Volunteer reserves

sir – We are still in the midst of the current crisis. But some already need to think about how we might better prepare for the next great challenge, which may be of an altogether different nature.

The British people have shown their readiness to volunteer. They want the opportunity to serve. We need to harness that spirit and find innovative ways in which it can be used.

It is wonderful that so many people, particularly young people, are supporting the work of our NHS and other medical, care and charitable services. And there are many other vital tasks that need reinforcement. While our Armed Forces have to be ready for their primary task of national defence and security, as always in a national crisis they have stepped up with their unique capabilities in organisational and logistic support. But their stocks of equipment and reserve manpower are small.

In the near future, building on existing frameworks, we shall need more young people who are part of trained, flexible and well-equipped organisations. These “enhanced reserves” would be partly primed to respond to the call, without depriving established front-line services.

Geoffrey Van Orden

Conservative Defence Spokesman in the European Parliament, 1999-2020 Bildeston, Suffolk

sir – During the mid-to-late Forties I joined a government-sponsored scheme to spend two weeks working on the land.

Volunteers were housed in ex-army camps and daily working parties were allocated to different farms for varying duties. During my time I was employed fruit-picking, swedebashing and even looking after a pack of hounds. Could not a similar scheme be introduced in these troubled times?

Peter S Scotchford

Leek, Staffordshire