Wight Forces
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 Wight Forces 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 Wight Forces 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 Spouses And Partners
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
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Wight Forces Will promote the Armed Forces at any event they host, With particular emphasis on supporting military families Whilst the serving partner is away, and ensuring that during periods of separation when the serving partner deployed, families feel supported, connected and not alone.
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Wight Forces Will work With local businesses to introduce members of the armed forces community to key stakeholders that are advertising jobs. We Will assist serving personnel with practical support and skills such as CV writing, interview techniques, how to articulate their transferrable skills etc. We will then Support them through the transition period and can Offer a buddy from the same service if they would like the additional tailored support. We will identify military children on the Isle Of Wight and provide inclusive social activities for them with like-minded peers and help build their resilience.
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Wight Forces Will deliver a programme Of awareness raising and engagement events including coffee mornings, information stands at local supermarkets and attendance at community events. We will maintain an active and accessible online presence and engage With the local community via Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. We have a mascot that Will come along to events to ensure the brand is easily recognised.
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We Will work collaboratively With local authorities, schools, health providers, businesses and other charities to ensure joined-up support and effective signposting. Our mascot will attend events to increase visibility, improve approachability and act as a friendly way to start conversations with serving personnel, veterans and their families.
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The health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces community is extremely important to us and we recognise that mental health issues and physical health challenges can appear long after leaving the military. Wight Forces Will provide early support and guidance With appropriate signposting or referral to the most appropriate place to treat the individual’s needs, Both Founders are qualified Coaches, Mental Health First Aider5 and TRiM Practitioners, enabling us to provide informed, compassionate and confidential support, While ensuring safe escalation where required.
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Wight Forces is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all activities. We Will treat all members of the Armed Forces community With dignity, respect and confidentiality. We will continue to develop additional support where needs are identified, including volunteering opportunities, support for the bereaved, and signposting for housing, financial or educational assistance.
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Wight Forces will regularly review its commitments and activities, seek feedback from the Armed Forces community and partner organisations, and use this information to continuously improve the support we provide.
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.