DEVONPORT NAVY BASE RUNNER'S HOSPICE CHALLENGE

Devonport Naval Base employee Marc Craig has set himself the challenge of running ten races in 12 months to raise money for a hospice to say thanyou for care received by his family.

Marc, from Saltash, Cornwall, is planning to complete ten ten-kilometre races and donate sponsorship money to the Plymouth charity St Luke's Hospice. He is a member of his hometown running club Tamar Trotters and has been pounding the roads for numerous charities since the year 2000. He has raised thousands of pounds for good causes, including St Lukes Hospice in 2006.

A majority of the races will take place in Devon and Cornwall , but the main attraction on the list is the London ten-km race which takes place over the late May Bank Holiday. This is the BUPA London 10,000m which is is organized by the London Marathon and is run on the course likely to be used for the 2012 Olympic Marathon.

Marc, 33, said: "St Lukes Hospice has always held a special place in my heart following the fantastic care and support they gave my nan and granddad a few years ago. I came up with the idea of running ten ten -kilometre races in 2010 during Christmas when trying to decide what races I would compete in during the year.

"I noticed the London ten-kilometre race was advertised on the internet and having not completed in the race before I thought it would be an interesting race to compete in and from there the challenge has grown."

Marc's hospice challenge races are:

21 March - Mad March Hare, Plympton

15 May - Ivybridge 10K

31 May - London 10,000

12 June - Bampton 10K

26 June - Killerton Kanter, Near Exeter More/.

22 August - Torbay Royal Regatta

12 September - Probus 10K, Cornwall

26 September - Taunton 10K

03 October - Newquay 10K

17 October - Dartmoor Vale 10K, Newton Abbott Racecourse

Founded in 1982, St Luke's Hospice is a registered charity that is dedicated to providing highly specialised palliative and end of life care for patents who have terminal or life-limiting illnesses. The hospice also offers support to the families and loved ones of patients. Today, as part of St Luke's Services, the hospice cares for more than 2,000 people each year from Plymouth, south west Devon and east Cornwall. The hospice costs more than £5 million each year to run. Government funding is limited, so each year at least £3.5m must be raised by the community.

If you would like to sponsor Marc he can be contacted on NB extension 55011 or 01752 285011 or e-mail craigm@a.dii.mod.uk

The nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine HMS Triumph has sailed for trials to test improvements made to her during major refit to refuel her reactor and update her weapon systems.

Captain Mike Robinson, the Superintendent Submarines for Devonport, said: "HMS Triumph sails for sea trials with significant safety and capability improvements, equipping her to provide a substantial contribution to defence during her second commission."

The next few months will see her conduct extensive tests at sea ensuring that the modifications made to her propulsion and command systems withstand the demanding environment at sea both surfaced and dived. Following her planned acceptance back into the Royal Navy fleet on later this year, her crew will then also be tested with the rigours of operational sea training.

The work, the last Trafalgar class submarine refit and refuel to be undertaken, was carried in partnership with the Royal Navy's major contractor Babcock. The company's Submarine Operations Director (Devonport), Gavin Leckie, said: "The quality of HMS Triumph as she leaves for sea trials, and timely completion of this extensive refit, is testament to the skill, dedication, and close teamwork by all involved, and the clear leadership from the Defence Equipment and Supplies agency project contract manager, Babcock project manager and the submarine's commanding officer."

The refit has taken six years to complete and cost nearly £300 million. Over one thousand personnel have worked on the boat in this time totalling 2.75 million man-hour refit including Babcock employees, ship's staff and various other external contractors.

Capability improvements have included installation of the latest sonar systems, and upgrade for Tomahawk land attack cruise missile systems. A new command and control system has been installed, as well as a new internal fibre optic computer systems network and enhanced satellite communications system. An additional ballast pump has been installed to aid rapid de-ballasting and a number of safety improvements added to fire-fighting and escape capabilities.

HMS Triumph will now undergo a three-month sea trials programme before returning to the Royal Navy's operational fleet for on-going duties.

SCHOOL VISITS ROYAL NAVY CHURCH

Youngsters from years 1 and 2 from St George's Church of England School in Stonehouse, Plymouth, spent the morning in St Nicholas' Church at HM Naval Base Devonport.

The children, under the command of their teacher Mrs Lynn Slater spent the morning in the famous naval base church where they learned about both church and Royal Navy symbolism.

"St Nicholas' Church is full of the usual things you would see in a church", said the Royal Navy Chaplaincy Team leader at the navy base, the Rev Ned Kelly. "But what makes St Nich's so fascinating to young and old alike is the way that the church is full of Navy symbolism as well. There are the flags and ensigns as well as all the notable Ships crests on the walls . not to mention the massive model of the Golden Hind that hangs from the rafters! So there was plenty for the children to do and learn about".

All the children enjoyed their visit to the church which also included drawing activities, learning about the Naval memorabilia and having a go on the Church organ.

ROYAL MARINES CHARITY DONATIONS PRESENTATION

Generous Royal Marines have presented £6,000 to Plymouth charities at Royal Marine Stonehouse Barracks.

This money has been raised by the hard work of Carole Dinham (the commanding officer's PA). Carole regularly organises Royal Marine band concerts in the Globe Theatre in Stonehouse Barracks. These concerts are open to the general public and all proceeds from ticket sales go towards charitable ventures.

Carole said: "I am so pleased that the Royal Marines can show their support for the local community in this small way. I would like to thank those who continue to attend concerts for their support but especially I would like to thank the band for their excellent performances which make the concerts such a success."

Lieutenant Colonel G E Green Royal Marines, Commanding Officer Royal Marines Stonehouse said: "I am honoured to be able to present these cheques to such worthwhile charities today. I hope that this money can provide real benefits to the local community and I look forward to donating to more charities next year. My sincere thanks go to the Royal Marines Band Service for their unstinting support and to my staff, particularly Carole Dinham, whose voluntary work to bring together these concerts has been instrumental in raising this money for charity."

The beneficiaries are: Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund, Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Force, Alexandra House, Horizons, Plymouth Shopmobility & Community Transport, Precious Lives Appeal, and the Elisabeth Svendsen Trust.

ROYAL NAVY WARSHIP HOSTS THEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE

The Royal Navy warship HMS Bulwark was the unusual location for a symposium of several leading theologians speaking on issues of faith, war and peace.

The discussion grew out of the Plymouth-based ship's affiliation with County Durham and was chaired by the Bishop of Durham involving senior Royal Navy and Army officers and Royal Navy chaplains, including the Chaplain of the Fleet.

The papers and the ensuing dialogue between the theologians and the military representatives considered the legitimacy of military power and how it should be used, with particular focus on recent and current conflicts.

Discussions centred around the role and limitations of international law, the discriminate use of force, a Christian critique of the use of military power and the use of military power from an Augustinian perspective.

Short papers were given by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Professor Oliver O'Donovan from Edinburgh University, Nigel Biggar - Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Oxford, and Canon Nicholas Sagovsky, of Westminster Abbey.

Also represented were the Armed Forces Chris tian Union and MMI (Military Ministries International) - a charity supporting Chris tian Ministry to the Military on an international basis, which was also financial sponsor for the symposium. The event was hosted by the Commanding Officer of HMS Bulwark, Captain Gavin Pritchard. Similar symposia could take place in the future.

HMS Bulwark is one of two of the Royal Navy's commando assault ships. The ship has a crew of 390, a quarter of whom are made up from 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines. The ship can carry up to 200 Royal Marines and an extra 500 in austere co nditions for short periods. Her flight deck can ac co mmodate two Chinook or two Merlin heli co pters. A large floodable dock holds four large landing craft - with another four carried on davits on the ship's side.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Gold Rover, a support ship for the Royal Navy, returns to Devonport, Plymouth, on Friday (26 February) after a ten-month patrol in the South Atlantic.

The fleet tanker has been conducting maritime security operations in the region. This provides a maritime presence to protect the UK 's interests in the region, helping maintain British sovereignty throughout the South Atlantic, including the Falkland Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension, Tristan Da Cuhna, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Highlights of the trip included visits to South Georgia where the crew enjoyed the wildlife and scenery in one of Britain's most remote territories, Rio de Janeiro where the ship underwent maintenance periods; and the Island of Saint Helena where the tanker also took part in the rescue of the yacht Sea Jade and hosted islanders on board.

During the deployment Gold Rover covered more than 50,000 miles, crossing the equator no less than 6 times. Gold Rover has issued around 9,000 tonnes of diesel fuel in support of the five warships that have been on station in the South Atlantic during her time deployed.

The ship's commanding officer, Captain Paul Minter, said: "RFA Gold Rover and her crew have once again performed consistently well in the wide range of operations and support they have been asked to conduct over the last ten months, demonstrating the wide variety of abilities the RFA can provide worldwide. They remain a credit to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Navy."

The Royal Navy welcomed children from a Torbay school for an exciting visit to a submarine.

The youngsters were shown round the submarine, above and below decks by the submariners and met the commanding officer, a privilege afforded to few outside the Royal Navy. On leaving the submarine they had lunch in the officers' mess (dining room) in the navy base.

The pupils of Mayfield School already have a strong and productive relationship with the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Torbay and her crew and enhanced this with their educational trip at HM Naval Base Devonport, Plymouth.

Commander Edward Ahlgren, the commanding officer of HMS Torbay, said: "It is an absolute privilege to have our VIP guests from Mayfield School , they are a joy to have on board and are fantastically rewarding to host. The children all have a good time and so do my sailors who enjoy showing them where they live and serve underwater.

"They certainly add colour to our day and their teachers tell us they can't stop talking about their day here for ages afterwards. The pupils then study HMS Torbay and the Royal Navy in the classroom. We certainly seem to inspire their learning experience and stimulate their imagination. The sailors are also inspired to raise money for the school from various sponsored events. The relationship is very much two way and we always look forward to seeing our young friends."

Mayfield teacher Luana Winston said: "It is a fantastic experience for the children to see inside a submarine. Not only do they have a really good day doing something few people ever do, but it also fits into their Key Stage 4 learning. They are told how the submarine works and what the crew do. It is a stimulating way to help children with severe learning difficulties.

The school has a very close two-way relationship with the submarine with the school visiting HMS Torbay in the past and sailors warmly welcomed to their classrooms as special guests.

The nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine HMS Talent welcomed on board special guests from her 'twin' town Shrewsbury, in Shrophsire.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Shrewsbury, Councillor and Mrs Alan Townsend, were among guests invited to visit HMS Talent as the submarine comes to the end of a maintenance period at HM Naval Base, Devonport, Plymouth.

HMS Talent, which has a long official affiliation with the town of Shrewsbury , returned from a busy patrol last June. Before returning to operational duty the submarine took the chance to welcome her affiliates on board for a tour and a meal. Visitors also included affiliate organisations the Past Masters of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and students from the London University Royal Navy Unit.

Commander Simon Asquith, the commanding officer of HMS Talent, said: "It was a real pleasure to host affiliates. It is always an honour to showcase the capabilities of the submarine service, especially to such a varied and influential group."

The guided tour of the submarine culminated in a simulated scenario including firing against a hostile warship with the mayor invited to press the mock 'fire' button.

In the evening the guests were treated to a formal Royal Navy dinner with the food prepared by Petty Officer Patton and his chefs.

HMS Talent is the penultimate of the Royal Navy's seven Trafalgar class submarines and was commissioned in 1990. She was built in Barrow-in-Furness and launched by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in 1988. The submarine has a complement of 130 officers and ratings on board. HMS Talent was given a major capability upgrade in 2006 when she was fitted with the Royal Navy's advanced sonar.

ROYAL NAVY AMPHIBIOUS FORCE SAILS FOR NORWAY

An amphibious task group of ships and Royal Marines sailed from Plymouth yesterday (Monday 8th) for extreme cold weather training.

HMS Albion, the fleet high-readiness amphibious flagship, leads the task group to take part in Exercise Cold Response in Norway.

The 18,500 ton assault ship sailed at midday with staff from Commander Amphibious Task Group and 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. They will be joined by the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, which sailed last night and the support ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay.

For the next few weeks the task group will work with Scotland-based 45 Commando Royal Marines which are already training in Norway . Cold Response is designed to test both personnel and ships in extreme weather conditions. The Royal Marines, Army gunners from plymouth-based 29 Commando and sailors from the ships will work alongside each other, preparing for operations anywhere in the world.

HMS Albion has just completed the final phase of operational sea training with Flag Officer Sea training organisation when the ship worked with Plymouth-based 42 Commando Royal Marines on amphibious landings on the South West coast .

Commander Geoff Wintle, HMS Albion's head of logistics said: "The ship's company have been working hard during operational sea training and they are now looking forward to taking the next step up with the first real exercise with the battle staff embarked. The conditions in Norway will be extremely challenging although the recent cold weather in the UK has given people a taste of life in the 'freezer'."

HMS Albion has recently undergone a £26M maintenance period in Devonport Dockyard and has now HMS Albion is a landing platform dock whose normal role is to provide an afloat HQ for Commander Amphibious Task Group and his staff alongside the commander and staff of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.

In addition to her normal complement of 350 sailors and Royal Marines, the ship has accommodation for up to 150 soldiers/Marines as a landing force and can carry 70 vehicles, stores and equipment. The landing force is disembarked using the ship's landing craft, four from the internal floodable dock and four smaller craft launched from the side of the ship. HMS Albion also has a large flight deck which can operate a wide range of helicopters including the Chinook.

ROYAL NAVY AMPHIBIOUS EXERCISE IN SOUTH WEST

A foggy grey Cornish afternoon was the setting for the first landings of an amphibious exercise off the South West coast involving Devon ships and Royal Marines.

Exercise South West Sword is designed to test Plymouth-based assault ship HMS Albion's capabilities as the amphibious flagship and started at Pentewan Sands in Cornwall yesterday.

Over the next few days there will be a series of assaults and raids along the Cornish and Devon coasts. Plymouth-based 42 Commando Royal Marines are also taking part as is the support ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay.

Commander Geoff Wintle, of HMS Albion said: "Despite the gloomy weather, the exercise has got off to a good start. We are delighted that 42 Commando Royal Marines are working with us on this one. We will also see them for Exercise Auriga later in the year, when we will take HMS Albion to the USA where 42 Commando will exercise alongside the US Marine Corps."

HMS Albion is in her final phase of operational sea training under the direction of Flag Officer Sea Training and has embarked the Royal Marines from Bickleigh Barracks.

Commander Wintle added that: "The ship is in an excellent state and the sailors and Royal Marines would be working closely together over the next two weeks. The ship will be tested as a command and control platform and the result would be a fully worked-up Fleet amphibious flagship capable of hosting Commander Amphibious Task Group and 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines ready for operations anywhere in the world."

The exercise will see HMS Albion, RFA Mounts Bay and HMS Liverpool ranging up and down the coast of Cornwall and Devon practising maritime operations and series of amphibious raids and assaults. HMS Albion will the return to Devonport before sailing in early February for Norway where the ship will work with 45 Commando in a more testing Arctic environment.

ROYAL NAVY OFFICER HONOURED BY THE QUEEN

Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Tony Jackson has been recognised by the Queen in the New Year Honours List with the award of an MBE for his work in Devon.

Tony has been honoured for his role as a funerals officer at HM Naval Base Devonport, Plymouth, and the sensitive way in which he handled related issues. He has also been commended for his dedicated work on a major new accommodation and domestic services contract, the Armada Project, at the navy base.

Tony said: "I couldn't believe it when I received the letter, my eyes welled up with tears. The Armada Project was a very busy job but it was great to see it through from start to finish over four years. It must not be forgotten that I was one of a team of people involved with the Armada Project and everyone had to work hard together to get the aims achieved."

He added: "Being a funerals officer was one of the most challenging roles I have ever had to take on. Whatever I did, I did for the bereaved families, all of whom made a real impact on me. Their dignity in their grief was truly humbling."

Tony is also a keen scuba diver within the Royal Navy club at Devonport Navy Base and his contribution towards encouraging other sports divers has been recognised. He said: "The Scuba Diving bug didn't catch me till I was 40 and had a short appointment with the Navy which took me out to California . I'm lucky that I've had the opportunity to advance my skills to a point I can give something back to the sport. Although I learnt to dive in California , I prefer diving in and around the UK as it is far more adventurous and really concentrates your skills level.

Tony left Bushey Meads School, Bushey, Hertfordshire, aged 16 with one grade three CSE in Home Economics. He joined the Royal Navy in 1978 as junior catering accountant, he would have preferred to be a chef, but they were not being recruited at the time. He progressed through as a non-commissioned officer to be selected for training as a commissioned officer. He passed out from training as a lieutenant one day before his 40 th birthday in 2001, from Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), Dartmouth.

He then worked with 801 Squadron for two years before moving to HMS Drake at Devonport where he worked until joining BRNC in 2008, where he now works as the Royal Navy interface with civilian contractors.

Tony, who has two children Stacey (22) and Lee (21) who live with him in Plymouth, said: "I joined the RN straight from school with minimal qualifications. The RN has given me so many opportunities during my service and I have not been afraid to take them."

His partner Linda Oliver lives in Leighton Buzzard and his mother lives in Borehamwood. He was a very competent squash player competing within the RN until scuba diving took over as main sporting interest. Ever active, he ran in the Brickwoods Field Gun Team for BRNC in 2009 as the oldest member and is already in training for the 2010 competition.

ROYAL NAVY WARSHIP DEPLOYS TODAY ANTI-PIRACY OPERATIONS

Plymouth-based HMS Chatham sailed this morning from her base port of Devonport, Plymouth, for a seven-month deployment to patrol the waters around the Gulf of Aden, the Horn of Africa and the Somali Basin.

The ship's commanding officer, Commander Simon Huntington, said: "HMS Chatham is deploying to the Middle East to join NATO forces in the fight against piracy as part of the international effort to improve maritime security in the region.

"We are fully trained for the task and our ship is extremely well equipped for the challenges that we will face. This will be a demanding operational deployment and it is always difficult being separated from families and loved ones for such a long time, but we are firmly focussed on the task ahead and are now eager for HMS Chatham to take on this important role, which we have spent many months preparing for."

During her deployment, the Type 22 frigate will be the UK Flagship to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the group's commander Commodore Steve Chick. HMS Chatham will also become the lead vessel for Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO contribution to counter piracy operations off Somalia.

The ship began maritime security operations as soon as she left Devonport to protect the UK 's shipping and maritime trade routes by deterring illegal activity and monitoring other vessels for any suspicious activity, as she makes her way through the Mediterranean and east of the Suez Canal.

HMS Chatham will join other ships in the NATO task group, including warships from Spain, Turkey , Greece and the USA, to patrol round the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden. This is a vital area for maritime trade, covering strategic shipping routes from both the Far and Middle East continuing through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal en route to Europe. HMS Chatham will be monitoring these vital supply lines whilst also providing a reassuring presence in the area.

In the busy year leading up to this deployment HMS Chatham undertook maintenance, including time in dry-dock, before completing an intensive series of sea trials to prove her systems and equipment.

The latter part of 2009 was spent completing demanding training under the close scrutiny of staff from Flag Officer Sea Training in Devonport; this ensured her crew is ready for any task, ranging from peacekeeping and humanitarian aid to conflict. The crew used Christmas to complete final preparations and to take well-earned leave before departure.

HMS Chatham was laid down in 1986 and launched in 1988 and is the last of four Type 22 frigates. She is 150m long, has a crew of 250 and displaces 5,300 tonnes. She is capable of engaging targets above, on or below the sea surface with anti-air and anti-missile Sea Wolf missiles, anti-ship Harpoon missiles, anti-submarine Stingray torpedoes and a Lynx helicopter. She is also fitted with a variety of guns of up to 4.5-inch bore, advanced radars, sonars, computer systems and communications equipment. Powered by gas turbine engines, HMS Chatham can sprint at speeds of up to 30 knots. She is the seventh Royal Navy ship to bear the name.