A Worcester RAF Reserve has been put through her paces during an arduous training exercise in snowy Norway.

Mandy Mitchell, who has been in the RAF for six years and is a senior aircraftwoman and MT driver, took part in the Wintermarch 15 exercise held in the country's remote Hardangervidda region along with other reservists from RAF Brize Norton based 501 and Norwegian Reserve Officers.

She said: "My family had grown up, I had my time back and I wanted something to aim for.

"I regretted not joining up as a youngster, so when I saw an advert for the RAF Reserves, I went ahead and signed up.

"I’m meeting new people, trying something I’ve never done before and experiencing what our wartime counterparts did in Norway."

The exercise aims to hone the reservists' skills so they can operate in any climate and conditions and learned to cross-country ski, while also receiving lessons in mountain and avalanche awareness, rescue, first aid and personal care under extreme cold weather conditions.

Squadron Leader Paul Chegwidden, the project officer for Wintermarch 15, said: "Exercise Wintermarch provides the chance for more arduous conditions for our personnel who are encouraged to challenge themselves beyond their normal capabilities.

"It also contributes to the RAF’s aims to engage with reservists offering the best training possible.

"From the individuals’ point of view, it gives them the opportunity to do things that they wouldn’t do in their civilian life. Here they can acquire new skills, make new friends, and it provides an idea of the bigger picture of what the RAF Reserves are all about.”

The Hardangervidda region's heavy water factory was attacked by the Nazi's in The Second World War as they needed the base to create an atom bomb.

To follow the activities of Wintermarch 15 use @RAFMediaReserve and #WM15