Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust Ltd
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust Ltd will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust Ltd recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Reservists
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
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Promoting the Armed Forces Community.
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CWRT will actively promote its support for the Armed Forces Community through its communications, partnerships, and community engagement activity. We will seek to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant amongst staff, stakeholders, and customers, and encourage an inclusive and supportive environment for those connected to the Armed Forces Community.
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Our approach will focus on employment, communications and engagement, access to finance and enterprise support, and education. We will work with relevant charities, the Career Transition Partnership, and other local and national partners to help create pathways into business support, enterprise development, funding opportunities and training.
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CWRT values the skills, experience and resilience that members of the Armed Forces Community bring, and we are proud to play our part in supporting them.
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CWRT recognises the valuable skills, experience, and resilience that members of the Armed Forces Community bring to the workplace. We will seek to ensure that veterans, reservists, and military family members are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in employment or development opportunities within our organisation.
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We will also seek opportunities to work with relevant organisations, including the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), to support service leavers and veterans in developing enterprise, self-employment, and business skills.
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Access to Finance and Enterprise Support.
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As a responsible lender and provider of business support, CWRT is committed to supporting fair and inclusive access to finance and enterprise opportunities for members of the Armed Forces Community.
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We recognise that service-related circumstances may create barriers to accessing mainstream finance and business support. CWRT will seek to ensure that veterans, reservists, and military families are able to access our lending and business support services fairly and without disadvantage.
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CWRT will seek opportunities to increase the proportion of lending and enterprise support delivered to underserved groups within the Armed Forces Community, recognising the barriers some individuals may face in accessing mainstream finance.
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CWRT will seek to build relationships with organisations, charities and networks that support the Armed Forces Community locally and nationally. We will look for opportunities to collaborate, share knowledge, and improve awareness of the support available through CWRT and partner organisations.
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We will also seek to provide appropriate awareness and learning opportunities for staff to help strengthen understanding of the Armed Forces Community and the challenges they may face.
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CWRT will support opportunities that encourage enterprise, financial awareness, and business development for members of the Armed Forces Community. This may include signposting, training, mentoring, workshops, or access to business support programmes where appropriate.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our website, communications, and relevant literature, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from members of the Armed Forces Community, customers and stakeholders on how we are doing.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.