Up early and after a brief stint in the office, I headed to Bovington to visit defence company Babcock, which runs the maintenance depot for all armoured vehicles. I had been there before and was relieved when it was taken over by Babcock, which decided to keep the workshop at Bovington and of course all the skilled jobs. Relief all round at the time. Pouring with rain, Roz, the secretary, kindly stepped out into the storm to pick me up at reception, armed with two umbrellas. We were soon in the office of the MD, Rob Pemberton, James Coady, the PR Manager and another colleague of theirs, who very kindly offered me coffee and biscuits while briefing me on what the company was up to. Afterwards, we went on a tour of the site, where I had a chance to meet some of the workforce, all of whom are highly skilled. The giant hanger in which most of them work is impressive, with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and artillery pieces laid out in various stages of maintenance or repair. Some Challengers had been stripped right down following some years out on the training area in Canada. Rob and his team are keen to win a new contract to do some hull preparation work in preparation for a newly equipped turret. I will do all I can to help.