Twyman and Holmes Independent Funeral Directors
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 Twyman and Holmes Independent Funeral Directors 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 Twyman and Holmes Independent Funeral Directors 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 Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
- Additional Leave For Reservists
We also pledge the following:
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Promote employment schemes on public facing website aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as ‘A Great Place to Work’ and ‘Step Into Health’.
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Communications, engagement and outreach: Provide and/or promote training, such as e-learning, for your staff on the Armed Forces Community.
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Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and our support for the Armed Forces Community to our staff, customers/service users, supply chains and the wider public.
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Support or promote Armed Forces events, such as the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities.
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Use the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in our communications and marketing.
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Create a dedicated Armed Forces page on our website.
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Appoint an Armed Forces Champion within our organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community.
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Sign post members of the Armed Forces Community to available support, for example from Cobseo, the Veterans’ Gateway, Forces Connect App or statutory services in our area.
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Run, facilitate or promote support networks (such as coffee mornings, breakfast clubs) for veterans and other members Of the Armed Forces Community,
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Engage with any local Armed Forces presence —for example, local Army units, reservist units, RAF stations and/or naval bases.
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Develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces Community in our locality/region.
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Company has links with local RBL branches, Breakfast club, East Kent Mind and The Veterans Association, Birchington.
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Commercial: Offer and/or promote commercial discounts for members of the Armed Forces during arrangement process, this would also include free use of a limousine.
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Ensure the Armed Forces Community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service, for example as a result of their high mobility.
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Arrangement paperwork highlights if the deceased has served in the Armed Forces and asks to specify which of the tri services they were part of.
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Tri service and Merchant flags are readily available as coffin drapes. Funeral Director (FD) will arrange relevant tri service attendance, standard bearer and bugler.
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Health and healthcare: Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Ensure any members of the household who have served register with their GP as a Veteran via the GMSI registration form.
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Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Community, such as Op COURAGE in England and Op RESTORE, are signposted and promoted along with information shared through the Forces Connect App.
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Civic responsibilities: Ensure upkeep of war memorials and war graves (with support from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission).
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Organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities.
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.