THE war in Iraq may be over but part-time soldiers are gearing up to play their part in building a new future for the country.

The 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers) is to be sent to Shaibah, near Basra, to replace regular Army soldiers currently running a hospital there.

Next month, up to 100 members of the unit - several of them medics from Bolton - are expecting to be called up for a six-month tour of duty, including up to four months in Iraq.

In preparation, the unit took over the TA centre in Bury on Saturday, conducting a major mobilisation exercise.

Although it is not yet known who will be going to Iraq, many have already raised the possibility with their employers and families.

Lieutenant Darren Illingworth, of Blackrod, is a staff nurse on the intensive care unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

He is the TA unit's nuclear, biological and chemical instructor and spent Saturday issuing gas masks.

The 31-year-old father of one said: "It is a good learning opportunity. I have spoken to my employer and everyone is fully aware of the situation and is supportive."

Major Andy Bracegirdle, of Ramsbottom, was carrying out medical checks to make sure soldiers are fit. He said that while people were looking forward to playing a part in Iraq, there was some fear.

"But this is what we are trained to do," he said. More than 50 members of the unit have already served in Iraq.

Captain Susan Flett, aged 38, of Bolton, is a theatre sister at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester. She spent three months in Kuwait and then Iraq. But this time, there is a possibility her fiance, James Shaw, who is a corporal in the unit, is also going.

They met when she joined the Territorial Army 15 years ago and are planning to marry in Sri Lanka in November.

Commanding officer Colonel Cliff Godby believes the men and women of 207 are ready for their first real mission. "I am confident that we are more than capable of undertaking our operational role effectively by providing first-class medical support to our armed forces in Iraq," he said.