Gildeas Solicitors Limited
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 Gildeas Solicitors Limited 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 Gildeas Solicitors Limited 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
We also pledge the following:
Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community by being flexible with staff with Armed Forces commitments. Communications, engagement, and outreach: working with charities to promote Armed Forces events. Commercial: by ensuring we support the Armed Forces Community through working with SSAFA and other organisations who may need our help to promote the cause. Civic responsibilities: by ensuring our staff are aware of the Armed Forces Community, afford-ing opportunities to engage and provide support to Armed Forces Community. Offering access to justice at reduced cost or in some cases pro bona to Armed Forces, Veteran, Reservist, and their families. Actively seeking to support fundraising events. Work with SSAFA to promote help and assistance to Armed Forces, Veteran and Reservist and their families. As an employer ensure greater understanding of armed forces and their essential role, together with their needs, and how we might be able to provide assistance to all in Armed Forces, Reservists, Veterans and their respective families 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 Armed Forces Community and our customers on how we are doing. We will also work with organisations such as SSAFA to provide help and assistance to armed forces in the best way we can and as identified by Armed Forces and/ or partners such as SAFFA. We will continue to review what we do to ensure that it is pertinent to the Armed Forces and to the needs of Armed Forces, Veterans, and their families.
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.