Reserve stories

Find out what it's like to be a reserve in Yorkshire and the Humber from the experts themselves - our own reserves.

Woman in RAF uniform smiling at the camera

"The opportunities within the RAF reserves are absolutely amazing. Taskings come in all of the time, there's always different types of adventures for you to go on."

Corporal Jac Lee, Logistics Chef with 607 Squadron
Read Jac's story
Man with glasses smiling at the camera

"The skills I get from the reserves are transferable into civilian life and the skills I get from civilian life are also transferable into the military."

Sergeant Kalvin Neal, army reservist with 4th Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment
Read Kalvin's story
Man in RAF uniform smiling at the camera

"I've had some amazing opportunities in the reserves and to be honest I wish I'd done it sooner"

Corporal Spencer Lee, mechanical transport logistics driver for 607 Squadron
Read Spencer's story
Reserves Umar and Ibrahim

“There’s nowhere else I know where you get to do the sort of things I do in the reserves and I enjoy every bit of it."

Private Ibrahim Choudhury, 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment
Read Umar and Ibrahim's story
Reservist Helen Haigh outside building in Leeds she helped to manage

"Being a reserve gives you the opportunity to build a much wider skills base and I encourage all my colleagues to think about joining."

Captain Helen Haigh, Royal Engineers.
Read Helen's story
Medical reserve Rachel Reynolds outside Rotherham Hospital

"As a reservist, you get the best of both worlds because you run two parallel careers which can each complement one another."

Major Rachel Reynolds, 212 Field Hospital, Sheffield.
Read Rachel's story

"I’m massively into physical fitness and military training gives me an extra outlet for that.”

Aircraftsman Danny Railton, 609 Squadron, Leeming.
Read Danny's story
Reserve and paramedic Vanessa Thomas

"The reserves has given me a lot of opportunities I wouldn't have got in civilian roles."

Corporal Vanessa Thomas, 335 Medical Evacuation Regiment
Read Vanessa's story

Make your spare time count

Being a reserve gives you friendship, fitness, new skills and leadership training. It's an experience like no other and you get paid.

Join a reserve unit near you