HMS Sultan: Remarkable Royal Navy sailors transform Gosport as they have "monumental impact" on town

Around 200 trainees from the Defence College of Technical Training’s Defence School of Marine Engineering and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School supported multiple projects as part of Inset day.

HMS Sultan Base Warrant Officer, WO1 Daniel ‘Bouncy’ Castle, said: “The Inset Day has provided a fantastic opportunity to represent HMS Sultan and contribute to our local community, helping to make things better and to demonstrate to our neighbours the human side of the Royal Navy. All of our staff and trainees should be very proud of all they’ve achieved.”

Groups took part in a Gosport Waste Walk to remove litter across Alver Valley and the cycle paths towards the Gosport Ferry, Stokes Bay and the area around the Institute of Naval Medicine. The team supported the Gosport Community Hub at Brune Park School, clearing their community garden and loading boxes of essential food and hygiene items for Ukrainian families residing locally.

Lesley Ure, KGA Hampshire community and service lead, said: “This visit from HMS Sultan exemplifies the strong bond between the armed forces and the community, showcasing how collaborative efforts can make a significant impact. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the team from HMS Sultan for their hard work and dedication, which continues to inspire and support our community initiatives.”

Trainees also painted and decorated the headquarters of the 6th Gosport (Rowner) Air Scout Group - clearing guttering, vegetation and performing maintenance. The group’s leader and Chief Petty Officer (Marine Engineering) Nigel Fleetwood said: “We currently have around 270 children and young people who use this facility each week, ranging from 4-18 years of age.

“There’s always so much that goes on and the leaders are constantly having to balance leading and planning sessions and we really struggle to find the time to carry out regular maintenance around all the activities. The volunteers coming in from Sultan will have a monumental impact allowing us to put even more time back into supporting activities for the children.”

A woodland walk route was restored by sailors at Alverstoke Junior School. Air Engineering Technician Thomas Shelton is currently on his Leading hands course at Sultan and was among those supporting the school by clearing overgrowth and putting fresh chippings down. He said: “I’ve done a few little jobs out in the community since I have joined the RN, but this is the first time I’ve been out in Gosport. It’s really satisfying to get out here, make a difference and to see smiles on faces.”

Teaching assistant Hayley Cummings added: “The children used to be able to come into the Woody Walk and play during break times but since Covid we’ve not been able to open it up. We also have a forest school, which is less academic and focussed on developing practical skills which uses the Walk allowing them to express themselves a little more freely so having a tidier area will help us to open that up more. It’s really lovely and helpful having the Royal Navy here. We’ve got quite strong ties with lots of military families within the school and the kids really like seeing them here as well.”