Reservist nurse wanted to give back to Afghans

Rebecca Warren said the teamwork at the camp would always stay with her

A nurse who served in Afghanistan in 2009 has said she is "proud" to have supported Afghans being resettled in the UK.

Rebecca Warren worked at the Nesscliffe barracks in Shropshire from October 2023, helping some of the 1,515 Afghans who passed through the camp until its recent closure.

She was initially told she would be needed for just two weeks and recalled: "We were basically given 48 hours to get the Nesscliffe camp up and running, so it was a huge undertaking."

Ms Warren said it had been "an opportunity to give something back" and having worked alongside Afghans she added: "I know what support they have given us."

The Nesscliffe camp was one of a number of sites set up to help thousands of Afghan civilians who served with the British Army.

When the Taliban regained control of the company, many left for their own safety and the camps were intended to help them begin their journey to UK citizenship.

Ms Warren is a nurse leader at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital near Gobowen and also a reservist with 202 (Midlands) Multi-Role Medical Regiment.

She said she "saw the wounds both mental and physical" which the Afghans arrived with.

Her job, she said, was to make sure their healthcare needs were met and in the 23 months the camp was open it supported 242 families and helped with the birth of 11 babies.

A total of 1,419 Afghans have been registered with local GP services in that time, with 2,496 hours of GP time provided.

She said she could "see how scared these people were" when they arrived and that everyone working at the camp was dedicated to helping them.

"It doesn't matter what situation anyone's in, if someone needs healthcare then they should absolutely get it," she said.

Ms Warren said although the camp had closed, it had set important foundations which might be needed again one day, in the event of another war or a pandemic.