27th June 2012


Members of the Reserve Forces working at the Port of Felixstowe are today swapping their usual work clothes for military uniforms to celebrate 'Wear Your Uniform to Work Day', which highlights the crucial role played by Reservists in Britain’s Armed Forces.

The port Reservists and their Commanding Officers have been invited to a special event on the dock, organised by the port in conjunction with SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers), involving a port tour, private lunch and a ‘flying visit’ from an Apache helicopter.

David Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer for Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, who is himself a Lieutenant Colonel in the Engineer and Logistics Staff Corps, said:

“Uniform to Work Day provides a great opportunity to celebrate the role of the Reserves and to remind both the public and our employees the Armed Forces are made up of people from all sections of the community, from office workers to crane drivers. We are proud of the remarkable work that our Reservists undertake as volunteers and we hope they enjoy their day.”

Kristina Carrington, the Regional SaBRE Campaign Director, commented:

“The support, dedication and commitment The Port of Felixstowe gives to its employees who are members of the Reserve Forces is absolutely vital to the continuing participation of the Reserves in the UK’s defence capability.”

There are some 38,000 Reservists in the UK Armed Forces, who have been deployed around 24,000 times since 2003 on operations around the globe, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Cyprus and in support of the NATO mission in Libya.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

For further information, please contact Paul Davey, Head of Corporate Affairs, on Tel. No: +44 (0)1394 602063, Fax No: +44 (0)1394 604943 or E-mail: daveyps@hpuk.co.uk www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk

Port of Felixstowe (PFL) is the largest container port in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. PFL is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group. Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), is the world’s leading port investor, developer and operator. The HPH network of port operations comprises 315 berths in 52 ports, spanning 26 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. Over the years, HPH has expanded internationally into other logistics, transportation-related and hotel businesses. These include cruise ship terminals, airport and hotel operations, distribution centres, rail services, and ship repair facilities. In 2010, the HPH port network handled a combined throughput of 75 million TEU worldwide.