A COUNTERSIGNATURE ceremony to cement Droitwich Spa Town Council’s pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant was one of the first items on the agenda at Monday’s council meeting (January 22).
The covenant is a declaration of support for military veterans and their families.
It focuses on ensuring members of the Armed Forces community face no disadvantage when accessing public and commercial services.
This is carried out by providing support for veterans and their families through education, well-being, career support, healthcare, financial services and permanent residence.
The council’s covenant engagement officer, Philip Sinclair, led the ceremony with support from Droitwich’s 2516 squadron of the Air Force Air Cadets.
Philip said: “I’m delighted to be here today. This is a reaffirming of the councils commitment to the armed forces community, which I know is extremely strong.”
Councillor Richard Morris and Mayor, coun Kate Fellows re-signed the covenant on behalf of the council.
Coun Morris said: “We want to lead in terms of an organisation and hope others will follow suit and show too that they respect and support our armed forces.
“This is a mark in the ground to say lets get others on board. It’s a giant step we are taking in Worcestershire.”
Colonel (Ret’d) Richard L Mayberry QGM. chief execetive, The West Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association made a short speech on behalf of the armed forces.
He said: “It’s a pleasure to be in Droitwich Spa this evening.
“It was great to see some members of the cadets alongside us today. Your support to them is evident and appreciated.
“We’re really delighted you’ve signed. Thank you very much, your support is massively appreciated by the armed forces and not taken for granted.”
The signed covenant will be accessible on the Armed Forces Covenant website for people to read and understand the councils pledge.
Visit https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/ for more information.
