Number of Welsh army recruits up

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Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan appear not to be deterring recruits for the army from Wales, with numbers set to be higher than average this year.

The Army in Wales has said it is attracting its highest number of recruits in recent years.

Latest figures show recruitment is on course to hit 1,000 recruits by April. The annual average from Wales is 900.

Officers say Wales has historically always supplied a higher number of recruits in proportion to population.

Wales has around 5% of the UK's 16 to 24-year-olds, but provides nearly 9% of recruits from that age group.

Recruiters in the Army say concerns about the risks in places like Afghanistan and Iraq are often more of an issue for the parents than the recruits, who they claim are keen to go to those countries.

The ones who are wavering tend to decide, 'no, definitely that's not for me' Col Liz Walters

However they insist recruits in Wales sign up knowing the risks but do so because of the potential rewards from a career in the military.

Col Liz Walters, head of recruitment in Wales, said images of conflict on the television could work both for and against the Army.

"The statistics show from some of the research that the recruitment group does that it has a strong impact one way or the other.

"The ones who are wavering tend to decide, 'no, definitely that's not for me'. [With] the others who are quite interested, it tends to reinforce their interest.

"You keep thinking of the danger, but I think what the TV coverage shows is the very high standard of training people in the army receive, the very high level of camaraderie."

'Apprehensive'

Zoe Grail, 17, is one of the youngsters who has not been deterred by the number of military fatalities in recent times.

She told BBC Wales: "Obviously there's quite a big danger in joining the military but at the end of the day it's your job. You take the good with the bad.

"My mother wasn't too happy about it and my friends don't particularly want me to leave but they realise it's what I want to do and they'll support me whatever."

Robert and Jane Hewins, from Llanrumney in Cardiff, are mainly supportive of their 18-year-old son Philip's decision to join up.

Mr Hewins said: "I'm all for it really. My wife's a bit apprehensive at all the trouble around the world."

Mrs Hewins added: "It's just a risk that we have got to take. It's his career and I can't stand in his way for that."