US AIR FORCE PERSONNEL FALL IN TO HELP WITH NORFOLK VINEYARD’S HARVEST

A group of American servicemen and women have got hands on at a Norfolk vineyard, helping to bring in the 2024 harvest.

Nine military and civilian personnel from RAF Mildenhall spent a day at Chet Valley Vineyard as part of a programme of events designed to help those serving at the base to connect with the local community and boost their wellbeing.

The group was led by chaplain Captain Cliff Hanson who said that while activities like helping with the harvest benefitted the local community, they also provided an opportunity to boost their spiritual welfare and meet new people from outside the immediate military environment.

“We absolutely love coming off the base and doing things like this,” said Captain Hanson.  The jobs that people do at Mildenhall can be stressful, whether that is maintaining the airplanes or sitting at a screen all day.

“Getting out in the open air and undertaking something completely different – especially something peaceful like being in an English vineyard – is a great way of building resilience and allowing people the time and space to think about something other than the jobs they do.”

The group included aircraft technicians, communications troops, schedulers and civil contractors.

Chet Valley owner and winemaker John Hemmant was on hand to welcome the group, along with another group of students from Darwin College, Cambridge, who also spent the day harvesting in the vineyard.

“Almost every English vineyard would not be able to operate without volunteers coming to help with harvest.  As well as hosting groups like those from RAF Mildenhall and Darwin College, our community harvest days are a high point of the vineyard year.

“In return for their hard work I believe we offer a really inspiring experience, as well as keeping the pickers fed with mid-morning bacon butties, lunch and a harvest supper at the end of the day, accompanied by wines from our previous vintages, of course!”

Chet Valley’s 2024 vintage will be launched in the spring.