Reserves Day 2022 is a chance to recognise and appreciate the integral part that Reservists play in the UK’s Defence capability.
Reserves Day started out as “Wear your uniform to work Day”, so that employers could start to appreciate the benefits that employing reservists bring to their organisation.
In 2015, the campaign evolved into Reserves Day and moved to a different time of year, to coincide with Armed Forces Day. Reserves Day is celebrated on the Wednesday before Armed Forces Day. This year, Reserves Day is on Wednesday 22nd June and we’ve created a separate page to help organisations take part in the campaign: How to celebrate Armed Forces Day in 2022.
Over 32,000 reservists are committing their spare time, balancing their day jobs and family life with a military career, to be ready to serve should their country need them.
Unless you’ve had the Reserve Forces explained to you, you’re likely to have a few misconceptions about the Reserve Forces, Reservists and Reserve Service. Check out our Reserve Forces Explained page for more information, or read on to explore our case studies about real people in the Reserve Forces in East Anglia.
There are 14 Army Reserve Centres in East Anglia, plus 1 Royal Naval Reserve unit, 1 Royal Marine Reserve unit, and a 4 RAF Reserves unit locations. There are 41 different groups (units, squadrons, troops, flights, detachments, companies, platoons) based in East Anglia. See them on our map.
In East Anglia, there are roughly 2,500 reservists training on our counties, with some people living in East Anglia but travelling outside the region to train in a unit of their choice (For example, the Military Working Dogs unit in Rutland).
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Meet Natasha, an NHS Dietitian who can refuel and rearm Apache helicopters.
For the past 12 years, Natasha has worked as an Advanced Specialist Dietitian, within the haematology department for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Based […]
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Meet Shaquille, 27, a Suffolk firefighter and an Army reservist with the Royal Logistic Corps.
27 year old, Ipswich-based Shaquille Goldsmith is used to life in uniform. As a teenager, he joined Suffolk Army Cadet Force, working his way up […]
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Meet Gary, owner of Thirteen UK Ltd and an RAF reservist with No3 Tactical Police Squadron.
“It’s never too late!” says 47 year old Gary Forder. “When I was younger I didn’t take an opportunity that was given to me. Instead, […]
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Meet Babatunde, a Police Inspector for British Transport Police and an Army reservist with 101 Engineer Regiment.
For over 20 years, Babatunde has served his country as an Army Reservist including two tours of Afghanistan and worked as a Police Officer for […]
Reservists make up 16% of the UK Armed Forces, and the proportion of reservists to Regular military personnel is set to grow.
At any one time, there are between 200 and 300 UK Reservists deployed on operations at home and around the world, serving alongside their Regular counterparts. When reservists are mobilised in this way, they could be away from their families and work for weeks or months.
75% of managers recognise the benefits reservists bring to their companies, but only 6% of managers agree that joining the Reserve Forces would be good for an individual’s career prospects. In comparison with their managers, 75% of Reservists believe that being in the Reserves is good for their career progression. (ICS Survey 2017)
Celebrating Reserves Day at home and at work is an acknowledgment that the time reservists spend training, and on active duty away from home and from work, is time well spent. It’s an acknowledgment that reservists, their families and their employers, have taken on an extra responsibility to help keep everyone in the UK (and many people overseas) safe.
Your actions on Reserves Day show you value the contribution of the Reserve Forces in keeping Britain safe.