West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas has spent two days at the RNAS Culdrose base near Helston seeing members of the armed forces going about their business.

Last year, Mr Thomas joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS), which aims to help parliamentarians understand the work of the armed forces and enable them to provide genuinely informed contributions to defence debates.

As part of the scheme, Mr Thomas has committed to spending a minimum of 15 days with the Service of his choice – in his case the Royal Navy - during a 12-month period.

With fellow MPs Robert Courts and Anne Marie Morris, Mr Thomas was given a tour of air station facilities and operations, had the chance to talk to personnel from all units on the site and also took to the controls of the Merlin Flight Simulator, when he was tasked to take off through virtual reality from the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth while she was berthed in Mount’s Bay.

“It was a very interesting and constructive couple of days,” said Mr Thomas.

“Culdrose is one of Europe’s biggest helicopter bases, with 3,000 personnel on site, and it was eye-opening to see the wide breadth of occupations and activities taking place there.

“The main reason for joining the AFPS is to get a greater understanding of what exactly is going on in the Services so that as MPs, we can provide the most effective support.

“It was fascinating to find out exactly how important the work of Culdrose and the 820 Merlin Squadron is to the Queen Elizabeth and will be to the Prince of Wales when that carrier is commissioned next year.”

“I’m very grateful to the Commanding Office, Captain Anthony Rimington, and to the AFPS for organising the visit – it not only enabled me to find out more about the life and work of modern-day servicemen and women, but also helped put into context exactly how significant Culdrose is to the economy of West Cornwall.”