Last week, a special guest came to give a talk about his experience in the Royal Navy. Michael 'Ladders' Ladlow is a submariner, as well as being the brother of our own Head Nurse for Medicine, Tom Ladlow.

Michael gave an overview on what life is like being submerged for up to 202 days, with no communication or internet in a high-pressured environment, protecting our shores and acting as a deterrent in peace time.

Michael's talk touched on leadership, resilience, commitment and focusing on the task at hand during challenging times, alongside a few fascinating stories. The network is hoping to organise more of these talks and events over the year to help bring people together, support each other and in turn, compliment the Armed Forces Covenant that supports both colleagues and patients.

CHFT's Armed Forces Network isn't just for Armed Forces reserves and veterans. It's also for anyone in CHFT with a connection. Be that through family, cadets or just wanting more information, everyone is welcome.

If you have any questions in relation to the network, you can contact Rob Birkett, Jason Bushby or Will Ainslie. The network would like to thank Michael for taking the time to come to CHFT to share his experience.