ONE Islander was recently lucky enough to be invited to a special celebration held at Buckingham Palace.

Nathan Toms, who is a member of the Territorial Army, was one of the 7,000 people from the British Isles who attended the event to celebrate 100 years of the reservists. Guests of honour at the event were the Princess Royal and Prince Edward.

The event was held to acknowledge the support that reservists receive from their employers. Nathan praised his employers, Itex in Jersey, where he runs the sales administration team, saying: ‘I’m pleased that employers have also been recognised by the TA, because the support and encouragement of Itex have been fantastic.

‘The whole event was a wonderful experience in a fantastic setting. It was great to meet up with others in the TA to hear their stories.’

Itex Jersey’s deputy managing director, Bruce Ridley, spoke highly of Nathan, saying: ‘For us it’s really no problem to support Nathan. In fact, it shows that he is a fully rounded individual who is keen to do his bit for others, so he is just the sort of person who fits in well to our team.

‘He has various commitments he needs to make to the TA each year and we are delighted that we can help out.’

Nathan has been a member of the TA for the past five years and served 13 years with the Jersey Field Squadron before that. He has also served as a regular solider with the Queen’s Regiment and the Royal Engineers during his military career. Currently he is serving as a Sergeant Major for a University Training Corps in Southampton.

• Picture: Nathan Toms (right) and his Itex employer, Bruce Ridley, at Buckingham Palace for the special event