LOCAL Territorial Army volunteers are back home after battling their way through a two-week training camp in Devon.

The rugged recruits had a break from routine civilian life with a taste of Army action which included firing mortars, machine guns and semi-automatic rifles on the bleak Dartmoor hills.

Bury's volunteers came from the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers, a new TA regiment recently formed through an amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire regiment.

Among them was machine gunner Louise Holt, (25), from Radcliffe, who works as an office temp during the week.

According to Louise, her three years with the TA have toughened her up and boosted her confidence.

"It has made me a stronger person. It is mainly a man's world, but you soon learn to stick up for yourself," she said.

"It is a great way to meet all sorts of people from different walks of life. The machine gun platoon is very close knit, we're like one big family and we all look out for each other.

"I always wanted to be in the regulars but I never got around to it. By the time I was in the position to do it, I was too used to my civilian way of life.

"When I saw an advertisement for the TA, I thought it was the next best thing: you get the best of both worlds."