A TERRITORIAL Army trooper from the town has spent time training in Denmark.

Droitwich reservist Jack Fitter was amongst soldiers from the Mercian Regiment 4th Battalion sent on Exercise Viking Star to train for future operations.

The TA soldiers will be deploying to Uganda at the end of the month to train the Ugandan Army who are due to undertake a UN tour of Somalia.

Next year the regiment will also be sending a company of reservists on Op Tosca, a six month peacekeeping mission to Cyprus.

Overseas training exercise such as Viking Star are designed to give troops experience of deploying overseas to work alongside foreign forces in a complex urban environment.

Jack, 19, an apprentice undertaker from Droitwich Spa said: "This is definitely one of the best things I have done since joining the TA. Using simulated effects during the urban stage was really useful for demonstrating what works and what doesn't. It makes you realise why we have been taught certain techniques.

"These exercises show that the government is serious about expanding the reserves. Anyone thinking about the joining the TA will realise that it's nothing like Dad's Army these days, we are now doing exactly the same as the regulars, if not more. It definitely feels like a profession rather than a hobby now."

Exercise Viking Star is one of several new overseas training exercises that have been made available to the reserves. It began with three days of live firing, building up to platoon attacks and base defence scenarios designed to replicate a typical modern conflict.

The units then moved to the village of Brikby in West Jutland where they learnt the principles of urban warfare before putting them into practice using a form of high powered paintball gun, known as simulated effects ammunition. The final stage took place in Søgård, where teams of eight soldiers were tested over a variety of stands during a 36 hour competition.