Forest of Dean Pest Control
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, His 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 Forest of Dean Pest Control 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 Forest of Dean Pest Control 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
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
- Additional Leave For Reservists
We also pledge the following:
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Creation of a Reserves Forces policy.
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Engaging with the Career Transition Partnership.
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Working with sector-led employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces community, for example ‘A Great Place to Work’ and ‘Step Into Health’.
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Engage with any local Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) presence – for example, local Army units, RAF stations and/or Naval bases.
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Provide ways for our staff to learn about the Armed Forces community.
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Create a dedicated Armed Forces community section on our website.
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Establish an internal Armed Forces Network within our organisation, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another.
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Appoint an Armed Forces lead within our organisation to coordinate support for the Armed Forces community.
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Signpost members of the Armed Forces community to available support, for example from Cobseo members, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs directory of support and statutory services in your area.
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Deliver or promote external events for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces community.
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Develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces community in our local area and/or our industry sector.
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Ensure the Armed Forces community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage due to their service, for example due to deployment or mobility.
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Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.
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Ensure upkeep of war memorials and war graves (with support from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) if you are a local council.
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Organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities.
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Forest of Dean Pest Control is proudly veteran-owned and operated. As a former Royal Navy Marine Engineer, I understand the valuable skills, discipline and experience that members of the Armed Forces bring to the workplace. We are also proud to employ a former Royal Marine and pledge to continue supporting veterans, service leavers, reservists and military families through fair employment opportunities and a supportive working environment.
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As a proud veteran-owned and family-run business, Forest of Dean Pest Control pledges to actively promote the Armed Forces Covenant and encourage our customers, suppliers and business partners to support the Armed Forces community.
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Our commitment is personal as well as professional. Our owner served in the Royal Navy as a Marine Engineer, and we are also proud to employ a former Royal Marine. We recognise the discipline, reliability, leadership and practical skills that veterans and service personnel bring to the workplace.
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We pledge to provide fair employment opportunities for veterans, service leavers, reservists and members of the wider Armed Forces community whenever suitable positions become available. We will ensure that no member of the Armed Forces community is unfairly disadvantaged when seeking employment or accessing our services.
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We will continue to support and raise awareness of Armed Forces charities, veterans’ organisations Lopes and local community initiatives wherever reasonably possible, while proudly promoting the values and principles of the Armed Forces Covenant throughout our business.
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.