Morecambe Town Council has formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant: a promise from the nation to ensure those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces – and their families – are treated fairly.

The covenant, signed on August 15, the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, is in recognition of the sacrifices those who served make on behalf of the country.

The signing took place at a reception for members of the Armed Forces community at Morecambe Town Hall, hosted by the Royal British Legion Morecambe and Heysham branch.

Coun Roger Dennison, the council’s Armed Forces Champion, signed the covenant on behalf of the council, with Lt Adam Lappin RN signing on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

The signing of the Armed Forces Covenant at Morecambe Town Council.

placeholder image — The signing of the Armed Forces Covenant at Morecambe Town Council.

Dignitaries in attendance included Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire Colonel (Retd) John Davies, Mayor of Lancaster Margaret Pattison, and elected representatives from the county, city and town councils.

In becoming a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, the town council pledged to support the Armed Forces community in a number of ways, including: welcoming and encouraging applications from the community for its vacancies; offering flexibility to employed reservists, cadet volunteers and service spouses and partners around training, mobilisations and deployments; promoting local support networks, awareness-raising schemes and dedicated healthcare services; engaging with local Armed Forces charities and organisations; and promoting the covenant and its support for the Armed Forces community.

Coun Dennison said: “Morecambe Town Council has been a proud supporter of the Armed Forces community in Morecambe for many years, through activity such as providing headline funding support for Armed Forces Day.

"We’re proud to have formalised this support by signing the covenant and pledging to take it further still.

“There are some fantastic organisations doing great work locally, such as Healthier Heroes, Bay Veterans Association, the local Royal British Legion and Armed Forces Association branches, and Morecambe FC Community Foundation’s Veterans Project – to name just a few.

"We are looking forward to working with them to promote the good work that they do, while strengthening our own employment practices to make Morecambe Town Council a more appealing and accommodating place to work for members of the Armed Forces community.”

To find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant, how it supports the community, and how your organisation might implement the covenant, head to www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk