Ripon-based soldiers in the 21 Engineer Regiment have begun a deployment in Cyprus as part of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force.
The soldiers will spend the next six months carrying out patrols on the buffer zone that runs between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
The UN force was set up in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the two island communities.
Sappers from the regiment took up their duties on Monday in a ceremony in the country’s capital, Nicosia.
Lieutenant colonel Perry Bishop, commanding officer of 21 Engineer Regiment said:
“Peacekeeping poses some unique challenges that I have not experienced elsewhere in my career.”
“The Regiment’s soldiers understand the importance of this mission, and are eager to put the British Army’s world-leading training to good effect.”
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21 Engineer Regiment has three squadrons based in Ripon.
In recent years, it has seen a significant focus on support to UN peacekeeping operations.
This has included deployments to Cyprus, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Taylors of Harrogate wins UN climate change awardTea and coffee merchant Taylors of Harrogate has been recognised for its efforts to tackle climate change by the United Nations.
The company has been named as one of 11 winners of the UN Global Climate Action Awards and its work will go on display at next month’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
The awards advisory panel praised Taylors for its role in the international small group tree planting programme in Kenya. This scheme works with farmers in rural communities to share knowledge on conservation farming and reforestation.
About 7,500 tea farmers are included in the project across four factories.
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The awards advisory panel praised the company’s “unique programme with its long-term suppliers” that tackled “the interlinked challenges of climate change, smallholder livelihoods and ensuring a continuous supply of quality tea and coffee”.
The company also installed solar panels on its tea and coffee factory, generating almost 200,000 kwh of electricity a year.
UN Climate Change executive secretary Patricia Espinosa said:
“The winners of the 2021 UN Global Climate Action Awards provide tangible proof that solutions to tackle the climate crisis exist and that they can be replicated and quickly scaled up. This is what inspiring leadership looks like.”