Our Armed Forces Team
Our support of Nottinghamshire's Armed Forces Community is led by our team of Armed Forces Advocates.
Councillor Kelvin Wright – Armed Forces Champion
It is a great privilege and honour to be the Armed Forces Champion for Nottinghamshire County Council.
I am committed to representing and supporting our Armed Forces community, past and present, who have devoted so much for our country.
Their service and sacrifices should never be forgotten, and I will do everything I can to ensure that our brave men and woman continue to be represented and have their voices heard.
As for myself, I served in the military from 2009 until retirement in 2023 having joined the Royal Army Medical Corps Reserves at the height of the campaign in Afghanistan.
I was commissioned in 2010, leaving RMA Sandhurst in January 2011, and was deployed to Afghanistan on a MERT tour in October of that year and then again in 2012, where I commanded the Emergency Department at Camp Bastion.
In November 2018, I was appointed Commanding Officer 335MER (a pre-hospital retrieval regiment) and then Commanding Officer 306 Hospital Support Regiment in October 2020 at the rank of full Colonel.
Councillor Jim Vernon – Armed Forces Advocate
As someone who joined the Army as a 15-year-old, I am truly proud and humbled to be an Armed Forces Advocate at Nottinghamshire County Council.
As a Junior Leader, I became what was then the youngest J/RSM in the British Army and, after joining the 1st Grenadier Guards, I served in Kenya, Germany and completed four tours in Northern Ireland.
I have taken part in numerous ceremonial duties, including Trooping the Colour, State Opening of Parliament as well as at other well-known sites Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, St James’ Palace and Windsor Castle.
After leaving the Army, I spent three years with the reserves.
I have spent the rest of my life as a civilian advisor, mostly in counter terrorist roles, teaching police and military personnel worldwide, as well as specialising in explosive search and humanitarian de-mining with the United Nations.
Councillor David Clarke – Armed Forces Advocate
It is a huge privilege and honour for me to be an Armed Forces Advocate for Nottinghamshire County Council.
I am a former Royal Marine Commando, serving in 40 Commando Group, 42 Commando Group and Comachio Group.
During my seven years of proud service, from 1984 to 1991, I completed two operational tours of duty with the Commando groups.
I am looking forward to working with and representing the many men and women from Nottinghamshire who serve our country with such distinction.
Councillor Terry Cox – Armed Forces Advocate
Having served in the military for 23 years, I am delighted to be an Armed Forces Advocate for Nottinghamshire County Council.
I joined the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in 1984 before being posted to then West Germany to carry out reconnaissance missions and border patrols.
In 1991, I transferred to the Royal Military Police where I spent 13 years in Germany before returning to this country when I posted to Edinburgh.
I had an additional posting in Germany with an attachment to the US Military in Heidelberg, as well as a spell with the Headquarters Special Investigation Branch (HQ SIB) (G), Royal Military Police, Germany.
My final tour of duty was with HS QIB (UK) based at Bulford, Wiltshire, before retiring from the Military 2006.
Councillor Mike Robertson – Armed Forces Advocate
Firstly, like my colleagues, I am delighted and honoured to be an Armed Forces Advocate with Nottinghamshire County Council.
I joined the Army as a petroleum operator with the Royal Logistic Corps in 2003 and, on completion of my trade training, was posted to 13 Air Assault Support Regiment RLC, part of 16 Air Assault Brigade.
I was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick IV in 2006, providing logistics support to the 3 Para Battle Group in Helmand province.
After six years in the Army, I was proud to spend three years, from 2009 to 2012, in the RAF having been commissioned as a Pilot Officer by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
I also had seven enjoyable years serving as an Army reserve and nowadays currently runs an informal veterans’ social and support group in Misterton and surrounding villages.
Our aims
We have also been awarded the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
