The Worshipful Company of Turners
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 The Worshipful Company of Turners 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 The Worshipful Company of Turners 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 Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
As a Membership Organisation we will raise awareness and the profile of the Armed Forces and the Armed Forces Covenant with all our members. We will encourage our membership to raise awareness with their respective employers…We encourage our members and guests to wear military attire and decorations on appropriate occasions. Continued support to an Armed Forces Committee to foster the relationship between Liveries and the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces Committee will both look out to the Armed Forces of today and inwards to those who serve or who have served. The Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee will attend both the Standing Committee and the Court, if not a Court Assistant. Recognising the Armed Forces service, past and present, of Company members and their families, whether in the United Kingdom or other allied nations. This will be delivered by the Armed Forces Committee which will organise at least one event each year to bring together the Armed Forces community of the Turners’ Company to celebrate their service and reconnect with the Services of today. There will be a Company Armed Forces Champion on the committee to represent the Armed Forces community of the Company; someone who is both a Liveryman and is either currently serving or a veteran. The Company promotes and supports the craft of turning and engineering excellence in its affiliated Armed Forces establishments and Corps. Craft excellence must be celebrated and recognised, as does the engineering leadership which enables it, so the Turners’ Company will support these with annul awards.
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.