Year in review: What DIO has achieved in 2023

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Accommodation, Cyprus, Defence Estate, Defence Training Estate (DTE), Environment and Ecology, Military Training, Operation Nightingale, Sustainability, Working at DIO
A large group of people standing on a chalk image carved into the side of a hill.

It’s been a busy year for us at DIO. From supporting the Coronation of King Charles III to supplying more than 20,000kg of turkey to Armed Forces personnel over Christmas, our teams have been working hard to help our Armed …

Maximising safe public access on Salisbury Plain Training Area

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Public Access, Salisbury Plain Training Area, Volunteering
Two men, one wearing a dark leather jacket and the other wearing a high-visibility jacket, examine a folded section of a map. Next to them, at head-height, is a sign which reads: ‘Permissive Byway / Open to all traffic / Subject to flag’

Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is the UK’s largest military training area, covering 11% of Wiltshire and a small part of Hampshire. Ensuring the fine balance between providing a place for our Armed Forces to train safely and maintaining public …

How is a rugby legend helping keep the public safe on MOD land?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Armed Forces, British Army, Defence Training Estate (DTE), Public safety, Salisbury Plain Training Area
Head and shoulders image of Mike Tindall, a white man with a short beard, smiling at the camera. He wears a military helmet and body armour over a dark jacket.

Last month DIO’s Corporate Communications team invited England Rugby legend and ‘I’m a Celeb’ contestant Mike Tindall to Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) to help us promote our ‘Respect the Range’ public safety campaign. ‘Respect the Range’ is DIO’s biggest …

When your heart is in the country: understanding what makes the training estate tick

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Salisbury Plain Training Area, Training Estate Public Safety, Working at DIO
An old and damaged armoured vehicle is on the left of the image, with its tracks up on some rubble which is more prominent to the right of the image. Behind it is a large two storey building made of breeze blocks with shuttered windows.

Having recently joined DIO as a Campaigns and Marketing Officer in our Communications team, one of my main responsibilities is to work on our Training Estate Public Safety (TEPS) campaign.  Being new to DIO and the Ministry of Defence as …

Sanctuary Awards 2021: Celebrating 30 years of achievements in conservation and sustainability

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Environment and Ecology, Sanctuary Awards, Sustainability
A trophy which features a silver, metal otter with a fish in its mouth, perched atop a black square base. On the base of the trophy is a plaque which reads: 'Sanctuary Award, presented to MOD conservation officer by Otterburn Training Area, for annual presentation for the best conservation project on MOD land, 1991.

I’m Julia Powell, Head of Policy, Climate Change and Sustainability within the MOD’s new Climate Change and Sustainability Directorate. This year, I also had the challenging but exciting role of being Chair of Judges for what were the 30th annual …

Respect the Range: staying safe on the UK Defence Training Estate

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Aldershot Training Area, Armed Forces, Military Training, Public safety, Salisbury Plain Training Area, Training Estate Public Safety
A pair of soldiers in combat uniform are pictured kneeling in long grass, with weapons drawn.

Much of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) training estate is accessible to the public, offering exciting opportunities to explore and discover some of the most beautiful and unique rural areas in the UK.