Liverpool pledges support for the Armed Forces
The city of Liverpool has pledged its support to the Armed Forces by signing a Community Covenant.
The Community Covenant commits the local military and civilian authorities to work more closely together in support of serving and ex-Service personnel, and their families. It was one of the key measures in the Armed Forces Covenant published in May 2011.
The most senior soldier in the North West, Brigadier Nick Fitzgerald, Commander of 42 (North West) Brigade, signed the agreement during a special ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall on Tuesday, 27 March 2012.
The event was attended not only by council leaders and military personnel, but also by local celebrities including Stan Boardman, and Ricky Tomlinson.
Brigadier Fitzgerald said:
Liverpool has always been a hugely supportive and Service-friendly city. The community has a strong record of supporting Service personnel and their families, serving and veteran.
This initiative is an enormously important document that represents a commitment to cement and build upon that support. I hope too that it will also help promote a better understanding and awareness of the issues that affect the Service community, creating even stronger enduring bonds.
We in the military are extremely proud to be part of the Liverpool Community Covenant.
The aims of the Community Covenant aims include:
• to encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces Community in their areas, and vice-versa
• to promote understanding and awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces Community
• to recognise and remember the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces Community
• to encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community into local life.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Frank Prendergast, said:
Liverpool has a proud tradition of supporting our Armed Forces, and I welcome the signing of this agreement.
Liverpool and Merseyside are one of the UK’s main recruitment areas for Service personnel, which makes it so important that we have a major project for supporting our Armed Forces community and their families.
Servicemen and women sacrifice valuable time with their loved ones to serve for their country, often moving from place to place at short notice. It is vitally important we do all we can to show we value their important contribution to keeping us safe, and support them when they return home to the community.