' concerns, relay these to the MOD, and support employersby providing information on the benefits, rights and obligationsassociated with employing a member of the volunteer reserveforces.

More information about the rights and obligations of reservistemployers is available at www.sabre.mod.uk.

Ends

Notes to editors

Photographs of the event are available. For further informationand photography please contact Fishburn Hedges:

Peter Chalkley 020 7544 3047peter.chalkley@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

Paul Hodgson 020 7544 3096paul.hodgson@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

Martin Brown 020 7544 3067martin.brown@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

Ministry of defence

Under secretary of state for defence Tom Watson said:

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our reserveforces, who do a tremendous job in often difficult circumstances.Their contribution to recent UK missions including Iraq andAfghanistan has been outstanding. However this would not have beenpossible without the support of employers who agree to releasetheir employees for operations as well as routine training, and Iwould like to pay tribute to the leadership that they all offer. Itis clear that in turn they recognise the additional skills andexperience that reservists can bring back to theirworkplace.