Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire and Honorary Colonel of the County’s Army Cadet Force Hugh Duberly CBE, presented a special award certificate to Prima Electronic Services Ltd., a contract electronics manufacturer based at Harding Way, St Ives on 21st April 2009.

 

L to R:  Jay Annis, Tony Hall, Col Derek Bristow, Lord Lieutenant Hugh Duberly, Mike Rogers, Colonel Roger Herriot

Managing Director of Prima Tony Hall proudly accepted the award in the presence of Colonel Derek Bristow, OBE, DL, Chairman of the Cambridgeshire County Forum of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association; Colonel Roger Herriot, Commandant of Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force, and Mike Rogers, Prima’s Commercial Director. The certificate recognises 15 years of support given by the firm to one of their employees, Captain Jay Annis – and this is a ‘double’ for the firm as in 2001 they had received a similar certificate from the then National Employers Liaison Committee.

 

Jay, (35), who lives at Wyton on the Hill with his wife Joanne and two small children Hannah and Luke, is a Training Officer with Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force, having risen through the ranks since joining the company. He was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal in 2007 for twelve years of commitment to the development of youth in Cambridgeshire.

 

Tony (48) who founded Prima Electronics exactly 21 years ago, became the county cadet force adviser on signals in 2007 as a direct result of supporting Jay. He has become so closely involved that he is himself undergoing selection for a commission with the army cadet force, following a family tradition of military service. His brother, Major Robin Hall, is currently the Officer Commanding TA units in Portsmouth, and another brother  - Aiden - has retired from the Army Cadet Force with the rank of Sergeant Major Instructor after many years of service.

 

The Army Cadet Force is a national voluntary youth organisation sponsored by the Army. It has 45,000 members aged 12-18 and 8,500 volunteer adults in its 1,760 detachments around the UK. Army Cadets learn independence, responsibility and leadership through activities such as sport, adventurous training, music, first aid and military skills training; as well as taking part in community activities. Each year, the ACF takes over 20,000 young people to annual summer camps across the country and abroad.

 

Following the presentation Mr Duberly was hosted by Tony on a guided tour of the factory and was shown the manufacturing processes integral to the creation of the company’s vast range of electronic component products.

 

Tony Hall (L) explains circuitry to Lord Lieutenant Hugh Duberly (R)

Speaking about the award Colonel Derek Bristow said, “Tony Hall has not only supported his employee in his activities with the ACF but has joined the ACF himself to help the youth of Cambridgeshire. His enormous amount of expertise in communications is very influential in ACF signals training both in the County and nationally.”