I started my career as a chartered surveyor in a very conventional way. I followed the advice of my tutors and applied to all ‘big six’ firms I was directed to, and so my journey began.
![Firefighters from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service monitoring the fire on Salisbury Plain Training Area. [Photograph courtesy of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/08/20180706_210200-1024x768.jpg)
Hi, I’m Brigadier Simon Stockley, Head of the DIO’s Overseas Region and Defence Training Estate (OR&DTE). My role includes the provision of military training facilities here in the UK, and around the world, to enable our Armed Forces to be …
![Tony Robertson, DIO Area Manager for the South Atlantic Islands [Crown Copyright, MOD 2016]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/07/20150418_130459_crop_396x459.jpg)
Hi, I’m Tony Robertson and I work as the DIO Area Manager for the South Atlantic Islands. I’m responsible for service delivery in the Falkland Islands. Replacing key infrastructure DIO is currently working on many different projects to maintain …
Hi, I’m Lt Col Stewart Andrews and I’m DIO’s Senior Training Safety Officer for Salisbury Plain. Last year, 2948 illegal incursions were reported in the South West; most were caused by people illegally driving 4x4s and motorcycles on the Plain. …
![Looking after the training estate in Sennybridge, Wales [Copyright Landmarc Support Services Limited, 2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/05/Landmarc_Sennybridge-Finn_Beales-032-1024x682.jpg)
I’m Richard McKinney, Regional Delivery Director for DIO. Today is World FM Day and to celebrate I'd like to reflect on the vital work and vast range of facilities management (FM) services that DIO, staff, suppliers and industry partners provide …
![Dartmoor Warbler [Copyright, Creative Commons 2018]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2018/05/Dartmoor-Warbler-2017.jpg)
Hi, I’m Mark Sumner and I work in DIO’s Environmental Support and Compliance Team as the Access and Recreation Advisor, based in Salisbury Plain. Today, I’ll be blogging about the work DIO has done to protect our most important wildlife …
We all like to moan about the cost of our home energy bills, and they do seem to have risen disproportionately. But imagine what the rising cost of energy means to an organisation the size of the Ministry of Defence? …
![A Challenger 2 tank on Castlemartin Ranges in Pembrokeshire, Wales. [Crown Copyright/MOD2014]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/08/45157422-1024x683.jpg)
Hi, I’m Steven Philipps-Harries, a Deputy Training Safety Officer at Castlemartin Training Area. I blogged early last year about how Castlemartin operates and while we’re on a short quieter period I thought I’d blog again. Here’s a bit of a …
![Soldiers with the Royal Wessex Yeomanry onboard a Challenger 2 main battle tank during a training exercise at Lulworth Cove in Dorset. [Crown Copyright/MOD2013]](https://insideDIO.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/07/45156642-1024x682.jpg)
I’m Les Hooper and I’ve been on Lulworth Ranges for 26 years. Initially this was with the military and now it’s as a range manager with Landmarc, who hold the contract from DIO to manage the training estate. 2016 marks …
Hello, my name is Jimmy Evans and I am the Training Safety Officer (TSO) and Commandant for Halton Training Camp near Lancaster, Holcombe Moor Training Area near Bury, and the Ambleside Adventure Training Hut in the Lake District National Park. …