THE Territorial Army wants you! Budding Blackburn soldiers are being urged to join up, especially if they are Asian.

Captain Ian Urwin, of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, is calling for more recruits after a disappointing turnout at an open night on Tuesday at Somme Barracks.

He also revealed that only three members out of 111 in A Company, 4th Battalion, are of Asian background.

He said: "They are far less inclined to join the TA here, merely because of their cultural background."

But he stressed that the TA often works with the police to help break down racial barriers.

Just 15 people turned up at the event on Tuesday, where they were given a presentation and looked at demonstration stands before socialising in the bar.

Captain Urwin said: "The response was not as good as we had hoped. We had been hoping for 30 to 50. "All recruiting across the country is struggling at the moment, and it is the same for the regular army. It is mainly due to the youth of today.

"They are not leaning towards the armed forces.

"The days of national service were a long time ago, and only their grandfathers would have been involved."

Due to lack of resources, another such open night will not take place until September, but if people join now they have the chance to go to the annual camp in Scotland in the summer.

Captain Urwin outlined the benefits of the TA: "A complete change in your day to day working life, and it helps to learn new skills, teamwork and personal discipline."

He said the actual contract only demands a minimum of six weekends a year and the two week long annual camp. Any extra commitment will bring extra pay.

One of the members of the Blackburn TA is actually going to Turkey for three weeks soon and another is in Canada for five months.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.