Twelve recently selected British Army Generals visited Nottingham this week to learn all about life in the city.
The Army Generalship Programme (AGP), aims to educate future British Army General Officers to lead and manage the British Army in the modern world. As part of this they have to learn about different societies and organisations, including Nottingham and the City Council.
These tours give Army Generals the chance to understand British society, learn how it’s changing and allows them to understand the changing face of religion in Britain and the impact of faith on culture and the socio-economic environment.
During these visits, the generals meet different people in society and learn how the army is seen through the eyes of the public.
The 12 generals visited Nottingham yesterday, Wednesday 7 February, to visit the City Council and meet organisations across the city.
They visited various neighbourhoods, including Bilborough, Hyson Green, Bulwell, Radford, St Ann’s, Sneinton and the city centre. During their tour they stopped at the Bilborough Foodbank at St John the Baptist. This is one of 15 supported by Hope Nottingham, a Christian charity. Hope supports many neighbourhood foodbanks across the city, helping people out of crisis and directing people to life-changing support.
They also met people at Equation, the charity fighting for everyone to have equal, healthy relationships, free from domestic abuse, sexual violence and gender inequality. Next on their visit was Take 1 Studios. This is a charity specialising in providing disadvantaged young people with training courses in music, education, dance and more to help them attain invaluable skills for career progression.
The groups then met workers at Rape Crisis before moving onto the Arimathea Trust, which provides housing and support for people who have had their first claim for asylum refused. The group also visited Women’s Aid, NG7 Employment & Training, Crabtree Farm Community Centre, Bulwell Community Toy Library, Muslim Hands, the Pakistan Centre and the Renewal Trust
They met senior officers from Nottinghamshire Police and different people from areas of the council, including Community Protection, Adult Social Care and Sports and Culture.
Cllr Toby Neal, Portfolio Holder for Community and Customer Services, facilitated the visit and said: “we were very pleased to have the opportunity to host the Generals, who have been meeting the people of our city and understanding more about our community.
“The group enjoyed their time here and got to meet many different people from various backgrounds. This programme is a great way for them to understand how diverse communities are and how they are constantly evolving.”