Recognising our Reservists: Meet Russell McSkelly

At Aspire Defence Services Limited, we are proud to have team members who are also part of the Reserve Forces. We recognise the significant impact Reservists have on the UK Armed Forces and the role they play in supporting the UK’s defence capability, as well as the additional manpower they offer and the ability to contribute specialised expertise in a flexible capacity.  

In honour of Reserves Day, a day to commemorate the contribution of Reservists, we want to shine a spotlight on one of our own, Russell McSkelly, who serves as a Team Leader within ADSL’s Transport Services and is a member of the Reserve Forces. When duty calls, Russell transitions from leading his team to putting on his uniform and supporting the forces. 

Russell shares his thoughts on why he became an Army Reservist: 

“After serving 22 years within the Royal Artillery, I wasn’t fully ready to hang up my boots. I wanted to keep doing my part whilst still being able to enjoy the unique banter and camaraderie that you can only get in the forces.  It is also a good way to top up your pay and keep in touch with friends you have made over the years.” 

We also asked Russell what advice he would give to anyone interested in joining the Reserves: 

“Take a good look at what the offer for the Reserves is, for the time you give up on an evening, you do get some good training. The Reserves are looking to build numbers so are offering more than you might think, such as Adventure Training, Battlefield Tours, Operation Tours if wanted, and much more.  The Reserves also have an annual bounty if all mandated training is completed each year which could be worth up to £2000 each April depending on the length of service, and it’s tax-free.  As a company, Aspire will also give you 10 extra days leave to complete your training.” 

With the Ministry of Defence (MoD) being our customer and our core mission of ‘Making Soldiers’ Lives Better’, we are strongly committed to supporting the Armed Forces community as best we can. We have implemented HR policies that are supportive of the forces, and we actively contribute to forces-related charities, such as our recent collaboration with Sodexo raising funds in honour of D-Day. As well as employing several Veterans and Reservists, we also organise the annual Aspire Cup football competition where military teams and Aspire teams compete, boosting morale within the civilian and military communities. 

On this Reserves Day, we want to express our gratitude to Russell and all Reservists for their service and dedication. We are proud to have Russell as a valued member of our team at ADSL, and we are honoured to support him in his dual roles as a Team Leader and a Reservist.